2020 Canadian Soccer League season
Professional soccer league season
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The 2020 Canadian Soccer League season was the 23rd season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season commenced on August 15, 2020, and concluded with the CSL Championship final on October 17, 2020.[1] FC Vorkuta defeated the reigning champions Scarborough SC at Racco Park in Vaughan, Ontario, and secured their second championship. Scarborough made their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship final and claimed their first divisional title.[2]
October 10 – October 17 (playoffs)
FC Vorkuta (First Division playoffs, 2nd title)
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 15 – October 3 (regular season) October 10 – October 17 (playoffs) |
| Champions | Scarborough SC (First Division regular season) FC Vorkuta (First Division playoffs, 2nd title) |
| Matches | 20 |
| Goals | 82 (4.1 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Moussa Limane (7) |
| Biggest home win | Scarborough SC 7–2 Hamilton City (August 22, 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Brantford Galaxy 2–5 FC Vorkuta (September 5, 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 4 matches Scarborough SC |
| Longest unbeaten run | 5 matches FC Vorkuta |
| Longest winless run | 7 matches Brantford Galaxy |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Brantford Galaxy |
← 2019 2021 → | |
As the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the season the league ultimately released a modified shortened schedule which began in early August with the matches taking place within Toronto at Esther Shiner Stadium, and Centennial Park Stadium except for the championship final being moved to Racco Park at Concord/Thornhill Regional Park in Vaughan, Ontario.
Summary
The events throughout the regular season resembled the previous season, with the main theme being Scarborough SC and FC Vorkuta competing for the divisional and championship titles. As both teams were tied in points, the title was decided on the final match of the season, with Scarborough receiving their first division title by accumulating the most wins in the league's tie-breaker rules.[3] In a bid to successfully defend their championship title, the eastern Toronto side made adjustments to the roster with the acquisition of additional imports.[4] The additions proved successful as Scarborough remained competitive and primarily battled with Vorkuta for the top spot and held the position for the final four weeks of the campaign.[5] Their rivalry would conclude in the CSL Championship final with Vorkuta securing their second championship title.[6]
Vorkuta managed to retain their core veteran imports with former general manager Denys Yanchuk serving as the head coach.[7] As a result, Vorkuta was a consistent challenger with the strongest defensive record and shifted between the first and second positions throughout the regular season.[5] The Vaughan-based team earned their dividends in the championship final, where they defeated reigning champions, Scarborough.[7] Included in that race for the divisional title was Hamilton City, where the Steeltown club held the third position for the majority of the season, with only a single point difference in claiming the title.[8] Though Hamilton secured a postseason berth, the organization was prevented by the league from participating after finishing in a Not-in-Good Standing state.[9]
The final playoff berth was secured by the Serbian White Eagles, which marked their fifteenth consecutive season of clinching a playoff berth since their return to the professional scene in 2006. The western Toronto side produced the best offensive record in the regular season but was eliminated in the first round of the championship playoffs by Vorkuta.[10] For the second consecutive season, Brantford Galaxy concluded the season at the bottom of the standings and managed to dodge a winless season by winning their final match of the season.[11]
Changes from 2019
On March 29, 2020, the CSL released a tentative match schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Following recommendations from health officials, the schedule was prolonged for another month to fulfill the entire season by scheduling matches on weekdays.[12] On July 8, 2020, the league announced its schedule, with the commencement of the league beginning in early August, with seven teams returning from the previous season.[13][4] All the matches were scheduled to take place at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, with Kingsman SC, FC Ukraine United, and SC Waterloo Region not participating for the season.[13][14][15] The schedule was postponed for another week, with the season starting on August 15, 2020.[16]
On June 27, 2020, the league officially released its 2020 schedule and confirmed the kickoff date for August 15, 2020, with all matches being played at Esther Shiner Stadium in August, and the remaining months at Centennial Park Stadium.[17] Originally CSC Mississauga and SC Real Mississauga were announced as participating teams but were not included in the revised schedule.
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy | Brantford, Ontario | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Saša Vidović[11] |
| FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario (Woodbridge) | Denys Yanchuk[18] | |
| Hamilton City | Hamilton, Ontario (Stoney Creek) | Sasa Vukovic[19] | |
| Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Zoran Rajović[20] | |
| Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) | Uroš Stamatović[21] |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy | Milan Prpa [22] | Replaced | October 3, 2020 | 5th in October |  Saša Vidović[11] |
October 3, 2020 |
  Brantford Hamilton Vaughan  TORONTO Location of First Division teams outside of Toronto for the 2020 CSL season.  First Division
|
 Scarborough Serbian White Eagles FC Vorkuta Location of First Division teams in Toronto for the 2020 CSL season. First Division
|
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scarborough SC (C) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 15 | Playoffs |
| 2 | FC Vorkuta (O) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 15 | |
| 3 | Hamilton City | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 14 | Ineligible for Playoffs[note 1] |
| 4 | Serbian White Eagles | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 10 | Playoffs |
| 5 | Brantford Galaxy | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 23 | −14 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal differential; 5) most goals
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
- Hamilton finished the season in a Not-in-Good Standing and were removed from the playoffs
Positions by round
Playoffs
Three teams advanced to the playoffs. Third seed Hamilton City ended the season in "Not-in-Good Standing", which resulted in their disqualification from the playoffs.[9] The CSL Championship final was originally scheduled to take place at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, but due to further provincial government restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue was moved to Racco Park at Concord/Thornhill Regional Park in Vaughan, Ontario.[24]
| Semifinal | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Scarborough SC | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | FC Vorkuta | 2 | 2 | FC Vorkuta | 2 | ||||
| 4 | Serbian White Eagles | 1 | |||||||
Semifinal
| October 10, 2020 | FC Vorkuta | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario |
| 14:00 | Temnyuk  70' Melnyk 107' |
Report | Vukomanović 37' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
| October 17, 2020 | Scarborough SC | 1–2 | FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario |
| 15:00 | Angel Angelov 40' |
Report | Borovskyi 56' Chornomaz 70' |
Stadium: Racco Park Referee: Braden K. |
Season statistics
Goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[25] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Moussa Limane |
Scarborough SC | 7 |
| 2 |  Luke Rankin |
Hamilton City SC | 6 |
| 3 | Dusan Kovacevic |
Serbian White Eagles | 5 |
 Mykola Temnyuk |
FC Vorkuta | ||
| 4 | Misel Klisara |
Serbian White Eagles | 4 |
| 5 | Arsen Platis | Hamilton City SC | 3 |