# 2015 Canadian Soccer League season

The 2015 Canadian Soccer League season was the 18th since its establishment where a total of 22 teams from Ontario took part in the league. The season began on May 9, 2015, and concluded on October 25, 2015. Toronto Croatia won their sixth championship (ninth including Canadian National Soccer League titles) in a 1–0 victory over SC Waterloo in the CSL Championship final held at Warrior Field in Waterloo, Ontario. In the regular season, the Serbian White Eagles clinched their fourth regular-season title, while Milton SC won their first second division championship.
The First Division saw an increase to 12 teams, while the Second Division remained the same. New additions to the first division were the return of Brantford Galaxy along with Toronto Atomic, and Scarborough SC as expansion franchises. Founding member North York Astros disbanded their professional team while Kingston FC departed to apply for League1 Ontario.

## First Division
### Changes from 2014

The number of clubs in the First Division saw an increase to 12 teams of the 10 teams that played in the First Division in 2014, eight returned. The departing clubs were North York Astros a charter club with history in the Canadian National Soccer League. The other member included Kingston FC, which had intentions of applying to League1 Ontario. After a two-year hiatus, Brantford Galaxy returned to the fold. Two new teams joined for 2015, Scarborough SC, and Toronto Atomic FC.
Toronto Atomic was granted a franchise after operating an academy in the Canadian Academy of Futbol (CAF). The acceptance of Atomic marked the return of a Ukrainian presence in the league since the 1981 season when Toronto Ukrainians played in the predecessor league. Scarborough SC was the brainchild of former player Kiril Dimitrov to provide professional soccer to the Scarborough territory. A third team, Milton SC, joined from the Second Division. Notable reforms were accepted at the 2015 annual general meeting of team owners where the allowance of import players was increased. On April 8, 2015, the league unveiled its new logo with the inclusion of the date when the league was formed under the National Soccer League banner.

### Teams

| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
| Brampton United | Brampton (Bramalea) | Victoria Park Stadium | Juan Barreto |
| Brantford Galaxy | Brantford | Steve Brown Sports Complex | Tomo Dančetović |
| Burlington SC | Burlington | Nelson Stadium | William Etchu Tabi |
| London City | London | Hellenic Centre Stadium | Josip Dzale |
| Milton SC | Milton (Timberlea) | Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School | Jasmin Halkic |
| Niagara United | Niagara Falls | Kalar Sports Park | David Currie |
| Scarborough SC | Toronto (North York) | Downsview Park | Kiril Dimitrov |
| SC Waterloo Region | Waterloo | Warrior Field | Lazo Džepina |
| Serbian White Eagles | Toronto (Etobicoke) | Centennial Park Stadium | Uroš Stamatović |
| Toronto Atomic FC | Toronto (Etobicoke) | Centennial Park Stadium | Vasyl Ishchak |
| Toronto Croatia | Mississauga | Centennial Park Stadium | Velimir Crljen |
| York Region Shooters | Vaughan (Maple) | Joan of Arc Turf Field | Tony De Thomasis |

#### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Toronto Atomic FC | Ihor Yavorskyi | Resigned | August 15, 2015 | 6th in August | Vasyl Ishchak | August 15, 2015 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BRA | BRG | BSC | LON | MIL | NIA | SCB | SCW | SER | TAT | TOR | YRS |
| Brampton United | | 3–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Brantford Galaxy | 1–2 | | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–2 |
| Burlington SC | 5–0 | 1–2 | | 0–2 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| London City | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2–7 |
| Milton SC | 0–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–1 | | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–4 | 2–0 |
| Niagara United | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–8 | 1–4 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2–6 | 0–3 | 1–9 |
| Scarborough SC | 0–6 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 3–3 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| SC Waterloo Region | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | – | 2–1 | | 2–2 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 4–1 |
| Serbian White Eagles | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 7–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 |
| Toronto Atomic | 4–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Toronto Croatia | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 7–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | | 3–1 |
| York Region Shooters | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 | |
* ↑ One match between SC Waterloo Region and Niagara United was abandoned in the 65th minute'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004A-QINU`"'

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Serbian White Eagles (A, C) | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 52 | 17 | +35 | 52 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Toronto Croatia (A, O) | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 57 | 18 | +39 | 48 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 3 | York Region Shooters (A) | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 40 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 4 | SC Waterloo Region (A) | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 36 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 5 | Toronto Atomic FC (A) | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 37 | −14 | 32 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 6 | Burlington SC (A) | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 41 | 44 | −3 | 27 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 7 | Milton SC (A) | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 32 | 43 | −11 | 27 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 8 | London City (A) | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 31 | 46 | −15 | 26 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 9 | Brampton United | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 26 | |
| 10 | Scarborough SC | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 49 | −17 | 26 | |
| 11 | Brantford Galaxy | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 24 | |
| 12 | Niagara United | 21 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 23 | 71 | −48 | 9 | |
* 1 2 One match between SC Waterloo Region and Niagara United not played'"`UNIQ--ref-00000054-QINU`"'

### Season statistics
#### Goals

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Richard West | York Region Shooters | 23 |
| 2 | Zdenko Jurčević | Brantford Galaxy | 21 |
| 3 | Sahjah Reid | Serbian White Eagles | 18 |
| 4 | Adis Hasečić | SC Waterloo Region | 16 |
| 5 | Jose De Sousa | Scarborough SC | 15 |
| 6 | Darren Chambers | Toronto Croatia | 12 |
| 6 | Vladimir Vujović | Burlington SC | 12 |
| 8 | Jure Glavina | Toronto Croatia | 11 |
| 9 | Josip Keran | Toronto Croatia | 10 |
| 9 | Oleksandr Semenyuk | Toronto Atomic FC | 10 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
| Marin Vučemilović-Grgić | London City | Scarborough SC | 3–3 (H) | 9 May 2015 |
| Tihomir Maletic | Toronto Croatia | Toronto Atomic FC | 4–2 (H) | 30 May 2015 |
| Vladimir Vujović | Burlington SC | Brampton City United | 5–0 (H) | 31 May 2015 |
| Vladimir Vujović | Burlington SC | Niagara United | 8–1 (A) | 6 June 2015 |
| Zdenko Jurčević | Brantford Galaxy | Niagara United | 3–1 (H) | 10 June 2015 |
| Oleksandr Semenyuk | Toronto Atomic FC | Brampton City United | 4–1 (H) | 13 June 2015 |
| Adis Hasečić | SC Waterloo Region | Burlington SC | 3–0 (H) | 14 June 2015 |
| Sahjah Reid | Serbian White Eagles | London City | 4–0 (H) | 19 June 2015 |
| Jonathan Jebbison | Brampton City United | Brantford Galaxy | 3–1 (H) | 21 June 2015 |
| Richard West | York Region Shooters | SC Waterloo Region | 4–1 (H) | 26 July 2015 |
| Jonathan Jebbison | Brampton City United | Scarborough SC | 6–0 (A) | 15 August 2015 |
| Jure Glavina | Toronto Croatia | Brantford Galaxy | 5–0 (H) | 5 September 2015 |
| Richard West | York Region Shooters | Niagara United | 9–1 (A) | 25 September 2015 |
| Richard West | York Region Shooters | London City | 7–2 (A) | 27 September 2015 |
| Amardo Oakley | Burlington SC | Scarborough SC | 4–3 (H) | 4 October 2015 |
| Adnan Smajić | Milton SC | Brantford Galaxy | 4–3 (H) | 5 October 2015 |

### Playoffs
#### Bracket

The top 8 teams qualified for the one-game quarter final, and a one-game semifinal that lead to the championship game played on October 25 at Warrior Field in Waterloo, Ontario.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Serbian White Eagles | 1 | | | | | | |
| 8 | London City | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | London City | 0 | 1 | Serbian White Eagles | 2 | | | |
| | | | 4 | SC Waterloo | 3 | | | |
| 4 | SC Waterloo | 2 | 4 | SC Waterloo | 3 | | | |
| 5 | Toronto Atomic FC | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Toronto Atomic FC | 0 | | | | 4 | SC Waterloo | 0 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Toronto Croatia | 1 |
| 2 | Toronto Croatia | 4 | | | | | | | 2 | Toronto Croatia | 1 |
| 7 | Milton SC | 0 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Milton SC | 0 | 2 | Toronto Croatia | 3 | | | |
| | | | 3 | York Region Shooters | 2 | | | |
| 3 | York Region Shooters | 4 | 3 | York Region Shooters | 2 | | | |
| 6 | Burlington SC | 2 | | | | | | |

#### CSL Championship
### Individual awards

The annual CSL awards ceremony was held in Kitchener, Ontario. The Most Valuable Player award went to Josip Keran of Toronto Croatia. The York Region Shooters went home with two accolades with the CSL Golden Boot going to former Jamaican international Richard West, and Cyndy De Thomasis was honored with the Harry Paul Gauss award. Burlington SC received the most awards with three wins. Firstly the club was given the Fair Play award, while Andrew Stinger and Nikola Stanojevic were selected as the Goalkeeper and Defender of the Year.
Ihor Melnyk, a former Ukrainian Premier League veteran was named the Rookie of the Year, and Vasyl Ishcak was voted the Coach of the Year after clinching Toronto Atomic's first postseason berth. Goran Babic was voted the Referee of the Year by the CSL Referee Committee.
| Award | Player (Club) |
| CSL Most Valuable Player | Josip Keran (Toronto Croatia) |
| CSL Golden Boot | Richard West (York Region Shooters) |
| CSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | Andrew Stinger (Burlington SC) |
| CSL Defender of the Year Award | Nikola Stanojevic (Burlington SC) |
| CSL Rookie of the Year Award | Ihor Melnyk (Toronto Atomic) |
| CSL Coach of the Year Award | Vasyl Ishchak (Toronto Atomic) |
| Harry Paul Gauss Award | Cyndy De Thomasis (York Region Shooters) |
| CSL Referee of the Year Award | Goran Babic |
| CSL Fair Play Award | Burlington SC |

## Second Division
### Teams

Of the 9 teams that played in the Second Division in 2014, seven returned. Kingston FC B left when their senior team left the First Division. Milton SC moved to the First Division and their reserve team joined the Second Division. Brantford Galaxy B returned when their senior team returned to the First Division after a two-year hiatus. Toronto Atomic FC B joined when their senior team joined the First Division.
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
| Brampton United B | Brampton | Victoria Park Stadium | Mike DiMatteo |
| Brantford Galaxy B | Brantford | Steve Brown Sports Complex | Anthony Giaitzis |
| Burlington SC B | Burlington | Nelson Stadium |
| Milton SC B | Toronto | Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School | Osman Begovic |
| Niagara United B | Niagara Falls | Kalar Sports Park | James McGillivery |
| SC Waterloo Region B | Waterloo | Warrior Field | Lazo Dzepina |
| Serbian White Eagles B | Toronto | Centennial Park Stadium | Goran Bakoc |
| Toronto Atomic FC B | Toronto | Centennial Park Stadium | Vasyl Ishchak |
| Toronto Croatia B | Mississauga | Centennial Park Stadium | Daniel Jaksic |
| York Region Shooters B | Vaughan | Joan of Arc Turf Field | Gilbert Amaral |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BRA | BRG | BSC | MIL | NIA | SCW | SER | TAT | TOR | YRS |
| Brampton United | | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 |
| Brantford Galaxy | 3–2 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 2–1 |
| Burlington SC | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 |
| Milton SC | 4–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 9–0 | 4–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 |
| Niagara United | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–4 |
| SC Waterloo Region | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | | 12–0 | 5–5 | 2–0 | 2–3 |
| Serbian White Eagles | 3–2 | 0–9 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | | 0–5 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Toronto Atomic | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | | 5–1 | 0–3 |
| Toronto Croatia | 1–0 | 3–4 | 4–1 | 3–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–8 | 1–2 | | 0–2 |
| York Region Shooters | 1–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–5 | 3–5 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 6–4 | 6–2 | |

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | SC Waterloo Region B (A, C) | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 58 | 23 | +35 | 36 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | York Region Shooters B (A) | 18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 34 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 3 | Milton SC B (A, O) | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 44 | 31 | +13 | 32 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 4 | Burlington SC B (A) | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 30 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 5 | Brantford Galaxy B (A) | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 28 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 6 | Toronto Atomic FC B (A) | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 24 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 7 | Niagara United B (A) | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 37 | +1 | 23 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 8 | Serbian White Eagles B (A) | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 31 | 62 | −31 | 19 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 9 | Toronto Croatia B | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 35 | 57 | −22 | 14 | |
| 10 | Brampton United B | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 37 | −10 | 13 | |

### Top goal scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Nikola Miokovic | SC Waterloo Region B | 15 |
| 2 | Amardo Oakley | Burlington SC B | 12 |
| 2 | Edward Syllie | SC Waterloo Region B | 12 |
| 4 | Lucky Maghori | Milton SC B | 11 |
| 5 | Raphael Barboza DaSilva | York Region Shooters B | 9 |
| 5 | Adnan Smajić | Milton SC B | 9 |
| 7 | Camilo Veloza | Burlington SC B | 8 |
| 8 | Matthew Arbin | Brampton United B | 7 |
| 8 | Milan Beader | Brantford Galaxy B | 7 |
| 8 | Serhiy Marchak | Toronto Atomic FC B | 7 |
| 8 | Aljay Sharkail Wilson | Toronto Croatia B | 7 |
Updated: December 17, 2015 Source: http://canadiansoccerleague.ca/2015-second-division-stats/

### Playoffs
#### Bracket

The top 8 teams qualified for the one-game quarterfinal, and a one-game semifinal that lead to the championship game played on October 25 at Warrior Field in Waterloo, Ontario.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | SC Waterloo Region B | 5 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Serbian White Eagles B | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Serbian White Eagles B | 0 | 1 | SC Waterloo Region B | 5 | | | |
| | | | 7 | Niagara United B | 1 | | | |
| 2 | York Region Shooters B | 4 (3) | 7 | Niagara United B | 1 | | | |
| 7 | Niagara United B | 4 (4) | | | | | | |
| 7 | Niagara United B | 4 (4) | | | | 1 | SC Waterloo Region B | 1 |
| | | | | | | 3 | Milton SC B | 3 |
| 3 | Milton SC B | 6 | | | | | | | 3 | Milton SC B | 3 |
| 6 | Toronto Atomic FC B | 0 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Toronto Atomic FC B | 0 | 3 | Milton SC B | 3 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Brantford Galaxy B | 0 | | | |
| 5 | Brantford Galaxy B | 1 | 5 | Brantford Galaxy B | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Burlington SC B | 0 | | | | | | |

#### Second Division Championship
### Individual awards

| Award | Player (Club) |
| CSL Most Valuable Player | Arsenije Japalak (Brantford Galaxy B) |
| CSL Golden Boot | Nikola Miokovic (Burlington SC B) |
| CSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | Ihor Vitiv (Toronto Atomic B) |
| CSL Defender of the Year Award | Namanjar Sudar (Brantford Galaxy B) |
| CSL Rookie of the Year Award | Kingma Zach (Brantford Galaxy B) |
| CSL Coach of the Year Award | Amir Osmanlic (Milton SC) |