The 1973 National Soccer League season was the fiftieth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May and concluded in late October with Toronto Hungaria defeating

Toronto Croatia Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

for the NSL Championship. Toronto Hungaria repeated their success by defeating Croatia for the NSL Cup, which marked the organization's first league

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

. Although Toronto Croatia was defeated in the postseason, they still managed to secure the regular-season title and qualified for the Canadian Open Cup. In the Canadian Open Cup final Toronto successfully defended the title for the third consecutive season by defeating

Challenge Trophy The Challenge Trophy (french: Trophée Challenge) is a national amateur soccer cup in Canada contested by the champions of individual provincial soccer competitions. It is one of the oldest soccer competitions in Canada, being held since 1913. ...

finalists Toronto West Indies United. Toronto Croatia was scheduled to participate in the 1973 CONCACAF Champions' Cup against Club América, but the series of matches failed to materialize. Stanley Park Stadium was employed for the final time as the Toronto clubs transferred their home venue to the

CNE Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally built for Canadian National Exhi ...

in 1974. The league experienced a further increase in match attendance.

Overview

The National Soccer League (NSL) was embroiled in a dispute with the Toronto Indoor Soccer League over the usage of players during the offseason. The NSL teams forbade their contracted players from participating in the indoor league without the consent of their clubs. Despite the ban, many NSL players ignored the decision and continued playing in the indoor league. The league increased in membership to 17 teams with the approval of additional teams in Toronto, and Montreal. The NSL expanded into Quebec with the return of Montreal Cantalia, and the Toronto representatives were Toronto Melita and Toronto Polonia. Melita previously competed in the Toronto & District Soccer League. Several teams were rebranded with Hamilton Apollos becoming Hamilton City, and Toronto Olympia was renamed, Toronto Homer. London City acquired the NSL franchise rights from London German Canadians, and Toronto Hellas had their franchise revoked. The league had an increase in match attendance with

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned soc ...

, and

averaging the most. The season also marked the final time the Toronto-based clubs would utilize Stanley Park Stadium as their home venue as the municipal government decided to convert the field into a park. The league administration addressed the continuing fan violence throughout the NSL with league president Joe Piccininni committing to placing stiffer fines the following season. The league table was modified after Ottawa Tigers were suspended in late August.

Teams

Coaching changes

Standings

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Finals

Cup

The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season in which all seventeen teams took part. The finals for the cup were to consist of a

two-legged match In sports (particularly association football), a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or "legs", with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum ...

but were scrapped after the first match was abandoned due to fan violence. The league decided to award the cup to Toronto Hungaria as they were leading the match before it was abandoned.

Finals

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

winners to determine the best team throughout the country. The 1974 edition served as a qualifier match to determine the Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

was the NSL representative for the third consecutive year while their opponents were the Toronto & District League champions Toronto West Indies United. The Vancouver Firefighters were the 1973 Challenge Trophy winners and originally were invited to participate, but declined which allowed the Challenge Trophy runner-ups Toronto West Indies United to compete for the title.

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1973 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Soccer League 1973 Season 1973–74 domestic association football leagues National Soccer League

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...