2018 League1 Ontario season
Season | 2018 |
---|---|
Champions | Vaughan Azzurri |
L1 Cup champions | Vaughan Azzurri |
Matches played | 136 |
Goals scored | 488 (3.59 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Anthony Novak (18 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Lucas Birnstingl (0.42 GAA) |
Highest scoring | TFC III 10–0 Windsor (Jun 17) Oakville 10–0 Sanjaxx (Aug 26) |
← 2017 2019 → |
The 2018 Men's League1 Ontario season was the fifth season of play for League1 Ontario, a Division 3 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Vaughan Azzurri won the league championship and earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship; the top national tournament for men's soccer teams. Vaughan captured the league double for a second time by also winning the L1 Cup, a feat they first achieved in 2016. FC London finished the season with the best regular season record, earning 38 points in 16 games.
Changes from 2017
[edit]The men's division grew slightly to 17 teams for this season, with the addition of Darby FC, Unionville Milliken SC, and Alliance United FC (a joint partnership between Markham SC and Wexford SC).[1] Durham United FA and North Toronto Nitros did not return for this season.
During the off-season, Jim Brennan stepped down as head of Aurora FC to accept a position with York 9 FC in the Canadian Premier League.[2] FC London also announced the affiliation of its youth academy with professional side Toronto FC.[3]
This season saw expanded playoffs and a return to single-table competition for the men's division. The top eight teams overall from the men's division entered the playoffs, which consisted of a group stage and a final championship match between the winner of each group. The women's side saw a shorter season which ended in August, followed by a four-team elimination playoff for the league title.[4]
Teams
[edit]
|
|
- ^ Unless otherwise noted, this information was obtained from team directories on the league website
- ^ Some matches were played at Bronte Athletic Park
- ^ Ottawa South United Force played one home match against Windsor TFC Stars at the Ontario Soccer Centre
- ^ Some matches were played at Terry Fox Park
Regular season
[edit]Each team played 16 matches as part of the season; one match against all other teams. The top eight teams competed in the league playoffs at the end of the season, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.[8]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FC London | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 19 | +30 | 38 | Playoffs |
2 | Sigma FC | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 9 | +24 | 37 | |
3 | Oakville Blue Devils | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 41 | 9 | +32 | 35 | |
4 | Toronto FC III | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 33 | No playoffs[a] |
5 | Vaughan Azzurri (C, X) | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 23 | +22 | 31 | Playoffs |
6 | Woodbridge Strikers | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 28 | |
7 | Alliance United FC | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 24 | |
8 | Unionville Milliken SC | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 23 | |
9 | Darby FC | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 21 | |
10 | Master's Futbol | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 19 | |
11 | Sanjaxx Lions | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 26 | −12 | 18 | |
12 | Toronto Skillz FC | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 50 | −25 | 14 | |
13 | North Mississauga SC | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 13 | |
14 | Ottawa South United | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 50 | −31 | 13 | |
15 | Aurora FC | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 40 | −20 | 12 | |
16 | ProStars FC | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 34 | −20 | 10 | |
17 | Windsor TFC | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 55 | −42 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal differential; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
(C) Champion and qualification to 2019 Canadian Championship; (X) L1 Cup winner
Notes:
Playoffs
[edit]The top eight teams from the regular season were divided into two groups of four for the playoffs. Each team played three matches; one match against all other teams in their group. The top team from each group advanced to the league championship, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.
Group stage
[edit]- Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VGN | DBY | ALU | LON | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vaughan Azzurri (O) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | League Championship | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
2 | Darby FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | |||
3 | Alliance United FC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | — | 1–0 | ||||
4 | FC London | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
(O) Play-off winners
- Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WDB | SIG | OAK | UNV | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Woodbridge Strikers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | League Championship | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | |
2 | Sigma FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | |||
3 | Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | — | 2–0 | ||||
4 | Unionville Milliken SC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
League Championship
[edit]The league champion was determined by a single match between the two group winners in the first round of the playoffs. The winner qualified for the 2019 Canadian Championship.
October 20, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 2–0 | Woodbridge Strikers | Vaughan, Ontario |
3:00 pm ET | Sacramento ![]() Ricci ![]() | Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre |
L1 Cup
[edit]The L1 Cup tournament is a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all 17 teams from the men's division took part. It is not a form of playoffs at the end of the season (as is typically seen in North American sports), but is more like the EFL Cup, albeit only for League1 Ontario teams. All matches are separate from the regular season, and are not reflected in the season standings.
The cup tournament for the men's division is a single-match knockout tournament with a total of four rounds culminating in a final match in the start of August, with initial matches determined by random draw. Each match in the tournament must return a result; any match drawn after 90 minutes advanced directly to kicks from the penalty mark instead of extra time.[10]
Preliminary round | ||
Alliance United | 2 (4) | |
Darby FC | 2 (5) | |
First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||
FC London | 2 | |||||||||||||
Darby FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
FC London | 0 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 8 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 4 | |||||||||||||
Sanjaxx Lions | 0 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 1 (6) | |||||||||||||
ProStars FC | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
Aurora FC | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
ProStars FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 3 | |||||||||||||
Windsor TFC Stars | 1 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 4 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 1 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
Master's Futbol | 4 | |||||||||||||
Unionville Milliken SC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Master's Futbol | 2 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | |||||||||||||
Toronto Skillz | 1 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 0 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
North Mississauga SC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 6 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
Woodbridge Strikers | 0 | |||||||||||||
Woodbridge Strikers | 4 | |||||||||||||
Ottawa South United | 1 | |||||||||||||
Preliminary round
[edit]May 8, 2018 | Alliance United | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Darby FC | Toronto, Ontario |
8:00 pm | Beader ![]() | Report Article | Young ![]() Sears ![]() | Stadium: L'Amoreaux Park |
First round
[edit]May 26, 2018 | FC London | 2–0 | Darby FC | London, Ontario |
Seymour ![]() Pucci ![]() | Report Article | Stadium: German Canadian FC Stadium |
May 27, 2018 | Sanjaxx Lions | 0–4 | Sigma FC | Toronto, Ontario |
Report Article | Zajac ![]() Buchanan ![]() Thomas ![]() | Stadium: Monarch Park Stadium |
May 27, 2018 | Aurora FC | 2–2 (3–4 p) | ProStars FC | Aurora, Ontario |
Rennie ![]() Juta ![]() | Report Article | George ![]() Chrysanthou ![]() | Stadium: Stewart Burnett Park | |
Penalties | ||||
|
|
May 27, 2018 | Windsor TFC Stars | 1–4 | Toronto FC III | Windsor, Ontario |
Pio ![]() | Report Article | Dada-Luke ![]() Hamilton ![]() Corbeanu ![]() Bilousov ![]() | Stadium: University of Windsor Stadium |
May 26, 2018 | Master's Futbol | 4–0 | Unionville Milliken SC | Toronto, Ontario |
Reid ![]() Rollocks ![]() De Sousa ![]() Brown ![]() | Report Article | Stadium: L'Amoreaux Park |
May 26, 2018 | Toronto Skillz | 1–3 | Oakville Blue Devils | Toronto, Ontario |
Jashan ![]() | Report Article | Hernandez ![]() Khalon ![]() Santos ![]() | Stadium: Birchmount Stadium |
May 26, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 6–0 | North Mississauga SC | Vaughan, Ontario |
Raposo ![]() Lay ![]() Kloutsouniotis ![]() Kotsopoulos ![]() | Report Article | Stadium: McNaughton Park |
May 27, 2018 | Woodbridge Strikers | 4–1 | Ottawa South United | Vaughan, Ontario |
Isaac ![]() El Zeir ![]() Rayne ![]() | Report Article | Cornwall ![]() | Stadium: Vaughan Grove Park |
Quarterfinals
[edit]June 22, 2018 | Sigma FC | 8–0 | FC London | Mississauga, Ontario |
9:00 pm | Report | Stadium: Hershey Centre |
June 23, 2018 | ProStars FC | 0–3 | Toronto FC III | Brampton, Ontario |
8:30 pm | Report | Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium |
June 24, 2018 | Oakville Blue Devils | 2–2 (4–2 p) | Master's Futbol | Oakville, Ontario |
6:00 pm | Khalon ![]() Gallo ![]() | Report | Reid ![]() *Brown ![]() | Stadium: Sheridan Trafalgar Stadium |
Penalties | ||||
|
June 24, 2018 | Woodbridge Strikers | 0–2 | Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan, Ontario |
7:00 pm | Report |
| Stadium: Vaughan Grove Park |
Semifinals
[edit]July 21, 2018 | Toronto FC III | 1–1 (6–5 p) | Sigma FC | Toronto, Ontario |
4:00 pm |
| Report |
| Stadium: BMO Training Ground |
Penalties | ||||
|
July 22, 2018 | Oakville Blue Devils | 0–2 | Vaughan Azzurri | Oakville, Ontario |
4:00 pm | Report |
| Stadium: Sheridan Trafalgar Stadium |
Final
[edit]August 4, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 2–1 | Toronto FC III | Vaughan, Ontario |
7:30PM |
| Report |
| Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre |
Statistics
[edit] Top goalscorers[edit]
Updated to matches played on August 18, 2018. Source: [1]
| Top goalkeepers[edit]
Updated to matches played on August 18, 2018. Minimum 270 minutes played. Source: [2]
|
Awards
[edit]The following players received honours in the 2018 season:[11]
Award | Player (Club) |
---|---|
Most Valuable Player | Dylan Sacramento (Vaughan Azzurri) |
Golden Boot | Anthony Novak (Oakville Blue Devils) |
Coach of the Year | Mike Marcoccia (FC London) |
Young Players of the Year | Marko Maletic (FC London) Kunle Dada-Luke (Toronto FC III) |
Defender of the Year | Dominic Samuel (Sigma FC) |
Goalkeeper of the Year | Robert Stillo (Woodbridge Strikers) |
Fair Play Award | Matthew Arnone (Vaughan Azzurri) |
Goal of the Year | Jack Sears (Darby FC) |
- First Team All-Stars
Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
Robert Stillo (Woodbridge Strikers) | Jarred Phillips (Vaughan Azzurri) Marko Maletic (FC London) Dominic Samuel (Sigma FC) Afram Gorgees (Toronto FC III) | Mohammed Reza Nafa (FC London) Giuliano Frano (Sigma FC) Dylan Sacramento (Vaughan Azzurri) | Kadell Thomas (Sigma FC) Anthony Novak (Oakville Blue Devils) Austin Ricci (Vaughan Azzurri) |
- Second Team All-Stars
Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
Triston Henry (Sigma FC) | Justin Springer (Vaughan Azzurri) Konnor McNamara (Oakville Blue Devils) Parker Seymour (FC London) Morey Doner (Aurora FC) | Matthew Arnone (Vaughan Azzurri) Mehdi Essoussi (Toronto FC III) Stefan Nikolic (Sanjaxx Lions) | Connor Wilson (FC London) Kunle Dada-Luke (Toronto FC III) Emmanuel Issac (Woodbridge Strikers) |
- Third Team All-Stars
Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
Lukas Birsingl (Oakville/Unionville) | Tim Mahabir (Toronto Skillz) Reggie Laryea (Sigma FC) Bruce Cullen (Woodbridge Strikers) Aaron Schneebli (FC London) Michael Borowski (ProStars FC) Brendan Woodfull (Windsor TFC) | Raphael Reynolds (Darby FC) Lee Victor Massunda (North Mississauga) Barou Junior Mbuyamba (Ottawa South United) Mansoor Alfazy (Sigma FC) Joshua Paredes-Proctor (Woodbridge Strikers) Josh Moreira (Toronto FC III) | Steven Furlano (Alliance United/Darby) Jose De Sousa (Woodbridge/Masters FA) Tre Crosby (Unionville Milliken) Filipe Vilela (Oakville Blue Devils) Marcel Zajac (Sigma FC) |
All-Star Game
[edit]The league announced that an All-Star Game between League1 Ontario and the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) would once again take place this season. The game was hosted by the PLSQ and was played on June 30.
June 30 | PLSQ All-Stars | 2–2 (1–4 p) | L1O All-Stars | Montreal, Quebec |
8:00 pm |
| Report |
| Stadium: Stade Desjardins |
|
|
References
[edit]- ^ Cudmore, John (December 21, 2017). "League1 expansion focus zooms in on Unionville, Markham entries". Markham Economist & Sun. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Cudmore, John (December 30, 2017). "Former TFC captain Jimmy Brennan steps down as Aurora FC executive director". Aurora Banner. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (November 29, 2017). "FC London's academy changes look, adds programs with Toronto FC link". The London Free Press. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Glover, Robin (May 5, 2018). "May 5, 2018 League 1 Ontario--North Mississauga Panthers vs Pro Stars FC game report (by Rocket Robin)". Rocket Robin Soccer in Toronto. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ Glover, Robin (July 7, 2018). "July 7, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Unionville Milliken FC vs Sigma FC game review (by Rocket Robin)". Rocket Robin Soccer in Toronto. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ Vanza, Ricardo (April 15, 2017). "Windsor TFC finds new head coach". iHeartRadio. CKLW. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. March 14, 2018.
- ^ Glover, Robin (June 26, 2018). "L1O Game of the Week: Woodbridge falls to Vaughan in League Cup quarter-final". Waking The Red. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Mens L1 Cup". League1 Ontario. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Top 2018 Performers Recognized At Year-End Awards Gala". League1 Ontario. November 26, 2018.