The 2007 Canadian Soccer League season was the tenth since its establishment. The first match of the season was played on May 11, 2007, and ended on October 28, 2007. The season concluded with

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 ...

claiming their third championship by defeating rivals

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 ...

4-1 on aggregate making Croatia one of the most successful clubs in the history of the

CSL CSL as an abbreviation may stand for: Places * Coordinated Science Laboratory, at the University of Illinois * Liège Space Center (Centre spatial de Liège), at the University of Liege in Belgium * Central Science Laboratory, a former UK DEFRA ...

& Canadian soccer. Toronto Croatia also celebrated its 50-year anniversary in Canadian soccer by winning the CSL title after losing just one game in the 5-month long campaign, including an unbeaten streak in their international triumph of the

Croatian World Club Championship The Croatian World Club Championship is a FIFA sanctioned international Association football, football tournament for Croatian diaspora football clubs. Founded in 2007, the tournament is organised by the Croatian Football Federation on behalf of t ...

. During the regular season the Serbian White Eagles secured their second consecutive International Division title, while St. Catharines Wolves won their first National Division title. The league decreased in membership to 10 teams since the 2004 season, but reached an affiliation with the Montreal Impact of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

where the Impact formed the

Trois-Rivières Attak Trois-Rivières Attak was a Canadian soccer team that played three seasons in the Canadian Soccer League. They formally served as a reserve and academy team for the USL First Division side Montreal Impact. The club was an instant success withi ...

to serve as a

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

. The league experienced another major increase in match attendances with some clubs averaging over 1,000 fan support per game, with the Serbian White Eagles and Trois-Rivières Attak averaging the most. The season was also notable with the introduction of the inaugural Locust CSL All Star Game played on July 28, 2007 at

Windsor Stadium Windsor Stadium is a 3,000-capacity stadium located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, the stadium is mainly used for Canadian Football and soccer, but has hosted rugby and other sports. It was home to the Ontario Football Conference team the Windsor ...

Changes from 2006 season

The league decreased to 10 teams after the folding of the

Caribbean Selects 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 ...

, and the hiatus of the

Brampton Stallions Brampton Stallions were a Canadian soccer team, founded in 2001 as the Brampton Hitmen before changing its name in 2005. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League and played in the National Division. The Stallions played their home ga ...

. Oakville Blue Devils moved to Scarborough, Toronto in order to become the Canadian Lions, and were transferred to the International Conference. The CSL maintained its presence in Quebec with the owners of

Laval Dynamites Laval Dynamites (french: Dynamites de Laval) were a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1997. The men's team (founded in 2001) was a member of the Canadian Professional Soccer League/Canadian Soccer League, the highest professional soccer league i ...

securing a deal with the Montreal Impact of the

to form the

which served as a farm team for the Impact.

Teams

Final standings

International Division

National Division

CSL Championship playoffs

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

CSL Championship

Format change for Rogers Cup finals

Due to

and the

playing for the Championship Cup, the

decided to change the format to a two-leg game rather than the standard knockout. The first game was played on Friday, October 27, and was played in front of only

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

fans, with the team serving as the home side. The next day, October 28, the White Eagles was the home side, and their fans were the only ones permitted at the game.

All-Star Game

2007 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 ...

CSL Executive Committee and Staff

A list of the 2007 CSL Executive Committee.

Individual awards

The annual CSL awards ceremony was held on November 4, 2007 at the La Contessa Banquet Hall in North York, Toronto. For the second straight season the International Division teams accumulated the majority of the awards. Trois-Rivières Attak went home with the most awards with 3 wins. Former Montreal Impact player Nicolas Lesage received both the Golden Boot and MVP, and the club was given the Fair Play award. The league champions Toronto Croatia produced both the Defender and Rookie of the Years. Domagoj Sain became the first player in CSL history to win the Defender of the Year three times. Former 2.HNL veteran Tihomir Maletic was chosen as the Rookie of the Year. Claudio Perri, former

Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Fou ...

alumni was named the Goalkeeper of the Year after helping St. Catharines Wolves post the best defensive record throughout the season. James McGilivary was recognized with the honor of Coach of the Year after leading St. Catharines to their first trophy the National Division title in five years. The President of the Year award was renamed the Harry Paul Gauss award in honor of

Harry Gauss Harry Paul Gauss (29 September 1952 in Stuttgart, West Germany – 31 October 2009 in London, Ontario) was a German-born Canadian soccer businessman, head coach, general manager, and soccer player. Gauss was a noted soccer promoter primarily i ...

, and its inaugural recipient was Bruno Ierullo. Joe Fletcher, who later went on to officiate matches at the international level and Major League Soccer was recognized with the Referee of the Year award.

References

External links

CSL official home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Soccer League 2007 Season 2007 2007 domestic association football leagues 2007 in Canadian soccer