The 2021 Canadian Soccer League season was the 24th season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season officially commenced on August 28, 2021, and concluded with the CSL Championship final on November 7, 2021, at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. The championship was contested between reigning champions FC Vorkuta, and Scarborough SC with Scarborough defeating Vorkuta for their second title.[1] Vorkuta completed the season with a league double (regular season, and ProSound Cup).
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 28 – October 10 (regular season) October 30 – November 7 (playoffs) |
| Champions | FC Vorkuta (regular season) Scarborough SC (playoffs, 2nd title) |
| ProSound Cup | FC Vorkuta |
| Matches played | 28 |
| Goals scored | 89 (3.18 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Wabila Wallace (7) |
| Biggest home win | Scarborough SC 6–1 Toronto Tigers (August 28, 2021) FC Vorkuta 6–0 Serbian White Eagles (September 11, 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Euru Futbol Academy 2–4 BGH City FC (September 4, 2021) Euru Futbol Academy 0–4 FC Vorkuta (October 9, 2021) |
| Longest winning run | 4 matches Scarborough SC FC Vorkuta |
| Longest unbeaten run | 7 matches Scarborough SC FC Vorkuta |
| Longest winless run | 7 matches Euru Futbol Academy |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Euru Futbol Academy |
← 2020 2022 → | |
The league was delayed once again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which created another modified shortened schedule.[2] The regular season was reformatted into an invitational competition named the ProSound Cup, which featured permanent league members, and invitational clubs.
Summary
editThe rivalry between title contenders Scarborough SC and FC Vorkuta for league supremacy was renewed throughout the 2021 campaign.[3] As both clubs competed with one another for the league treble and even managed to attract a respectable attendance number in one of their matches.[4] Their rivalry was initially contested throughout the regular season with Vorkuta ultimately laying claim to the regular-season title with a two-point difference between them.[5] Vorkuta aided by their Ukrainian imports, and under the new management of Andrei Malychenkov, and Viktor Raskov managed to control the top spot for the majority of the season by producing an undefeated regular season streak.[6] They found further success by winning the invitational ProSound Cup after defeating their rivals Scarborough in a penalty shootout.[7] The saga of their rivalry would conclude in the CSL Championship final.[1]
Scarborough was also under new management with Mirko Medić being given the head coach position.[8] To remain completive Medić would further refine the roster with new additions.[8] In the opening weeks of the season, Scarborough held the top spot before relinquishing the position permanently to Vorkuta and finished as runner-up.[5] In the opening round of the CSL Championship, the club faced the Serbian White Eagles as Vorkuta was given a bye to the finals.[9] The match resulted in a victory for Scarborough, which marked the club's fifth consecutive championship final appearance.[9] The eastern Toronto side successfully avoided a trophy-less season by defeating reigning champions Vorkuta for their second title.[1]
The third position was contested between Atletico Sporting Toronto, and BGH City FC with Atletico ultimately securing the spot.[5] Atletico Sporting Toronto one of the invitational clubs had an impressive run in the league with the club holding the third position for the majority of the season. Toronto managed to gain a victory over the Serbian White Eagles and held Scarborough to a draw throughout the regular season.[5] BGH City FC was formed after a merger between Brantford Galaxy, and Hamilton City.[10] The team held the third position just once throughout the season and consistently chased Atletico for the position. BGH City secured the final berth to the ProSound Cup but was ineligible to compete in the tournament due to financial issues.[11]
The Serbian White Eagles finished fifth in the standings with a single-point difference between BGH City. The White Eagles were originally managed by Uroš Stamatović, but after a string of poor performances, Zoran Rajović was named his successor.[9] As BGH City was considered ineligible to compete in the ProSound Cup their berth was given to Serbia.[11] The Serbs were defeated in the opening round by Vorkuta.[11] Toronto Tigers another invitational club finished sixth in the standings and were tied with Serbia with only a difference in goals scored. The remaining positions were contested between Euru Futbol Academy, and St. Catharines Hrvat with St. Catharines finishing seventh, and Euru Futbol Academy finishing at the bottom of the standings.[5]
Changes from 2020
editIn early 2021, the founder of Coffee Time former league equity owner Tom Michalopoulos, and match announcer Enio Perruzza died during the offseason.[12][13][14] As the season began to mobilize the administration and marketing responsibilities of the league were assigned to a sports management firm named Primetime Sports Marketing Inc.[2] The schedule was released in early August with the season debuting on August 14, 2021, with all matches being scheduled at Centennial Park Stadium.[10] The regular season was reformatted into an invitational competition named the ProSound Cup, with a postseason format for the title.[10][15] Following the conclusion of the ProSound Cup, the CSL member clubs competed in a knockout bracket for the CSL Championship, which was exclusively reserved for permanent league members (without the invitational clubs).[15][10]
The structure of the competition featured league members along with four entries from the amateur level.[10] All league members from the previous season returned except Brantford Galaxy, and Hamilton City, which merged to form BGH City FC.[10] The invitational clubs were Atletico Sporting Toronto, Euru Futbol Academy, St. Catharines Hrvat, and Toronto Tigers.[10][16] The opening of the season was delayed to August 28, 2021, to acquire insurance for the usage of Centennial Park Stadium.[17][16]
Teams
edit| Team | City | Stadium | Manager | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atletico Sporting Toronto | Toronto, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | Ronald Brinez[10] | Invitational club |
| BGH City | Brantford, Ontario & Hamilton, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | Milan Prpa[18] | Member Club[note 1] |
| Euru Futbol Academy | Hamilton, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | Invitational Club | |
| FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario (Woodbridge) | Centennial Park Stadium | Andrei Malychenkov[19] Viktor Raskov[20] |
Member Club |
| Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Centennial Park Stadium | Mirko Medić[21] | Member Club |
| Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) | Centennial Park Stadium | Zoran Rajović[22][9] | Member Club |
| St. Catharines Hrvat | St. Catharines, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | Martin Mamic[10] | Invitational Club |
| Toronto Tigers | Toronto, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | Invitational Club |
Coaching changes
edit| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbian White Eagles | Uroš Stamatović[23] | Replaced | September 18, 2021 | 8th in September |  Zoran Rajović[22]
|
September 18, 2021 |
- ^ BGH City was formed from a merger of member club Brantford Galaxy and Hamilton City, however they did not participate in the CSL Championship reserved for league members at the end of the season
  Brantford Hamilton St. Catharines Vaughan  TORONTO
|
 Scarborough Serbian White Eagles FC Vorkuta
|
Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Vorkuta (X) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | +21 | 19 |
| 2 | Scarborough SC (C) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 4 | +15 | 17 |
| 3 | Atletico Sporting Toronto | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 13 |
| 4 | BGH City FC | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | Serbian White Eagles | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 9 |
| 6 | Toronto Tigers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 9 |
| 7 | St. Catharines Hrvat | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 4 |
| 8 | Euru Futbol Academy | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 21 | −17 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal differential; 5) most goals
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season champion
Positions by round
editProSound Cup
editSemifinal
edit| October 17, 2021 | FC Vorkuta | 2–1 | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario |
| 16:00 | Ivlyev  Chornomaz |
Report | Marko Stajic 66' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Referee: Ramee Arbaji |
| October 17, 2021 | Scarborough SC | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Atletico Sporting Toronto | Toronto, Ontario |
| 18:15 | Reid 95' Ilyass 118' |
Report | Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
edit| October 24, 2021 | FC Vorkuta | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Referee: Timur Qayoumi | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Halchuk  Ivlyev Solonynko Gostiev |
Marco Johansen Reid |
|||
CSL Championship
editAfter the conclusion of the ProSound Cup featuring the CSL clubs and the invitational clubs, the CSL Championship was held with participation limited to the CSL member clubs.[24]
| Semifinal | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | FC Vorkuta | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Scarborough SC | 7 | 2 | Scarborough SC | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Serbian White Eagles | 5 | |||||||
Semifinal
edit| October 30, 2021 | Scarborough SC | 7–5 (a.e.t.) | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario |
| 15:00 | Dimitrov 24' Limane 31', 36' Ilyass 71', 109', Lukas Risto 101' |
Report | Marko Stajic Vladimir Strizovic 33' Rajović 60', 79', |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
edit| November 7, 2021 | FC Vorkuta | 1–4 | Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 15:00 | Halchuk 79' |
Report | Milos Scepanovic 5', 85' Limane 27', 32' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Referee: Craig Williams |
Season statistics
editGoals
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[25] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wabila Wallace | Atletico Sporting Toronto | 7 |
| 2 | Vladimir Strizovic
|
Serbian White Eagles | 5 |
 Mykola Temnyuk
|
FC Vorkuta | ||
| 3 | Bohdan Borovskyi
|
FC Vorkuta | 4 |
 Gregor Žugelj
|
St. Catharines Hrvat | ||
| 4 | Taha Ilyass | Scarborough SC | 3 |
| Petar Djordjevic[26]
|
BGH City FC |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohdan Borovskyi
|
FC Vorkuta | Serbian White Eagles | 6–0 (H) | 11 September 2021 |
| Gregor Žugelj
|
St. Catharines Hrvat | Euru Academy | 4–1 (H) | 14 September 2021 |
| Vladimir Strizovic
|
Serbian White Eagles | St. Catharines Hrvat | 4–1 (H) | 18 September 2021 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Stanchev, Stancho (November 11, 2021). "Брежанският мениджър К. Димитров изведе "Скарбъро" до втора титла в Канада" [Brzezany manager K. Dimitrov leads Scarborough to second title in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b "CSL JOINS WITH PRIMETIME SPORTS MARKETING FOR BRIGHTER FUTURE........2026 World Cup year marks 100th anniversary". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (September 25, 2021). "Брежанеца се завърна по канадските терени след проблем със зъбите" [Brezhanets returned to Canada after a tooth problem]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (September 30, 2021). "Брежански мениджър води от Канада ямайски национал за нашенската Първа лига през зимата" [A manager from Brzezany leads the Jamaican national team from Canada to our First League in the winter]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b c d e Stanchev, Stancho (October 12, 2021). "Канадският "Скарбъро" на брежанския мениджър К. Димитров влиза под №2 в битката за титлата" [The Canadian "Scarborough" of the Brzezany manager K. Dimitrov enters the battle for the title under №2]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ "WILL COACHING SKILLS BE THE DECIDING FACTOR.....The ProSound Cup Final Sunday". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (October 30, 2021). "Брежанският мениджър К. Димитров загуби футболен финал в Канада" [Brezhan manager K. Dimitrov lost a football final in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b Stanchev, Stancho (September 9, 2021). "Мениджър от Брежани смени наставника на канадския "Скарбъро" и почна сезона с 2 победи" [Manager from Brezani replaced the coach of the Canadian "Scarborough" and started the season with 2 wins]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b c d Stanchev, Stancho (November 4, 2021). "Бивши играчи на "Беласица" и "Литекс" сътвориха голово зрелище в Канада" [Former Belasitsa and Litex players have created a goal in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Adamson, Stan (2021-08-09). "A NEW BEGINNING TO KICKOFF A NEW SEASON - ProSound Cup starts Saturday". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- ^ a b c Stanchev, Stancho (October 24, 2021). "Мениджър от Брежани изведе "Скарбъро" до финал в Канада" [A manager from Brezani led Scarborough to the final in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ "Obituary - ANNOUNCER ENIO PERRUZZA ONE OF THE BEST". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- ^ Kurek, Dominik (2021-04-23). "OBIT: Scarborough founder of Coffee Time Tom Michalopoulos embodied philanthropy". thestar.com. Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Laskaris, Sam (August 28, 1997). "Pro soccer squad anticipated for city". Toronto Star. p. SC 8.
- ^ a b "PRO SOUND CUP SEMIS KICKOFF POST SEASON ACTION SUNDAY". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ a b Adamson, Stan (August 24, 2021). "It's Kickoff Time in the CSL". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ "Saturday Opening Schedule Postponed". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-08-13. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (August 27, 2021). "ProSound Cup Kickoff Saturday". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ "VORKUTA TRIUMPHANT IN PRO SOUND CUP FINAL...Penalty kicks defeat Scarborough". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (2021-11-04). "IS THE FC VORKUTA EDGE NOW EVAPORATING.......CSL Championship Final Sunday". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ^ "SCARBOROUGH ANNOUNCES THE IMPRESSIVE MIRKO MEDIC NEW HEAD COACH". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- ^ a b "After three games played and three losses Head coach Uros Stamatovic resigned and today's game will prepare new Head coach Zoran Rajovic". September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Serbian White Eagles Canada's Import Champions". Canadian Soccer League. August 20, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (October 26, 2021). "SCARBOROUGH vs SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES SEMI-FINAL SATURDAY……..winner meets FC Vorkuta for CSL Championship". Canadian Soccer League.
- ^ "Canadian Soccer League | Standings". cslregistration.ca. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Petar Djordjevic". www.footballdatabase.eu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved October 11, 2021.