The 2003 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the sixth season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 24, 2003 and concluded on October 5, 2003 with the Brampton Hitmen defeating Vaughan Sun Devils 1-0 to capture the CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons). The victory marked Brampton's first championship title, and the final was played at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario. During the regular season the Ottawa Wizards and the Hamilton Thunder won their respective conferences. Ottawa became the second CPSL franchise to go undefeated throughout the regular season.
| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Brampton Hitmen |
| Regular Season title |
|
| Matches | 117 |
| Goals | 405 (3.46 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Carlo Arghittu (St. Catharines Wolves) |
| Best goalkeeper | Simon Eaddy |
| Biggest home win | Toronto Supra 9-1 Durham Flames (September 24, 2003) |
| Biggest away win |
|
← 2002 2004 → | |
Unfortunately the season was plagued with controversy as the Wizards withdrew from the playoff competition, due to a dispute with the CPSL Executive Committee. Another controversy stemmed from a quarterfinal match between Brampton and Toronto Croatia, where Toronto won the match on penalties, but was reversed by the league due to Toronto using an ineligible coach and general manager. On a positive note the league's television program the CPSL Soccer Show recorded the highest ratings of any other Sunday program shown on Rogers TV.
Changes from 2002 season
The 2003 season saw the league decrease by one team due to the fact that the York Region Shooters merged with the Vaughan Sun Devils to unite the York Region territory. The Montreal Dynamites moved to the Montreal suburb of Laval and changed their team name accordingly.
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brampton Hitmen | Brampton, Ontario (Bramalea) | Victoria Park Stadium | Steve Nijjar |
| Durham Flames | Oshawa, Ontario (Vanier) | Oshawa Civic Stadium | Steve Hamill |
| London City | London, Ontario (Westmount) | Cove Road Stadium | Harry Gauss |
| Hamilton Thunder | Hamilton, Ontario | Brian Timmis Stadium | Manuel Gomes |
| Metro Lions | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Birchmount Stadium | Aldwyn McGill |
| Mississauga Olympians | Mississauga, Ontario (Erin Mills) | Erin Mills Twin Arenas | Darren Tilley Tony Laferrara |
| Laval Dynamites | Laval, Quebec | Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne | Jawad El Andaloussi |
| North York Astros | Toronto, Ontario (North York) | Esther Shiner Stadium | Pavel Zaslavski |
| Ottawa Wizards | Ottawa, Ontario (Carp) | OZ Optics Stadium | Klaus Linnenbruegger |
| St. Catharines Wolves | St. Catharines, Ontario (Vansickle) | Club Roma Stadium | Lucio Ianiero |
| Toronto Croatia | Mississauga, Ontario (Streetsville) | Memorial Park | Velimir Crljen |
| Toronto Supra | Toronto, Ontario (Brockton) | Centennial Park Stadium | José Testas |
| Vaughan Sun Devils | Vaughan, Ontario (Thornhill) | Dufferin District Field | Dave Benning |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Thunder | Duncan Wilde | resigned | July 22, 2003 | 1st, Western Conference | Ivan Marković | July 22, 2003 |
| Hamilton Thunder | Ivan Marković | resigned | August 7, 2003 | 2nd, Western Conference | Manuel Gomes | August 7, 2003 |
| Ottawa Wizards | Hubert Busby Jr. | resigned | September 10, 2003 | 1st, Eastern Conference | Klaus Linnenbruegger | September 11, 2003 |
| Brampton Vaughan London Streetsville Mississauga Durham Ottawa St. Catharines Hamilton TORONTO class=notpageimage| Location of CPSL teams outside of Toronto for the 2003 CPSL season.Western Conference Eastern Conference
| Metro Lions Toronto Supra North York Astros Vaughan Sun Devils class=notpageimage| Location of CPSL teams in Toronto for the 2003 CPSL season.Western Conference Eastern Conference
|
Final standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Wizards | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 10 | +43 | 44 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Toronto Supra | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 50 | 29 | +21 | 36 | |
| 3 | Vaughan Sun Devils | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 30 | +11 | 28 | |
| 4 | Laval Dynamites | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 27 | |
| 5 | Metro Lions | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 18 | |
| 6 | Durham Flames | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 73 | −45 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Thunder | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 38 | 19 | +19 | 37 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Brampton Hitmen | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 33 | |
| 3 | Toronto Croatia | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 30 | −3 | 28 | |
| 4 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 26 | |
| 5 | North York Astros | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 17 | |
| 6 | Mississauga Olympians | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 30 | −11 | 16 | |
| 7 | London City | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 42 | −16 | 13 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rogers CPSL Championship playoffs
Quarterfinals
| September 30, 2003 | Brampton Hitmen | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Toronto Croatia | Brampton, Ontario |
| 8:30 ET | Ruben Flores 36' | (Report) | Orlin Chalmers 3' | Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium Attendance: 150 Referee: Manuel Orellano (Ontario |
| Penalties | ||||
|
| |||
| October 1, 2003 | Toronto Supra | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Vaughan Sun Devils | Toronto, Ontario |
| 6:45 ET |
| (Report) |
| Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Attendance: 85 Referee: Frank Marciello (Ontario |
Semifinals
| October 3, 2003 | London City | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p) | Brampton Hitmen | London, Ontario |
| 8:30 ET | Atilla Salamon 83' | (Report) | Hugo Herrera 37' | Stadium: Cove Road Stadium |
| Penalties | ||||
|
| |||
| October 4, 2003 | Hamilton Thunder | 0–2 | Vaughan Sun Devils | London, Ontario |
| 5:30 ET | (Report) |
| Stadium: Cove Road Stadium Attendance: 175 Referee: Angelo Gertzakis (Ontario |
Rogers CPSL Championship
| Vaughan Sun Devils | 0–1 | Brampton Hitmen |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kurt Mella 27' |
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| Assistant referees: |
2003 scoring leaders
- Full article: CSL Golden Boot
| Position | Player's name | Nationality | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlo Arghittu | Canada | St. Catharines Wolves | 18 |
| 2 | Danny Amaral | Canada | Toronto Supra | 17 |
| Michael Diluca | Canada | Toronto Supra | ||
| 3 | Jahmo Welch | Canada | Durham Flames | 13 |
| 4 | Phil Ionadi | Canada | Brampton Hitmen | 12 |
| 5 | Charles Gbeke | Canada | Ottawa Wizards | 10 |
| Hugo Herrera | Argentina | Brampton Hitmen | ||
| Joey Todaro | Canada | Vaughan Sun Devils | ||
| 6 | Darryl Gomez | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Metro Lions | 9 |
| Alen Marcina | Canada | Ottawa Wizards | ||
| Kevin Nelson | Trinidad and Tobago | Ottawa Wizards |
CPSL Executive Committee
A list of the 2003 CPSL Executive Committee.
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| President & Chairman: | Vincent Ursini | Canadian |
| League Administrator/Director of Media: | Stan Adamson | English |
| Director at Large: | Walter Kirchner | Romanian |
| Director of Discipline: | Clifford Dell | Canadian |
| Director of Officials: | Tony Camacho | Portuguese |
| Administrative Co-ordinator: | Josie Storto | Canadian |
| Community Services: | Peter Li Preti | Canadian |
| Legal Counsel: | Ira Greenspoon | Canadian |
| Marketing: | Cary Kaplan | Canadian |
Individual awards
The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held at German-Canadian Club on October 5, 2003 in London, Ontario. The Ottawa Wizards finished on top with the most wins with two awards. The undefeated Eastern Conference champions produced the Rookie of the Year with McDonald Yobe, a former Malawian international. After conceding the lowest number of goals the league voted New Zealand journeyman Simon Eaddy with the Goalkeeper of the Year award. Phil Ionadi a former CNSL and USL A-League veteran captained the Brampton Hitmen to a CPSL Championship, and in returned was named the MVP.
Carlo Arghittu of St. Catharines Wolves another former CNSL and USL A-League veteran was given the Golden Boot for finishing as the league's top goalscorer. Domagoj Sain was given his second consecutive Defender of the Year award. After a disastrous 2002 season Toronto Supra brought in Jose Testas a former Primeira Liga, and Segunda Divisão player to manage the club. Testas immediately changed the club into a championship contender by finishing second in their division, and for his achievement was granted the Coach of the Year award. The Durham Flames received their second Fair Play award for being the most disciplined team. While Michael Lambert who officiated the championship final was given his second Referee of the Year award.
| Award | Player (Club) |
|---|---|
| CPSL Most Valuable Player | Phil Ionadi (Brampton Hitmen) |
| CPSL Golden Boot | Carlo Arghittu (St. Catharines Wolves) |
| CPSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | Simon Eaddy (Ottawa Wizards) |
| CPSL Defender of the Year Award | Domagoj Sain (Toronto Croatia) |
| CPSL Rookie of the Year Award | McDonald Yobe (Ottawa Wizards) |
| CPSL Coach of the Year Award | José Testas (Toronto Supra) |
| CPSL Referee of the Year Award | Michael Lambert |
| CPSL Fair Play Award | Durham Flames |
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