# 2023 League1 Ontario season

The 2023 Men's League1 Ontario season was the ninth of 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. Following the 2023 season, the league will split into three divisions with promotion and relegation between them.
Simcoe County Rovers FC were the league champions, having defeated Scrosoppi FC in the final to capture their first title.

## Clubs

With the exception of Pickering FC, 21 of the 22 clubs that took part in the 2022 season participated in 2023. Because of the format changes planned for the following year, the league imposed a one-year moratorium on any new teams joining the league.
| Team | City | Principal stadium | Head coach |
| Alliance United FC | Toronto/Markham | Varsity Stadium / Birchmount Stadium | Ilya Orlov |
| Blue Devils FC | Oakville | Sheridan College Trafalgar | Duncan Wilde |
| Burlington SC | Burlington | Corpus Christi CSS | Darren Tilley |
| BVB IA Waterloo | Waterloo | RIM Park | John O'Brien |
| Darby FC | Whitby | Whitby Soccer Centre | Hermann Kingue |
| Electric City FC | Peterborough | Fleming College Sports Complex | Randy Ribeiro |
| Guelph United F.C. | Guelph | Alumni Stadium/Centennial Bowl | Justin Springer |
| Hamilton United | Hamilton | Ron Joyce Stadium, McMaster University | Kamran Derayeh |
| FC London | London | Tricar Field | Yiannis Tsalatsidis |
| Master's Futbol | Scarborough (Toronto) | L'Amoreaux Park | Giuseppe Mattace-Raso |
| North Mississauga SC | Mississauga | Churchill Meadows (Mattamy Sports Park) | Amir Riazi |
| North Toronto Nitros | Toronto | Downsview Park | Marko Milanović |
| ProStars FC | Brampton | Victoria Park Stadium | Sam Medeiros |
| Scrosoppi FC | Milton | Ontario Soccer Centre | John Yacou |
| Sigma FC | Mississauga | Paramount Fine Foods Centre / Tim Hortons Field | John Zervos |
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | Barrie | J.C Massie Field, Georgian College | Jason Beckford |
| St. Catharines Roma Wolves | St. Catharines | Roma Park – Under Armour Field | Federico Turriziani |
| Unionville Milliken SC | Unionville (Markham) | Ontario Soccer Centre | Filipe Bento |
| Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan | North Maple Regional Park | Carmine Isacco / Sergio De Luca |
| Windsor City FC | Amherstburg | St. Clair College | Valtar Cosenza |
| Woodbridge Strikers | Woodbridge (Vaughan) | Vaughan Grove | Peter Pinizzotto |

## Premier Division

On March 7, 2023, League1 Ontario announced that the Men's Premier Division season would begin on April 13 (later revised to April 12). Each team played 20 matches this season, one match against each opponent.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Scrosoppi FC | 20 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 18 | +34 | 51 | Playoff semifinals |
| 2 | Simcoe County Rovers FC (C) | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 56 | 25 | +31 | 46 | Playoff semifinals |
| 3 | Vaughan Azzurri | 20 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 52 | 20 | +32 | 45 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | Blue Devils FC | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 25 | +19 | 39 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 5 | Burlington SC | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 29 | +14 | 39 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 6 | Guelph United F.C. | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 43 | 22 | +21 | 39 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 7 | Electric City FC | 20 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 50 | 19 | +31 | 37 | |
| 8 | Alliance United FC | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 51 | 23 | +28 | 33 | |
| 9 | Sigma FC | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 32 | |
| 10 | North Toronto Nitros | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 31 | |
| 11 | Hamilton United | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 26 | |
| 12 | Woodbridge Strikers | 20 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 26 | |
| 13 | FC London | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 25 | |
| 14 | Darby FC | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 23 | |
| 15 | Windsor City FC | 20 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 20 | |
| 16 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves | 20 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 27 | 48 | −21 | 20 | |
| 17 | North Mississauga SC | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 20 | |
| 18 | ProStars FC | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 30 | 51 | −21 | 19 | |
| 19 | Master's FA | 20 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 20 | 44 | −24 | 14 | |
| 20 | Unionville Milliken SC | 20 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 16 | 78 | −62 | 4 | |
| 21 | BVB IA Waterloo | 20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 13 | 95 | −82 | 3 | |
* ↑ Unionville Milliken's 2–0 victory over Windsor City was changed to a 3–0 loss, due to the fielding of an ineligible player

### Playoffs

The top two seeds earned a bye directly to the second round. After the first round, the teams are re-seeded with the top seed playing the lowest ranked remaining seed.
| Quarter-finals August 23 | Quarter-finals August 23 | Quarter-finals August 23 | Semi-finals August 26–27 | Semi-finals August 26–27 | Semi-finals August 26–27 | Final September 2 | Final September 2 | Final September 2 |
| | | | 1 | Scrosoppi FC | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Blue Devils FC | 4 | 4 | Blue Devils FC | 1 | | | |
| 5 | Burlington SC | 1 | | | | 1 | Scrosoppi FC | 2 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Simcoe County Rovers FC | 4 |
| | | | 2 | Simcoe County Rovers FC | 3 | | | |
| 3 | Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | 3 | Vaughan Azzurri | 0 | | | |
| 6 | Guelph United FC | 0 | | | | | | |
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final

### League honours
#### Awards

| Award | Player | Team |
| Most Valuable Player | Tomasz Skublak | Scrosoppi FC |
| Young Player of the Year (U20) | Marcus Caldeira | Sigma FC |
| Coach of the Year | Jason Beckford | Simcoe County Rovers FC |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Baj Maan | Simcoe County Rovers FC |
| Defender of the Year | Gianfranco Facchineri | Windsor City FC |
| Midfielder of the Year | Orlendis Benítez Hernández | Simcoe County Rovers FC |
| Forward of the Year | Tomasz Skublak | Scrosoppi FC |
| Golden Boot (top scorer) | Tomasz Skublak | Scrosoppi FC |

#### League All-Stars

The following players were named League1 Ontario Premier Division All-Stars for the 2023 season:
| Player | Position |
| Baj Maan (Simcoe County Rovers) | Goalkeeper |
| Amardo Oakley (Guelph United) | Defender |
| Gianfranco Facchineri (Windsor City) | Defender |
| Justin Earle (Simcoe County Rovers) | Defender |
| Carlo DiFeo (Scrosoppi) | Defender |
| Orlendis Benítez Hernández (Simcoe County Rovers) | Midfielder |
| Nikola Stakic (Alliance United) | Midfielder |
| Christian Zeppieri (Vaughan Azzurri) | Midfielder |
| Alexander Zis (Scrosoppi) | Midfielder |
| Tomasz Skublak (Scrosoppi) | Forward |
| Adam Czerkawski (Blue Devils) | Forward |
| Player | Position |
| Andreas Vaikla (Scrosoppi) | Goalkeeper |
| Andra Neptune (Blue Devils) | Defender |
| Nyal Higgins (Vaughan Azzurri) | Defender |
| Bradley Heath (Electric City) | Defender |
| Nirun Sivananthan (Alliance United) | Defender |
| Marcus Caldeira (Sigma) | Midfielder |
| Gray Yates (Guelph United) | Midfielder |
| Ideal Shefqeti (Hamilton United) | Midfielder |
| Brandon Duarte (Blue Devils) | Midfielder |
| Jevontae Layne (Simcoe County Rovers) | Forward |
| Augustus Oku (Burlington) | Forward |

### Future format and changes

Starting in 2024, the league will split into a multi-division format with promotion and relegation between them. Twelve teams will take part in the first-tier League1 Premier, ten teams in the second-tier League1 Championship, and all new expansion teams as well as reserve sides in a third-tier League2 Ontario.
The initial assignment of teams in the 2024 season is done by using the points obtained in the previous two years. The points from the 2022 season (weighted at 75%) will be added to the points teams obtain in the 2023 season (weighted at 100%) to determine the placements.
| Pos | Team | GP | 2022 | 2023 | Total | Qualification |
| 1 | Vaughan Azzurri | 41 | 42.75 | 45 | 87.75 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 2 | Simcoe County Rovers FC | 41 | 33 | 46 | 79 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 3 | Blue Devils FC | 41 | 35.25 | 39 | 74.25 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 4 | Scrosoppi FC | 41 | 21 | 51 | 72 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 5 | Guelph United F.C. | 41 | 31.5 | 39 | 70.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 6 | Alliance United FC | 41 | 33.75 | 33 | 66.75 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 7 | North Toronto Nitros | 41 | 33 | 31 | 64 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 8 | Electric City FC | 41 | 22.5 | 37 | 59.5 | Folded after season |
| 9 | Sigma FC | 41 | 23.25 | 32 | 55.25 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 10 | Burlington SC | 41 | 14.25 | 39 | 53.25 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 11 | ProStars FC | 41 | 32.25 | 19 | 51.25 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 12 | Hamilton United | 41 | 23.25 | 26 | 49.25 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 13 | Woodbridge Strikers | 41 | 21.75 | 26 | 47.75 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Premier |
| 14 | Darby FC | 41 | 18.75 | 23 | 41.75 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 15 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves | 41 | 15 | 20 | 35 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 16 | Windsor City FC | 41 | 13.5 | 20 | 33.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 17 | FC London | 41 | 7.5 | 25 | 32.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 18 | North Mississauga SC | 41 | 10.5 | 20 | 30.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 19 | Master's FA | 41 | 12.75 | 14 | 26.75 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 20 | BVB IA Waterloo | 41 | 16.5 | 3 | 19.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 21 | Unionville Milliken SC | 41 | 10.5 | 4 | 14.5 | Qualification to 2024 League1 Championship |
| 22 | Pickering FC (Z) | 21 | 17.25 | — | 17.25 | Ineligible for qualification |
* ↑ Woodbridge initially qualified for the League1 Championship. However, they were later promoted to the Premier Division to replace Electric City, upon their folding.
* ↑ Pickering FC did not compete in the 2023 season and therefore had their L1O license revoked. Folowing the 2023 season, Pickering acquired the L1O licence from Electric City and were assigned to the League1 Championship division for 2024.

## U21 Reserve Division

The Reserve Division will return with each Premier Division club fielding one or more teams, as well as some other OPDL clubs that do not operate a League1 Ontario team.

### North East Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Electric City FC U21 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 13 | +28 | 33 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Pickering FC U21 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 18 | +18 | 30 | |
| 3 | Alliance United FC U21 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 25 | |
| 4 | Master's FA U21 North East | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 22 | |
| 5 | Unionville Milliken SC U21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 21 | |
| 6 | Darby FC U21 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 18 | |
| 7 | Aurora FC U21 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 25 | 43 | −18 | 10 | |
| 8 | Simcoe County Rovers FC U21 Northeast | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 17 | 59 | −42 | 4 | |

### North West Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | ProStars FC U21 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 46 | 23 | +23 | 30 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Blue Devils FC U21 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 30 | |
| 3 | Scrosoppi FC U21 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 25 | |
| 4 | North Mississauga SC U21 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 35 | −5 | 22 | |
| 5 | Rush Canada U21 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 20 | |
| 6 | Hamilton United U21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 22 | −5 | 16 | |
| 7 | Burlington SC U21 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 35 | −17 | 6 | |
| 8 | Oakville SC U21 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 44 | −26 | 5 | |

### Central Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Woodbridge Strikers U21 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 19 | +19 | 35 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | North Toronto Nitros U21 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 15 | +30 | 34 | |
| 3 | Sigma FC U21 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 11 | +30 | 31 | |
| 4 | Simcoe County Rovers FC U21 Central | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 21 | |
| 5 | Vaughan Azzurri U21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Toronto Skillz FC U21 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 36 | −26 | 9 | |
| 7 | Toronto High Park FC U21 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 44 | −24 | 6 | |
| 8 | Master's FA U21 Central | 13 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 42 | −26 | 3 | |

### South West Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Guelph United F.C. U21 (C) | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 13 | +17 | 30 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Cambridge United U21 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 12 | +17 | 28 | |
| 3 | Whitecaps London U21 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 16 | +15 | 26 | |
| 4 | FC London U21 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 24 | |
| 5 | Tecumseh SC U21 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 23 | |
| 6 | Windsor City FC U21 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 36 | −17 | 14 | |
| 7 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves U21 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 46 | −32 | 6 | |
| 8 | BVB IA Waterloo U21 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 36 | −24 | 7 | |

### Playoffs

| Semifinals July 26–27 | Semifinals July 26–27 | Semifinals July 26–27 | Championship Game August 4 | Championship Game August 4 | Championship Game August 4 |
| NE1 | Electric City FC U21 | 0 | | | |
| C1 | Woodbridge Strikers U21 | 3 | | | |
| C1 | Woodbridge Strikers U21 | 3 | C1 | Woodbridge Strikers U21 | 0 |
| | | | SW1 | Guelph United FC U21 | 1 |
| SW1 | Guelph United FC U21 | 2(7) | SW1 | Guelph United FC U21 | 1 |
| NW1 | ProStars FC U21 | 2(6) | | | |

## U19 Reserve Division
### Summer Division

Each team will play every team in their division once, as well as two games against teams from the opposite division.

#### East Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sigma FC U19 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 11 | +41 | 31 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Woodbridge Strikers U19 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 31 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Alliance United FC U19 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 21 | +5 | 23 | |
| 4 | North Toronto Nitros U19 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 20 | +16 | 22 | |
| 5 | Simcoe County Rovers FC U19 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 20 | |
| 6 | Vaughan Azzurri U19 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 20 | +16 | 18 | |
| 7 | Master's FA U19 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 21 | +8 | 18 | |
| 8 | Unionville Milliken SC U19 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 55 | −28 | 12 | |
| 9 | Pickering FC U19 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 49 | −34 | 8 | |
| 10 | Richmond Hill SC U19 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 14 | 41 | −27 | 4 | |
| 11 | Darby FC U19 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 46 | −31 | 4 | |

#### West Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | North Mississauga SC U19 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 15 | +53 | 33 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Rush Canada U19 (C) | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 12 | +38 | 28 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Burlington SC U19 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 20 | |
| 4 | ProStars FC U19 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 20 | |
| 5 | Hamilton United U19 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 18 | |
| 6 | Scrosoppi FC U19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 17 | |
| 7 | Cambridge United U19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 15 | |
| 8 | Guelph United F.C. U19 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 14 | |
| 9 | Blue Devils FC U19 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 14 | |
| 10 | Brampton SC U19 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 54 | −46 | 4 | |
| 11 | St. Catharines Roma Wolves U19 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 42 | −29 | 3 | |

#### Playoffs

| Semi-Finals July 31 - August 1 | Semi-Finals July 31 - August 1 | Semi-Finals July 31 - August 1 | Championship Game August 6 | Championship Game August 6 | Championship Game August 6 |
| W1 | North Mississauga SC U19 | 5 | | | |
| E2 | Woodbridge Strikers U19 | 0 | | | |
| E2 | Woodbridge Strikers U19 | 0 | W1 | North Mississauga SC U19 | 1(2) |
| | | | W2 | Rush Canada U19 | 1(3) |
| E1 | Sigma FC U19 | 2 | W2 | Rush Canada U19 | 1(3) |
| W2 | Rush Canada U19 | 3 | | | |

### Fall Division
#### East Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC Academy U19 (C) | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 9 | +61 | 36 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Sigma FC U19 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 20 | +22 | 31 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Vaughan Azzurri U19 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 20 | +23 | 28 | |
| 4 | Woodbridge Strikers U19 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 22 | |
| 5 | Master's FA U19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 31 | 28 | +3 | 19 | |
| 6 | North Toronto Nitros U19 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 18 | |
| 7 | Unionville Milliken SC U19 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 36 | −10 | 14 | |
| 8 | Pickering FC U19 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 42 | −27 | 7 | |
| 9 | Alliance United FC U19 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 40 | −26 | 6 | |
| 10 | Richmond Hill SC U19 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 40 | −23 | 5 | |

#### West Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Rush Canada U19 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 18 | +34 | 33 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Scrosoppi FC U19 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 24 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | North Mississauga SC U19 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 20 | |
| 4 | Blue Devils FC U19 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 18 | |
| 5 | Burlington SC U19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 17 | |
| 6 | Simcoe County Rovers FC U19 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 15 | |
| 7 | ProStars FC U19 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 15 | |
| 8 | Guelph United F.C. U19 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 10 | |
| 9 | Hamilton United U19 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 32 | −23 | 7 | |
| 10 | Brampton SC U19 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 62 | −59 | 2 | |

#### Playoffs

| Semi-Finals November 13-14 | Semi-Finals November 13-14 | Semi-Finals November 13-14 | Championship Game November 18 | Championship Game November 18 | Championship Game November 18 |
| E1 | Toronto FC Academy U19 | 3 | | | |
| W2 | Scrosoppi FC U19 | 0 | | | |
| W2 | Scrosoppi FC U19 | 0 | E1 | Toronto FC Academy U19 | 2 |
| | | | E2 | Sigma FC U19 | 0 |
| W1 | Rush Canada U19 | 3 | E2 | Sigma FC U19 | 0 |
| E2 | Sigma FC U19 | 5 | | | |