1980 National Soccer League (Canada) season

Football league season

National Soccer LeagueSeason| 1980

|

Champions|

* Toronto Falcons (regular season)
* Toronto Panhellenic (playoffs, 1st title)

League cup| Toronto Italia
Top goalscorer| Mike Burke (24)[1]
Best goalkeeper| Robert Judd

← 1979

1981 →

The 1980 National Soccer League season was the fifty-seventh season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May 1980 and concluded in October 1980 with the NSL Championship final where Toronto Panhellenic defeated St. Catharines Roma.[2] The Toronto Falcons won the regular-season title but were defeated by Toronto Italia for the NSL Cup.[3][4][5]

The NSL was operative in the United States and Northern Ontario for the final time in the league's history.[6][7]

## Overview

[edit]

The decade ushered in a unique era in Canadian soccer as many attempts and proposals at forming a national major soccer league were executed throughout the 1980s. The first notable example occurred in 1980 when several investors presented a nationwide soccer league known as the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) to debut in 1981.[8] Before the commencement of any season the project initially debuted in a tournament known as the Red Leaf Cup, which featured teams from Europe and Brazil.[9][10][11] The planned Canadian Soccer League failed to materialize and the next attempt at creating a domestic national league successfully occurred in 1983.[12][13]

Meanwhile, the Ontario-centered National Soccer League (NSL) continued having a presence in Northern Ontario with Sudbury Cyclones representing the city of Sudbury, and an American representative from Upstate New York known as the Buffalo Blazers.[14][15] The membership in the league decreased to twelve clubs as the NSL lost its presence in Quebec, and Detroit, Michigan as the Montreal Stars, Detroit Besa, and Detroit Vardar departed. While the Hamilton Italo-Canadians requested a sabbatical and returned for the 1981 season.[16] Buffalo was denied participation in the playoffs because of financial and player issues.[17]

A friendly tournament known as the Toronto International Soccer Cup was organized with Toronto First Portuguese and Toronto Panhellenic representing the NSL against S.L. Benfica, and Partizan Belgrade.[18] Benfica would win the tournament after defeating Partizan in the final.[19]

### Teams

[edit]

Team  | City  | Stadium  | Manager

|
|
|

Buffalo Blazers | Buffalo, New York | Lackwanna Stadium[20] | Carlo Del Monte[16]
Bradford Marshlanders  | Bradford, Ontario | Bradford Community Centre[21] | Dave Reid[22]
London City | London, Ontario | Cove Road Stadium |
Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[23] | Nikola Ivetić[24]
Sudbury Cyclones | Sudbury, Ontario | Queen's Athletic Field[25] | Gino Pacitto[26]
St. Catharines Roma | St. Catharines, Ontario | Club Roma Stadium  |
Toronto Croatia | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[25] |
Toronto Falcons | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[27] |
Toronto First Portuguese  | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[28] | José Testas[29]
Toronto Italia | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[30] | Fiorigi Pagliuso[31]
Toronto Panhellenic  | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium[32] | Arthur Rodrigues[33]
Toronto Ukrainians | Etobicoke, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium[32] |

Bradford

Buffalo

Hamilton

London

St. Catharines

Sudbury

TORONTO

class=notpageimage|

Location of NSL teams outside of Toronto for the 1980 NSL season.

Ukraina

Panhellenic

Toronto Croatia

Falcons

First Portuguese

Toronto Italia

class=notpageimage|

Location of NSL teams in Toronto for the 1980 NSL season.

|

## Final standings

[edit]

Pos | Team  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Toronto Falcons (C) | 22  | 18  | 3  | 1  | 45  | 14  | +31  | 39  | Qualification for Playoffs
2  | Toronto First Portuguese  | 22  | 16  | 5  | 1  | 71  | 15  | +56  | 37
3  | Toronto Italia | 22  | 14  | 6  | 2  | 63  | 16  | +47  | 34
4  | Toronto Panhellenic (O) | 22  | 11  | 9  | 2  | 38  | 14  | +24  | 31
5  | London City | 22  | 11  | 3  | 8  | 49  | 25  | +24  | 25
6  | St. Catharines Roma | 22  | 8  | 4  | 10  | 29  | 26  | +3  | 20
7  | Bradford Marshlanders  | 22  | 7  | 5  | 10  | 31  | 58  | −27  | 19
8  | Buffalo Blazers | 22  | 8  | 2  | 12  | 33  | 49  | −16  | 18  | Ineligible for Playoffs[note 1]
9  | Toronto Ukrainians | 22  | 5  | 3  | 14  | 22  | 56  | −34  | 13  | Qualification for Playoffs
10  | Sudbury Cyclones | 22  | 3  | 6  | 13  | 27  | 40  | −13  | 12  |
11  | Toronto Croatia | 22  | 4  | 3  | 15  | 21  | 55  | −34  | 11
12  | Serbian White Eagles | 22  | 1  | 3  | 18  | 14  | 75  | −61  | 5

Updated to match(es) played on September 30, 1980. Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners

1. ^ Buffalo Blazers failed to meet the necessary requirements to compete in the playoffs

## Playoffs

[edit]

### Finals

[edit]

Toronto Panhellenic v St. Catharines Roma October 6, 1980 |  Toronto Panhellenic | 1–0|  St. Catharines Roma | Toronto, Ontario

|
|
|
|

| John Stravropoulos  | [[2] Report] |  | Stadium: Lamport Stadium

## Cup

[edit]

The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all twelve teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season, and the teams were grouped into two separate divisions. The two winners in the group stage would advance in a two-legged match final for the Cup.

### Finals

[edit]

Toronto Italia v Toronto Falcons September 3, 1980 |  Toronto Italia | 2–0|  Toronto Falcons | Toronto, Ontario

|
|
|
|

|  | [[34] Report] |  | Stadium: Lamport Stadium

Toronto Falcons v Toronto Italia September 7, 1980 |  Toronto Falcons | 0–2|  Toronto Italia | Toronto, Ontario

|
|
|
|

|  | [[34] Report] | Mike Burke  37',  60' | Stadium: Lamport Stadium

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "1980 NSL Season" (PDF). canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-06-28.
2. ^ a b "Panhellenic takes soccer cup". The Globe and Mail. October 6, 1980. p. S8.
3. ^ "CSL Past Champions – Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
4. ^ Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 117.
5. ^ "Mike Burke sparks Italia". Toronto Star. September 8, 1980. p. B6.
6. ^ Pascal, Randy (June 20, 2020). "The Sudbury Cyclones and their semi-pro soccer stint". Sudbury Star. p. B1.
7. ^ Pascal, Randy (March 29, 2021). "Semi-pro push highlights strategic plan for Sudbury soccer community". thesudburystar. Sudbury Star. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
8. ^ "Soccer promoters unveil grandiose plans". Newspapers.com. The Province. May 29, 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
9. ^ Wayne, Jamie (June 7, 1980). "The goal for Canada: Second soccer league". Newspapers.com. National Post. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
10. ^ Mayoh, Rick (June 11, 1980). "Top soccer teams set for Canadian series". Ottawa Citizen. p. 35.
11. ^ Habib, Marlene (June 16, 1980). "Varsity becomes 'battlefield' muring Red Leaf Cup soccer". The Globe and Mail. p. S5.
12. ^ "Another soccer league". Nanaimo Daily News. December 3, 1981. p. 10.
13. ^ Konotopetz, Gyle (December 24, 1981). "Proposed league has Rudi laughing". Calgary Herald. p. 30.
14. ^ "Sports activities for everyone". National Post. October 11, 1980. p. 75.
15. ^ "In trouble". Nanaimo Daily News. March 25, 1980. p. 11.
16. ^ a b "1981 Hamilton Steelers - Team of Distinction". Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
17. ^ "Playoff chances good after Cyclones win". Sudbury Star. September 8, 1980. p. 13.
18. ^ Kernaghan, Jim (June 24, 1980). "Lisbon soccer star shuns America". Toronto Star. p. F4.
19. ^ Koep, Bob (August 5, 1980). "Soccer fans get kick from Benfica". Toronto Star. p. B2.
20. ^ "Blazers Shut Out Sudbury". Buffalo Courier-Express. May 11, 1980. p. 44.
21. ^ "They need support". The Bradford Witness. 7 May 1980. p. 4.
22. ^ Bolender, Keith (26 March 1980). "Dave Reid is back for another year". The Bradford Witness. p. 9.
23. ^ Falldien, Jack (August 18, 1980). "Cyclones blank Buffalo squad". Sudbury Star. p. 9.
24. ^ Serbian White Eagles FC. "Head Coaches". Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
25. ^ a b "Sudbury Cyclones lose as Albuquerque scores". Sudbury Star. May 12, 1980. p. 13.
26. ^ Desilets, Peter (April 25, 1980). "Cyclones will operate this season". Sudbury Star. p. 10.
27. ^ Falldein, Jack (May 26, 1980). "Cyclones lose, draw on weekend". Sudbury Star. p. 13.
28. ^ "Cyclones off to Toronto". Sudbury Star. June 13, 1980. p. 13.
29. ^ MOURATO, SERGIO (February 18, 2017). "Após cumprir missão da vida, 'Baixinho' quer morrer em paz sem dores – 416 NEWS TORONTO". 416news.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
30. ^ "Cyclones hurt, play tonight". Sudbury Star. August 9, 1980. p. 13.
31. ^ "2018 Wall of Fame Induction". torontoazzurri.com. p. 17\. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
32. ^ a b "Loss and tie for Cyclones". Sudbury Star. July 28, 1980. p. 11.
33. ^ "Abascal a la National Soccer League". El Popular. April 30, 1980. p. 10.
34. ^ a b Campbell, Neil A. (September 8, 1980). "Commercials anger fans during Italia's 2-0 victory". The Globe and Mail. p. S6.

## External links

[edit]

* RSSSF CNSL page
* thecnsl.com - 1980 season

* v
* t
* e

Canadian National Soccer League

Clubs|

* Bradford Marshlanders
* Brampton Kicks
* Brantford City
* Brantford Cockshutts
* Buffalo Blazers
* Canadian National Railway
* Chile Lindo
* Corinthians
* Detroit Besa
* Fergus
* General Motors
* Guelph Taylor-Forbes
* Hamilton Austins
* Hamilton British Imperials
* Hamilton Cougars
* Hamilton Croatia
* Hamilton Homer
* Hamilton Hungaria
* Hamilton Italo-Canadians
* Hamilton Primos
* Hamilton Steelers
* Hamilton Stelcos
* Hamilton Thistles
* Hamilton Westinghouse
* Hamilton White Eagles
* Kenwoods
* Kitchener Concordia
* Kitchener Kickers
* Kitchener Maple Leafs
* Kosova Albanians
* Liptons
* London City
* London CNR
* London German Canadians
* London Marconi
* McKinnons
* Montreal Alouettes
* Montreal Cantalia
* Montreal Carsteel
* Montreal Castors
* Montreal CNR
* Montreal Concordia
* Montreal Hungaria
* Montreal Maroons
* Montreal Sparta
* Montreal Stars
* Montreal Ukrainians
* Nacional Latino
* North York Rockets
* North York Talons
* Oakville CW
* Oshawa Italia
* Ottawa Sons of Italy
* Ottawa Tigers
* Quebec Selects
* Queen City
* Richmond Hill Kick
* Scarborough Astros
* Serbian White Eagles FC
* Soccer Portugais du Quebec
* St. Andrews/Earlscourt
* St. Catharines Heidelberg
* St. Catharines (Roma) Wolves
* Sudbury
* Sudbury Cyclones
* Sudbury Italia
* Toronto Abruzzi
* Toronto Azurri
* Toronto Blizzard
* Toronto British Consols
* Toronto Canadian Scots
* Toronto Canadians
* Toronto City
* Toronto CNR
* Toronto Congasco
* Toronto Croatia
* Toronto East End Canadians
* Toronto England United
* Toronto Estonia
* Toronto Falcons
* Toronto First Portuguese
* Toronto Greenbacks
* Toronto Hakoah
* Toronto Hellas
* Toronto Hungaria
* Toronto Inter-Roma
* Toronto Italia
* Toronto Italian Virtus
* Toronto Jets
* Toronto Macedonia
* Toronto Macedonians
* Toronto Malta United
* Toronto Maple Leafs
* Toronto Maroons
* Toronto Melita
* Toronto Mississauga Hungaria
* Toronto Oakwoods
* Toronto Olympia
* Toronto Panhellenic
* Toronto Polish White Eagles
* Toronto Polonia
* Toronto Scottish
* Toronto Serbians
* Toronto Sparta
* Toronto Supra
* Toronto St. Andrews
* Toronto Transit Commission
* Toronto Tridents
* Toronto Ukrainians
* Toronto Ulster United
* Toronto White Eagles
* Le Tricolore de Montréal
* Welland
* Welland Lions Croatia
* Willy Overland
* Windsor Rovers
* Windsor Stars
* Windsor Teutonia
* Windsor Wheels
* Winnipeg Fury
* Woodbridge

Seasons|

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Miscellaneous|

* Rogers Cup
* Open Canada Cup
* CSA
* CSL Reserve Division

*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template