The 1997 Canadian National Soccer League season was the seventy-fifth season for the

Canadian National Soccer League 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 foldi ...

. The season began on June 4, 1997, and concluded on October 8, 1997, with

St. Catharines Roma Wolves St. Catharines Roma Wolves (also known as St. Catharines Wolves or simply Roma Wolves), are a Canadian association football, soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and Lea ...

defeating

Toronto Supra SC Toronto was a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1994. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and played its final home games at Lamport Stadium in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The club found success early on since its incep ...

in a two-game series for the CNSL Championship. While the

league cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

was awarded to Toronto Supra due to several irregularities on behave of Kosova Albanians. The season was noteworthy with the return of

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 ...

, and Hamilton White Eagles after the Canadian International Soccer League (Puma League) decided to merge with the CNSL. A notable departure was Toronto Italia a well-distinguished club that had another opportunity in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

to return to the professional scene but failed to settle disputes regarding territory and league policy. The league operated as a private league for the final time, and under the banner of the CNSL as it reconciled its relationship with the Ontario Soccer Association in 1998. The following season it would operate as the Canadian Professional Soccer League sanctioned by the Ontario Soccer Association to implement the Image of the Game report to provide a suitable professional soccer structure in Ontario and potentially throughout the country.

Overview

Summary

The number of clubs participating in the 1997 season remained at seven with several notable additions and departures. The additions revolved around the merger between the Canadian International Soccer League (Puma League) and the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL) which enabled the CNSL to replace the departing clubs. The merger marked the return of

Hamilton White Eagles Hamilton White Eagles was a soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario. The club was formed in 1995 and competed in the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). After a single season in the CNSL, the White Eagles departed and became a member of the Ca ...

, along with the addition of Kosova Albanians as a new entry. The

Caribbean Stars Caribbean Stars Soccer Club was a professional soccer club in the Greater Toronto Arena, Canada, which evolved to a news and sports website. Its inception was in 1995 as a founding member of the Canadian International Soccer League (CISL). In ...

opted against joining the CNSL as it lacked the financial resources to compete in the league. The departing clubs were

Oakville Canadian Western 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 ...

while

Scarborough Astros The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, C ...

merged with

North York Talons The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, C ...

and played their home matches in North York, and Scarborough. A notable absentee was

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 ...

an entity with a historical significance in Canadian soccer. The departure stemmed from a variety of issues originally with the Ontario Soccer Association's decision to decertify the CNSL, and a feud involving Toronto Croatia over an alleged debt from the 1995 season. As the

USISL A-League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

expanded to include the

Toronto Lynx Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes D ...

the CNSL began to automatically serve as an unofficial feeder system with Italia's head coach

Peter Pinizzotto Peter Pinizzotto is an Italian born Canadian soccer coach who serves as the head coach for Woodbridge Strikers in League1 Ontario. Pinizzotto is known for managing the Toronto Lynx, and is the longest-serving manager in the history of Toronto Ly ...

, and several CNSL players being recruited to the Lynx's inaugural roster. The league would ultimately receive this official recognition in the 2002 season under its successor league as both parties would form a player exchange program. Throughout the regular season, controversies abounded as a league meeting was convened in the final quarter of the season, which resulted in the suspension of Hamilton, and North York for the remainder of the season. The primary reason for their suspension revolved around the harassment of match officials, and unpaid league fees and fines. The league meeting also produced a revised schedule where the final five matches were canceled, which allowed the remaining clubs a berth in the postseason.

Teams

Final standings

Playoffs

First round

Series tied 1–1. Kosova wins two 15 minute half mini game 1–0 to win tiebreaker.

Semifinals

Toronto Supra wins series 2 games to 0. St. Catharines Roma Wolves wins series 1 game to 0 (with draw).

Finals

''St. Catharines won 4–3 on aggregate.''

Cup

The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all seven teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season. Teams played each other once home and away in the Cup competition, and the first-place team would win the Cup competition. Originally Kosova won the tournament after finishing first in the standings as a result of a greater goal differential. Shortly after league executives ordered a single finals match to determine the champion. The decision was influenced after Kosova's president was required to provide a performance cheque for a player who was involved in an altercation with a referee in an earlier match. League executive

Michael Di Biase Michael Di Biase (born 1947) is a Canadian politician who formerly part of the regional council of the city of Vaughan, Ontario as the deputy mayor and mayor. He was first elected to the city's council in 1986. Following the death of Mayor Lorna ...

reported that the club officials failed in properly address the request. Though Toronto Croatia finished with similar results they were disqualified after using an ineligible player. As Hamilton, and North York was suspended from league play the suspension also included their participation in the cup tournament. In the postseason semifinal match against St. Catharines Roma Wolves, the game was delayed when Kosova's president declared his club as cup champions after presenting a trophy to Kosova. Consequently, the league officials canceled the final match and automatically declared Toronto Supra as league cup champions. In response to the decision, Kosova protested the league's actions and subsequently withdrew from the CNSL.

Standings

Matches

References

External links

RSSSF CNSL pagethecnsl.com - 1997 season
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian National Soccer League 1997 Season 1997 domestic association football leagues

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...