1975 Canadian Soccer League season

The 1975 Canadian Soccer League season was the fifty-second season for the National Soccer League (NSL) which operated under the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) name for the season.[4] The season began in April and concluded in late October with Toronto Italia securing a double (NSL Championship, and First Division title).[5] Italia would also win the Canadian Open Cup by defeating the Challenge Trophy champions London Boxing and Athletic Club of Victoria from British Columbia.[6][7] The Serbian White Eagles were the NSL Cup winners and the Canadian representative for the 1975 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.[8][9][10]

National Soccer League
Season1975
Champions
League cupToronto Croatia
Top goalscorerMomčilo Stojanović (42)[1][2]
Best goalkeeperVangelis Syrigos[3]
← 1974
1976 →

In the Second Division, the Windsor Stars were the divisional champions by finishing first in the standings, which secured automatic promotion to the First Division.[11] A postseason tournament was utilized in the Second Division were St. Catherines Heidelberg won the NSL II Championship after defeating Windsor.[12] As the membership in the league increased the NSL was divided into two separate divisions (First and Second Division) with a promotion and relegation system.[13][14] Toronto Croatia would purchase 50% of the Toronto Metros to form Toronto Metros-Croatia in the North American Soccer League, while still retaining a reserve team in the NSL.[15]

Overview

The National Soccer League (NSL) went through a series of reforms beginning with the partitioning of the league into two separate divisions (First and Second divisions) with a promotion and relegation system.[13] The top ten teams from the previous year were placed in the First Division, while the remainder and expansion clubs were relegated to the Second Division.[16][17] How the promotion and relegation system was operated in the NSL was that the last-placed team in the First Division was automatically relegated, while the Second Division champion would receive an automatic promotion to the First Division.[18] The second last team in the First Division would play in a series of matches against the runner-ups in the Second Division to determine which team would be relegated or promoted.[18] A name change was included in the reforms with the league operating under the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) name to distinguish itself from other regional leagues using a similar name.[19] The CSL also provided additional incentives for match competitiveness by issuing prize money to the divisional champions and runner-ups.[13][19]

The Toronto-based CSL teams began using Lamport Stadium in 1975, but were forced to split their home matches between CNE Stadium. and Varsity Stadium as Lamport required further repairs throughout the season.[20] The repairs had an economical effect on the Toronto clubs at the live gate with only Toronto Italia generating a profit as their home matches were played at York Stadium.[21][22] The Serbian White Eagles were embroiled in a dispute with the league executive committee as the White Eagles were banned from league competition after a fan invasion during their 1975 CONCACAF Champions' Cup match against C.F. Monterrey.[23] The decision was appealed and taken to the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) where the ban was lifted with Serbia required to play in a closed venue without spectators.[24][25][26][27] The league ownership began a policy to limit the usage of import players in an attempt to ultimately Canadianize the league, and placed a limit of six import players per team.[28][29]

The boundaries of the league were once more located around the Montreal–Windsor corridor with the CSL returning to Windsor, Ontario with the Windsor Stars being granted a franchise.[28][29] Oakville United was granted a franchise and a developmental team sponsored by the Ontario government called the Ontario Selects were placed in the Second Division.[30] The league continued to have a presence in Montreal, Quebec with the Montreal Castors acquiring Montreal Cantalia's franchise rights.[16] The rivalry between the NSL and Toronto Metros of the North American Soccer League was further intensified with the Metros ownership attempting to lobby the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) to place further restrictions on the allowance of imports, and with Toronto Croatia becoming part-owners with the Metros.[15][31] On several occasions, some NSL teams outdrew the NASL club in attendance numbers.[32]

Teams
Team City Stadium Manager
Hamilton City Hamilton, Ontario Andy Pollock[33]
Hamilton Croatia Hamilton, Ontario Ivor Wynne Stadium[34]
Hamilton Italo-Canadians Hamilton, Ontario Brian Timmis Stadium[35] Ken McDonald[36]
London City London, Ontario Cove Road Stadium
Montreal Castors Montreal, Quebec Marquette Park[16] Jarbas Faustinho[37]
Oakville United Oakville, Ontario Blakelock High School[38]
Ontario Selects Arthur Rodrigues[39]
Ottawa Tigers Ottawa, Ontario Mooney's Bay Park[40] Anselmo Suarez[41]
Serbian White Eagles Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium Dragoslav Šekularac[42]
Srbija Kitchener Kitchener, Ontario
St. Catharines Heidelberg St. Catharines, Ontario Alex Crawley[43]
Toronto Croatia Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[44] Dave Jones[45]
Toronto First Portuguese Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[44] Neff Santos[46]
Toronto Homer Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[47] Gus Mesologitis[48]
Toronto Hungaria Toronto, Ontario CNE Stadium[49]
Toronto Italia York, Ontario York Stadium[44] Fiorigi Pagliuso[50]
Toronto Macedonia Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[44]
Toronto Melita Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[44]
Toronto Polonia Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[44]
Toronto Ukrainians Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium[47]
Windsor Stars Windsor, Ontario Windsor Stadium[51] Roy Cheetham[36]

Standings

First Division
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Toronto Italia (C) 38 25 11 2 98 33 +65 61 Qualification for Playoffs
2 Toronto First Portuguese 38 26 5 7 79 35 +44 57
3 Toronto Homer 38 24 6 8 95 36 +59 54
4 Serbian White Eagles 38 23 7 8 105 30 +75 53
5 Toronto Macedonia 38 22 6 10 74 29 +45 50
6 Hamilton Croatia 38 17 9 12 60 57 +3 43
7 Hamilton City 38 15 6 17 63 57 +6 36
8 London City 38 13 9 16 68 72 −4 35
9 Toronto Croatia (R) 38 11 6 21 40 57 −17 28
10 Hamilton Italo-Canadians (R) 38 8 3 27 46 109 −63 19
Updated to match(es) played on October 30, 1975. Source: http://canadiansoccerleague.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NSL_1921_1992.pdf
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Second Division
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Windsor Stars (C, P) 30 21 4 5 81 23 +58 46 Qualification for Playoffs
2 Montreal Castors (P) 30 21 1 8 65 30 +35 43
3 Oakville United 30 18 4 8 51 29 +22 40
4 St. Catharines Heidelberg (O) 30 13 5 12 42 44 −2 31
5 Srbija Kitchener 30 9 7 14 44 56 −12 25
6 Ottawa Tigers 30 8 4 18 42 45 −3 20
7 Ontario Selects 30 8 4 18 24 49 −25 20
8 Toronto Hungaria 30 7 5 18 37 64 −27 19
9 Toronto Ukrainians 30 3 6 21 18 79 −61 12
10 Toronto Polonia 30 4 3 23 13 88 −75 11
11 Toronto Melita 30 2 3 25 17 117 −100 7
Updated to match(es) played on October 30, 1975. Source: http://canadiansoccerleague.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NSL_1921_1992.pdf
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Second division playoffs

Windsor Stars, Montreal Castors, Oakville United, and St. Catharines Heidelberg were the top four clubs that qualified for the postseason.[52] Though Montreal secured a playoff berth they opted out of the tournament because of a shortage of players due to injuries, and the departure of their imports.[12] The decision resulted in St. Catharines receiving a bye to the finals.[12]

Semifinals
October 12, 1975 Windsor Stars 7–1 Oakville United Windsor, Ontario
15:00 Pedro Da Silva ,
Julian Stoja ,
Jair da Costa
Billy Lee
Syrigos 		[[53] Report] Rick Lowther Stadium: Windsor Stadium
Attendance: 1800

Finals
October 18, 1975 St. Catharines Heidelberg 2–1 Windsor Stars St. Catharines, Ontario
[[12] Report]
October 19, 1975 Windsor Stars 2–2 St. Catharines Heidelberg Windsor, Ontario
15:00 Manfred Michael
Billy Lee 		[[12] Report] Billy Watton
Charlie Carey 		Stadium: Windsor Stadium
Attendance: 1000

Canadian Open Cup

The Canadian Open Cup was a tournament organized by the National Soccer League in 1971 where the NSL champion would face the Challenge Trophy winners to determine the best team throughout the country.[54][55] The 1974 edition served as a qualifier match to determine the Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.[56] Toronto Italia was the NSL representative for the 1975 competition while their opponents were the London Boxing Club of Victoria, who were the British Columbia Provincial Soccer Championship, and Challenge Trophy titleholders.[55][7]

October 26, 1975 Toronto Italia 2–0 London Boxing Club of Victoria York, Ontario
Fahy 24'
Romanovic 46'		 [[6] Report] Stadium: York Stadium
Attendance: 3500

References
  1. "PROCESSION OF INCOMING TALENT KEY TO SUCCESS OF 2016 CHAMPIONS....never ending arrivals keep Serbian White Eagles on top". Canadian Soccer League. 2016-11-13. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  2. "Maestro". Democrat and Chronicle. July 13, 1976. p. 29.
  3. "Two stars honored". Windsor Star. December 11, 1975. p. 57.
  4. Waring, Ed (May 1, 1975). "Soccer plans $10,000 award, new name". The Globe and Mail. p. 45.
  5. "CSL Past Champions" (PDF). canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  6. "Toronto Italia scores easy win over Victoria in soccer final". The Globe and Mail. October 27, 1975. p. S6.
  7. "Italia wins Canadian soccer title". Toronto Star. October 27, 1975. p. B8.
  8. Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 117.
  9. Kernaghan, Jim (July 12, 1975). "Eagles want to win but it is costly". Toronto Star. p. D5.
  10. McCaffery, Sean (2018-04-13). "Serbian White Eagles 1st Canadian Team at CONCACAF Tourney". Soccer Long Island Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  11. "Stars' victories wrap up promotion". Windsor Star. October 6, 1975. p. 17.
  12. Knack, Marty (October 20, 1975). "Stars fail in uphill battle, 4-3". Windsor Star. p. 21.
  13. Kernaghan, Jim (January 28, 1975). "National loop ready to plug soccer gap". Toronto Star. p. C3.
  14. Nelson, Jim (September 22, 1975). "Stars prove they belong". Windsor Star. p. 25.
  15. Waring, Ed (February 6, 1975). "Toronto Croatia purchases 50% share of soccer Metros". The Globe and Mail. p. 47.
  16. Onorato, Andre (May 24, 1975). "Weekend debut for Castors". Montreal Gazette. p. 43.
  17. Waring, Ed (October 15, 1974). "President of NSL wants new stadium to bear his name". The Globe and Mail. p. 41.
  18. Heppell, Jim (August 26, 1977). "First place within reach". Ottawa Journal. p. 18.
  19. Waring, Ed (May 1, 1975). "Soccer plans $10,000 award, new name". The Globe and Mail. p. 45.
  20. "NSL to use CNE Stadium this weekend". Toronto Star. July 11, 1975. p. C5.
  21. "NSL meeting to consider four bids for franchises". Toronto Star. December 5, 1975. p. C5.
  22. Kernaghan, Jim (October 24, 1975). "Soccer team has a coup: It actually made money". Toronto Star. p. C3.
  23. "Aftermath of near-riot: White Eagles banned for the season". The Globe and Mail. July 15, 1975. p. 30.
  24. "No Fans Will See This One". Toronto Star. August 22, 1975. p. C1.
  25. "Serbians, suspension lifted until Aug, 1 1 by judge Goodman". The Globe and Mail. July 31, 1975. p. 39.
  26. "Eagles, NSL to settle out of court". The Globe and Mail. August 12, 1975. p. 33.
  27. "CSA to decide". The StarPhoenix. August 12, 1975. p. 23.
  28. Nelson, Jim (January 15, 1975). "Pro soccer this summer in Windsor". Windsor Star. p. 32.
  29. Nelson, Jim (January 23, 1975). "Pinnacle pursuits". Windsor Star. p. 30.
  30. Waring, Ed (October 6, 1975). "Ontario soccer project: Young Selects surprise veterans". The Globe and Mail. p. S5.
  31. Kernaghan, Jim (May 6, 1975). "Metros-Croatia resumes battle with soccer rival". Toronto Star. p. C3.
  32. Koep, Bob (June 16, 1975). "Lack of rivalry hurting Metros at the turnstiles". Toronto Star. p. B3.
  33. McKay, Jim (September 2, 1975). "Stars still sparkle at home". Windsor Star. p. 30.
  34. "London City gets first win of CSL season". The Globe and Mail. May 14, 1975. p. 39.
  35. "Macedonia wins over Hamilton". The Globe and Mail. September 11, 1975. p. 47.
  36. Nelson, Jim (February 14, 1975). "Stars' coach: Look hard at locals". Windsor Star. p. 22.
  37. Onorato, Andre (September 8, 1975). "Castors grab share in lead in soccer win". Montreal Gazette. p. 22.
  38. "Stars split in their first road show". Windsor Star. June 9, 1975. p. 23.
  39. Knack, Marty (July 2, 1975). "Select coach blasts the system". Windsor Star. p. 38.
  40. Slack, Noreen (May 10, 1975). "Minor programs giving soccer a boost". Ottawa Journal. p. 16.
  41. Pitts, Gord (June 2, 1975). "National soccer - Tigers do everything but score". Ottawa Citizen. p. 21.
  42. Hall, Dave (May 26, 1975). "Instead of striking, Stars striking out". Windsor Star. p. 59.
  43. "Crawley to Coach Blazers". Buffalo Evening News. 21 February 1977. p. 13.
  44. Waring, Ed (December 8, 1975). "Meeting recommends NSL commissioner". The Globe and Mail. p. S8.
  45. Waring, Ed (May 29, 1975). "Five years with Yugoslav Olympic team, Ivan Markovic to coach Metros-Croatia". The Globe and Mail. p. 44.
  46. Waring, Ed (August 11, 1975). "Portuguese strength surprises: Late goal wins for Olympiakos squad". The Globe and Mail. p. S1.
  47. Waring, Ed (August 4, 1975). "Homer edges Macedonians: Soccer fans, mounted police skirmish at stadium". The Globe and Mail. p. S4.
  48. Krivel, Peter (August 1, 1975). "Homer finds its new home an excellent place to play". Toronto Star. p. C2.
  49. "Profitable weekend for Stars". Windsor Star. July 14, 1975. p. 24.
  50. Nelson, Jim (September 22, 1975). "Stars prove they belong". Windsor Star. p. 25.
  51. "Shorthanded Stars click, 2-0". Windsor Star. May 20, 1975. p. 22.
  52. "Stars meet Oakville". Windsor Star. October 8, 1975. p. 41.
  53. Knack, Marty (October 14, 1975). "Stars blast Oakville, 7-1". Windsor Star. p. 27.
  54. Jose, Colin (1998). Canadian Encyclopedia of Soccer - Keeping Score. Vaughan, Ontario: Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 121. ISBN 0-9683800-0-X.
  55. "Toronto meets B.C. in Canadian Open". The Globe and Mail. October 21, 1975. p. 34.
  56. Kernaghan, Jim (July 12, 1975). "Eagles want to win but it is costly". Toronto Star. p. D5.
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