The 1995 Canadian National Soccer League season was the third season of the league under the Canadian National Soccer League name, and the seventy-third season in the league's history. The season began on May 26, 1995, with London City facing Scarborough Astros at Cove Road Stadium. The season concluded on November 2, 1995, with St. Catharines Wolves claiming their second CNSL Championship after defeating Toronto Jets in a two-game series.
The CNSL lost its presence in Quebec and became solely located in the province of Ontario. The league also received some local competition with the advent of the Canadian International Soccer League (Puma League). The league managed to recruit Parma FC, who were the 1994–95 UEFA Cup champions, for their All-Star match.
Overview Since the conclusion of the 1993 season, the CNSL went through a tumultuous period throughout the remainder of the 1990s. The territorial boundaries of the league were further reduced from the Montreal-Windsor corridor and became primarily restricted within the Golden Horseshoe area in Ontario. Both of the league's franchises in Montreal departed, with the Montreal Ramblers relocating to the American-based USISL Pro League under the name New Hampshire Ramblers, and Montreal Croatia folding. The CNSL also experienced direct competition from the newly formed Canadian International Soccer League (Puma League), which received sponsorship from Puma. The Puma League was centered around the Toronto area, with ethnically supported teams, and was able to attract Toronto Croatia into defect.
The results of these events caused a decrease in league membership to six teams, with all the clubs being located in the province of Ontario. After a twelve-year absence in the Hamilton region, the league returned with the acceptance of the Hamilton White Eagles. The previous time the city was represented in the CNSL was in the 1983 season, when the Hamilton Steelers competed in the league. Former league commissioner and Toronto Italia owner Rocco Lofranco resigned, and the league took over the Toronto franchise. Various reports claimed that Lofranco had intentions of acquiring the franchise rights of the Toronto Rockets to receive entry into the American Professional Soccer League, but the Rockets ownership refused to relinquish their territorial rights.
Teams TeamCityStadiumManagerHamilton White EaglesHamilton, OntarioBrian Timmis StadiumLou Nagy Lucio BravoLondon CityLondon, OntarioCove Road StadiumIan MahoneyScarborough AstrosScarborough, OntarioBirchmount StadiumJorge ArmuaSt. Catharines WolvesSt. Catharines, Ontario Club Roma StadiumMark KonertToronto ItaliaEtobicoke, OntarioCentennial Park StadiumDavid GeeToronto JetsNorth York, OntarioEsther Shiner StadiumVince Solomita
Final standings
Playoffs Finals
GK 1 Joe Ciaravino RB 3 John AnnisiCB 5 Tom Perks CB 4 Richard Alexander LB 2 John VidovichRM 8 Orlando Rizzo CM 7Garvin Houston CM 13Vince Cancelliere LM 11 Marco Antonucci ST 10 Jack Zomparelli ST 15 Tony Zanini Substitutes:GK 12 Aldo Aiudi DF 14 Lou Fiaccola MF 16 Lino Solomita MF 6 Miguel Ferraira FW 9 Robert Marcucci
GK 23 Dino Perri RB 2 Tony Carbonaro CB 3 McIver Broomes CB 12Adrian Prenc LB 5John McNeil RM 14 Gary McGuchan CM 7 Chris HandsorCM 13 Lucio Ianiero LM 10 Cameron Walker ST 11 Carlo Arghittu ST 16 John Williams Substitutes:GK 1 Lee Burrows DF 6 Clay Holmes MF 8 Mark Konert FW 9 Paul Moore Manager:Mark Konert
St. Catharines won 3–2 on aggregate.
Cup The cup tournament (known as the Umbro Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all six teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season. Teams played each other once home and away in the Cup competition, and the first and second place teams would play a singles match for the Cup.
Matches
Finals
GK 1 Paulo Silva RB 4 John DiBuonoCB 18 Michael MarshallCB 3 Rene MartinLB 7 Alex Nardi RM 8 Gad Espinosa CM 5Leo Lopez LM 21 Rick Titus ST 13Audley Taffe ST 9Laszlo Martonfi ST 11 Gary DeLeon Substitutes:GK 12 Florin OpreaDF 14 Ednie Tavares MF 19 Kerwin Skeete MF 10 Basil Hanna MF 17 Alim Rajan Manager: Jorge Armua
GK 23 Dino Perri RB 5 John McNeil CB 12 Adrian Prence CB 3McIver Broomes LB 2Tony Carbonaro RM 10 Tom Bernardi CM 13 Lucio IanieroCM 6 Shayne CampbellLM 11 Carlo Arghittu ST 7Gary Brian ST 9 Paul Moore Substitutes:GK 15 Lee Burrows MF 8 Clay Holmes MF 14 Gary McGuchan Manager:Mark Konert
Assistant referees: Glenn Sharkey St. Catharines won 3–0 on penalties.
All-Star game The all-star match was held in Toronto, Ontario, at Varsity Stadium, and the league arranged for Parma FC, the 1994–95 UEFA Cup champions, as the opposition for the match.
GK 1 Paulo Silva RB 2 Rene MartinCB 3 Franco Spadafina CB 4 Richard Alexander LB 5 Chris Handsor RM 6 Jeff Brown CM 7Jack Zomparelli CM 8 Lucio Ianiero LM 9 Peyvand Mossavat ST 10 Lalo Maradona ST 11Gary DeLeon Substitutes:DF 16 Shayne Campbell DF 21Sasa Vukovic MF 20 Tom Bernardi MF 18 Orlando Rizzo MF 22 Garvin Houston FW 17 Alex Nardi FW 14Andrew Loague FW 15Laszlo Martonfi
GK 1 Luca Bucci RB 2 Antonio BenarrivoCB 5 Luigi ApolloniCB 4 Lorenzo Minotti LB 3 Alberto Di Chiara RM 7 Roberto Sensini CM 24 Dino Baggio LM 9Pripa ST 8 Hristo Stoichkov ST 10 Gianfranco Zola ST 16 Filippo Inzaghi Substitutes:GK 22 Giovanni Galli DF Marcello Castellini MF 25Gabriele Pin Manager: Nevio Scala
Individual awards The annual Canadian National Soccer League awards ceremony was held at the North York Council Chambers in North York, Ontario, with an attendance of around 200 people. The master of the ceremony was future Hamilton Bulldogs president Cary Kaplan, who was operating as the secretary of the league. London and St. Catharines were tied, each with two awards being given to the clubs. Mark Konert was named the Coach of the Year after leading St. Catharines to a double, which consisted of the CNSL Championship and Umbro Cup. Wolves midfielder Chris Handsor was voted the MVP and would go on to play in the USL A-League and play a prominent role in indoor soccer throughout North America.
London City was given the Most Disciplined Team award for being the most disciplined team throughout the season, and John Bottineau received the Rookie of the Year. The remainder of the awards, such as the Golden Boot, went to Scarborough Astros Laszlo Martonfi, and Joe Ciaravino of the Toronto Jets was named the Goalkeeper of the Year. Les Wilcox was named the Referee of the Year. Award Player (Club) CNSL Most Valuable PlayerChris Handsor (St. Catharines) CNSL Golden Boot Laszlo Martonfi (Scarborough Astros) CNSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award Joe Ciaravino (Toronto Jets) CNSL Rookie of the Year Award John Bottineau (London City) CNSL Coach of the Year Award Mark Konert (St. Catharines) CNSL Referee of the Year Award Les Wilcox CNSL Most Disciplined Team Award London City
First Team All-Stars GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards Dino Perri (St. Catharines Wolves) Rene Martin (Scarborough Astros)Jeff Brown (London City)Shawn Taggart (London City)Tom Perks (Toronto Jets) Chris Handsor (St. Catharines Wolves)Jack Zomparelli (Toronto Jets)Orlando Rizzo (Toronto Jets)Lucio Ianiero (St. Catharines Wolves) John Bottineau (London City)Gary Deleon (Scarborough Astros)
References
External links RSSSF CNSL page thecnsl.com - 1995 season