The 1988 National Soccer League season was the sixty-fifth season under the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

(NSL) name. The season began on May 10, 1988, and concluded on September 14, 1988, with

Toronto Italia The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

winning the NSL Championship by finishing first in the First Division. Toronto would also secure a

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 * Th ...

by defeating Montreal Superga of the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) for the NSL Canadian Championship. The NSL Ontario Cup was won by Toronto Croatia on September 17, 1988. Croatia would face St. Leonard-Corfinium of the LNSQ for the NSL Canada Cup but was defeated by a score of 3-1. St. Catharines Roma II was the reserve division champions.

Overview

Significant reforms were unanimously approved by the board of directors at the annual general meeting on January 23, 1988. Changes included an increase in club membership due to the return of a reserve division, which required each member to field a reserve team. The newly formed division would serve as a developmental platform for younger players and provide the senior teams with a larger resource of talent. The league's playing format was revised with the elimination of the postseason system with the winner of the regular season determining the overall champion. The First Division retained the majority of members from the previous season except for Nacional Latino and Toronto International. The league organized a friendly tournament named the Friendship Cup which involved Toronto Croatia, Toronto Italia, and

Windsor Wheels Windsor may refer to: Places Australia *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area *Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Win ...

in a series of matches against

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

and Palermo F.C. of Italy. Toronto Italia would defeat Cosenza in the finals to win the tournament title. The league continued its collaboration with the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) to form a national championship by providing their league and league cup winners to crown a national champion.

Teams

Final standings

Cup

The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all ten teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season, and the teams were grouped into two separate divisions. The two winners in the group stage would advance to a singles match for the Cup. The winner of the league cup would face the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) cup titleholder for the NSL Canada Cup.

Finals

NSL Canadian Championship

Since the 1986 season, a joint effort was conducted between the Pacific Rim Soccer League of British Columbia, National Soccer League and the Quebec National Soccer League to provide a national champion. Their regional champions would face each other in a singles match for the championship. The Pacific Rim Soccer League participated in the first tournament but ceased operations in 1987. While their league cup champions would compete for the NSL Canada Cup. Toronto Italia would win the championship by defeating Montreal Superga of the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ).

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1988 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Soccer League 1988 Season 1988–89 domestic association football leagues

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...