1991 Canadian Soccer League season
The 1991 Canadian Soccer League season was the fifth season of play for the Canadian Soccer League, a Division 1 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid.
| Season | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Dates |
|
| Champions | Vancouver 86ers |
| Regular season leader | Vancouver 86ers |
| Matches played | 112 |
| Goals scored | 342 (3.05 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Domenic Mobilio (25) |
| Best goalkeeper | Paolo Ceccarelli (1.05 GAA) |
← 1990 1992 → | |
Format and changes from previous season
Prior to the 1991 season, the league placed four franchises under suspension – Ottawa Intrepid, Edmonton Brick Men, Victoria Vistas, and London Lasers – due to financial difficulties.[1] Ultimately, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Victoria folded, while London requested a one-year leave of absence.[1] To avoid similar problems that the now defunct NASL had in its final year of operation, the league approved a $175,000 salary cap per team to further limit costs.[1]
In addition, CSL commissioner Dale Barnes retired in January after directing the league since its inception, with Hamilton Steelers owner, Mario DiBartolomeo, taking over the responsibilities on a temporary basis.[1] The league also approved a travel equalization plan that dramatically reduced costs for Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Nova Scotia.[1]
The Nova Scotia Clippers joined the league as an expansion franchise.[2] In addition, the Kitchener Spirit changed their name to the Kitchener Kickers following an ownership change.[3]
The league shifted to a single eight-team division, after previously operating two East and West geographical divisions since its inception, resulting in team's playing a balanced schedule for the first time in league history, playing each other clubs four times, twice at home and twice on the road.[1] The point system was also updated along with FIFA's change to 3–1–0 (win–draw–loss).[1] With the shift to a single division, the league reverted to six teams qualifying for the playoffs, with the top two finishers during the season receiving a bye to the semi-finals. The playoff format remained the same as the previous year.
Summary
The regular season once again belonged to the Vancouver 86ers, who were only the second team to win 20 regular season games. In the playoffs, Vancouver won their fourth consecutive league title, defeating the Toronto Blizzard in the finals.
Regular season
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver 86ers (O) | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 69 | 31 | +38 | 64 | Playoff semifinals |
| 2 | Toronto Blizzard | 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 57 | 33 | +24 | 48 | |
| 3 | North York Rockets | 28 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 48 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | Hamilton Steelers | 28 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 46 | |
| 5 | Montreal Supra | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 41 | 38 | +3 | 40 | |
| 6 | Nova Scotia Clippers | 28 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 53 | −24 | 28 | |
| 7 | Kitchener Kickers | 28 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 56 | −28 | 19 | |
| 8 | Winnipeg Fury | 28 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 26 | 57 | −31 | 18 |
Playoffs
The playoffs were conducted with a total points system. Teams earned two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The team with the most points following the two-game series advanced. If the teams were tied on points, they played a 30-minute mini-game for a bonus point, followed by a penalty shootout if the mini-game remained tied.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Vancouver 86ers | 1 | 2 | 3 PTS | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Hamilton Steelers (a.e.t.) | 0 | 4 (1) | 2+1 PTS | 4 | Hamilton Steelers | 1 | 1 | 1 PTS | |||||||||
| 5 | Montreal Supra | 3 | 0 (0) | 2 PTS | 1 | Vancouver 86ers | 5 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Toronto Blizzard | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Toronto Blizzard (a.e.t.) | 2 | 1 (1) | 2+1 PTS | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | North York Rockets | 4 | 5 | 4 PTS | 3 | North York Rockets | 0 | 2 (0) | 2 PTS | |||||||||
| 6 | Nova Scotia Clippers | 0 | 1 | 0 PTS | ||||||||||||||
Quarterfinal
| September 11, 1991 | Montreal Supra | 3–0 | Hamilton Steelers | Montreal, Quebec |
Frank Aliaga  17' Needham 74' Pierre-Richard Thomas 90' |
[[4] Report] | Stadium: Claude Robilliard Stadium Attendance: 1423 |
| September 15, 1991 | Hamilton Steelers | 5–0 (a.e.t.) | Montreal Supra | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Jason Gibbons , Ianiero Morris Aunger |
[[5][6] Report] | Stadium: Brian Timmis Stadium Attendance: 2154 |
Hamilton Steelers won the series in extra time, after the series was tied 2-2 on points.
| September 11, 1991 | Nova Scotia Clippers | 0–4 | North York Rockets | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
| [[7] Report] | Majcher Carter Berdusco Radzinski |
Stadium: Beazley Field |
| September 15, 1991 | North York Rockets | 5–1 | Nova Scotia Clippers | North York, Ontario |
| Majcher , Golen Commisso Radzinski 77' |
[[8] Report] | Dwight Hornibrook 56' |
Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium Attendance: 1605 |
North York Rockets won the series 4-0 on points.
Semifinal
| September 22, 1991 | Hamilton Steelers | 1–1 | Vancouver 86ers | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Ianiero 13' |
[[9] Report] | Nocita 77' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Brian Timmis Stadium Attendance: 4100 |
| September 29, 1991 | Vancouver 86ers | 2–1 | Hamilton Steelers | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Catliff 1', 21' |
[[10] Report] | Ianiero 12' |
Stadium: Swangard Stadium Attendance: 4431 |
Vancouver 86ers won the series 3-1 on points.
| September 22, 1991 | North York Rockets | 0–2 | Toronto Blizzard | North York, Ontario |
| [[11] Report] | Mitchell 25' Eck 34' |
Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium Attendance: 2650 Referee: Bob Sawtell |
| September 29, 1991 | Toronto Blizzard | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | North York Rockets | Etobicoke, Ontario |
| Mitchell 3' Peschisolido 116' |
[[12] Report] | Peter Gastis 35' Berdusco 65' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Attendance: 2627 Referee: Luigi Mellino |
Toronto Blizzard won the series in extra time, after the series was tied 2-2 on points.
Final
| October 6, 1991 | Vancouver 86ers | 5–3 | Toronto Blizzard | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 17:00 | McKinty ~1' Norman 3', ?' Catliff 48' Mobilio 60' (pen.) |
[ Report Star[13] ] [ Report Sun[14] ] |
Eck 26' DiFlorio ~61' Hooper ?' |
Stadium: Swangard Stadium Attendance: 5692 Referee: Gord Arrowsmith |
Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Domenic Mobilio |
Vancouver 86ers | 25 |
| 2 | Eddy Berdusco |
North York Rockets | 14 |
| 3 | John Berti |
Winnipeg Fury | 12 |
| 4 | Geoff Aunger |
Hamilton Steelers | 10 |
 Ted Eck |
Toronto Blizzard | ||
 Marek Grabowski |
North York Rockets | ||
| Dale Mitchell |
Toronto Blizzard | ||
| 8 | John Kerr |
Hamilton Steelers | 9 |
| 9 | Alex Bunbury |
Montreal Supra | 7 |
| Gino DiFlorio |
Toronto Blizzard | ||
 Justin Fashanu |
Toronto Blizzard | ||
| Doug Muirhead |
Toronto Blizzard | ||
| Reference:[1] | |||
Top goaltenders
| Rank | Player | Club | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paolo Ceccarelli |
North York Rangers | 1.053 |
| 2 | Pat Onstad |
Toronto Blizzard | 1.062 |
| 3 | Paul Dolan |
Vancouver 86ers | 1.063 |
| 4 | Dino Perri |
Hamilton Steelers | 1.300 |
| 5 | Pat Harrington |
Montreal Supra | 1.320 |
| Reference:[1] | |||
Honours
The following awards and nominations were awarded for the 1991 season.[1]
Awards
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Domenic Mobilio | Vancouver 86ers |
| Rookie of the Year | Scott Munson | Kitchener Kickers |
| Top Newcomer | Marek Grabowski | North York Rangers |
| Top Goaltender | Paolo Ceccarelli | North York Rangers |
| Fair Play Award | Hamilton Steelers | |
League All-Stars
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Paolo Ceccarelli (North York Rockets) | Goalkeeper |
| Peter Sarantopoulos (North York Rockets) | Defender |
| Mark Watson (Hamilton Steelers) | Defender |
| Steve MacDonald (Vancouver 86ers) | Defender |
| Norman Odinga (Vancouver 86ers) | Defender |
| Carl Valentine (Vancouver 86ers) | Midfielder |
| Dale Mitchell (Toronto Blizzard) | Midfielder |
 Ivor Evans (Vancouver 86ers) | Midfielder |
| Eddy Berdusco (North York Rockets) | Forward |
| Domenic Mobilio (Vancouver 86ers) | Forward |
| Grant Needham (Montreal Supra) | Forward |
Reserves
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Paul Dolan (Vancouver 86ers) | Goalkeeper |
| Paul James (Toronto Blizzard) | Defender |
| Tony Nocita (Hamilton Steelers) | Defender |
| Nick De Santis (Montreal Supra) | Midfielder |
| Ted Eck (Toronto Blizzard) | Forward |
Front Office
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
 Fiorigi Pagliuso (North York Rockets) | Head coach |
| Alan Errington (Vancouver 86ers) | Assistant coach |
| Bob Lenarduzzi (Vancouver 86ers) | General manager |
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| June | Dino Lopez |
Nova Scotia Clippers |
| July | Domenic Mobilio |
Vancouver 86ers |
| August | Domenic Mobilio |
Vancouver 86ers |
| Reference:[1] | ||
Player of the Week
Average home attendances
| Pos. | Team | GP | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver 86ers | 14 | 64,107 | 4,579 |
| 2 | Montreal Supra | 14 | 39,112 | 2,794 |
| 3 | Hamilton Steelers | 14 | 35,369 | 2,526 |
| 4 | Winnipeg Fury | 14 | 32,096 | 2,293 |
| 5 | North York Rockets | 14 | 27,864 | 1,990 |
| 6 | Toronto Blizzard | 14 | 25,945 | 1,853 |
| 7 | Nova Scotia Clippers | 14 | 21,098 | 1,507 |
| 8 | Kitchener Kickers | 14 | 9,418 | 673 |
| Total Attendance | 112 | 255,009 | 2,277 | |
| Reference:[1] | ||||
References
- "1991 CSL Stats" (PDF). Canadian Soccer League.
- "The Clip Show". Martime Pro Ball. February 11, 2016.
- "Team-by-team preview of Canadian Soccer League". Vancouver Sun. May 24, 1991. p. 40.
- Phillips, Randy (September 12, 1991). "No-sex policy pays off; Celibate Supra win first playoff game in franchise history". Montreal Gazette. p. D12.
- "Steelers advance to semifinals". The Province. September 16, 1991. p. A39.
- Koep, Bob (September 16, 1991). "Rockets, Steelers advance to semis after CSL wins". Toronto Star. p. D8.
- "Rockets, Supra win CSL playoff openers". Vancouver Sun. September 12, 1991. p. D8.
- Koep, Bob (September 16, 1991). "Rockets, Steelers advance to semis after CSL wins". Toronto Star. p. D8.
- Stinson, Dan (September 23, 1991). "Steelers come close to chipping one out of 86ers". Vancouver Sun.
- Stinson, Dan (September 30, 1991). "Catliff propels 86ers to CSL final". Vancouver Sun. p. D1.
- Koep, Bob (September 23, 1991). "Blizzard cool out Rockets in semifinal". Toronto Star. p. C6.
- Koep, Bob (September 30, 1991). "Blizzard ousts Rockets to reach soccer final". Toronto Star. p. C6.
- "Blizzard blown away by 86ers". Toronto Star. October 7, 1991. p. C9.
- Stinson, Dan (October 7, 1991). "86ers make mark among dynasties". Vancouver Sun. p. D1.