April 20, 2010 CSL announce 2010 schedule (from CSL website)
CSL TO KICKOFF MAY 8 AT BMO FIELD......Four new teams in six-month long 2010 campaign
2010-04-20
Four new teams, three in Ontario and one in Quebec, are included in a 13-team First Division regular season schedule released by the Canadian Soccer League this week.
The games kickoff at the BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday, May 8 for an almost six-month long campaign through to the CSL Championship Final at the end of October.
Montreal Impact of the USL First Division have entered their reserve team in the CSL, an academy team of the best young players in the Province of Quebec, while FC Hamilton Croatia, Brantford Galaxy and Milltown FC (from Milton) are the other three Ontario teams to enter Canada's only professional soccer league. These three teams, all located just west of Toronto, will field a blend of experienced players, some from Europe, together with the brightest young prospects from nearby communities.
Returning are Brampton Lions, London City, North York Astros, Portugal FC, Serbian White Eagles, St. Catharines Wolves, TFC Academy, Toronto Croatia, and York Region Shooters (previously Italia Shooters).
Trois-Rivieres Attak, the reserve team of Montreal Impact and winner of the CSL Championship with a penalty kick victory over Serbian White Eagles in 2009, are taking this year off. The newly formed Montreal Impact Academy team will assume the reserve team role to play most home games at the new Saputo Stadium in Montreal.
In Toronto, the academy team of Toronto FC - TFC Academy - will play a number of games at the BMO Field with its newly installed natural grass surface and that’s where the season begins, a 7 pm kickoff.
Regular league games will be played through to October 3 in a single First Division formation to end a four-year two division experiment -- a National Division of community teams, and an International Division of teams that represented their country of origin. There are still teams that represent their countries and they are included in the single division format.
The 13-team First Division will play 156 games with the top eight making the playoffs. The eight teams will move to the playoffs the first week of October, a two-game home and away total points quarter-final series. The four winners will advance to each play a one-game semi-final and there will be a one-game CSL Championship.
The CSL will announce a Reserve Division schedule before the end of April and the traditional pre-season exhibition series of games at Esther Shiner Stadium will kickoff on Saturday, April 24 running through to Sunday, May 9.
The pre-season press conference will be held on Tuesday, May 4, following which season passes and single tickets for all CSL games will be available on the CSL website.
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