Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)

The first Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) lasted for just one abridged, 73-day, summer season in 1983. The Edmonton Eagles won the Tip Top Cup as the playoff champions on 1 August 1983. The Canadian Professional Soccer League was followed by the Canadian Soccer League in 1987.

This article is about the 1983 league. For the 1998–2005 league of the same name, see Canadian Soccer League.

The league featured the Edmonton Eagles, Hamilton Steelers, Inter-Montreal FC, Mississauga Croatia SC, Calgary Mustangs and Toronto Nationals. The Canadian Professional Soccer League was the fourth men's soccer league to operate in three or more provinces across Canada following the Western Canada Soccer League (1967), the North American Soccer League (1979), and the Atlantic Soccer League (1980).

The CPSL season began on 21 May 1983 when Toronto Nationals entertained Inter-Montreal at Varsity Stadium. Competing with the established North American Soccer League, the CPSL failed to attract significant crowds or the attention of the media. By the end of June, just a few weeks into the season, both Toronto Nationals and Inter-Montreal folded. Reduced to four teams, the league briefly soldiered on. On 10 July the remaining four teams decided to suspend the league and initiate a best-of-three playoff to decide who would contest a winner-take-all final on 1 August. Mississauga would face Hamilton and Edmonton would play Calgary. In the final played at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton, Edmonton Eagles defeated Hamilton Steelers 2–0, with goals from John Connor and Carlos Rivas, to finish as champions of the CPSL's only season.

Regular season

The final regular season standings were:

TeamGamesWinsTiesLossesGFGAPts
Edmonton Eagles 1073024617
Hamilton Steelers 12444222012
Inter-Montreal FC 851215811
Mississauga Croatia SC 1341816319
Calgary Mustangs 1224613218
Toronto Nationals 721411155

Play-offs
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
Mississauga Croatia310
 
 
 
Hamilton Steelers242
 
Edmonton Eagles2
 
 
 
Hamilton Steelers0
 
Edmonton Eagles22–
 
 
Calgary Mustangs11–
 

Notable players

Two players from the Canadian Professional Soccer League have since been inducted in the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. Randy Samuel was the league's Canadian of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Dubravko Ledić was the league's Most Valuable Player. Other prominent players were Gordon Hill and Tony Currie.

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Reference
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