Nacional Latino was a soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club played in 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) in 1982 originally under the name Dinamo Latino. In 1985, the ownership of the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: * Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League * Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League * Toronto Azzurr ...

purchased Dinamo's franchise rights, and competed in the NSL until the 1986 season. In 1987, the Blizzard joined the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

, and the previous ownership retained control of the club under the name Nacional Latino. The club's final season at the professional level lasted until the 1987 season. The club originally played at Lamport Stadium, and later at Varsity Stadium when under the Toronto Blizzard/Dinamo name.

History

In 1981, Dinamo Latino was granted a franchise in the

, and represented the Latin American community in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...

. Artigas Cruz, a former professional soccer player from Uruguay, served as the inaugural head coach, and later was replaced by

Pedro Kozak Pedro Kozak (11 January 1949 – 31 May 2020) was an Argentine football player and manager who played in the Argentine Primera División and the National Soccer League. Playing career Kozak played in the Argentine Primera División with Club ...

. The club's first successfully season occurred in the 1983 season where they faced

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 foldin ...

for the NSL Championship, but were defeated in a series of matches. The club ownership also secured an affiliation agreement with the Toronto Nationals of the Canadian Professional Soccer League during the off season. After the demise of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1984 the

joined the NSL by purchasing Dinamo Latino's franchise rights. As the transference of ownership occurred midway through the season the team competed under the name of Toronto Dinamo as the name change required the approval of the league's board of directors. The change in ownership caused a reshuffling in management and in talent as Toronto recruited former Blizzard head coach Dave Turner. Turner managed to sign several of the Blizzard's veterans with NASL experience, and made an immediate impact in the NSL as Dinamo secured their first piece of silverware by winning the NSL Cup. The following season the team name was officially changed to the Toronto Blizzard and the club became an immediate powerhouse as Toronto managed to retain many of their NASL veterans. The 1986 season produced a

treble Treble may refer to: In music: *Treble (sound), tones of high frequency or range, the counterpart of bass *Treble voice, a choirboy or choirgirl singing in the soprano range *Treble (musical group), a three-piece girl group from the Netherlands *T ...

for the organization as the club clinched the regular season title, and the NSL Cup. Toronto also faced Toronto Italia for the NSL Championship, but were defeated in the finals. On the national level the Blizzard defeated Vancouver Columbus Italia for the NSL Canadian Championship, and Luso Stars Mount Royal of the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) for the NSL Canada Cup. Though the Blizzard's time in the NSL produced a successful stint it served as a transitory period as Toronto awaited the creation of the

(CSL). The Blizzard was the only club accepted from the NSL to receive a franchise in the CSL in 1985. The club officially joined the CSL in 1987 as a charter member. After the departure of Toronto Blizzard to the CSL the previous ownership of Dinamo Latino were granted a franchise in the NSL and operated under the name of Nacional Latino for the 1987 season. The team was originally managed by Luis Caruso, but later was replaced with Luis Ridoutt. Nacional's performance throughout the season proved to be a disappointment, and finished at the bottom of the standings. The team representatives failed to appear at a league meeting around December, 1987, and were disbanded the following year.

Head Coach history

* Artigas Cruz (1982) *

(1982) * Jorge Piotti (1983) * Luis Caruso (1985) * Dave Turner (1985–1986) * Luis Caruso (1987) * Luis Riduott (1987)

Seasons

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nacional Latino 1981 establishments in Ontario Association football clubs established in 1981 Association football clubs disestablished in 1988 Defunct soccer clubs in Canada Canadian National Soccer League teams Latin American Canadian culture Diaspora sports clubs in Canada