Canada - Canadian Professional Soccer League

This was Canada's first real attempt at establishing a truly national professional soccer league. The league would use FIFA rules (unlike the concurrent NASL). Teams were limited to just five imported players per squad. The rest of the players were Canadian. The league was started in 1983, but folded after the inaugural season, during which two of the six entrants folded (one of them twice).

Canadian Professional Soccer League 1983

Regular Stage

Table at abandonment:

 1.Edmonton Eagles             10   7  3  0  24- 6  17
 2.Hamilton Steelers           12   4  4  4  22-20  12
 -.Inter-Montreal FC            8   5  1  2  15- 8  11  [!]
 3.Missassauga Croatia SC      13   4  1  8  16-31   9
 4.Calgary Mustangs            12   2  4  6  13-21   8
 -.Toronto Nationals            7   2  1  4  11-15   5  [*]

[!] Inter-Montreal folded after their match on Jun 26
[*] includes Toronto; Toronto Nationals had folded after their match on Jun 15 and 
    successors Toronto followed suit after their only match on Jun 26

[May 21]
Toronto Nationals     2-1 Inter-Montreal        
[May 22]
Hamilton Steelers     1-2 Edmonton Eagles       
[May 23]
Missassauga Croatia   1-1 Calgary Mustangs      
[May 25]
Hamilton Steelers     2-1 Calgary Mustangs      
[May 26]
Missassauga Croatia   0-1 Inter-Montreal        
[May 27]
Edmonton Eagles       1-1 Toronto Nationals     
[May 29]
Calgary Mustangs      4-0 Missassauga Croatia   
Edmonton Eagles       1-1 Hamilton Steelers     
[Jun 1]
Calgary Mustangs      1-1 Hamilton Steelers     
Edmonton Eagles       4-1 Missassauga Croatia   
[Jun 3]
Hamilton Steelers     1-1 Inter-Montreal        
Toronto Nationals     3-0 Missassauga Croatia   
[Jun 5]
Inter-Montreal        3-2 Hamilton Steelers     
Calgary Mustangs      0-2 Edmonton Eagles       
Missassauga Croatia   4-2 Toronto Nationals     
[Jun 8]
Edmonton Eagles       3-0 Calgary Mustangs      
Missassauga Croatia   3-2 Hamilton Steelers     
[Jun 12]
Edmonton Eagles       2-1 Toronto Nationals     
Inter-Montreal        3-0 Missassauga Croatia   
[Jun 15]
Inter-Montreal        1-2 Hamilton Steelers     
Calgary Mustangs      4-0 Toronto Nationals     

NB: Toronto Nationals folded after their Jun 15 match; they attempted to continue as
    Toronto with new owners and assumed the Nationals' record but played only one 
    more match (on Jun 26)

[Jun 19]
Edmonton Eagles       6-0 Calgary Mustangs      
[Jun 22]
Missassauga Croatia   0-2 Inter-Montreal        
[Jun 24]
Calgary Mustangs      1-3 Edmonton Eagles       
[Jun 26]
Hamilton Steelers     3-2 Toronto
Inter-Montreal        3-1 Missassauga Croatia   

NB: both Toronto and Inter-Montreal folded after their Jun 26 matches; in the case
    of the Montreal side, this was partially a consequence of the money spent on 
    the exhibition matches they had organised earlier in June

[Jul 1]
Hamilton Steelers     4-1 Missassauga Croatia   
[Jul 3]
Missassauga Croatia   2-0 Calgary Mustangs      
[Jul 6]
Hamilton Steelers     1-1 Calgary Mustangs      
[Jul 10]
Missassauga Croatia   3-2 Hamilton Steelers     
Calgary Mustangs      0-0 Edmonton Eagles       

NB: after the matches on Jul 10 it was decided to abandon the regular stage and continue
    with a championship playoff consisting of two best-of-three semifinals followed by a
    single leg final

Table at abandonment:

 1.Edmonton Eagles             10   7  3  0  24- 6  17
 2.Hamilton Steelers           12   4  4  4  22-20  12
 -.Inter-Montreal FC            8   5  1  2  15- 8  11  [!]
 3.Missassauga Croatia SC      13   4  1  8  16-31   9
 4.Calgary Mustangs            12   2  4  6  13-21   8
 -.Toronto Nationals            7   2  1  4  11-15   5  [*]

[!] Inter-Montreal folded after their match on Jun 26
[*] includes Toronto; Toronto Nationals had folded after their match on Jun 15 and 
    successors Toronto followed suit after their only match on Jun 26

Playoff Stage

Semifinals

First Legs
[Jul 13]
Missassauga Croatia   3-2 Hamilton Steelers     
[Jul 17]
Edmonton Eagles       2-1 Calgary Mustangs      

Second Legs
[Jul 15]
Hamilton Steelers     4-1 Missassauga Croatia   
[Jul 20]
Calgary Mustangs      1-2 Edmonton Eagles       

Third Leg [Jul 24]
Hamilton Steelers     2-0 Missassauga Croatia   

Final

[Aug 1]
Edmonton Eagles       2-0 Hamilton Steelers     



Exhibition Matches

NB: three of the five matches below were part of a four-team international tournament,
    while Udinese played two additional friendly matches during their stay in Canada.

Bob Laker's Intercontinental Tournament (Montréal) 1983

Semifinals
[Jun 13]
Inter-Montreal        2-0 Olympique Marseille
[Jun 18]
Udinese Calcio        1-0 AS Avellino

Final [Jun 19]
Inter-Montreal        2-1 Udinese Calcio

NB: Inter-Montreal folded a week after beating Udinese, partially as a consequence of 
    the money spent on this tournament

Udinese Friendlies

[Jun 12]
Hamilton Steelers     3-2 Udinese Calcio
[Jun 15]
Mississauga Croatia   0-2 Udinese Calcio

canada - list of champions

canadian soccer league 1987-1992

About this document

Thanks to Dave Litterer, Mark Pollak and Bill Ault for earlier version of this file

The author is keen to hear from anyone who was involved with the league or is interested in its history

Prepared and maintained by Elliot J. Huntley for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Elliot J. Huntley (elliotjhuntley36@hotmail.co.uk)
Last updated: 5 Mar 2015