The 2020 Canadian Soccer League season was the 23rd season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season commenced on August 15, 2020, and concluded with the CSL Championship final on October 17, 2020.[1] FC Vorkuta defeated the reigning champions Scarborough SC at Racco Park in Vaughan, Ontario, and secured their second championship. While Scarborough made their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship final and claimed their first divisional title.[2]
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 15 – October 3 (regular season) October 10 – October 17 (playoffs) |
| Champions | Scarborough SC (First Division regular season) FC Vorkuta (First Division playoffs, 2nd title) |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 82 (4.1 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Moussa Limane (7) |
| Biggest home win | Scarborough SC 7–2 Hamilton City SC (August 22, 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Brantford Galaxy 2–5 FC Vorkuta (September 5, 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 4 matches Scarborough SC |
| Longest unbeaten run | 5 matches FC Vorkuta |
| Longest winless run | 7 matches Brantford Galaxy |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Brantford Galaxy |
← 2019 2021 → | |
As the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the season the league ultimately released a modified shortened schedule which began in early August with the matches taking place within Toronto at Esther Shiner Stadium, and Centennial Park Stadium except for the championship final being moved to Racco Park at Concord/Thornhill Regional Park in Vaughan, Ontario.
Summary
editThe events throughout the regular season resembled the previous season with the main theme being Scarborough SC and FC Vorkuta competing for the divisional and championship titles. As both teams were tied in points the title was decided on the final match of the season with Scarborough receiving their first division title by accumulating the most wins in the league's tie-breaker rules.[3] In a bid to successfully defend their championship title the eastern Toronto side made adjustments to the roster with the acquirement of additional imports.[4] The additions proved successful as Scarborough remained competitive and primarily battled with Vorkuta for the top spot and held the position for the final four weeks of the campaign.[5] Their rivalry would conclude in the CSL Championship final with Vorkuta securing their second championship title.[6]
Vorkuta managed to retain their core veteran imports with former general manager Denys Yanchuk serving as the head coach.[7] As a result, Vorkuta was a consistent challenger with the strongest defensive record and shifted between the first and second positions throughout the regular season.[5] The Vaughan-based team earned their dividends in the championship final where they defeated reigning champions, Scarborough.[7] Included in that race for the divisional title was Hamilton City SC, where the Steeltown club held the third position for the majority of the season with only a single point difference in claiming the title.[8] Though Hamilton secured a postseason berth the organization was prevented by the league from participating after finishing in a Not-in-Good Standing state.[9]
The final playoff berth was secured by the Serbian White Eagles, which marked their fifteenth consecutive season of clinching a playoff berth since their return to the professional scene in 2006. The western Toronto side produced the best offensive record in the regular season but was eliminated in the first round of the championship playoffs by Vorkuta.[10] For the second consecutive season, Brantford Galaxy concluded the season at the bottom of the standings and managed to dodge a winless season by winning their final match of the season.[11]
Changes from 2019
editOn March 29, 2020, the CSL released a tentative match schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Following recommendations from health officials, the schedule was prolonged for another month to fulfill the entire season by scheduling matches on the weekdays.[12] On July 8, 2020, the league announced its schedule with the commencement of the league beginning in early August with seven teams returning from the previous season.[13][4] All the matches were scheduled to take place at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario with Kingsman SC, FC Ukraine United, and SC Waterloo Region not participating for the season.[13][14][15] The schedule was postponed for another week with the season starting on August 15, 2020.[16]
On June 27, 2020, the league officially released its 2020 schedule and confirmed the kickoff date for August 15, 2020, with all matches being played at Esther Shiner Stadium in August, and the remaining months at Centennial Park Stadium.[17] Originally CSC Mississauga and SC Real Mississauga were announced as participating teams but were not included in the revised schedule.
Teams
edit| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy | Brantford, Ontario | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Saša Vidović[11] |
| FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario (Woodbridge) | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Denys Yanchuk[18] |
| Hamilton City SC | Hamilton, Ontario (Stoney Creek) | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Sasa Vukovic[19] |
| Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Zoran Rajović[20] |
| Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) | Esther Shiner Stadium Centennial Park Stadium |
Uroš Stamatović[21] |
Coaching changes
edit| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy | Milan Prpa [22] | Replaced | October 3, 2020 | 5th in October |  Saša Vidović[11]
|
October 3, 2020 |
  Brantford Hamilton Vaughan  TORONTO Location of First Division teams outside of Toronto for the 2020 CSL season.  First Division
|
 Scarborough Serbian White Eagles FC Vorkuta Location of First Division teams in Toronto for the 2020 CSL season. First Division
|
Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scarborough SC (C) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 15 | Playoffs |
| 2 | FC Vorkuta (O) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 15 | |
| 3 | Hamilton City SC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 14 | Ineligible for Playoffs[note 1] |
| 4 | Serbian White Eagles | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 10 | Playoffs |
| 5 | Brantford Galaxy | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 23 | −14 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal differential; 5) most goals
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
- ^ Hamilton finished the season in a Not-in-Good Standing and were removed from the playoffs
Positions by round
editPlayoffs
editThree teams advanced to the playoffs. Third seed Hamilton City ended the season in "Not-in-Good Standing", which resulted in their disqualification from the playoffs.[9] The CSL Championship final was originally scheduled to take place at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, but due to further provincial government restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic the venue was moved to Racco Park at Concord/Thornhill Regional Park in Vaughan, Ontario.[23]
| Semifinal | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Scarborough SC | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | FC Vorkuta | 2 | 2 | FC Vorkuta | 2 | ||||
| 4 | Serbian White Eagles | 1 | |||||||
Semifinal
edit| October 10, 2020 | FC Vorkuta | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario |
| 14:00 | Temnyuk  70' Melnyk 107' |
Report | Vukomanovic 37' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
edit| October 17, 2020 | Scarborough SC | 1–2 | FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario |
| 15:00 | Angel Angelov 40' |
Report | Borovskyi 56' Chornomaz 70' |
Stadium: Racco Park Referee: Braden K. |
Season statistics
editGoals
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[24] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Moussa Limane
|
Scarborough SC | 7 |
| 2 |  Luke Rankin
|
Hamilton City SC | 6 |
| 3 | Dusan Kovacevic
|
Serbian White Eagles | 5 |
 Mykola Temnyuk
|
FC Vorkuta | ||
| 4 | Misel Klisara
|
Serbian White Eagles | 4 |
| 5 | Arsen Platis | Hamilton City SC | 3 |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moussa Limane
|
Scarborough SC | Hamilton City SC | 7–2 (H) | 22 August 2020 |
| Luke Rankin[25]
|
Hamilton City SC | Serbian White Eagles | 4–3 (A) | 5 September 2020 |
| Dusan Kovacevic[26]
|
Serbian White Eagles | Scarborough SC | 3–0 (H) | 19 September 2020 |
References
edit- ^ a b Adamson, Stan (March 29, 2020). "CSL KICKOFF SET FOR END OF MAY – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (October 18, 2020). "VORKUTA RALLY FOR CSL CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (October 14, 2020). "К. Димитров-Брежанеца отново спечели редовния сезон на канадската лига" [K. Dimitrov-Brezhanetsa again won the regular season of the Canadian league]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Stanchev, Stancho (August 13, 2020). "Двойна радост споходи в Канада брежанеца К. Димитров в навечерието на новия футболен сезон" [Double joy came to Canada's K. Dimitrov from Brezhnev on the eve of the new football season]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Stanchev, Stancho (September 3, 2020). "Мениджър от Брежани изведе "Скарбъро" до стратегически успех в канадския втори ешелон" [Brezani manager leads Scarborough to strategic success in Canadian second tier]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (October 30, 2020). "Брежанецът К. Димитров и подопечните му сдадоха титлата в Канада, привикаха на пожар ексорлето Кр. Бибишков, но не го пуснаха на терена" [Brezhanets K. Dimitrov and his wards handed over the title in Canada, summoned the exorcist Kr. Bibishkov, but they did not let him on the field]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Rosip, Dmitry (November 8, 2020). "Клуб в Канаде назвали в память о жертвах сталинских лагерей. Его создал юрист из России" [The club in Canada was named in memory of the victims of the Stalinist camps. It was created by a lawyer from Russia]. www.championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Stanchev, Stancho (September 24, 2020). "Брежанският мениджър К. Димитров понесе първа загуба в Канада за сезона" [Brezani manager K. Dimitrov suffered his first loss in Canada this season]. Вестник СТРУМА (in Bulgarian). Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Adamson, Stan (October 9, 2020). "Three Teams Bid for CSL Championship…….Semifinal Saturday". Canadian Soccer League.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (October 10, 2020). "OVERTIME VICTORY PUTS VORKUTA IN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c Adamson, Stan (October 4, 2020). "SCARBOROUGH WINS LEAGUE TITLE……….Brantford 's last game victory – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (April 18, 2020). "CSL SEASON KICKOFF DELAY EXTENDED TO JUNE 29 – Canadian Soccer League". Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Adamson, Stan (July 8, 2020). "CSL Aims to Complete Brief 2020 Season Through to Championship". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "FC UKRAINE UNITED TEAMS WILL NOT PLAY IN 2020 OUTDOOR SEASON". fcukraineunited. August 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Жизнь футбольной "Воркуты" из Канады: не делят русских и украинцев, платят почти среднюю зарплату по стране, на логотипе – колючая проволока" [The life of the football "Vorkuta" from Canada: Russians and Ukrainians are not divided, they pay almost the average salary in the country, there is barbed wire on the logo]. Sports.ru (in Russian). February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (August 6, 2020). "VORKUTA'S FADI SALBACK TRIALS IN UKRAINE……CSL kickoff delayed until August 15 – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (August 11, 2020). "CSL NEW SEASON KICKOFF SET FOR SATURDAY – Canadian Soccer League". Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "FC Vorkuta – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ "Hamilton City 1 SC – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Scarborough SC – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Serbian White Eagles – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Brantford Galaxy SC – Canadian Soccer League". Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Adamson, Stan (October 15, 2020). "IMPRESSIVE VORKUTA AND SCARBOROUGH WELL MATCHED FOR CSL FINAL – Canadian Soccer League". Canadian Soccer League. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Top scorers". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Luke Rankin - 2019-20 - University of Guelph". gryphons.ca. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Dusan Kovacevic - Men's Soccer". McMaster University Athletics. Retrieved September 20, 2020.