Canadian Soccer League
Season2021
DatesAugust 28 – October 10 (regular season)
October 30 – November 7 (playoffs)
ChampionsFC Vorkuta (regular season)
Scarborough SC (playoffs, 2nd title)
ProSound CupFC Vorkuta
Matches played28
Goals scored89 (3.18 per match)
Top goalscorerWabila Wallace (7)
Biggest home winScarborough SC 6–1 Toronto Tigers
(August 28, 2021)
FC Vorkuta 6–0 Serbian White Eagles
(September 11, 2021)
Biggest away winEuru Futbol Academy 2–4 BGH City FC
(September 4, 2021)
Euru Futbol Academy 0–4 FC Vorkuta
(October 9, 2021)
Longest winning run4 matches
Scarborough SC
FC Vorkuta
Longest unbeaten run7 matches
Scarborough SC
FC Vorkuta
Longest winless run7 matches
Euru Futbol Academy
Longest losing run7 matches
Euru Futbol Academy
← 2020
2022 →

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).

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

The 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

In 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

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

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 Serbia Zoran Rajović[22] September 18, 2021
  1. ^ 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

Standings

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
Source: Canadian Soccer League
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

Team ╲ Round1234567
Atletico Sporting Toronto3733333
BGH City FC7344444
Euru Futbol Academy4578888
FC Vorkuta2211111
Scarborough SC1122222
Serbian White Eagles5687665
St. Catharines Hrvat6465777
Toronto Tigers8856556
Source: [1]

ProSound Cup

Semifinal

October 17, 2021 FC Vorkuta 2–1 Serbian White Eagles Toronto, Ontario
16:00 Ivliev
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

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 soccer ball with check mark
Ivliev soccer ball with check mark
Solonynko soccer ball with check mark
Gostiev soccer ball with check mark		 Marco Johansen soccer ball with check mark
Reid soccer ball with check mark

CSL Championship

After 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

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

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

Goals

Rank Player Club Goals[25]
1 Wabila Wallace Atletico Sporting Toronto 7
2 Serbia Vladimir Strizovic Serbian White Eagles 5
Ukraine Mykola Temniuk FC Vorkuta
3 Ukraine Bohdan Borovskyi FC Vorkuta 4
Slovenia Gregor Žugelj St. Catharines Hrvat
4 Taha Ilyass Scarborough SC 3
Serbia Petar Djordjevic[26] BGH City FC

Hat-tricks

Player Club Against Result Date
Ukraine Bohdan Borovskyi FC Vorkuta Serbian White Eagles 6–0 (H) 11 September 2021
Slovenia Gregor Žugelj St. Catharines Hrvat Euru Academy 4–1 (H) 14 September 2021
Serbia Vladimir Strizovic Serbian White Eagles St. Catharines Hrvat 4–1 (H) 18 September 2021

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "WILL COACHING SKILLS BE THE DECIDING FACTOR.....The ProSound Cup Final Sunday". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Obituary - ANNOUNCER ENIO PERRUZZA ONE OF THE BEST". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Laskaris, Sam (August 28, 1997). "Pro soccer squad anticipated for city". Toronto Star. p. SC 8.
  15. ^ a b "PRO SOUND CUP SEMIS KICKOFF POST SEASON ACTION SUNDAY". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Saturday Opening Schedule Postponed". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-08-13. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  18. ^ Adamson, Stan (August 27, 2021). "ProSound Cup Kickoff Saturday". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  19. ^ "VORKUTA TRIUMPHANT IN PRO SOUND CUP FINAL...Penalty kicks defeat Scarborough". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "SCARBOROUGH ANNOUNCES THE IMPRESSIVE MIRKO MEDIC NEW HEAD COACH". Canadian Soccer League. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ Adamson, Stan (October 26, 2021). "SCARBOROUGH vs SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES SEMI-FINAL SATURDAY……..winner meets FC Vorkuta for CSL Championship". Canadian Soccer League.
  25. ^ "Canadian Soccer League | Standings". cslregistration.ca. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  26. ^ "Petar Djordjevic". www.footballdatabase.eu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
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