Soccer in Canada
Encyclopedia
Association football, more commonly known in Canada
as soccer, is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate. According to FIFA's Big Count, 2,695,712 people played in Canada in 2006.
, football commonly refers to Canadian football
and American football
.
in 1859 between the St. George's Society and a team of Irishmen. Games were played in New Westminster in 1862 and in Victoria
in 1865. The first game played under modern rules took place in Toronto in 1876, after which the Dominion Football Association, the first recorded Football Association outside the British Isles
, was formed in Toronto in 1877 to foster competition between local sides.
In 1880, the Western Football Association was formed in Berlin (now Kitchener
), Ontario and played a major role in the subsequent development of the sport throughout southern Ontario
. In the time around 1900, the WFA had teams throughout Western Ontario in various municipalities including Seaforth
, Mildmay
, Listowel, Woodstock
, Ingersoll
, Brussels
, Dundas
, Aylmer
, Ayr
, Tavistock, Preston
, Galt and Berlin
.
In 1885 and 1886, the Western Football Association sent teams to New Jersey
to play both indoor and outdoor matches against teams representing the American Football Association
, then the unofficial governing body of soccer in the United States. In the first unofficial international between the two countries in 1885 Canada
defeated the United States
1-0 in East Newark
, New Jersey
. A year later the American side won 3-2 on the same field. Teams from thee two organizations played one another on both sides of the border regularly in the years that followed.
In 1896, the Manitoba Football Association
formed on March 19 in Brandon
. Five years later in 1901, the Ontario Football Association
was formed in Toronto
and competition for the Ontario Cup
began. Galt Football Club won the first edition of the tournament that still runs to this day. They represented the WFA at the 1904 Olympic Games
in St. Louis, Missouri
, winning the gold medal. Only two other teams participated, both American clubs.
In 1905, the Saskatchewan Football Association
was formed in the province of Saskatchewan
, and by 1911 the Province of Quebec Football Association was formed in Montreal
with Frank Calder
, first president of the National Hockey League
, playing a leading role in the PQFA's formation. The Alberta Football Association was incorporated in the same year.
The first ever professional game was played in Vancouver
between the Callies and Rovers in 1910. In 1912, the founding meeting of the Dominion of Canada Football Association
was held in Toronto
on May 24, when provincial soccer executives laid the foundation of what is today's Canadian Soccer Association. The organization became a member of FIFA
in 1913. In 1926, the National Soccer League
was formed with teams in Ontario and Quebec, but in 1928, the DFA resigned from FIFA and remained outside the world governing body until 1946, following the example of British associations in a dispute over broken time payments to amateurs. Hamilton's Robert McDonald was signed by Scottish club Rangers
in the 1920s, who spotted him while on tour in North America.
The Great Depression
of the 1930s meant that the DFA struggled financially and couldn't afford to hold annual meetings in 1932 and 1933 and from 1935 to 1940. In those years, business was conducted by mail. At one point, president Len Peto
of Montreal loaned the DFA a considerable sum of money to stave off bankruptcy. The money was later repaid in full. Despite the hard times, Montreal
-born goalkeeper Joe Kennaway
signed for Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic
in 1931 and was an immediate success. Toronto Scottish won a North American club championship in 1933 by beating holders and US champions St. Louis Stix at Chicago's Soldier Field
by a score of 2-1.
In 1957, Canada entered qualifying for the FIFA World Cup
for the first time and met the United States
and Mexico
in qualifying for the finals in Sweden
in 1958. Canada won its first World Cup qualifying game 5-1 against the U.S. in Toronto, but played Mexico twice in Mexico City
and lost 2-0 and 3-0. In the final group game, Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in St. Louis
, but group winners Mexico advanced to the Finals.
During the 1960's there was a concerted effort to push professional soccer in Canada. The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was formed in 1961 and featured teams in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, and (for one season) Buffalo, New York. One club, Toronto City
, even featured some very prominent British football stars during it's inaugural season, including Northern Ireland
international Danny Blanchflower
, England
internationals Stanley Matthews
and Johnny Haynes
and Scottish
internationals Jackie Mudie
and Tommy Younger
. This is also notable as the last time that the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland captains all played on the same side together. Despite this, the league proved unsuccessful and folded within 5 years. Following a rise in the popularity of the game after the global broadcasting of the 1966 World Cup, the North American Soccer League
was formed in 1968. The league covered the United States
and Canada
, with many European professionals brought in to supplement domestic talent. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Canada was represented by professional teams playing in five different cities, namely Calgary
, Edmonton
, Montreal
, Toronto
and Vancouver
. The league folded in 1985.
The Olympic Summer Games were held in Montreal in 1976, but the football tournament featured only 13 teams instead of the normal 16 after the African nations boycotted the games in protest against South Africa
's apartheid policies. Canada opened against the Soviet Union
in the Olympic Stadium, losing 2-1. Canada lost its second game in Toronto against North Korea and was eliminated from the tournament. The same year, Toronto Metros-Croatia won the Soccer Bowl
, the North American Soccer League
championship. The final was held in Seattle, where the Toronto side defeated Minnesota 3-0 with a squad featuring Eusébio
, striker Ivan Lukacevic and goaltender Zeljko Bilecki. Vancouver Whitecaps
won the 1979 Soccer Bowl
, beating Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 in the final at Giants Stadium
in New Jersey. In 1983, Toronto Blizzard
reached the final at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver
but lost 2-0 to the Tulsa Roughnecks
.
Canada qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics football tournament
played throughout the United States. In the first round, they drew with Iraq
, lost to Yugoslavia
and beat Cameroon
to qualify for the quarter finals. After taking an early lead against Brazil
, Canada were defeated on penalty kicks.
The 1985 CONCACAF Championship
was the fourth edition that doubled as qualification for the FIFA World Cup
. Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2-1 in St John's, Newfoundland
on September 14, 1985 at King George V Park
in front of over 13 000 people. Canada had bid to host the final tournament, but their application was rejected in favour of Mexico
, who qualified automatically as hosts, with Canada earning the remaining CONCACAF
spot and winning the CONCACAF Championship (now the Gold Cup
) for the first time. At the World Cup, Canada were drawn in group C and lost 1-0 to France
and 2-0 to both Hungary
and the Soviet Union
. Later that year, four Canadian national team players were guilty of taking bribes in a match-fixing scandal at the Merlion Cup in Singapore. The Canadian Soccer Association suspended Chris Cheuden, Hector Marinaro
, David Norman
and Igor Vrablic
for one year each. Marinaro and Norman were reinstated and resumed play for Canada. In the wake of Canada's World Cup appearance, the Canadian Soccer League began operations in 1987, and in 1989 the Canadian Soccer Referees' Association was founded.
The NASL was replaced by the Canadian Soccer League with teams in eight Canadian cities. The Vancouver 86ers won the 1990 North American Club Championship, beating Maryland Bays
3-2 in the final in Burnaby, British Columbia
. The same year, Canada's national side took part in the North American Nations Cup (formerly the NAFC Championship) for the first time, hosting the three-team tournament. Mexico
and Canada sent their full squads, but the USA
sent a 'B' team and does not count the games as official internationals in its records (CONCACAF
lists the North American Nations Cup 1990 on their website). Canada won the tournament after a 1-0 win over the United States
on May 6 and a 2-1 win over Mexico
on May 13, all three goals scored by John Catliff
, the tournament's top scorer. In 1991, Canada took part in the championship for the second time as defending champions. Mexico won the North American Nations Cup 1991 with Canada finishing in third place.
By 1992, the CSL was forced to end operations, and in 1993 three of the remaining teams, the Toronto Blizzard, Vancouver 86ers and Montreal Impact
joined the United States' A-League
. The Winnipeg Fury
and North York Rockets
joined the National Soccer League
, which changed its name to the Canadian National Soccer League
in 1998.
The Canadian women's national team
benefited from a surge in youth participation throughout the 1980s, and in 1995 Canada qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup
for the first time. Canada lost to England
and Norway
and drew with Nigeria
at the tournament played in Sweden
. Canada again qualified for FIFA Women's World Cup 1999
played in the United States, again going winless after drawing with Japan
and losing to Norway
and Russia
.
In 2000, Canada
's men's team won the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
in February. Canada had finished in a tie in group play with the Republic of Korea, but won the tie-breaking coin toss to advance to the quarter-final, where they beat Mexico
2-1 on an extra-time golden goal
. In the semi-final, Canada beat Trinidad and Tobago
1-0, and beat invited side Colombia
2-0 in the final. As a result of being named CONCACAF
champions, Canada travelled to the Confederations Cup 2001 in Japan, earning a memorable 0-0 draw with Brazil thanks to a stellar performance from Gold Cup Most Valuable Player Craig Forrest
.
At the next Gold Cup in 2002, Canada reached the semi-final for the second time and lost to the United States on penalty kicks. Despite their success in the Gold Cup, Canada's senior men's side failed to qualify for either the 2002, 2006 or 2010 World Cup. The national team has never achieved a higher position than 40th in the FIFA World Rankings
.
Also in 2002, Canada hosted the first ever FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship
with games in Edmonton
, Victoria
, and Vancouver
. The final between Canada and the United States was played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium
, with the U.S. winning on a golden goal
. Canadian Christine Sinclair
received the tournament's Golden Ball as MVP and Golden Boot
as leading goal-scorer. Rounding out 2002, Canada's senior women's team, with several players from the U-19 squad, met the United States
in the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
final, where the U.S. won on yet another golden goal. Still later that year, Sinclair led the U.S. NCAA
Division I in goals scored as she helped the University of Portland
win the national championship
.
The senior women's side again qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
. In the group stages they lost to Germany
before beating Japan
and Argentina
for their first wins in World Cup history (men or women). In the quarter-finals, Canada upset China
1-0 before losing to Sweden
in the semifinal. They were again beat by old rivals the U.S. in the 3rd place game. The under-19 women's side qualified for the 2004 world championship in Thailand
, losing in the quarterfinals to China. For the second straight tournament, a Canadian won the Golden Boot, with Brittany Timko
the top-scorer. Sinclair set an NCAA Division I record in 2005 with 39 goals as she led Portland to another NCAA title and earned a second straight Hermann Trophy. In the wake of her record-setting season at Portland, Sinclair won the Honda-Broderick Cup
in 2006 as the outstanding female athlete at a U.S. university. Also in 2006, long-serving CSA Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe was fired from his duties. The CPSL re-branded as the Canadian Soccer League
.
In 2007, Toronto FC
began play in Major League Soccer
as its first franchise located outside the United States. Canada's national team reached the semi-final at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
. Dale Mitchell was named coach of Canada's senior men's team, to begin duties after the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
, held in Canada. The host went out without scoring a goal and losing all three matches. The final was held in front of 20 000 people at the National Soccer Stadium
in Toronto, with Argentina
beating the Czech Republic
2-1. Association President Colin Linford
resigned after his pick for chief executive officer, Fred Nykamp, was turned down by the board of directors. In September, Canada participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup
China 2007. In October, Vice-President Dr. Dominic Maestracci assumed Linford's duties as chairman of the board.
Beyond Canada's last-place finish, the tournament itself was a huge success. Led by National Event Director Peter Montopoli, the FIFA U-20 World Cup
Canada 2007 drew a tournament-record 1.2-million fans, was viewed by 469.5-million global television viewers, and generated $259-million in economic impact.
A new Canadian Soccer Association stepped forward in 2008. Of note, Peter Montopoli was hired as the General Secretary, Stephen Hart
was hired as the Technical Director and Dr. Dominic Maestracci was voted President. In May, the Association inaugurated the Nutrilite Canadian Championship
with the help of Canada's three top professional clubs - Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Impact won the inaugural season and qualified for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League
season. In women's football, Canada qualified for the Women's Olympic Football Tournament for the first time in Association history. The team came within an extra-time goal of knocking off number-one ranked USA in the quarter-final. At the youth level, Canada won its second CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship
.
In men's football, Canada drew more than 10,000 fans to four senior men's games for the first time in Association history. Unfortunately, Canada could not advance beyond the so-called CONCACAF Group of Death, a group that featured higher-ranked nations Mexico and Honduras.
of the former British Empire
the Dominion of Canada saw association football, overwhelmingly the most popular national sport
of the United Kingdom
, overshadowed by a rival code of the game with explicitly local roots. As in Australia
, where Australian Rules Football
took hold; and Ireland
, where Gaelic Football
is played; while in New Zealand
rugby
holds greater popularity; Canadian football
usurped Association Football. In 1869, the founding of Hamilton Football Club, who played what would become Canadian football, helped make that sport the dominant football code in Canada by the dawn of the twentieth century. Ice hockey
grew in popularity to become the dominant sport in the country throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
Despite the difference in popularity of their respective professional leagues, association football overtook ice hockey in the 1980s and 1990s as the sport with the most registered players in the country. In 2008, there were 873,032 footballers, compared to 584,679 registered hockey players in Canada in 2008-09.
became the first Canadian club in Major League Soccer
in 2007, joining the highest level of professional association football in the United States
. On March 18, 2009, an MLS franchise was awarded to Vancouver, and began play in the 2011 season. On May 7, 2010, an MLS franchise was awarded to Montreal for 2012.
, which also features Canadian clubs Montreal Impact
and FC Edmonton
. There are no Canadian sides in the USL Second Division
.
in Toronto, Stade Saputo
in Montréal, and King George V Park
in St. John's. Many Canadian football
stadiums and multi-use fields have been utilized for association football.
has appeared in two senior FIFA tournaments, the 1986 FIFA World Cup
in Mexico and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
in Japan. The women's senior national team
has appeared in six senior FIFA tournaments, five FIFA Women's World Cup
s and one Women's Olympic Football Tournament.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as soccer, is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate. According to FIFA's Big Count, 2,695,712 people played in Canada in 2006.
Terminology
The game is played in Canada according to the rules of association football. In Canada and the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, football commonly refers to Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
History
One of the earliest recorded games was played in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1859 between the St. George's Society and a team of Irishmen. Games were played in New Westminster in 1862 and in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
in 1865. The first game played under modern rules took place in Toronto in 1876, after which the Dominion Football Association, the first recorded Football Association outside the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, was formed in Toronto in 1877 to foster competition between local sides.
In 1880, the Western Football Association was formed in Berlin (now Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
), Ontario and played a major role in the subsequent development of the sport throughout southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
. In the time around 1900, the WFA had teams throughout Western Ontario in various municipalities including Seaforth
Seaforth, Ontario
Seaforth is a Southern Ontario community in the municipality of Huron East, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
, Mildmay
Mildmay, Ontario
Mildmay is a community in the Municipality of South Bruce, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Mildmay is located northwest of Minto and south of Walkerton on Highway 9. Formosa lies tothe northwest, and Neustadt to the east....
, Listowel, Woodstock
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, Ingersoll
Ingersoll, Ontario
Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west....
, Brussels
Brussels, Ontario
Brussels is a community in Huron County, Ontario, Canada, located within the municipality of Huron East. It was originally called Ainleyville. The name was changed in 1872 when a branch line of the Grand Trunk Railway from Guelph came through the town...
, Dundas
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
, Aylmer
Aylmer, Ontario
Aylmer is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is 20 km south of Highway 401...
, Ayr
Ayr, Ontario
The village of Ayr, Ontario, Canada is a settlement located within the Township of North Dumfries in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario...
, Tavistock, Preston
Preston, Ontario
Preston is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Prior to its amalgamation with the city of Galt, the town of Hespeler and the village of Blair to form the new city in 1973, it was an independent town. It is located near the confluence of the Grand River and Speed River...
, Galt and Berlin
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
.
In 1885 and 1886, the Western Football Association sent teams to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to play both indoor and outdoor matches against teams representing the American Football Association
American Football Association
American Football Association was the first attempt in the United States to form an organizing soccer body. It is best known for being the second oldest sports league to form, behind Major League Baseball in 1876, as well as being the oldest soccer league in the United States. The Association was...
, then the unofficial governing body of soccer in the United States. In the first unofficial international between the two countries in 1885 Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
defeated the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
1-0 in East Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. A year later the American side won 3-2 on the same field. Teams from thee two organizations played one another on both sides of the border regularly in the years that followed.
In 1896, the Manitoba Football Association
Manitoba Soccer Association
The Manitoba Soccer Association is the governing body for soccer in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The association was formed March 19, 1896 in Brandon.Annual Meetings and Presidents....
formed on March 19 in Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
. Five years later in 1901, the Ontario Football Association
Ontario Soccer Association
The Ontario Soccer Association was founded in 1901 and is one of the oldest and largest sport organizations in Canada dedicated to providing an opportunity for Ontarians to achieve their sporting goals through soccer. The OSA provides leadership, consultation and resources to the members within...
was formed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and competition for the Ontario Cup
Ontario Cup
The Ontario Cup is a soccer tournament for clubs based in the province of Ontario in Canada. It began play in 1901 under the Canadian Football Association, now known as the Ontario Soccer Association.-History:...
began. Galt Football Club won the first edition of the tournament that still runs to this day. They represented the WFA at the 1904 Olympic Games
Football at the 1904 Summer Olympics
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, a football event was contested. Only three club teams competed. No medals were awarded at the time, but the IOC subsequently awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals and upgrade the status of the contests to an official event....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, winning the gold medal. Only two other teams participated, both American clubs.
In 1905, the Saskatchewan Football Association
Saskatchewan Soccer Association
Saskatchewan Soccer Association is the governing body for soccer in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. The association was formed in 1905....
was formed in the province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and by 1911 the Province of Quebec Football Association was formed in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with Frank Calder
Frank Calder
-External links:*...
, first president of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, playing a leading role in the PQFA's formation. The Alberta Football Association was incorporated in the same year.
The first ever professional game was played in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
between the Callies and Rovers in 1910. In 1912, the founding meeting of the Dominion of Canada Football Association
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides...
was held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on May 24, when provincial soccer executives laid the foundation of what is today's Canadian Soccer Association. The organization became a member of FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in 1913. In 1926, the National Soccer League
Canadian National Soccer League
The Canadian National Soccer League, known as the National Soccer League until 1993, was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997...
was formed with teams in Ontario and Quebec, but in 1928, the DFA resigned from FIFA and remained outside the world governing body until 1946, following the example of British associations in a dispute over broken time payments to amateurs. Hamilton's Robert McDonald was signed by Scottish club Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the 1920s, who spotted him while on tour in North America.
The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s meant that the DFA struggled financially and couldn't afford to hold annual meetings in 1932 and 1933 and from 1935 to 1940. In those years, business was conducted by mail. At one point, president Len Peto
Len Peto
Leonard "Len" Peto was a National Hockey League executive and a director of both the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Maroons. His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1944 with the Montreal Canadiens....
of Montreal loaned the DFA a considerable sum of money to stave off bankruptcy. The money was later repaid in full. Despite the hard times, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-born goalkeeper Joe Kennaway
Joe Kennaway
James 'Joe' Kennaway was a dual international football goalkeeper. He began his career in Canada, spent four years in the American Soccer League before finishing his career with Celtic F.C. in the Scottish Football League...
signed for Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in 1931 and was an immediate success. Toronto Scottish won a North American club championship in 1933 by beating holders and US champions St. Louis Stix at Chicago's Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
by a score of 2-1.
In 1957, Canada entered qualifying for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
for the first time and met the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in qualifying for the finals in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1958. Canada won its first World Cup qualifying game 5-1 against the U.S. in Toronto, but played Mexico twice in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and lost 2-0 and 3-0. In the final group game, Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, but group winners Mexico advanced to the Finals.
During the 1960's there was a concerted effort to push professional soccer in Canada. The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was formed in 1961 and featured teams in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, and (for one season) Buffalo, New York. One club, Toronto City
Toronto City
Toronto City is a former Canadian football team based in Toronto. Between 1961 and 1967, teams using this name competed in both the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association.-ECPSL:...
, even featured some very prominent British football stars during it's inaugural season, including Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international Danny Blanchflower
Danny Blanchflower
Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009...
, England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
internationals Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Johnny Haynes
Johnny Haynes
John Norman "Johnny" Haynes was an English footballer, best known for his 18 years at Fulham. He played a club-record 658 games and scored 158 goals for the club between 1952 and 1970...
and Scottish
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
internationals Jackie Mudie
Jackie Mudie
John "Jackie" Knight Mudie was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scots to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup....
and Tommy Younger
Tommy Younger
Thomas Younger was a Scottish professional footballer of the 1950s and 60s who played as a goalkeeper.- Club career :Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Younger signed for his hometown club Hibernian in 1948...
. This is also notable as the last time that the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland captains all played on the same side together. Despite this, the league proved unsuccessful and folded within 5 years. Following a rise in the popularity of the game after the global broadcasting of the 1966 World Cup, the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
was formed in 1968. The league covered the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with many European professionals brought in to supplement domestic talent. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Canada was represented by professional teams playing in five different cities, namely Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The league folded in 1985.
The Olympic Summer Games were held in Montreal in 1976, but the football tournament featured only 13 teams instead of the normal 16 after the African nations boycotted the games in protest against South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's apartheid policies. Canada opened against the Soviet Union
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
in the Olympic Stadium, losing 2-1. Canada lost its second game in Toronto against North Korea and was eliminated from the tournament. The same year, Toronto Metros-Croatia won the Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
, the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
championship. The final was held in Seattle, where the Toronto side defeated Minnesota 3-0 with a squad featuring Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, striker Ivan Lukacevic and goaltender Zeljko Bilecki. Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...
won the 1979 Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
, beating Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 in the final at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in New Jersey. In 1983, Toronto Blizzard
Toronto Blizzard (NASL)
The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
reached the final at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
but lost 2-0 to the Tulsa Roughnecks
Tulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
.
Canada qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics football tournament
Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics started on July 29 and ended on August 11. It featured only a men's tournament, as women's football had yet to become an Olympic event. It was the first Olympic football competition in which professionals were allowed...
played throughout the United States. In the first round, they drew with Iraq
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
, lost to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and beat Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
to qualify for the quarter finals. After taking an early lead against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, Canada were defeated on penalty kicks.
The 1985 CONCACAF Championship
1985 CONCACAF Championship
-Group 2:Canada advanced to the second round.---------------------Group 3:Costa Rica advanced to the second round.---------------------Final round:Canada qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.--------...
was the fourth edition that doubled as qualification for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2-1 in St John's, Newfoundland
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
on September 14, 1985 at King George V Park
King George V Park
King George V Park is a soccer-specific stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland, located at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake in downtown St. John's. The stadium was built in 1925 as the National stadium of Newfoundland...
in front of over 13 000 people. Canada had bid to host the final tournament, but their application was rejected in favour of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, who qualified automatically as hosts, with Canada earning the remaining CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
spot and winning the CONCACAF Championship (now the Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
) for the first time. At the World Cup, Canada were drawn in group C and lost 1-0 to France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and 2-0 to both Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
and the Soviet Union
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
. Later that year, four Canadian national team players were guilty of taking bribes in a match-fixing scandal at the Merlion Cup in Singapore. The Canadian Soccer Association suspended Chris Cheuden, Hector Marinaro
Hector Marinaro
Hector Luis Marinaro is the all-time leader in points and goals in professional indoor soccer. He is currently the men's soccer coach at John Carroll University.-Youth:...
, David Norman
David Norman (soccer)
David McDonald Norman Jr. is a former long-time Canadian soccer player as a defensive midfielder.-Club career:...
and Igor Vrablic
Igor Vrablic
Igor Vrablic is a Canadian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels, as a striker.-Club career:...
for one year each. Marinaro and Norman were reinstated and resumed play for Canada. In the wake of Canada's World Cup appearance, the Canadian Soccer League began operations in 1987, and in 1989 the Canadian Soccer Referees' Association was founded.
The NASL was replaced by the Canadian Soccer League with teams in eight Canadian cities. The Vancouver 86ers won the 1990 North American Club Championship, beating Maryland Bays
Maryland Bays
The Maryland Bays were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988.They were based in Catonsville, Maryland, and played their games at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL...
3-2 in the final in Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby is a city in British Columbia, Canada, located immediately to the east of Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in British Columbia by population, surpassed only by nearby Surrey and Vancouver....
. The same year, Canada's national side took part in the North American Nations Cup (formerly the NAFC Championship) for the first time, hosting the three-team tournament. Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
and Canada sent their full squads, but the USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
sent a 'B' team and does not count the games as official internationals in its records (CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
lists the North American Nations Cup 1990 on their website). Canada won the tournament after a 1-0 win over the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
on May 6 and a 2-1 win over Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
on May 13, all three goals scored by John Catliff
John Catliff
John Catliff is a former Canadian professional soccer player. He has the second most goals scored for the Canadian national team with 18 goals between 1984 and 1994.-Club career:...
, the tournament's top scorer. In 1991, Canada took part in the championship for the second time as defending champions. Mexico won the North American Nations Cup 1991 with Canada finishing in third place.
By 1992, the CSL was forced to end operations, and in 1993 three of the remaining teams, the Toronto Blizzard, Vancouver 86ers and Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
joined the United States' A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
. The Winnipeg Fury
Winnipeg Fury
The Winnipeg Fury was a professional soccer team in Winnipeg. It was founded by Ralph Cantafio, who served as Team President and Chairman of the Board. The team was part of the Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1992. The Fury belonged to the former Canadian National Soccer League for 1993...
and North York Rockets
North York Rockets
The North York Rockets were a professional soccer team that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League during its existence from 1987 to 1992...
joined the National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
, which changed its name to the Canadian National Soccer League
Canadian National Soccer League
The Canadian National Soccer League, known as the National Soccer League until 1993, was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997...
in 1998.
The Canadian women's national team
Canada women's national soccer team
The Canada women's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association. The team reached its all-time high of 6th in the March 2011 rankings. The team reached international prominence finishing in 4th place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, losing to their archrival American team...
benefited from a surge in youth participation throughout the 1980s, and in 1995 Canada qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
for the first time. Canada lost to England
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
and Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
and drew with Nigeria
Nigeria women's national football team
The Nigeria national women's football team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation...
at the tournament played in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Canada again qualified for FIFA Women's World Cup 1999
FIFA Women's World Cup 1999
-Teams:16 teams participated in the final tournament. The teams were:-Squads:For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup squads.-Match officials:...
played in the United States, again going winless after drawing with Japan
Japan women's national football team
The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan , is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association . Japan defeated the U.S...
and losing to Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
and Russia
Russia women's national football team
The Russia women's national football team represents Russia in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA...
.
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
's men's team won the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fifth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego. The format of the tournament changed from 1998; it was expanded to twelve teams,...
in February. Canada had finished in a tie in group play with the Republic of Korea, but won the tie-breaking coin toss to advance to the quarter-final, where they beat Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
2-1 on an extra-time golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
. In the semi-final, Canada beat Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
1-0, and beat invited side Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
2-0 in the final. As a result of being named CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
champions, Canada travelled to the Confederations Cup 2001 in Japan, earning a memorable 0-0 draw with Brazil thanks to a stellar performance from Gold Cup Most Valuable Player Craig Forrest
Craig Forrest
Craig Lorne Forrest is a Canadian soccer commentator and a former goalkeeper.-Club career:...
.
At the next Gold Cup in 2002, Canada reached the semi-final for the second time and lost to the United States on penalty kicks. Despite their success in the Gold Cup, Canada's senior men's side failed to qualify for either the 2002, 2006 or 2010 World Cup. The national team has never achieved a higher position than 40th in the FIFA World Rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
.
Also in 2002, Canada hosted the first ever FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship
FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship
The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament, organized by FIFA , for national teams of women under age 20. The tournament is held in even-numbered years. It was first conducted in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship with an upper age limit of 19...
with games in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The final between Canada and the United States was played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium
Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)
Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :...
, with the U.S. winning on a golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
. Canadian Christine Sinclair
Christine Sinclair
Christine Margaret Sinclair is a Canadian soccer forward who plays professional soccer for the Western New York Flash and is the captain of the Canadian national team. Sinclair has spent ten years with the Canadian national team participating in two World Cups in 2007 and 2003 and the 2008 Summer...
received the tournament's Golden Ball as MVP and Golden Boot
CSL Golden Boot
The Canadian Soccer League Golden Boot is an annual award given to the player who led the league in goals during the regular season, the playoffs, and before 2008 in the Open Canada Cup games. The award has been presented since the 1998 season, when the league debuted as the Canadian Professional...
as leading goal-scorer. Rounding out 2002, Canada's senior women's team, with several players from the U-19 squad, met the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
in the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup is a football competition sponsored by CONCACAF, and serves as a qualifying competition to the Women's World Cup. It is played every four years since it replaced the CONCACAF's Women's Championship, a tournament that was held in the 1990s, which sometimes included...
final, where the U.S. won on yet another golden goal. Still later that year, Sinclair led the U.S. NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I in goals scored as she helped the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
win the national championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
.
The senior women's side again qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 was held in the United States and won by Germany. The tournament was originally scheduled for China. On May 3, 2003 the tournament was abruptly moved to the United States, as a result of the 2003 SARS outbreak in China...
. In the group stages they lost to Germany
Germany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
before beating Japan
Japan women's national football team
The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan , is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association . Japan defeated the U.S...
and Argentina
Argentina women's national football team
The Argentina women's national football team represents Argentina in international women's football. Since there is no professional league in Argentina, almost all its members are amateur players....
for their first wins in World Cup history (men or women). In the quarter-finals, Canada upset China
China women's national football team
The China women's national football team represents the People's Republic of China in international women's football.- Records :China had held the record of going for 442 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, until it was broken by Germany on September 26, 2007, when Germany beat Norway 3-0...
1-0 before losing to Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
in the semifinal. They were again beat by old rivals the U.S. in the 3rd place game. The under-19 women's side qualified for the 2004 world championship in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, losing in the quarterfinals to China. For the second straight tournament, a Canadian won the Golden Boot, with Brittany Timko
Brittany Timko
Brittany Timko is a Canadian female soccer player.- Career :She played for the Vancouver Whitecaps Women. She also played on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer team from 2003 to 2007, and graduated in May 2007...
the top-scorer. Sinclair set an NCAA Division I record in 2005 with 39 goals as she led Portland to another NCAA title and earned a second straight Hermann Trophy. In the wake of her record-setting season at Portland, Sinclair won the Honda-Broderick Cup
Honda-Broderick Cup
The Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
in 2006 as the outstanding female athlete at a U.S. university. Also in 2006, long-serving CSA Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe was fired from his duties. The CPSL re-branded as the Canadian Soccer League
Canadian Soccer League (current)
The Canadian Soccer League is the top soccer league in Canada and is controlled by the Canadian Soccer Association. It was formerly known as the Canadian Professional Soccer League , and was officially re-branded on May 17, 2006...
.
In 2007, Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
began play in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
as its first franchise located outside the United States. Canada's national team reached the semi-final at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
. Dale Mitchell was named coach of Canada's senior men's team, to begin duties after the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth...
, held in Canada. The host went out without scoring a goal and losing all three matches. The final was held in front of 20 000 people at the National Soccer Stadium
BMO Field
BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
in Toronto, with Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
beating the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
2-1. Association President Colin Linford
Colin Linford
Colin Linford was president of the Canadian Soccer Association until August 2007.Linford was a previous Ontario Soccer Association president and became president of the CSA in May 2006...
resigned after his pick for chief executive officer, Fred Nykamp, was turned down by the board of directors. In September, Canada participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
China 2007. In October, Vice-President Dr. Dominic Maestracci assumed Linford's duties as chairman of the board.
Beyond Canada's last-place finish, the tournament itself was a huge success. Led by National Event Director Peter Montopoli, the FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
Canada 2007 drew a tournament-record 1.2-million fans, was viewed by 469.5-million global television viewers, and generated $259-million in economic impact.
A new Canadian Soccer Association stepped forward in 2008. Of note, Peter Montopoli was hired as the General Secretary, Stephen Hart
Stephen Hart (soccer)
Stephen Hart is a former Trinidadian football player, currently in his second spell as head coach of Canada's men's national soccer team...
was hired as the Technical Director and Dr. Dominic Maestracci was voted President. In May, the Association inaugurated the Nutrilite Canadian Championship
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship—known as the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons—is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams...
with the help of Canada's three top professional clubs - Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Impact won the inaugural season and qualified for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
season. In women's football, Canada qualified for the Women's Olympic Football Tournament for the first time in Association history. The team came within an extra-time goal of knocking off number-one ranked USA in the quarter-final. At the youth level, Canada won its second CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship
CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship
The CONCACAF Women's Under-20 tournament is a football competition for women's national teams under 20 years in North America, Central America and Caribbean region, and is the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup....
.
In men's football, Canada drew more than 10,000 fans to four senior men's games for the first time in Association history. Unfortunately, Canada could not advance beyond the so-called CONCACAF Group of Death, a group that featured higher-ranked nations Mexico and Honduras.
Popularity
In a trend mirrored in other English-speaking nationsAnglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
of the former British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
the Dominion of Canada saw association football, overwhelmingly the most popular national sport
National sport
A national sport or national pastime is a sport or game that is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are de facto national sports, as baseball is in the U.S., while others are de jure as lacrosse and ice hockey are in Canada.-De jure national sports:-De facto...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, overshadowed by a rival code of the game with explicitly local roots. As in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
took hold; and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where Gaelic Football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
is played; while in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
holds greater popularity; Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
usurped Association Football. In 1869, the founding of Hamilton Football Club, who played what would become Canadian football, helped make that sport the dominant football code in Canada by the dawn of the twentieth century. Ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
grew in popularity to become the dominant sport in the country throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
Despite the difference in popularity of their respective professional leagues, association football overtook ice hockey in the 1980s and 1990s as the sport with the most registered players in the country. In 2008, there were 873,032 footballers, compared to 584,679 registered hockey players in Canada in 2008-09.
Major League Soccer
Toronto FCToronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
became the first Canadian club in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
in 2007, joining the highest level of professional association football in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On March 18, 2009, an MLS franchise was awarded to Vancouver, and began play in the 2011 season. On May 7, 2010, an MLS franchise was awarded to Montreal for 2012.
United Soccer Leagues
The second tier in the United States is the North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League (2010)
The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...
, which also features Canadian clubs Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
and FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 2010, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
. There are no Canadian sides in the USL Second Division
USL Second Division
The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...
.
Canadian Soccer League
In May 2009, the Ontario-Quebec based Canadian Soccer League was granted conditional approval as Canada's national Tier II pro soccer league. No other league has received such acknowledgement in Canada in 16 years. The CSL has spoken often of an objective of expansion to Western Canada. Of note, both Toronto FC (MLS) and Montreal Impact (NASL), have their reserve clubs playing in the CSL. The leagues most successful new team with the best fans is Capital City FC of Ottawa (CSL)Canadian soccer cup competitions
- Nutrilite Canadian ChampionshipCanadian ChampionshipThe Canadian Championship—known as the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons—is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams...
(fully pro teams from MLS and USL-1) - The Challenge TrophyCanadian National Challenge CupThe Challenge Trophy is a national amateur football cup in Canada contested by the champions of individual provincial soccer competitions. It is one of the oldest football competitions in Canada, being held since 1913...
(amateur men's nationals) - The Jubilee Trophy (amateur women's nationals)
- Victoria Challenge CupVictoria Challenge CupThe Victoria Challenge Cup is a pre-season competition between the 4 USL Premier Development League clubs from Ontario, Canada. The inaugural event took place on the Victoria Day weekend of May 15 to 17 2009 at the Algonquin Soccer Complex in Ottawa, Ontario....
(USL-PDL teams from Ontario)
Stadia
Canada has only three top-level soccer-specific stadiums, BMO FieldBMO Field
BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
in Toronto, Stade Saputo
Saputo Stadium
Saputo Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which opened on May 21, 2008, and is the current home of the Montreal Impact. The stadium is built on the former practice track and field site on the grounds of the 1976 Summer Olympics, while the stadium's west side has a...
in Montréal, and King George V Park
King George V Park
King George V Park is a soccer-specific stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland, located at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake in downtown St. John's. The stadium was built in 1925 as the National stadium of Newfoundland...
in St. John's. Many Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
stadiums and multi-use fields have been utilized for association football.
National team
The Canadian national soccer teamCanada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
has appeared in two senior FIFA tournaments, the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
in Mexico and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...
in Japan. The women's senior national team
Canada women's national soccer team
The Canada women's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association. The team reached its all-time high of 6th in the March 2011 rankings. The team reached international prominence finishing in 4th place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, losing to their archrival American team...
has appeared in six senior FIFA tournaments, five FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
s and one Women's Olympic Football Tournament.
See also
- Canadian soccer pyramidCanadian soccer pyramidThe Canadian soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in Canada. The governing body of soccer in the country is the Canadian Soccer Association , which oversees the system and domestic cups but does not operate any of its component leagues...
- Canada men's national soccer teamCanada men's national soccer teamThe Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
- Canada women's national soccer teamCanada women's national soccer teamThe Canada women's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association. The team reached its all-time high of 6th in the March 2011 rankings. The team reached international prominence finishing in 4th place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, losing to their archrival American team...
- Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
- List of soccer clubs in Canada
- Soccer on Canadian TelevisionSoccer on Canadian televisionSoccer from around the world is available in Canada on many different television networks and channels. The following is a list of top leagues and tournaments from around the world and the corresponding channel that has coverage in Canada, as of the 2010/2011 season:...
External links
- CanadaSoccer.com Official Site of the Canadian Soccer Association
- CSA with a list of its Hall of Fame inductees
- Regional Canadian Soccer Leagues: An overview of the history of professional soccer leagues and clubs in Canada
- cbc.ca profile of soccer in Canada
- Canadian Soccer Forum: List of Canadian Players Abroad