Soccer in Canada
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Soccer has long been one of the most popular recreational sports in Canada, but professional soccer has been less popular there than in much of the rest of the world. The Canadian national women's team is one of the best in the world. Canada was the host of the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2002, and finished a surprising second to the USA. Canada's men have only made it once to the Football World Cup. They qualified for the 1986 cup in Mexico, but in the tournament the Canadian side failed to score a single goal, were eliminated in the first round, and finished last in the overall standings. In 2000, Canada stunned the continent by taking home the CONCACAF Gold Cup, giving their backers cause to hope for better times to come.
There is a long history of soccer, or association football, in Canada. The first game played under modern rules took place in Toronto in 1876. The first league the Dominion Football Association was formed a year later. Canada was an early soccer power, winning the gold medal at the 1904 Olympics and competing with the best teams in Europe and the United States. The Canadian team declined as the sport was outcompeted by Canadian football and ice hockey in terms of popularity and players. A steady stream of immigrants from soccer countries kept the game at a limited popularity, but it has never again entered the mainstream. In the 1980s Canada was well represented in the North American Soccer League, but this league folded in 1985. This was replaced by the Canadian Soccer League that began with teams in eight Canadian cities. This league existed from 1987 to 1992. The top level of play in Canada today is the USL First Division, formerly the A-League, with three clubs: Montreal Impact, Toronto Lynx, and Vancouver Whitecaps. The governing body of soccer in Canada is the Canadian Soccer Association. The league in Europe with the largest content of Canadian footballers is the Football League Championship, in England. Millwall F.C. are the club in Europe with the most on roster, with 3 Canadians.
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Noted Canadian soccer players
Women
Men
- Jim Brennan
- Brian Budd
- Alex Bunbury
- Errol Crossan
- Craig Forrest
- Owen Hargreaves
- Joe Kennaway
- Bob Lenarduzzi
- Whitey McDonald
- Colin Miller
- Tomasz Radzinski
- Paul Stalteri
- Dave Turner
- Carl Valentine
- Bruce Wilson
- Frank Yallop
External link
- CanadaSoccer.com Official Site of the Canadian Soccer Association (http://www.CanadaSoccer.com)
- CSA with a list of its Hall of Fame inductees (http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/hall/index.asp?sub2=14)
- Regional Canadian Soccer Leagues: An overview of the history of professional soccer leagues and clubs in Canada (http://www.geocities.com/london_ontario_soccer_fan)