Canadian Soccer League
Season1990
ChampionsVancouver 86ers
Division LeadersToronto Blizzard (East)
Vancouver 86ers (West)
Matches played143
Goals scored390 (2.73 per match)
Top goalscorerJohn Catliff (19)
Best goalkeeperPat Harrington (0.43 GAA)
← 1989
1991 →

The 1990 Canadian Soccer League season was the fourth season of play for the Canadian Soccer League, a Division 1 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid.

Format and changes from previous season

The Kitchener Spirit and London Lasers joined the Canadian Soccer League as an expansion teams for the 1990 season, with both joining the East Division.[1][2] Meanwhile, the Calgary Strikers folded following the 1989 season.[3]

As a result of those team changes, the league had a seven-team East Division and a four-team West Division. Consequently, the league did not have a balanced home and away schedule between conferences. West Division teams played each other four times each, twice each home and away, while playing the East Division teams twice, once each home and away. Eastern Division teams played other East Division teams three times, while playing the West Division teams twice, once each home and away.

The playoff format was also modified with eight teams (five from the East and three from the West) now qualifying for the post-season, as opposed to six in the previous years. The fifth place team from the East would cross over and play in the West Division playoff bracket. In addition, the playoff format was changed from an aggregate score system to a total points system. Teams would play a two-game series, with teams earning two points for a victory, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss, regardless of the score. If the teams were tied on points (e.g. each team won a game, or both games were ties), then the first tiebreaker was the teams playing a thirty-minute mini-game. If the mini-game resolved nothing, then penalty kicks were used as the second tiebreaker. In the mini-game, each team named a new lineup, could include three more substitutes and re-activate any players who sat out of Game Two for caution accumulation. Game Two home teams, the higher seeds, had an advantage as they had their entire 22-man active list available while away teams often traveled with as few as 14 players for economic reasons. The playoff final remained a one-off match, as in previous years, hosted by the top seed, or team with the best league record, in 1990.

Summary

Vancouver won their third consecutive West Division title, while Toronto won their second East Division title in a row. Once again, Vancouver and Hamilton met in the finals for the third consecutive season, with Vancouver winning the title for the third time in a row.

As 1989 league champions, the Vancouver 86ers competed in the North American Club Championship against the champions of the American Professional Soccer League, the Maryland Bays. Vancouver defeated Maryland 3–2 in the final played in Burnaby to capture the title.[4][5]

Regular season

East Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Toronto Blizzard 26 18 3 5 52 15 +37 39 Playoffs
2 Montreal Supra 26 13 11 2 30 12 +18 37
3 Hamilton Steelers 26 10 9 7 44 35 +9 29
4 Kitchener Spirit 26 8 7 11 30 36 −6 23
5 North York Rockets 26 7 9 10 34 36 −2 23
6 Ottawa Intrepid 26 2 9 15 21 49 −28 13
7 London Lasers 26 2 7 17 26 68 −42 11
Source: Canadian Soccer History Archives 1990 CSL Stats

West Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Vancouver 86ers (O) 26 17 6 3 69 26 +43 40 Playoffs
2 Victoria Vistas 26 12 7 7 42 32 +10 31
3 Winnipeg Fury 26 7 8 11 22 37 −15 22
4 Edmonton Brick Men 26 6 6 14 20 44 −24 18
Source: Canadian Soccer History Archives 1990 CSL Stats
(O) Play-off winners

Overall table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Vancouver 86ers (O) 26 17 6 3 69 26 +43 40
2 Toronto Blizzard 26 18 3 5 52 15 +37 39
3 Montreal Supra 26 13 11 2 30 12 +18 37
4 Victoria Vistas 26 12 7 7 42 32 +10 31
5 Hamilton Steelers 26 10 9 7 44 35 +9 29
6 Kitchener Spirit 26 8 7 11 30 36 −6 23
7 North York Rockets 26 7 9 10 34 36 −2 23
8 Winnipeg Fury 26 7 8 11 22 37 −15 22
9 Edmonton Brick Men 26 6 6 14 20 44 −24 18
10 Ottawa Intrepid 26 2 9 15 21 49 −28 13
11 London Lasers 26 2 7 17 26 68 −42 11
Source: Canadian Soccer History Archives 1990 CSL Stats
(O) Play-off winners

Playoffs

The playoffs were conducted with a total points system. Teams earned two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The team with the most points following the two-game series advanced. If the teams were tied on points, they played a 30-minute mini-game for a bonus point, followed by a penalty shootout if the mini-game remained tied.

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
             
1W Vancouver 86ers 2 2 4 PTS
5E North York Rockets 0 1 0 PTS
1W Vancouver 86ers 2 6 3 PTS
West Division
2W Victoria Vistas 2 1 1 PTS
2W Victoria Vistas (p) 1 3 (5) 2+1 PTS
3W Winnipeg Fury 4 2 (4) 2 PTS
1W Vancouver 86ers 6
3E Hamilton Steelers 1
2E Montreal Supra 1 0 0 PTS
3E Hamilton Steelers 2 1 4 PTS
3E Hamilton Steelers 1 3 3 PTS
East Division
4E Kitchener Spirit 0 3 1 PTS
1E Toronto Blizzard 1 1 (3) 2 PTS
4E Kitchener Spirit (p) 2 0 (4) 2+1 PTS

Quarterfinal

September 12, 1990 North York Rockets 0–2 Vancouver 86ers North York, Ontario
[[6] Report] Mitchell 8'
Catliff 85'		 Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium
Attendance: 1000
September 16, 1990 Vancouver 86ers 2–1 North York Rockets Vancouver, British Columbia
Catliff 19'
Evans 47'		 [[7] Report] Enrico Todesco 78' Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 3340

Vancouver 86ers won the series 4–0 on points.

September 12, 1990 Winnipeg Fury 4–1 Victoria Vistas Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mike Mosher 26'
Cambridge 70'
Holness 86'
Dave Foley 87'		 [[8] Report] Bridge Stadium: Winnipeg Stadium
Attendance: 1155
September 15, 1990 Victoria Vistas 3–0
(Match Voided)[note 1] (a.e.t.)		 Winnipeg Fury Victoria, British Columbia
David Ravenhill 69'
Ken Andrews 76'
Aunger 98'		 [[9] Report] Stadium: Royal Athletic Park
Attendance: 1980
September 20, 1990 Winnipeg Fury 2–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)		 Victoria Vistas Winnipeg, Manitoba
Nocita 85'
Dave Foley 105'		 [[10] Report] Rick Jaskins 56'
Steve Cecchi 87', 97'		 Stadium: Winnipeg Stadium
Attendance: 839

Victoria Vistas won the series in a shootout, after the series was tied 2–2 on points.

September 12, 1990 Hamilton Steelers 2–1 Montreal Supra Hamilton, Ontario
Fashanu 55', 84' [[8][11] Report] Keith 83' Stadium: Brian Timmis Stadium
Attendance: 2650
September 15, 1990 Montreal Supra 0–1 Hamilton Steelers Montreal, Quebec
[[12] Report] Fashanu 82' Stadium: Claude Robilliard Stadium
Attendance: 1573

Hamilton Steelers won the series 4–0 on points.

September 12, 1990 Kitchener Spirit 2–1 Toronto Blizzard Kitchener, Ontario
Colville 43'
Hunter Madeley 47'		 [[8][13] Report] Peschisolido 29' Stadium: Centennial Stadium
Attendance: 1029
September 16, 1990 Toronto Blizzard 1–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		 Kitchener Spirit Etobicoke, Ontario
Eck 82' [[14] Report] Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium
Attendance: 2960
Referee: Bernie Huxter
Penalties
Gray soccer ball with check mark
Marco Antonucci soccer ball with check mark
Pignatiello soccer ball with check mark
Fenwick soccer ball with red X		 soccer ball with check mark Piękoś
soccer ball with check mark Ferguson
soccer ball with check mark Scott
soccer ball with check mark Woody Bailey

Kitchener Spirit won the series in a shootout, after the series was tied 2–2 on points.

Semifinal

September 22, 1990 Victoria Vistas 2–2 Vancouver 86ers Victoria, British Columbia
Evans
Steve Cecchi 82'		 [[15] Report] Mobilio 27'
Evans 28'		 Stadium: Royal Athletic Park
Attendance: 3775
September 30, 1990 Vancouver 86ers 6–1 Victoria Vistas Vancouver, British Columbia
Mobilio ,
Mitchell
Evans
McKinty
Sammy Saundh 		[[16] Report] Aunger Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5883

Vancouver 86ers won the series 3–1 on points.

September 22, 1990 Kitchener Spirit 0–1 Hamilton Steelers Kitchener, Ontario
[[17] Report] John Coyle 72' Stadium: Centennial Stadium
Attendance: 1325
September 30, 1990 Hamilton Steelers 3–3 Kitchener Spirit Hamilton, Ontario
Fashanu 12'
Billy Domazetis 29', 52'		 [[18] Report] Hardley Scott 7'
Mike Carter 61'
Scott 68'		 Stadium: Brian Timmis Stadium
Attendance: 1956

Hamilton Steelers won the series 3–1 on points.

Final

October 8, 1990 Vancouver 86ers 6–1 Hamilton Steelers Vancouver, British Columbia
19:30 Catliff , ,
Evans
Mitchell
Mobilio 		[[19][20] Report] Billy Domazetis Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 6348
Referee: Tony Evangelista

Statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Canada John Catliff Vancouver 86ers 19
2 Canada Domenic Mobilio Vancouver 86ers 13
Canada Paul Peschisolido Toronto Blizzard
4 Canada Alex Bunbury Hamilton Steelers/Toronto Blizzard 12
5 Canada Billy Domazetis Toronto Blizzard 10
6 Canada Eddy Berdusco North York Rockets 9
United States Ted Eck Toronto Blizzard
7 Canada Geoff Aunger Victoria Vistas 8
Fiji Ivor Evans Vancouver 86ers
Reference:[21]

Top goaltenders

Rank Player Club GAA
1 Canada Pat Harrington Montreal Supra 0.43
2 Canada Pat Onstad Toronto Blizzard 0.58
3 Canada Paul Dolan Vancouver 86ers 1.08
4 Canada Grant Darley Victoria Vistas 1.13
5 Canada Shel Brodsgaard Victoria Vistas 1.16
Reference:[21]

Honours

The following awards and nominations were awarded for the 1990 season.[21]

Awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player Canada Pat Harrington Montreal Supra
Canadian Player of the Year Canada John Catliff Vancouver 86ers
Rookie of the Year Canada Jorge Rodriguez London Lasers
Top Newcomer Scotland Allan Evans Victoria Vistas
Top Goaltender Canada Pat Harrington Montreal Supra
Fair Play Award Edmonton Brick Men

League All-Stars

Player Position
Canada Pat Harrington (Montreal Supra) Goalkeeper
Canada Patrick Diotte (Montreal Supra) Defender
Scotland Allan Evans (Victoria Vistas) Defender
Canada Ian Bridge (Victoria Vistas) Defender
Brazil Edinho (Toronto Blizzard) Defender
South Africa Michael Araujo (Montreal Supra) Midfielder
Canada Lyndon Hooper (Toronto Blizzard) Midfielder
Fiji Ivor Evans (Vancouver 86ers) Midfielder
Canada Domenic Mobilio (Vancouver 86ers) Forward
Canada John Catliff (Vancouver 86ers) Forward
Canada Paul Peschisolido (Toronto Blizzard) Forward

Reserves

Player Position
Canada Tim Rosenfeld (Winnipeg Fury) Goalkeeper
Canada Steve MacDonald (Vancouver 86ers) Defender
Canada Vlado Vanis (Vancouver 86ers) Defender
Canada Jaime Lowery (Vancouver 86ers) Midfielder
Canada Alex Bunbury (Toronto Blizzard) Forward

Front office

Person Role
Canada Roy Wiggemansen (Montreal Supra) Head Coach
Canada Ian Bridge (Vancouver 86ers) Assistant Coach
Canada Roy Wiggemansen (Montreal Supra) General Manager

Average home attendances

Pos. Team GP Average Attendance
1 Vancouver 86ers 26 4,218
2 Winnipeg Fury 26 4,194
3 Montreal Supra 26 2,711
4 Toronto Blizzard 26 2,221
5 Victoria Vistas 26 1,725
6 Hamilton Steelers 26 1,574
7 Edmonton Brick Men 26 1,474
8 Kitchener Spirit 26 1,338
9 Ottawa Intrepid 26 1,357
10 North York Rockets 26 1,061
11 London Lasers 26 N/A
Total Attendance 286 2,187
Reference:[20]

Notes

  1. ^ Winnipeg protested the result of the original second leg due to the fielding of an ineligible player, Geoff Aunger (who should have been suspended due to yellow card accumulation and who scored the winning goal in extra time), that the league office failed to communicate to the teams involved or match officials. The CSL league office mandated a last minute replay of the second leg on Thursday, September 20, 1990 in Winnipeg

References

  1. ^ "Canadian Soccer League (1987-1992)". Fun While it Lasted.
  2. ^ Litterer, Dave. "Canadian Soccer League I". Soccer History USA.
  3. ^ Litterer, David (May 30, 2008). "The Year in American Soccer 1989". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  4. ^ MacIntyre, Iain (September 27, 1990). "Bays beaten in overtime, 3-2, in North American title game Mobilio's goal lifts Vancouver". The Baltimore Sun.
  5. ^ "Canadian Soccer History". Ottawa Fury SC. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Ormsby, Mary (September 13, 1990). "Explosive 86ers win playoff opener; Blizzard one down". Toronto Star. p. F10.
  7. ^ Stinson, Dan (September 17, 1990). "Rocket coach says 86ers won't be denied third title". Vancouver Sun. p. 27.
  8. ^ a b c Bender, Jim (September 13, 1990). "Fury on Pitch". Winnipeg Sun. p. 47.
  9. ^ "Vistas storm back to eliminate Fury". Winnipeg Sun. September 16, 1990. p. 55.
  10. ^ Bender, Jim (September 21, 1990). "CSL joke gets a punchline". Winnipeg Sun. p. 45.
  11. ^ Lovegrove, Don (September 13, 1990). "Supra loses playoff opener to Steelers". Montreal Gazette. p. C1.
  12. ^ Phillips, Randy (September 16, 1990). "Supra's season ends abruptly; Punchless offence fails to match Fashanu's goal". Montreal Gazette. p. C1.
  13. ^ Ormsby, Mary (September 14, 1990). "GM blasts 'spoiled' Blizzard for 'shameful' effort". Toronto Star. p. F6.
  14. ^ Ormsby, Mary (September 17, 1990). "Blizzard bow out in shootout". Toronto Star. p. D3.
  15. ^ Keating, Jack (September 23, 1990). "Vistas show flair in tie with 86ers". The Province. p. 9.
  16. ^ Stinson, Dan (October 1, 1990). "86ers roar to CSL's title game". Vancouver Sun. p. 19.
  17. ^ "Hopes for Kitchener sink in East". The Province. September 24, 1990. p. 34.
  18. ^ "The Spirit was willing but Steelers weren't weak". Vancouver Sun. October 1, 1990. p. C3.
  19. ^ "86ers romp to third CSL title". Nanaimo Daily News. October 9, 1990. p. 15.
  20. ^ a b Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. pp. 130, 133.
  21. ^ a b c "1990 CSL Stats" (PDF). Canadian Soccer League.

External links

Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)
Categories