CSL Open Canada Cup On Hold
The Open Canada Cup has been shelved for the 2008 season.
The competition, which has served to encourage a Canadian forum for entry of the winner to the CONCACAF club championship, will be reviewed next year.
Canada has not entered a team in the Confederation club championship for 30 years since Serbian White Eagles and Toronto Italia of the National Soccer League (a forerunner league of the CSL) advanced in 1975 and 1976 respectively.
For 2008, the Canadian Soccer Association announced a three-way domestic competition between Toronto FC of MLS and Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL to decide Canada ’s entry to the CONCACAF Champions League, which is replacing the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup next year.
“We considered this a good time to reflect on where the Open Canada Cup competition is going and what it really stands for,” said Cary Kaplan, commissioner of the Canadian Soccer League. “While we fully endorse Canada ’s entry in the CONCACAF competition, and recognize it as a great initial step, we are very interested, eager and deserving of consideration for entry in the future.”
In explaining the suspension of the Open Canada Cup competition, the commissioner emphasized that the CSL will work with the CSA and Canada ’s top three clubs to make a more complete domestic competition a reality.
The CSL kicks off its 2008 regular league season with TFC Academy at home to last year’s CSL champions, Toronto Croatia, at Lamport Stadium in Toronto’s west end, an 8 pm kickoff on Friday, May 16.
