The 1992 Canadian Soccer League season was the sixth and final season of play for the Canadian Soccer League, a Division 1 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid.
Format and changes from previous season Shortly before the 1992 season, the Hamilton Steelers, Nova Scotia Clippers, and Kitchener Kickers folded. The league was not doing well financially either and Montreal Supra owner Frank Aliaga was named the new league president, replacing the interim president Mario DiBartolomeo, who was the owner of the now-folded Hamilton Steelers. Hamilton folded despite offers of cost sharing with the Vancouver and Montreal team owners.
The London Lasers returned from a one-year hiatus, leaving the league with a six-team division. The league had a balanced schedule with each team playing the others a total of four times, twice each home and away. Due to the drop in teams, only four teams qualified for the playoffs. For the first time, the Championship final would not be a one-off match, but instead would be a two-tie fixture as the other rounds.
Two teams (Montreal and Vancouver) participated in the Professional Cup alongside the five APSL clubs and one from the NPSL. Neither CSL side was able to advance out of the first round.
As 1991 CSL champions, Vancouver qualified for the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, however, they withdrew from the tournament before their first match.
Summary Vancouver once again won the regular season title and advanced to the MITA Cup finals for the fifth consecutive year, where they met the Winnipeg Fury in the final. Winnipeg won the title becoming only the third club to win the championship, ending Vancouver's four-year winning streak, snapping Vancouver's 15 match playoff winning streak, handing them their first playoff loss since 1987.
Regular season
Playoffs The playoffs were conducted with a total points system. Teams earned two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. The team with the most points following the two-game series advanced. If the teams were tied on points, they played a 30-minute mini-game for a bonus point, followed by a penalty shootout if the mini-game remained tied.
Semifinal
Vancouver won the series 3–1 on points.
Winnipeg won the series 3–1 on points.
Final
Winnipeg won the series 3–1 on points.
Statistics Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Eddy Berdusco North York Rockets 142 Carlo Corazzin Winnipeg Fury 8 Geoff Aunger London Lasers4 Marco Abascal Toronto Blizzard 6 John Catliff Vancouver 86ers Doug Muirhead Vancouver 86ers Dale Mitchell Vancouver 86ers8 Grant Needham Montreal Supra 5Reference:
Top goaltenders Rank Player Club GAA1 Paolo Ceccarelli North York Rockets 0.782 Pat Onstad Winnipeg Fury 0.933 Shel Brodsgaard North York Rockets 1.184 Pat Harrington Montreal Supra 1.205 Bryan Rosenfeld London Lasers 1.25Reference:
Honours The following awards and nominations were awarded for the 1992 season.
Awards Award Player TeamMost Valuable Player Eddy Berdusco North York RocketsRookie of the Year Carlo Corazzin Winnipeg FuryTop Newcomer Brad Smith London LasersTop Goaltender Paolo Ceccarelli North York RangersFair Play AwardVancouver 86ers
League All-Stars Player Position Pat Onstad (Winnipeg Fury) Goalkeeper Peter Sarantopoulos (Winnipeg Fury) Defender Nick Dasovic (North York Rockets) Defender Dino Lopez (London Lasers) Defender Carl Fletcher (Toronto Blizzard) Defender Geoff Aunger (London Lasers) Midfielder Dale Mitchell (Vancouver 86ers) Midfielder Lyndon Hooper (Toronto Blizzard) Midfielder Eddy Berdusco (North York Rockets) Forward Carlo Corazzin (Winnipeg Fury) Forward Paul Peschisolido (Toronto Blizzard) Forward
Reserves Player Position Paul Dolan (Vancouver 86ers) Goalkeeper Ian Carter (Winnipeg Fury) Defender Patrick Diotte (Montreal Supra) Defender Tony Nocita (Winnipeg Fury) Midfielder Gino DiFlorio (Toronto Blizzard) Forward
Front office Person Role Paul James (London Lasers) Head Coach Barry MacLean (London Lasers) Assistant Coach Hector Marinaro (Vancouver 86ers) General Manager
Average home attendances TeamAverage attendance1 Vancouver 86ers 10 3,9372 Montreal Supra 10 2,3883 Winnipeg Fury 10 2,2364 Toronto Blizzard 10 1,6285 North York Rockets 10 1,4966 London Lasers 10 306League total 60 1,999Reference:
See also 2019 Canadian Premier League season – next season of D1 soccer in Canada
References
External links Canadian Soccer League 1991 Media Guide and Statistics 1992 CSL Stats