Take that, CSA: CSL announces 12-team first division, vows to kick off season May 3

The Canadian Soccer League has announced its plans to kick off first- and second-division play on May 3.

The league, which found out earlier this year that it was no longer being sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association, has taken its case to the dispute resolution body for sports in this country. The CSL stated in a release issued on Monday that a decision is expected by April 21.

The CSL continues to operate its outreach campaign by going from press release to press release, but isn’t addressing independent media questions. But, in today’s announcement, the league said it will have 12 teams in its pro division and 10 teams in the second division for the upcoming year. Since finding out it was no longer sanctioned, the league has taken a damn-the-torpedoes course and has promised to play its schedule. This new release shows the CSL is showing little sign of backing down.

From the CSL: “The new league formation introduces Burlington SC, which brings a team to the CSL from that Ontario community for the first time, while the academy teams of Toronto FC and Montreal Impact have moved the competition side of their player development programs elsewhere — TFC Academy will play in Ontario, while the Montreal Impact Academy will play in the United States.

“Both the professional teams of Brantford Galaxy and Mississauga Eagles FC will not play in 2013 while retaining membership in the CSL to resume league competition in 2014, and Windsor Stars are considering senior amateur options in Ontario and Michigan.”

The Easton Report suggested that Div. 3 pro soccer in Canada (Div. 1 is represented by the three Canadian teams in MLS while NASL is ranked as Div. 2; USL-PRO has no status in this country) be divided into semipro regional leagues, which would focus on domestic U-23 talent. In keeping with the report, the CSA decided to no longer sanction the CSL, which stood alone as a “national” semipro league, even though all of the teams were located in either Southern Ontario or Quebec.

Of course, using the Easton Report as its main motivation allowed the CSA to avoid the elephant in the room — which is that the CSL has been fingered as a target for match fixers. In 2011, a German court heard that a Croatian match-fixing ring orchestrated a Sept. 12, 2009 match between the Trois-Rivieres Attak and Toronto-Croatia — a game which saw the Impact’s then-farm team, the Attak, win by a 4-1 count.

The CSL has since claimed it has met with Interpol officials and is taking all the necessary steps to legally deal with the more than $180 million (the league’s own numbers) that is gambled on games every year.

The CSL responded to the CSA’s use of the Easton Report as a means to axe the league’s sanction: “The CSL, while not entirely opposed to the concept, considers that professional soccer is not structured for player development per se. Like the rest of the world, its professional First Division is intended to fill a dual role of providing attractive soccer primarily for the benefit of the fans, while also offering a platform from which players can move to a higher level in North America and overseas. The CSL Second Division, where teams are limited to a maximum four players over the age of 23, is regarded as ideal for developmental purposes as well as providing the necessary support for teams in the upper division.”

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