1991 Canadian Soccer League season

Canadian Soccer League
Season	1991
Dates	May 26 – September 8; (regular season); September 11 – October 6; (playoffs);
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 →

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.

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 (C)	28	20	4	4	69	31	+38	64	Playoff semifinals
2	Toronto Blizzard	28	14	6	8	57	33	+24	48	Playoff semifinals
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

Source: Canadian Soccer History Archives 1991 CSL Stats
(C) Playoff Champion and qualification for the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

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]	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	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

Week	Player	Club
1	Dino Lopez	Nova Scotia Clippers
2	Dale Mitchell	Toronto Blizzard
3	Pat Harrington	Montreal Supra
4	Doug Muirhead	Vancouver 86ers
5	Ivor Evans	Vancouver 86ers
6	Lyndon Hooper	Toronto Blizzard
7	Peter Sarantopoulos	North York Rockets
8	Paolo Ceccarelli	North York Rockets
9	Norman Odinga	Vancouver 86ers
10	Joseph Majcher	North York Rockets
11	Domenic Mobilio	Vancouver 86ers
12	Geoff Aunger	Hamilton Steelers
13	Alex Bunbury	Montreal Supra
14	Brett Pence	Kitchener Kickers
15	Paul Peschisolido	Hamilton Steelers
Reference:^[1]

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

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "1991 CSL Stats" (PDF). Canadian Soccer League.
^ "The Clip Show". Maritime 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.

External links

[1991stats-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "1991 CSL Stats" (PDF). Canadian Soccer League.

[clipshow-2] "The Clip Show". Maritime Pro Ball. February 11, 2016.

[3] "Team-by-team preview of Canadian Soccer League". Vancouver Sun. May 24, 1991. p. 40.

[4] Phillips, Randy (September 12, 1991). "No-sex policy pays off; Celibate Supra win first playoff game in franchise history". Montreal Gazette. p. D12.

[5] "Steelers advance to semifinals". The Province. September 16, 1991. p. A39.

[6] Koep, Bob (September 16, 1991). "Rockets, Steelers advance to semis after CSL wins". Toronto Star. p. D8.

[7] "Rockets, Supra win CSL playoff openers". Vancouver Sun. September 12, 1991. p. D8.

[8] Koep, Bob (September 16, 1991). "Rockets, Steelers advance to semis after CSL wins". Toronto Star. p. D8.

[9] Stinson, Dan (September 23, 1991). "Steelers come close to chipping one out of 86ers". Vancouver Sun.

[10] Stinson, Dan (September 30, 1991). "Catliff propels 86ers to CSL final". Vancouver Sun. p. D1.

[11] Koep, Bob (September 23, 1991). "Blizzard cool out Rockets in semifinal". Toronto Star. p. C6.

[12] Koep, Bob (September 30, 1991). "Blizzard ousts Rockets to reach soccer final". Toronto Star. p. C6.

[13] "Blizzard blown away by 86ers". Toronto Star. October 7, 1991. p. C9.

[14] Stinson, Dan (October 7, 1991). "86ers make mark among dynasties". Vancouver Sun. p. D1.

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v t e Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)
Teams	Calgary Kickers/Strikers Edmonton Brick Men Hamilton Steelers Kitchener Spirit/Kickers London Lasers Montreal Supra North York Rockets Nova Scotia Clippers Ottawa Pioneers/Intrepid Toronto Blizzard Vancouver 86ers Victoria Vistas Winnipeg Fury
Seasons	1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
International cups	Pepsi Cup (1990) Professional Cup (1992)