| Season | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ottawa Wizards |
| Regular Season title |
|
| Matches played | 133 |
| Goals scored | 456 (3.43 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Darren Tilley (Mississauga Olympians) |
| Best goalkeeper | George Azcurra |
| Biggest home win | Ottawa Wizards 8-1 St. Catharines Wolves (July 7, 2002) |
| Biggest away win | North York Astros 0-8 Mississauga Olympians (June 16, 2002) |
| Highest scoring | Mississauga Olympians 6-4 St. Catharines Wolves (July 19, 2002) |
← 2001 2003 → | |
The 2002 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the fifth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 23, 2002, and concluded on October 20, 2002, with Ottawa Wizards becoming the first expansion franchise to win the CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons) by defeating the North York Astros 2–0. [1] For the first time the final was hosted at Esther Shiner Stadium, which granted the hosts the North York Astros a wildcard match. [2] As the league was divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences the Wizards clinched the Eastern title, while Toronto Croatia won the Western Conference. The expansion of the league saw the return of professional soccer to Hamilton, and the addition of another Toronto franchise. [3] [4] On February 26, 2002, the CPSL signed a player agreement deal with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League, which provided the Lynx access in order to use CPSL talent and provide players an opportunity to play at a higher level. [5] [6]
For the second straight season the CPSL expanded to 14 clubs to include the Hamilton Thunder and Metro Lions. Due to the increase of teams the CPSL management split the league into two Conferences the Eastern and Western. [7] The Toronto Olympians moved to Erin Mills, Mississauga, which opened the Scarborough territory to the Metro Lions. [8] Changes occurred in the York Region territory with Glen Shields changing their team name to Vaughan Sun Devils in order to fully represent the city of Vaughan. Meanwhile, their rivals the York Region Shooters were sold to Tony De Thomasis, and relocated the team to their original home at Highland Park in Aurora. While former Hamilton Bulldogs president Cary Kaplan was hired as a Management Consultant for the league. [9]
  Brampton  Vaughan London Streetsville Mississauga Durham Ottawa St. Catharines Aurora Hamilton  TORONTO Location of CPSL teams outside of Toronto for the 2002 CPSL season.  Western Conference  Eastern Conference |  Metro Lions Toronto Supra North York Astros Vaughan Sun Devils Location of CPSL teams in Toronto for the 2002 CPSL season. Western Conference Eastern Conference |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Wizards | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 55 | 13 | +42 | 47 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Montreal Dynamites | 19 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 34 | +10 | 36 | |
| 3 | Metro Lions | 19 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 35 | |
| 4 | York Region Shooters | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 28 | |
| 5 | Durham Flames | 19 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 28 | 44 | −16 | 23 | |
| 6 | Vaughan Sun Devils | 19 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 27 | 35 | −8 | 29 | |
| 7 | Toronto Supra | 19 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 48 | −25 | 16 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 34 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Mississauga Olympians | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 30 | +19 | 32 | |
| 3 | Hamilton Thunder | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 24 | +7 | 28 | |
| 4 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 24 | |
| 5 | North York Astros | 19 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 42 | −20 | 18 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 6 | Brampton Hitmen | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 27 | −8 | 17 | |
| 7 | London City | 19 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 39 | −17 | 13 |
| October 8, 2002 | Mississauga Olympians | 3–2 | Hamilton Thunder | Toronto, Ontario |
| 8:00 ET |
| (Report) |
| Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Attendance: 50 Referee: Manuel Orellano (Ontario |
| October 16, 2002 | Montreal Dynamites | 1–3 | Metro Lions | Kingston, Ontario |
| 9:00 ET | Kyt Selaidopoulos  30' | (Report) |
| October 18, 2002 | North York Astros | 3–0 | Mississauga Olympians | Toronto, Ontario |
| 8:05 ET |
| (Report) | Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Mike Lambert (Ontario |
| October 19, 2002 | Ottawa Wizards | 1–0 | Metro Lions | Toronto, Ontario |
| 2:05 ET | Samir Karaga 83' | (Report) | Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium Attendance: 125 Referee: Manuel Orellano (Ontario |
| October 19, 2002 | Toronto Croatia | 0–1 | North York Astros | Toronto, Ontario |
| 4:05 ET | (Report) | Guillermo Compton Hall 89' | Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium Attendance: 150 Referee: Domenic Rosetto (Ontario |
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Rogers CPSL Championship MVP:
Assistant referees: |
The 2002 CPSL All-Star match was arranged by the German consulate general in Toronto to have TSV 1860 Munich of the Bundesliga to come to Canada. [27] London City head coach Jurek Gebcznyski was selected to assemble an All-Star roster with Dave Benning, Victor Cameria and Steve Nijjar serving as his assistant coaches. Jimmy Douglas was appointed the general manager for the team. [28]
| CPSL All-Stars | 0 - 6 | TSV 1860 Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Assistant referees: |
| Position | Player's name | Nationality | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Tilley |  England | Mississauga Olympians | 20 |
| 2 | Kevin Nelson |  Trinidad and Tobago | Ottawa Wizards | 18 |
| 3 | Mladen Dikic |  Croatia | Toronto Croatia | 14 |
| 4 | Carlo Arghittu |  Canada | St. Catharines Wolves | 13 |
| 5 | Gus Kouzmanis | Canada | Vaughan Sun Devils | 13 |
| 6 | Khalid Mensah | Canada | Montreal Dynamites | 13 |
| 7 | Abraham Osman |  Uganda | Ottawa Wizards | 12 |
| 8 | Kevin De Serpa | Canada | Mississauga Olympians | 8 |
| 9 | Tom Kouzmanis | Canada | Vaughan Sun Devils | 8 |
| 10 | Kurt Mella | Canada | Brampton Hitmen | 8 |
A list of the 2002 CPSL Executive Committee. [30]
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| President & Chairman: | Vincent Ursini | Canadian |
| League Administrator/Director of Media: | Stan Adamson [31] | English |
| Director at Large: | Walter Kirchner |  Romanian |
| Director of Discipline: | Clifford Dell [32] | Canadian |
| Director of Officials: | Tony Camacho |  Portuguese |
| Administrative Co-ordinator: | Josie Storto | Canadian |
| Treasurer: | Peter Li Preti | Canadian |
| Legal Counsel: | Ira Greenspoon | Canadian |
The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held on October 20, 2002, at the Hollywood Princess Convention in Concord, Ontario. [33] Where the Mississauga Olympians received the most accolades with three wins. Darren Tilley a former English football and USL A-League veteran was given both the CSL Golden Boot and Rookie of the Year. After accumulating the fewest card bookings they received the Fair Play award, their third in the club's history. Toronto Croatia went home with two awards with George Azcurra adding his third Goalkeeper of the Year award to his resume. While Domagoj Sain was named the Defender of the Year.
Abraham Osman of the Ottawa Wizards became the first player to receive the MVP in two straight seasons. After a mediocre start to the season the Metro Lions utilized the services of Aldwyn McGill as manager, who transformed the expansion franchise into a title contender. [34] While Michael Lambert's work as a match official was recognized by the league with the Referee of the Year award.
| Award | Player (Club) |
|---|---|
| CPSL Most Valuable Player | Abraham Osman [35] (Ottawa Wizards) |
| CPSL Golden Boot | Darren Tilley (Mississauga Olympians) |
| CPSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | George Azcurra (Toronto Croatia) |
| CPSL Defender of the Year Award | Domagoj Sain (Toronto Croatia) |
| CPSL Rookie of the Year Award | Darren Tilley (Mississauga Olympians) |
| CPSL Coach of the Year Award | Aldwyn McGill (Metro Lions) |
| CPSL Referee of the Year Award | Michael Lambert |
| CPSL Fair Play Award | Mississauga Olympians |
C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and blue, similar to those of the Croatia national team.
The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Canada. The team's colours were orange and black. The club was originally named North York Atletico Argentina Soccer Club, and witnessed instant success in its initial stages. After a merger with North York Talons, and a relocation to Scarborough the team was eventually renamed the North York Astros. The Astros were a founding member of the Canadian National Soccer League's successor league the Canadian Professional Soccer League in 1998.
St. Catharines Roma Wolves, are a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and women's divisions. The club is a former member of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL), where it fielded a professional team from 1998 to 2013, and now operates youth teams in the Peninsula Soccer League. Teams play out of Club Roma in St. Catharines, Ontario in the Niagara Peninsula. The team's colours are dark red and white, mimicking those of the famous Italian club A.S. Roma.
The Durham Storm were a Canadian soccer team that last played in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) in 2005. The club was founded as the Toronto Olympians in 1998 and played in Toronto, Ontario through 2001, before being renamed the Mississauga Olympians for 2002 and 2003. The team relocated to Oshawa, Ontario in Durham Region for the 2004 & 2005 seasons and was renamed Durham Storm.
Ottawa Wizards were a Canadian soccer club which operated in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL), from 2001 to 2003. The team's home stadium was the OZ Optics Stadium. Though the team had a relatively short tenure with the CPSL, the club dominated the league by winning three consecutive regular season championships, two Open Canada Cups, and the CPSL Championship. Despite the club's success the franchise was revoked by the league in 2003 after several legal disputes with the CPSL administration.
The 2005 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the 8th season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 21, 2005 and concluded on October 10, 2005 with Oakville Blue Devils defeating Vaughan Shooters 2-1 to win their first CPSL Championship. The final was played at Esther Shiner Stadium, which gave North York Astros a playoff wildcard match. In the regular season the Vaughan Shooters won their first Eastern Conference title, while Hamilton Thunder secured their third Western Conference title. The league increased in membership with the return of the Laval Dynamites. For the first time in the league's history the CPSL introduced a Women's Canada Cup tournament, which included 6 district all-star teams from the existing men's soccer districts.
The 2004 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the seventh season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 24, 2004 and concluded on October 11, 2004 with Toronto Croatia defeating Vaughan Shooters 4–0 to capture their second CPSL Championship. The championship was hosted for the first time at Victoria Park Stadium in Brampton, Ontario, which granted the Brampton Hitmen a wildcard berth. In the regular season the Toronto Supra clinched their first Eastern Conference title, while Hamilton Thunder secured their second Western Conference title. Though the league decreased in membership they managed to expand to the Windsor - Detroit territory with the addition of the Windsor Border Stars.
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. The victory marked Brampton's first championship title, and the final was played at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario. 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.
The 2001 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the fourth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 25, 2001 and concluded on October 14, 2001 with St. Catharines Wolves defeating Toronto Supra by a score of 1-0 to win their second CPSL Championship. The final was hosted in St. Catharines with Club Roma Stadium as the venue, while the match received coverage from Rogers TV. The season saw the league expand to a total of 12 teams, and went beyond the GTA and Ontario border to include a Montreal and Ottawa franchise. Throughout the regular season the Ottawa Wizards became the first club to end the Toronto Olympians league title dynasty. The CPSL also launched the CPSL Soccer Show with Rogers TV providing the broadcasting, and granting Rogers naming rights to the CPSL Championship. Other major sponsors included the Government of Canada, which served as the sole sponsor for the CPSL Rookie of the Year Award. The league also announced a working partnership with the Canadian United Soccer League a task force originally started by the Canadian Soccer Association in order forge a unified professional structure with the cooperation of the Canadian franchises in the USL A-League to launch a Canadian first and second division domestic league.
Brampton City United FC is a Canadian soccer team, founded in 2002. The team plays in the Lika Supergroup Open Division. The club plays out of Victoria Park Stadium in the community of Brampton, Ontario.
Kevin Nelson is a Trinidadian former footballer who is currently Technical Director at Specialization Training www.spectraining.ca and also Individual Development coach at West Ottawa SC. He played in the TT Pro League, Venezuelan Primera División, Canadian Professional Soccer League, and the National Premier Leagues Australia, Victoria.
Caswain Mason is a Vincentian former footballer who played as a midfielder.
Francisco Enrique Crespo dos Santos, known as Francisco Dos Santos or Batata, is a Brazilian former footballer who played the majority of career with Canadian clubs in the Canadian Soccer League, and the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League.
Aaron Benjamin is a Canadian former soccer player who played in the United Soccer Leagues, National Professional Soccer League and the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
Jimmy Kuzmanovski is a Canadian former soccer player who had stints in the USL A-League, and the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
Aldwyn McGill is a soccer manager, businessman, league administrator, and current publisher and chief editor of Stars Soccer Review.
The 2003 Open Canada Cup was the 6th edition of the Canadian Professional Soccer League's open league cup tournament running from mid May through early September. London City defeated Metro Lions 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final played at Cove Road Stadium, London, Ontario. The victory gave London their first piece of silverware and brought an end to the Ottawa Wizards Canada Cup dynasty. The 2003 edition of the Canada Cup was a historical milestone achieved by the CPSL by opening the tournament to all Canadian professional and amateur clubs in order to provide a potential candidate for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and a $10,000 reward for the champion. The last time a Canadian club competed in the Champions' Cup was in the 1976 CONCACAF Champions' Cup represented by Toronto Italia of the National Soccer League the predecessor league of the CPSL.
Josip Juric is a Croatian former footballer who played in the Croatian First Football League, and Canadian Professional Soccer League.
The 2002 Canada Cup was the 5th edition of the Canadian Professional Soccer League's league cup tournament running from late June through late September. Ottawa Wizards successfully defended the title after defeating Toronto Croatia 1-0 at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario. The format of the competition changed with the introduction of a qualifying round with a home and away two-game series instead of the traditional group stage format previously used by the league. The tournament received a title sponsor from the government of Canada after the league received a federal grant of $100,000. The original hosting rights were granted to Hamilton, but after failing to successfully organize the tournament the responsibilities were given to London, which in return received a wild card match privilege. The decision to grant London the hosting rights produced controversy as originally Ottawa was selected by the CPSL executives to replace Hamilton, but was vetoed by the team owners as London was deemed more of reliable venue.
