The 1987 Canadian Soccer League season was the first season of play for the Canadian Soccer League, a new Division 1 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid.
Format The schedule was not a balanced schedule based on the league principle of playing each club home and away due to travel concerns. The league was divided into two four-team division with each team playing each team in their division four times, twice at home and twice on the road, and playing the teams in the opposing division twice, once at home and once on the road for a total of twenty games. Following the season, the top three teams in each division would advance to the playoffs, with the division leaders earning a first round bye, to designate a national champion club.
Summary The Canadian Soccer League was the second attempt to create a national professional league in Canada. Many teams were existing franchises from the non-professional provincial leagues, while others had come from semi-professional leagues, including Edmonton (Western Soccer Alliance), Hamilton (Canadian National Soccer League), and Toronto (CNSL and NASL), while some teams, such as the Vancouver 86ers were new. The league opened with a good start with sizable crowds and a fairly high level of play, but teams soon began to feel the financial pressure, particularly in the smaller markets.
The league's inaugural match took place on June 7, 1987 in Aylmer, Quebec between the National Capital Pioneers and the Hamilton Steelers and finished in a 1–1 draw, in a steady drizzle, in front 2,500 spectators.
The Eastern Division in 1987 consisted of National Capital Pioneers, Hamilton Steelers, Toronto Blizzard, and the North York Rockets. The Western Division comprised the Calgary Kickers, Edmonton Brick Men, Vancouver 86ers, and the Winnipeg Fury. Calgary and Hamilton won their divisions and both advanced to the finals in the playoffs. In the final, Calgary defeated Hamilton 2–1, at home, in a winner-take-all one game final.
Regular season East Division
West Division
Overall
Playoffs Home team on top.
Quarterfinal
Semifinal
Final
Statistics Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Nick Gilbert Calgary Kickers 102 Domenic Mobilio Vancouver 86ers 93 Željko Adžić Hamilton Steelers 84 Norman Odinga Edmonton Brick Men 7 Han Kim Winnipeg Fury James Easton Vancouver 86ers7 Arnie Meers Vancouver 86ers 6 John Catliff Calgary Kickers Ivor Evans Vancouver 86ers Billy Domazetis Hamilton Steelers11 John Roumelis National Capital Pioneers 5 Ed McNally National Capital Pioneers David Bryne Toronto BlizzardReference:
Honours The following awards and nominations were awarded for the 1987 season. Most Valuable Player Player Team Nick Gilbert Calgary Kickers
League All-Stars Player Position Sven Habermann (Calgary Strikers) Goalkeeper Diego Castello (Edmonton Brick Men) Defender Greg Kern (Calgary Strikers) Defender Paul James (Hamilton Steelers) Defender Randy Ragan (Toronto Blizzard) Defender Željko Adžić (Hamilton Steelers) Midfielder Ray Hudson (Edmonton Brick Men) Midfielder James Easton (Vancouver 86ers) Midfielder Ed McNally (National Capital Pioneers) Forward Billy Domazetis (Hamilton Steelers) Forward Nick Gilbert (Calgary Strikers) Forward Reserves Player Position Don Ferguson (National Capital Pioneers) Goalkeeper David Norman (Winnipeg Fury) Defender Han Kim (Winnipeg Fury) Midfielder Zoltan Metzaros (North York Rockets) Forward
Front office Person Role Bill Thompson (National Capital Pioneers) Head Coach Peter Welsh (Calgary Kickers) Assistant Coach Buzz Parsons (Vancouver 86ers) General Manager
Average home attendances Team1Vancouver 86ers205,9772Winnipeg Fury204,0233Edmonton Brick Men203,4914Calgary Strikers202,9495National Capital Pioneers202,1226Hamilton Steelers 202,0327Toronto Blizzard201,8148North York Rockets201,275Total Attendance1602,817Reference:
See also Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983) – previous season of D1 soccer in Canada
References
External links Canadian Soccer League 1991 Media Guide and Statistics 1987 CSL Stats