Canadian Soccer League
Season2022
DatesMay 29 – August 6 (regular season)
August 13 – August 27 (playoffs)
ChampionsFC Continentals (3rd title)
Regular season championsSerbian White Eagles (5th title)
Matches played30
Goals scored102 (3.4 per match)
Top goalscorerVladimir Strizovic (8)
Biggest home winSerbian White Eagles 7–3 BGH City FC
(June 18, 2022)
Biggest away winBGH City FC 1–10 Serbian White Eagles
(July 30, 2022)
Longest winning run3 matches
FC Continentals
York Region Shooters
Longest unbeaten run7 matches
Scarborough SC
Longest winless run10 matches
BGH City FC
Longest losing run10 matches
BGH City FC
← 2021
2023 →

The 2022 Canadian Soccer League season was the 25th season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season began on May 29, 2022, and concluded with the CSL Championship on August 27, 2022, with FC Continentals defeating reigning champions Scarborough SC for their third championship title.[1][2] The regular season title was secured by the Serbian White Eagles which marked their fifth league divisional title.[3]

Summary

Regular season contenders

The race for the regular season title was a highly competitive bout as the outcome was decided on the final match of the regular season.[4] Four teams dominated the race and all had an opportunity to clinch the spot.[4] The Serbian White Eagles laid claim to the title with only a single point separating them from the York Region Shooters.[5]

The previous time the Serbs won a divisional title was in the 2015 season.[6] Former head coach Uroš Stamatović returned at the helm and assembled a competitive roster with a mixture of domestic and import players from Serbia.[7] One notable domestic signing was former Canadian international Dejan Jakovic.[3][8] After a four-year absence York Region returned to the fold and finished as runners-up.[9] The Vaughan-based club primarily consisted of younger domestic players and remained competitive as they led the way for six weeks.[10]

Scarborough SC and FC Continentals were the final two major contenders with the eastern Toronto side finishing third with a two-point difference from the Serbs.[5] The club renewed the contract of head coach Mirko Medić and continued Scarborough's undefeated streak which stemmed from the previous season to 17 matches.[11][12] FC Continentals the re-branded name of FC Vorkuta occupied the fourth position with a three-point difference separating them from the champions.[5] The war in Ukraine directly affected the daily operations and on-field performance of FC Continentals as it restricted the team's access to player recruitment and to properly organize and achieve sufficient results throughout the season.[13][14][15]

Other teams

The two remaining teams were BGH City FC and Toronto Falcons where both parties finished at the bottom half of the standings.[4] Toronto an expansion side led by Willy Giummarra relied upon local talent along with former FC Vorkuta veterans to remain competitive in the league and managed a fifth-place finish.[16][17] As the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were still enforced both Brantford Galaxy and Hamilton City continued fielding their hybrid team that finished the season at the bottom of the standings.[18][4]

Playoff champion

The landscape of the playoff scene included all six member clubs.[6] The Serbian White Eagles and York Region Shooters were both given a bye to the second round of the competition.[6] In the preliminary stages of the postseason, FC Continentals automatically advanced as Toronto Falcons were disqualified as they failed to meet the requirements to compete in the playoffs.[19] Scarborough also made the next round as they defeated BGH City.[19]

Both the Serbs and York Region were eliminated in the semifinals which set the stage for the third consecutive rematch between Continentals and Scarborough.[20] The regular season champion was defeated by FC Continentals while Scarborough eliminated the Shooters in extra time.[20] In the championship match, the Continentals defeated Scarborough for their third playoff title.[21]

Changes from 2021

The league returned to a five-month schedule.[22] Two new entries were accepted into the league. The most notable returnee was the York Region Shooters which previously played until the 2017 season and was a charter member from the 1998 CNSL–OPSL merger.[22][23] The other addition was the Toronto Falcons a club managed and organized by former FC Vorkuta general manager Samad Kadirov.[22] A name change occurred with FC Vorkuta being renamed FC Continentals.[24][25][13]

The league intended to launch the Enio Perruzza Memorial Trophy a separate competition in tribute to former league announcer Enio Perruzza who died the previous year.[22][26] The Memorial Trophy was to be an open tournament featuring league members along with invitational clubs.[27] The playoffs would commence in early August with the championship final being scheduled for August 27, 2022. The season would resume activity throughout September and October for the invitational Memorial Trophy but the tournament was rescheduled for the next season due to the lack of available stadiums.[24][28]

Teams

Team City Stadium Manager
BGH City FC Brantford, Ontario and Hamilton, Ontario Centennial Park Stadium Sasa Vukovic[29]
FC Continentals Vaughan, Ontario Andrei Malychenkov[13]
Scarborough SC Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) Mirko Medić[30][31]
Serbian White Eagles Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) Uroš Stamatović[7]
Toronto Falcons Toronto, Ontario Willy Giummarra[32]
York Region Shooters Vaughan, Ontario Sam Madeiros[29]

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of
departure 		Date of
vacancy 		Position in table Incoming coach Date of
appointment
BGH City FC Matija Popovic[18]
Milan Prpa[18] 		Replaced June 2, 2022 preseason Sasa Vukovic[29] June 2, 2022
FC Continentals Viktor Raskov[30] Replaced May 28, 2022 4th Andrei Malychenkov[13] June 2022

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Serbian White Eagles (X) 10 5 4 1 29 13 +16 19 Playoff semifinals
2 York Region Shooters 10 5 3 2 18 12 +6 18
3 Scarborough SC 10 4 5 1 20 8 +12 17 Playoff quarterfinals
4 FC Continentals (C) 10 4 4 2 17 10 +7 16
5 Toronto Falcons 10 1 4 5 9 23 −14 7 Ineligible for Playoffs[note 1]
6 BGH City FC 10 0 2 8 9 36 −27 2 Playoff quarterfinals
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
  1. ^ Toronto Falcons failed to meet the necessary requirements to compete in the playoffs

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

August 13, 2022 FC Continentals Cancelled[note 1] Toronto Falcons Toronto, Ontario
16:00 Report
Report		 Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium
August 13, 2022 Scarborough SC 3–2 BGH City FC Toronto, Ontario
18:00 Misel Klisara 3'
Radaković 5'
Zelenbaba 48'		 Report Petar Djordjevic 12'
Sandro Rajkovic 42'		 Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium
  1. ^ FC Continentals were given a bye, with the score listed as 2-0, as Toronto Falcons failed to meet the competition requirements for the playoffs

Semifinals

August 20, 2022 Serbian White Eagles 0–2 FC Continentals Toronto, Ontario
16:00 Report
Report		 Borovskyi 31'
Basel Rashrash 78'		 Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium
Referee: Timur Qayoumi
August 20, 2022 York Region Shooters 1–3 (a.e.t.) Scarborough SC Toronto, Ontario
18:00 Mahmood Mehdi 33' Report Misel Klisara 7', 107'
Ilyass 113'		 Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium

Finals

August 27, 2022 Scarborough SC 1–2 FC Continentals Toronto, Ontario
20:00 Misel Klisara Report Temnyuk 44', 48' Stadium: Lamport Stadium
Referee: Carlos Rodriguez

Season statistics

Goals

Rank Player Club Goals[33]
1 Vladimir Strizovic Serbian White Eagles 8
2 Dusan Kovacevic Serbian White Eagles 7
3 Nikola Đurković Serbian White Eagles 6
4 Oleksiy Boyko FC Continentals 4
5 Petar Djordjevic BGHC FC 3
Moussa Limane Scarborough SC
Mahmoud Mehdi York Region Shooters
Mykola Temnyuk FC Continentals
9 Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis Scarborough SC 2
Osman Hussein York Region Shooters

Hat-tricks

Player Club Against Result Date
Nikola Đurković Serbian White Eagles BGHC 7–3 (H) 19 June 2022
Dusan Kovacevic Serbian White Eagles BGHC 10–1 (A) 30 July 2022

References

  1. ^ Adamson, Stan (28 August 2022). "Continentals Win Championship Squeaker..." Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  2. ^ "The Canadian Soccer Sentinel - Canadian Soccer League". issuu.com. The Canadian Soccer Sentinel September 2022. 20 September 2022. p. 132. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b Adamson, Stan (18 September 2022). "The Two Sides to Serbian White Eagles". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Adamson, Stan (8 August 2022). "Serbian White Eagles Gain Bye,,,,,,Playoff Analysis". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Stancho, Stanchev (13 August 2022). "„Скарбъро" на брежанския мениджър К. Димитров остана трети в редовния сезон на канадската Втора лига" ["Scarborough" of Brezhan manager K. Dimitrov remained third in the regular season of the Canadian Second League]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Adamson, Stan (11 July 2022). "CSL Championship Playoffs Saturday....Quarter-finals underway". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Vujcic, Djuradj (2022-11-16). "Re-Cap of 2022 Signings". serbianwhiteeagles.ca. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  8. ^ "Играо је у Звезди, а сада је узданица српских Белих орлова" [He played in Zvezda, and now he is a supporter of the Serbian White Eagles]. Politika Online. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  9. ^ Stanchev, Stancho (7 July 2022). "Шампионът „Скарбъро" на брежанеца К. Димитров с трудно начало в Канада" [The "Scarborough" champion of Brezhnev K. Dimitrov had a difficult start in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  10. ^ Adamson, Stan (1 July 2022). "Shooters Will be Tested - Sunday's Upcoming Games - Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  11. ^ Stanchev, Stancho (5 July 2022). "„Скарбъро" на К. Димитров-Брежанеца с първа загуба от 2 г. насам" ["Scarborough" of K. Dimitrov-Brezhanetsa with the first loss in 2 years]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  12. ^ Adamson, Stan (27 May 2022). "CSL Kickoff Sunday......Three matches start regular season". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d Fitz-Gerald, Sean (28 June 2022). "In Toronto, a semi-pro soccer team of Ukrainians lifts each other up". The Athletic. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ Adamson, Stan (20 July 2022). "' It's just the sport - this is how it brings us together': coach Malychenkov". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  15. ^ "«Если что-то может отвлечь от войны, то это футбол». Как живет канадский футбольный клуб, где игроки — из Украины, а директор — из Воркуты" ["If anything can take your mind off the war, it's football." How does a Canadian football club live, where the players are from Ukraine, and the director is from Vorkuta]. vot-tak.tv. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  16. ^ Adamson, Stan (24 May 2022). "High Expectations for Toronto Falcons". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  17. ^ Stanchev, Stancho (2 August 2022). "Бившият футболист на „Беласица" и „Септември" /Сим/ К. Димитров-Брежанеца се надъхва за трета титла в Канада" [The former football player of "Belasitsa" and "Septemvri" /Sim/ K. Dimitrov-Brezhanetsa is inspired for a third title in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  18. ^ a b c "Twin Cities BGHC 1 are Ready to Role - CSL Kickoff May 29". Canadian Soccer League. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  19. ^ a b Stancho, Stanchev (19 August 2022). "К. Димитров-Брежанеца на две стъпки от дубъл на титлата в Канада" [K. Dimitrov-Brezhanetsa is two steps away from a double title in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ a b Stanchev, Stancho (25 August 2022). "К. Димитров-Брежанеца и подопечните му пробиха на 6-и финал за шампионската титла в Канада" [K. Dimitrov-Brezhanetsa and his wards broke through to the 6th final for the championship title in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  21. ^ Stanchev, Stancho (8 September 2022). "Мениджърът К. Димитров от Брежани и „Скарбъро" останаха без титла в Канада" [Manager K. Dimitrov from Brezhani and "Scarborough" remained without a title in Canada]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d "Busy Five-Month Season in Store for a Diverse CSL". Canadian Soccer League. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  23. ^ "A Glance Back While Looking Forward to the New Season". Canadian Soccer League. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  24. ^ a b Adamson, Stan (May 9, 2022). "New Name, New Teams for a New-Look CSL". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  25. ^ "У Канаді зникла футбольна «Воркута» — Чернівці Спорт" [Vorkuta Football Disappears in Canada]. chernivtsisport.com. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Enio Perruzza Memorial Trophy for 2022". Canadian Soccer League. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  27. ^ "The CSL Ball Bouncing Back to Expanded Five-Month Season". Canadian Soccer League. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  28. ^ Adamson, Stan (6 October 2022). "Enio Perruzza Memorial Trophy Competition Delayed to 2023". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  29. ^ a b c "A More Balanced CSL for 2022. Schedule change announced for June 18". Canadian Soccer League. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  30. ^ a b "CSL Kickoff Sunday......Three matches start regular season". Canadian Soccer League. May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  31. ^ Todić, Mihajlo (10 August 2022). "Бели орлови свили гнездо" [White Eagles silk nest]. Sportski žurnal (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  32. ^ Adamson, Stan (May 24, 2022). "High Expectations for Toronto Falcons". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  33. ^ "2022 CSL Top Scorers". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
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