Chile Lindo was a soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club was founded in 1975 and originally played in the Liga Hispanoamerica de Football Amateur (LHFA). After several successes' at the amateur level, the club was granted a franchise in the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1987. Lindo played in the NSL for two seasons from 1987 till 1988. The club's franchise was revoked in 1988 after a series of on-field incidents.
| Full name | Toronto Chile Lindo |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975 |
| Dissolved | 1989 |
| Stadium | Lamport Stadium Toronto, Ontario |
| League | National Soccer League |
The club played their home matches at Lamport Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.
History
editToronto Chile Lindo was formed in 1975 and represented the Chilean Canadian community in the Greater Toronto Area.[1][2] The club competed in the Liga Hispanoamerica de Football Amateur (LHFA). In 1985, Chile secured the league title and repeated its success the following season.[3] Lindo along with two other Latin American-based clubs Nacional Latino and Toronto International were given franchises in the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1987.[4][5][6] The club recruited former Chilean international Carlos Rivas as their head coach.[7]
Chile's debut season in the NSL was unfortunately plagued with many controversies as many of their matches were disrupted because of fan violence, and disruptive behavior from the players.[8][9] One notable incident occurred during an NSL Cup match against Windsor Wheels where the match was abandoned after a fan invasion which resulted in a brawl.[8] It was later reported that Chile Lindo received a league record fine of $5000 for previous on-field incidents, and their league representative was fined and suspended for two years for enticing their supporters to riot.[8] In regards to the match against Windsor harsh measures were placed on Chile with four players receiving lengthy suspensions.[10] The suspensions caused a change in the team management as head coach Rivas was suspended from the league for four years.[10] Rivas replacement was former head coach Modesto Juárez.[11]
Despite Chile's problems from the previous season, they returned for the 1988 season.[12] In their second season in the NSL the club finished in seventh place.[13] The following season Chile's franchise was revoked due to continuing behavioral problems.[14]
Head Coach history
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Seasons
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | National Soccer League | 11 | 3–9–8 | 8th | – | [16] |
| 1988 | 10 | 4–3–10 | 7th | – | [13] |
References
edit- ^ "Aniversario en Chile Lindo". El Popular. July 9, 1979. p. 7.
- ^ "Enviado Especial del club Chile Lindo a Santiago y Valparaiso". El Popular. March 9, 1987. p. 10.
- ^ a b Vera Mendez, Hugo (October 8, 1986). "Chile Lindo campeon de los torneos de la Hispana". El Popular. p. 9.
- ^ Koep, Bob (May 15, 1987). "Enlarged soccer league to open with some plans on hold for now". Toronto Star. p. F10.
- ^ Vera Mendez, Hugo (February 18, 1987). "Once Equipos Participaran en la N.S.L.". El Popular. p. 12.
- ^ "Chile Lindo y Nacional Latino participan". El Popular. May 15, 1987. pp. 13, 15.
- ^ Vera Mendez, Hugo (May 27, 1987). "Notas del Futbol Latino". El Popular. p. 14.
- ^ a b c Waddell, Dave (August 17, 1987). "Soccer fans get Chile reception: Wheels' game abandoned after bench-clearing melee". Windsor Star. p. C1.
- ^ "NSL reduces Wheels' suspensions". Windsor Star. August 29, 1987. p. C4.
- ^ a b Waddell, Dave (August 26, 1987). "NSL suspends four Windsor players for part in brawl". Windsor Star. p. B1.
- ^ a b Vera Mendez, Hugo (August 28, 1987). "Breves Latinas De la NSL". El Popular. p. 14.
- ^ Da Costa, Norman (August 22, 1988). "Soccer's king seeking peace and order". Toronto Star. p. D8.
- ^ a b "Soccer - National League Standings". Windsor Star. September 14, 1988. p. 22.
- ^ Waddell, Dave (March 15, 1989). "NSL adds second tier but drops youth league". Windsor Star. p. B7.
- ^ "Suplemento Deportivo". El Popular. December 30, 1981. p. 11.
- ^ "16 Sep 1987, 58 - The Windsor Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-28.