March 15, 2018 League 1 Ontario Releases 2018 Schedule (by Rocket Robin)

March 15, 2018 League 1 Ontario Releases 2018 Schedule

League 1 Ontario released their 2018 Schedule yesterday and there are big changes from the year before.
The league has done away with the two conferences and thrown all the teams into one big table.
There are seventeen teams this year (one more than last year) and it will make a clean sixteen game
partial season without an uneven conference. Each team will play eight home games.

The season kicks off on April 28th and ends September 23rd. That would be their all time shortest season.
(Last year was 22 games per team—home and away against your own conference and one game against the
other conference—two conference winners played off for the championship).

This season for the first time the top eight teams then move on to a group stage (I'd assume two groups
of four) for another round and the two winners then play for the championship and the right to be the
league's entrant to the 2019 Canadian Championship.

This second season sounds intriguing. Past seasons have had some teams just play out their schedule.
Windsor TFC Stars would come to the GTA with ten or eleven players when their main squad returned
to university. Sigma FC would often start off their season with nine wins in a row but then have
to reorganize when their older players return to the NCAA. They would finish the season with high
schoolers. It would also eliminate the quirk of the late season game (rescheduled from months earlier
because of lightning) that had the best in the west vs best in the east Oakville and Woodbridge play
to a 0-0 tie as the only way they could both ensure they finished first. Neither team crossed over
their own end line the last half hour of the game. Even soccer parents were shouting for their sons
to pass the ball back to ensure the result. The two teams played a match of the year final the next
week with the game going to a shootout.

I expect older players like I saw at the team they rustled together to give Ottawa Fury FC (USL)
a game last week with only three practices will stay with their teams for one last year before they
catch on for the new Canadian Premier League. That will then free up the teams to play their younger
players and give more a chance to a team like ProStars FC who are a majority of teenagers showcasing
for foreign placements and scholarships.

I have no rosters this early in the year so I'm not going to speculate who may be the final eight.

There are three new teams this year (they're up only one because two teams are out).

Darby FC who will play in Whitby. They have had a team in the women's league for a few years now although
that team has struggled for results. Darby is a partnership of Darlington Soccer Club and Whitby Soccer Club.

Unionville Milliken SC (who also had a L1O women's team last year) will play in Unionville (Markham)
at Bill Crothers Turf Centre. This is a high school for athletes. I flew over it by Google Maps looking
for a track as Bill Crothers was a famous Canadian track athlete who won a silver medal at Tokyo Olympics
in 1964 in the 800M at a time when four medals earned by the entire nation made him a hero. While one
field has a track along the field, there are two other fields that could be used. Rather than starting
from scratch I read a tweet announcing five signings already, with two players from Vaughan Azzurri
(Joe Di Chiara and Tre Crosby), Michael Fayehun from Woodbridge Strikers, Basel Rashrash from Aurora FC,
and Jalen Brome who played with TFCA then York Region Shooters in 2010-2011 in the CPSL days. These aren't
necessarily trades as last year the MVP goalie moved from the Woodbridge team to the Oakville one because
it was closer to his home and shortened his drive for games and practices.

Alliance United FC is the third new team. They have an appropriate name as it's a partnership between
Markham SC, Wexford SC and Centennial College. The team will play at Centennial College in Scarborough.
Ilya Orlov has been announced as coach. I remember him years ago as a defender for Toronto Croatia.

Not returning for 2019 are Durham United FA who the press release lists as taking one year off and
North Toronto Nitros who 'did not renew their licence' which sounds like a more permanent arrangement.
Nitros were the most 'downtown' Toronto team starting their seasons at the U of T then getting bumped
up away North York when varsity teams (football, soccer, track) pushed them out. Durham United sitting
out now explains why a month ago their head coach Sanford Caraban jumped over to Darby FC
as an assistant coach.

Besides the new teams a few of the established teams have changed facilities. OSU Force from Ottawa are
now playing at Quinns Point. Aurora FC is moving again...this time to Stewart Burnett Park as part
of a new state of the art facility. TFC Academy will play at the BMO Training Ground. I expect that
is just going to be new signage as they must have pushed KIA cars off the marquis. I wondered if BMO
not giving us fridge magnets at the TFC opening game meant they needed to save their money for the
renaming rights?

Not clear yet is whether there will be a cup competition for teams in the league (well they have a trophy
for it). There are a few holes in the schedule but games were poorly attended because sometimes there was
less than a week's notice by the league office and they were played at whatever facility could be booked
on short notice.

I'm looking forward to the season. This is a league that has more than 95% Canadians on the field
at the same time and offers fine entertainment.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter RocketRobin01

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