The Canadian Championship—known as the Amway Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons—is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.[2] As of 2015, it is contested by MLS sides Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Montreal Impact and NASL sides FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC. It is currently sponsored by American retailer Amway and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association.[3]
History
The Amway Canadian Championship is a club football competition organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. The championship determines Canada's entry in the annual CONCACAF Champions League. Fully professional Canadian soccer teams play in United States based leagues. Prior to the creation of the official competition in 2007, there was no domestic competition to determine the best Canadian team. An unofficial Canadian Champion determined in the same manner as 2008-2010, a home and away series with the games taken from USL First Division (USL-1) regular season league games, was awarded by the Canadian national teams' supporters group, The Voyageurs. This unofficial Canadian Championship became less legitimate when Toronto was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to start play in 2007 in the USSF Division 1 MLS league above the USSF Division 2 USL-1 league. Toronto's USL-1 team self relegated, while the other two Canadian professional soccer teams did not play meaningful games against the new MLS team in 2007.[4]
For the 2008-2009 season, CONCACAF changed their eight team FIFA Club World Cup qualification tournament from a two leg aggregate goals knockout elimination format, named the CONCACAF Champions Cup, to a format mirroring the UEFA Champions League with a play-in round, a group stage, and lastly a two-leg aggregate score knockout format for the final rounds. The format change for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League provided the opportunity to expand the number of qualifying teams from different countries, and Canada was awarded a single entry in the play-in round preceding the group stage. The year 2008 was the first time a Canadian entry had been awarded by CONCACAF since 1992, and the first time a Canadian team participated since 1976.[5] To award the new Canadian entry, the CSA created a new competition consisting of a home-and-away round-robin series between the three fully professional Canadian teams: Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps.[6] As the Canadian champions, Montreal qualified for CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09.[7][8][9]
The 2008 edition was contested between May 2008 and July 2008 and won by the Montreal Impact. The 2009 edition's format and participants were the same, contested by the three clubs in May and June 2009. It was closely contended by Toronto and Vancouver and won by the former via goal differential in the tournament's final game against the defending champions, Montreal, giving the Toronto franchise its first ever trophy and a spot in the qualifying round of the CONCACAF Champions League 2009–10.[10] Toronto repeated as champions in the 2010 competition, qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League 2010–11. Toronto won it for the fourth consecutive season in the 2012 competition.
In 2011 with the start of a fourth fully professional Canadian soccer team, F.C. Edmonton, the competition was changed from the home and away round robin series to a double-leg aggregate score knockout cup format with the two MLS teams seeded first and second, and NASL teams seeded third and fourth based on league standings of the previous year and the USSF tiering of Division 1 and Division 2.[11] This format mitigated competitive concerns regarding already eliminated teams and the number of additional (extra to their regular league) games each team would be required to play during a season.
Trophy
Main article:
Voyageurs CupThe winners of the Canadian Championship are awarded the Voyageurs Cup,[12] a trophy previously awarded to the Canadian USL First Division side with the best regular season record against other Canadian USL-1 teams. Prior to 2008 there was no domestic cup competition open to top tier Canadian professional clubs only to amateur clubs. The Voyageurs developed a method of tracking league results between Canadian clubs to determine a professional Canadian champion. The USL was the highest level of Canadian soccer until in 2007 Toronto FC bought the first Canadian franchise in the US-based Division 1 league, Major League Soccer.
The Voyageurs, a supporters' group, donated the cup to the Canadian Soccer Association to award to the winners of the Canadian Championship. The Voyageurs Cup was supervised by the Voyageurs from 2002-2007. The trophy is still awarded by a Voyageurs member to the current winning club.[13][14][15]
Format
Prior to 2010, the tournament consisted of the top three professional teams in Canada in a home and away series with the top team winning entry into the qualifying stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. These teams were the only Canadian teams in the two top US-based professional soccer leagues, which for 2010 were Major League Soccer and the temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League. In 2011, the North American Soccer League received sanctioning as the USSF's new second-division league.
When FC Edmonton joined the NASL in 2011, the tournament was expanded to include the four most important professional clubs in the country. The tournament now consists of two two-legged semifinals and a two-legged final. In the first semifinal of 2011, Toronto, as reigning champions, was assigned the first-place seed and played Edmonton, which was assigned the fourth seed as newcomers to the tournament. The two remaining teams, Montreal and Vancouver, faced off in the other semifinal. This was to be followed by a one-game final to be hosted by the highest remaining seed;[16] but the Canadian Soccer Association decided to go with a two-legged final instead. The format was repeated in subsequent years with the previous year's league placement being used to seed the teams.[17]
For the 2014 competition, due to the introduction of the Ottawa Fury FC to the NASL, Ottawa and Edmonton will play in a play-off quarter final to see which team makes it to the semi-finals, in which the MLS teams will be introduced.[18]
Due to scheduling conflicts with the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup,[19] the 2015 edition will be held during April, May and August[20] but will not provide a competitor for the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League, instead the best-placed Canadian Major League Soccer team in the 2014 regular season will be the country's representative.[19] The Whitecaps qualified for the championship on October 19, 2014.[21] The winner of the 2015 Canadian Championship will qualify for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League instead and starting in 2016, the competition will be held in June and July.[19]
Participants
- Current Canadian Championship Clubs
- Former Canadian Championship Clubs
Results
By year
By club
All Time Table
- As of May 7, 2015
- Statistics for Vancouver Whitecaps FC include the original Vancouver Whitecaps who took part in the tournament in the first three editions from 2008 through 2010. This team ceased operations in 2011 and was replaced by a new MLS franchise of the same name and ownership.
- In 2012 the Montreal Impact of MLS replaced the former Montreal Impact of the NASL in the Canadian Championship. Statistics include data from both iterations of the Impact.
George Gross Memorial Trophy
The George Gross Memorial Trophy was created by the Canadian Soccer Association in 2008 to recognize each tournament's most valuable player. The Trophy is named after the late George Gross, a respected journalist and soccer lover.
Goalscorers
All time top goalscorers
- As of August 13, 2015
Bolded players are still active players with a Canadian team.
Top goalscorers by season
- As of August 27, 2015
References
- ↑ "Nutrilite Canadian Championship kicks off on Wednesday". Canadian Soccer Association. April 26, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Canadian teams set to do battle". Globe and Mail (Canada). March 27, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
- ↑ "2012 Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- ↑ "Toronto Lynx move to PDL". uslsoccer.com. Demosphere International Inc. October 10, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Canada to create new club championship". Canadian Soccer Association. January 31, 2008. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Qualifying Format Unveiled for 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League". www.concacaf.com. May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Canada to create new club championship". Canadian Soccer Association. January 31, 2008. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Canadian soccer on its way to qualifying for FIFA". Vancouver Sun. January 28, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Canada's soccer teams unveil details for CONCACAF Champions League". Toronto FC Media Relations. March 26, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
- ↑ "2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship Schedule and Results". Canadian Soccer Association. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Association confirms 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship schedule". canadasoccer.com. February 18, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Association announces partners for new Nutrilite Canadian Champions League". CanadaSoccer.com. May 23, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
- ↑ "Voyageurs Cup Announced For A-League Teams". Canadian Soccer Association. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ↑ "The name game". Canadian Soccer News. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ "A sports fan’s worst nightmare". Maclean's Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ↑ Rollins, Duane (December 12, 2010). "Format of Canadian Championship may change". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ↑ "2012 Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- ↑ "Fury FC to Face FC Edmonton in Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Canada Soccer announces move to new timeframe for future Amway Canadian Championships" (Press release). Canadian Soccer Association. March 21, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Schedule for 2015 Amway Canadian Championship set" (Press release). Canadian Soccer Association. February 4, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ↑ "Vancouver Whitecaps, DC United join Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy in 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
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