Canadian Professional Soccer League
Season2003
ChampionsBrampton Hitmen
Regular Season title
Matches played117
Goals scored405 (3.46 per match)
Top goalscorerCarlo Arghittu (St. Catharines Wolves)
Best goalkeeperSimon Eaddy
Biggest home winToronto Supra 9-1 Durham Flames (September 24, 2003)
Biggest away win
  • Durham Flames 2-5 Metro Lions (September 14, 2003)
  • Durham Flames 4-5 Vaughan Sun Devils (August 10, 2003)
  • Durham Flames 2-5 Ottawa Wizards (July 19, 2003)
← 2002
2004 →

The 2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the sixth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 24, 2003 and concluded on October 5, 2003 with the Brampton Hitmen defeating Vaughan Sun Devils 1-0 to capture the CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons).[1] The victory marked Brampton's first championship title, and the final was played at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario.[2] During the regular season the Ottawa Wizards and the Hamilton Thunder won their respective conferences. Ottawa became the second CPSL franchise to go undefeated throughout the regular season.

Unfortunately the season was plagued with controversy as the Wizards withdrew from the playoff competition, due to a dispute with the CPSL Executive Committee.[3][4] Another controversy stemmed from a quarterfinal match between Brampton and Toronto Croatia, where Toronto won the match on penalties, but was reversed by the league due to Toronto using an ineligible coach and general manager.[5] On a positive note the league's television program the CPSL Soccer Show recorded the highest ratings of any other Sunday program shown on Rogers TV.[6][7]

Changes from 2002 season

The 2003 season saw the league decrease by one team due to the fact that the York Region Shooters merged with the Vaughan Sun Devils to unite the York Region territory.[8][9] The Montreal Dynamites moved to the Montreal suburb of Laval and changed their team name accordingly.

Teams

Team City Stadium Manager
Brampton Hitmen Brampton, Ontario (Bramalea) Victoria Park Stadium Steve Nijjar[10]
Durham Flames Oshawa, Ontario (Vanier) Oshawa Civic Stadium Steve Hamill[11]
London City London, Ontario (Westmount) Cove Road Stadium Harry Gauss[12]
Hamilton Thunder Hamilton, Ontario Brian Timmis Stadium Manuel Gomes[13]
Metro Lions Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) Birchmount Stadium Aldwyn McGill[14]
Mississauga Olympians Mississauga, Ontario (Erin Mills) Erin Mills Twin Arenas Darren Tilley[15]
Tony Laferrara
Laval Dynamites Laval, Quebec Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne Jawad El Andaloussi[16]
North York Astros Toronto, Ontario (North York) Esther Shiner Stadium Pavel Zaslavski[17]
Ottawa Wizards Ottawa, Ontario (Carp) OZ Optics Stadium Klaus Linnenbruegger[18]
St. Catharines Wolves St. Catharines, Ontario (Vansickle) Club Roma Stadium Lucio Ianiero[19]
Toronto Croatia Mississauga, Ontario (Streetsville) Memorial Park Velimir Crljen
Toronto Supra Toronto, Ontario (Brockton) Centennial Park Stadium José Testas[20]
Vaughan Sun Devils Vaughan, Ontario (Thornhill) Dufferin District Field Dave Benning[21]

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of
departure 		Date of
vacancy 		Position in table Incoming coach Date of
appointment
Hamilton Thunder Duncan Wilde[22] resigned July 22, 2003 1st, Western Conference Ivan Marković[22] July 22, 2003
Hamilton Thunder Ivan Marković[13] resigned August 7, 2003 2nd, Western Conference Manuel Gomes[13] August 7, 2003
Ottawa Wizards Hubert Busby Jr.[23] resigned September 10, 2003 1st, Eastern Conference Klaus Linnenbruegger[18] September 11, 2003

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Ottawa Wizards 18 13 5 0 53 10 +43 44 Qualification for Playoffs
2 Toronto Supra 18 10 6 2 50 29 +21 36
3 Vaughan Sun Devils 18 7 7 4 41 30 +11 28
4 Laval Dynamites 18 8 3 7 33 41 −8 27
5 Metro Lions 18 5 3 10 26 29 −3 18
6 Durham Flames 18 1 1 16 28 73 −45 4
Updated to match(es) played on October 2, 2003. Source: http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports03/03cpwkfn.htm
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Western Conference

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Hamilton Thunder 18 11 4 3 38 19 +19 37 Qualification for Playoffs
2 Brampton Hitmen 18 10 3 5 38 25 +13 33
3 Toronto Croatia 18 9 1 8 27 30 −3 28
4 St. Catharines Roma Wolves 18 8 2 8 26 34 −8 26
5 North York Astros 18 4 5 9 20 33 −13 17
6 Mississauga Olympians 18 4 4 10 19 30 −11 16
7 London City 18 3 4 11 26 42 −16 13
Updated to match(es) played on October 2, 2003. Source: http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports03/03cpwkfn.htm
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Rogers CPSL Championship playoffs

Quarterfinals

September 30, 2003 Brampton Hitmen 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		 Toronto Croatia Brampton, Ontario
8:30 ET Ruben Flores 36' (Report) Orlin Chalmers 3' Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium
Attendance: 150
Referee: Manuel Orellano (Ontario
Penalties
October 1, 2003 Toronto Supra 3–4 (a.e.t.) Vaughan Sun Devils Toronto, Ontario
6:45 ET
(Report)
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium
Attendance: 85
Referee: Frank Marciello (Ontario

Semifinals

October 3, 2003 London City 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–5 p)		 Brampton Hitmen London, Ontario
8:30 ET Atilla Salamon 83' (Report) Hugo Herrera 37' Stadium: Cove Road Stadium
Penalties
October 4, 2003 Hamilton Thunder 0–2 Vaughan Sun Devils London, Ontario
5:30 ET (Report)
Stadium: Cove Road Stadium
Attendance: 175
Referee: Angelo Gertzakis (Ontario

Rogers CPSL Championship

Vaughan Sun Devils0–1Brampton Hitmen
Report Kurt Mella 27'
Cove Road Stadium, London, Ontario
Attendance: 175
Referee: Michael Lambert (Ontario)

Assistant referees:
Amato De Luca
Joe Fletcher
Fourth official:
Silviu Petrescu

2003 scoring leaders

Full article: CSL Golden Boot[32]
Position Player's name Nationality Club Goals
1 Carlo Arghittu Canada St. Catharines Wolves 18
2 Danny Amaral Canada Toronto Supra 17
Michael Diluca Canada Toronto Supra
3 Jahmo Welch Canada Durham Flames 13
4 Phil Ionadi Canada Brampton Hitmen 12
5 Charles Gbeke Canada Ottawa Wizards 10
Hugo Herrera Argentina Brampton Hitmen
Joey Todaro Canada Vaughan Sun Devils
6 Darryl Gomez Saint Kitts and Nevis Metro Lions 9
Alen Marcina Canada Ottawa Wizards
Kevin Nelson Trinidad and Tobago Ottawa Wizards

CPSL Executive Committee

A list of the 2003 CPSL Executive Committee.[33]

Position Name Nationality
President & Chairman: Vincent Ursini Canada Canadian
League Administrator/Director of Media: Stan Adamson[34] England English
Director at Large: Walter Kirchner Romania Romanian
Director of Discipline: Clifford Dell[35] Canada Canadian
Director of Officials: Tony Camacho Portugal Portuguese
Administrative Co-ordinator: Josie Storto Canada Canadian
Community Services: Peter Li Preti Canada Canadian
Legal Counsel: Ira Greenspoon Canada Canadian
Marketing: Cary Kaplan Canada Canadian

Individual awards

Carlo Arghittu won the CSL Golden Boot

The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held at German-Canadian Club on October 5, 2003 in London, Ontario.[36] The Ottawa Wizards finished on top with the most wins with two awards.[37] The undefeated Eastern Conference champions produced the Rookie of the Year with McDonald Yobe, a former Malawian international. After conceding the lowest number of goals the league voted New Zealand journeyman Simon Eaddy with the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Phil Ionadi a former CNSL and USL A-League veteran captained the Brampton Hitmen to a CPSL Championship, and in returned was named the MVP.

Carlo Arghittu of St. Catharines Wolves another former CNSL and USL A-League veteran was given the Golden Boot for finishing as the league's top goalscorer. Domagoj Sain was given his second consecutive Defender of the Year award. After a disastrous 2002 season Toronto Supra brought in Jose Testas a former Primeira Liga, and Segunda Divisão player to manage the club. Testas immediately changed the club into a championship contender by finishing second in their division, and for his achievement was granted the Coach of the Year award. The Durham Flames received their second Fair Play award for being the most disciplined team. While Michael Lambert who officiated the championship final was given his second Referee of the Year award.

Award Player (Club)
CPSL Most Valuable Player Phil Ionadi (Brampton Hitmen)
CPSL Golden Boot Carlo Arghittu (St. Catharines Wolves)
CPSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award Simon Eaddy (Ottawa Wizards)
CPSL Defender of the Year Award Domagoj Sain (Toronto Croatia)
CPSL Rookie of the Year Award McDonald Yobe (Ottawa Wizards)
CPSL Coach of the Year Award José Testas (Toronto Supra)
CPSL Referee of the Year Award Michael Lambert
CPSL Fair Play Award Durham Flames

References

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  3. ^ "Welcome to the OTTAWA Wizards". 2004-02-02. Archived from the original on 2004-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-01.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "October 9, 2003 CPSL disipline [sic] for Ottawa Wizards from CPSL website". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  5. ^ "October 1, 2003 CPSL Toronto Croatia vs Brampton (League decision)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  6. ^ Glover, Robin. "May 15, 2003 CPSL press conference in Toronto". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  7. ^ "August 23, 2004 CPSL Vince Ursini interview (from NUKE soccer)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  8. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-10-19. Archived from the original on 2003-10-19. Retrieved 2017-01-01.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  10. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-11-21. Archived from the original on 2003-11-21. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
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  12. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-10-18. Archived from the original on 2003-10-18. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  13. ^ a b c Brown, Josh (7 August 2003). "Thunder coach returns to Croatia". Hamilton Spectator. pp. E2.
  14. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-11-21. Archived from the original on 2003-11-21. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  15. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-11-21. Archived from the original on 2003-11-21. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  16. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-10-18. Archived from the original on 2003-10-18. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  17. ^ "North York Astros Soccer Club Powered by Goalline Sports Administration Software". 2009-06-01. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  18. ^ a b "Former Wizards Coach Returns". Ottawa Citizen. 11 September 2003. pp. B7.
  19. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-10-20. Archived from the original on 2003-10-20. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  20. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-10-20. Archived from the original on 2003-10-20. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  21. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-11-21. Archived from the original on 2003-11-21. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  22. ^ a b "Hamilton coach resigns". National Post. 22 July 2003. pp. S8.
  23. ^ Cleary, Martin (10 September 2003). "Wizards' coach bolts on owner: Busby claims role undermined by Sezerman". Ottawa Citizen. pp. D3.
  24. ^ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  25. ^ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  26. ^ "Jason De Thomasis". publish.uwo.ca. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  27. ^ "FOUR FANS PREPARE FOR KICK-OFF". Toronto Argonauts. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  28. ^ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  29. ^ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  30. ^ "CNSC Toronto Croatia Roster". May 11, 2007. Archived from the original on January 31, 2008.
  31. ^ "Drake University Athletics - Sean Holmes - 2010 Men's Soccer Coaching Staff - Drake University". godrakebulldogs.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  32. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2004-12-30. Archived from the original on December 30, 2004. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
  33. ^ "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2003-11-21. Archived from the original on 2003-11-21. Retrieved 2017-01-01.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ "2001 - May 8 - Stan Adamson". May 8, 2001. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  35. ^ "2001 - April 17 - Message from DOO; Volunteers; Dell". April 17, 2001. Archived from the original on November 8, 2001. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  36. ^ Glover, Robin. "October 5, 2003 CPSL Awards Banquet". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  37. ^ "October 5, 2003 CPSL Awards Dinner from CPSL site". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.

External links

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