The Voyageurs Cup is the domestic trophy for professional soccer in Canada, awarded to the best club in the country. The Cup was conceived and commissioned by fans of the Canada men's national team, the Voyageurs, in 2002. From 2002 to 2007, the cup was awarded annually to the Canadian team finishing with the best record in the USL First Division, from regular season matches against other Canadian teams in the league. Since 2008, the trophy has been presented to the winner of the Canadian Championship, which also awards Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. Montreal Impact won the first seven trophies while Toronto FC took the next four. The current Cup holders are Vancouver Whitecaps FC, after winning the 2015 Canadian Championship.
History
The Voyageurs Cup was first conceived in March 2002 by fans of the Canada men's national team, known as the Voyageurs, following Canada's surprise success at the 2000 Gold Cup. After years of being promised a domestic Canadian cup by the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), the Voyageurs took it upon themselves to commission a national trophy using member donations. Veteran Voyageurs member and chief fundraiser since the group's founding in 1996, Dwayne Cole, solicited donations on the Voyageurs internet forum, resulting in $3,500-$4,000 donated. The money was used to commission the trophy, made in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and accompanying solid oak case. The group agreed to award the cup to whichever of the four Canadian clubs in the USL A-League – the Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto Lynx and Calgary Storm – collected the most points against each other during the regular USL season.[1]
Through its history, the cup has been contested by the Montreal Impact, Toronto Lynx, the USL and MLS incarnations of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Calgary Storm (later renamed Calgary Mustangs), Edmonton Aviators, Toronto FC, FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC.
The Montreal Impact won the first seven titles, the first six by virtue of their regular-season record in the USL against other Canadian sides. They won the inaugural 2008 Canadian Soccer Championship to retain the trophy, their seventh straight Voyageurs Cup victory. Toronto FC won the 2009 Canadian Soccer Championship to win the Voyageurs Cup for the first time. The Calgary Storm never finished higher than fourth in the competition while the Edmonton Aviators finished third in their lone appearance in the tournament. Both Alberta teams folded after the 2004 season. The Toronto Lynx finished as runners-up in four of the five years they participated, eventually dropping down to the Premier Development League in 2007 and effectively withdrawing from the competition. As a result, in 2007 the trophy was decided on regular-season USL results between the Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
The cup is awarded by the Voyageurs, who were founded in 1996 as a national organization of fans of Canada men's national soccer team at all age levels. Until 2008, costs associated with the cup, such as engraving, shipping, maintenance, and promotion had been paid for by private donations from individual members of the Voyageurs. In 2008, the trophy was handed over to the Canadian Soccer Association to be presented to the winners of the Nutrilite Canadian Soccer Championship. The terms of the agreement were to be reviewed in 2010.
Titles by club
| Rank |
Club |
Winner |
Runner Up |
Participations |
Years Won |
| 1 |
Montreal Impact |
9 |
1 |
14 |
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 |
Toronto FC |
4 |
2 |
8 |
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| 3 |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
1 |
7 |
14 |
2015 |
| 4 |
Toronto Lynx |
0 |
4 |
5 |
|
| 5 |
FC Edmonton |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
| 6 |
Calgary Storm/Mustangs* |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
| 7 |
Ottawa Fury FC |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
| 8 |
Edmonton Aviators* |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Titles by Folded Clubs
- * denotes team is no longer in operation.
- Bolded teams currently contest the Voyageurs Cup in the annual Canadian Championship.
- Statistics for Montreal Impact include the original Montreal Impact of the USL & NASL, who contested the trophy from 2002-2011, before being replaced by a new MLS franchise of the same name and ownership.
- Statistics for Vancouver Whitecaps FC include the original Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL, who contested the trophy from 2002-2010, before being replaced by a new MLS franchise of the same name and ownership.
For women
There is also a Voyageurs Cup West for Women and Voyageurs Cup East for Women awarded since 2004. The first Women's Voyageurs Super Cup was contested in 2006.
Past winners
Prior to 2008, from when it has been awarded to the Canadian Championship winners, the men's title was decided on regular-season matches between Canada's USL First Division sides.
Women's Voyageurs Cup West
Women's Voyageurs Cup East
Women's Voyageurs Super Cup
See also
Footnotes
Notes and references
- ↑ The format of the 2011 tournament was different from previous editions. In 2011, with four teams involved, the tournament was changed to be a home-and-away semifinal round and a similar final round between the winners. Toronto, as reigning champions, were assigned the top seed and were matched with 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.[2][3]
External links
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