The 2002 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the fifth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 23, 2002, and concluded on October 20, 2002, with

Ottawa Wizards Ottawa Wizards were a Canadian soccer club which operated in the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL), from 2001 to 2003. The team's home stadium was the OZ Optics Stadium. Though the team had a relatively short tenure with the CPSL, the c ...

becoming the first expansion franchise to win the CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons) by defeating the

North York 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, Cana ...

2–0. For the first time the final was hosted at

Esther Shiner Stadium Esther Shiner Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor sports facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the former city of North York, on the north-west corner of Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue West. Its capacity is 3,00and is currently ...

, which granted the hosts the North York Astros a wildcard match. As the league was divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences the Wizards clinched the Eastern title, while

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 ...

won the Western Conference. The expansion of the league saw the return of professional soccer to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, and the addition of another Toronto franchise. On February 26, 2002, the CPSL signed a player agreement deal with 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 ...

of the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

, which provided the Lynx access in order to use CPSL talent and provide players an opportunity to play at a higher level.

Changes from 2001 season

For the second straight season the CPSL expanded to 14 clubs to include the

Hamilton Thunder The Hamilton Thunder were a soccer team located in Hamilton, Ontario, playing in the Western Conference of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The team played its home fixtures at Brian Timmis Stadium until a rent dispute with the city cau ...

and

Metro Lions Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

. Due to the increase of teams the CPSL management split the league into two Conferences the Eastern and Western. The

Toronto Olympians 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 ancho ...

moved to Erin Mills, Mississauga, which opened the Scarborough territory to the Metro Lions. Changes occurred in the

York Region The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...

territory with Glen Shields changing their team name to Vaughan Sun Devils in order to fully represent the city of Vaughan. Meanwhile, their rivals the York Region Shooters were sold to

Tony De Thomasis Anthony De Thomasis is an Italian-born Canadian businessman, financial management advisor, and president of De Thomas Wealth Management. He served as the Director of Soccer Operations for Mississauga MetroStars in the Major Arena Soccer League. ...

, and relocated the team to their original home at Highland Park in Aurora. While former

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Centre. They were purcha ...

president Cary Kaplan was hired as a Management Consultant for the league.

Teams

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Rogers CPSL Championship playoffs

Wildcard

Semifinals

Rogers CPSL Championship

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...

CPSL Championship MVP: :Guillermo Compton Hall (North York Astros)

All-Star Game

The 2002 CPSL All-Star match was arranged by the German

consulate general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

in Toronto to have

TSV 1860 Munich , commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football. 1860 Munich was one of the founding members o ...

of the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

to come to Canada. London City head coach Jurek Gebcznyski was selected to assemble an All-Star roster with

Dave Benning Dave Benning (born 3 November 1969) is an English-born Canadian former player, head coach, and Canadian Soccer Association Technical Programs Manager. Benning worked in the Canadian Professional Soccer League with Vaughan Shooters as a player ...

, Victor Cameria and Steve Nijjar serving as his assistant coaches. Jimmy Douglas was appointed the general manager for the team.

2002 scoring leaders

:''Full article:

CSL Golden Boot The Canadian Soccer League Golden Boot is an annual Canadian soccer award given to the top goalscorer for each season in the Canadian Soccer League. The Golden Boot has been awarded since 1998 when the league debuted as the Canadian Professional ...

CPSL Executive Committee

A list of the 2002 CPSL Executive Committee.

Individual awards

The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held on October 20, 2002, at the Hollywood Princess Convention in

Concord, Ontario Concord is a suburban industrial district in the City of Vaughan in York Region, located north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to the 2001 Census, Concord has 8,255 residents. It is accessed by two provincial highways: Highway 407 a ...

. Where the Mississauga Olympians received the most accolades with three wins. Darren Tilley a former

English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...

and

veteran was given both the

and Rookie of the Year. After accumulating the fewest card bookings they received the Fair Play award, their third in the club's history. Toronto Croatia went home with two awards with George Azcurra adding his third Goalkeeper of the Year award to his resume. While Domagoj Sain was named the Defender of the Year. Abraham Osman of the Ottawa Wizards became the first player to receive the MVP in two straight seasons. After a mediocre start to the season the Metro Lions utilized the services of Aldwyn McGill as manager, who transformed the expansion franchise into a title contender. While Michael Lambert's work as a match official was recognized by the league with the Referee of the Year award.

References

External links

Rocket Robin's Home Page of the 2002 CPSL Season
{{Canadian Soccer League 2002 Canadian Professional Soccer League Canadian Professional Soccer League