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Photo Credit: BTB Academy
PSL Canada Men’s Review: Week 11
By The FIFA World Cup may have everyone’s attention, but the Premier Soccer Leagues Canada had another crazy week, with some fascinating results across the country. There were some huge games in the context of the title, promotion, and relegation.
We are now 11 weeks through the season, and yet there is still much to be decided. Northern Tribune keeps you up to date with all that occurred this past week in Canada’s semi-pro leagues. This is the men’s recap, but you can read the women’s report here.
BC Premier League: Langley Stays Top
The BC Premier League had three games last week as the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and Nanaimo United were not in action.
The biggest game of the week – and likely the season – saw Langley United come from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to TSS Rovers. Massud Habibullah gave the Rovers a 2-0 lead thanks to a first half brace. But, Brody Thomas and Emmanuel Santo Lado Abas responded for Langley before the 50th minute to hold onto the point.
Friday’s two fixtures ended 1-0 for Altitude over Burnaby FC, and 3-2 in Kamloops United’s favour at the expense of Unity FC. It was the first time this season Kamloops managed to win a BCPL contest, ending a run of 10 without defeat.
Langley’s comeback means they hold onto first place by two points over the Rovers. Time is running out, with just three rounds left for both sides. Unity is now in last place after their reverse to Kamloops.
Next week has five games to look out for. Tuesday kicks things off with Burnaby facing Whitecaps Academy, and Unity taking on Altitude. On Sunday, the Caps battle Unity at home before Nanaimo United hosts TSS Rovers. Langley’s game is on Monday as they head to North Vancouver to face Altitude.
Alberta Premier League: BTB Goes Top
Last week’s Alberta Premier League action saw three games take place. All three matches occurred on Friday, with the big game ending 3-1 to BTB Academy at Calgary Foothills.
First half goals from Tao Hein and Rilind Idrizi set BTB on their way before Chanan Chanda got one back for the Foothills. The two-goal lead was restored by Frankroy Cain less than two minutes later to complete the win.
The other two games in the week saw St. Albert Impact edge Calgary Rangers 1-0, and Calgary Villains finish 1-1 with Cavalry II.
BTB has the lead in the APL, though they have already played half of their games. Both the Foothills and Calgary Blizzard are three points behind, but have played less matches to this point. The Rangers remain bottom with just one point from six clashes.
Callies United, who also did not play last week, will get things going next time around as they play host to Calgary Blizzard. Both teams will then take the field on Friday night, the former taking on St. Albert, and the latter meeting Calgary Rangers. The other match on Friday is between BTB and the Villains.
Prairies Premier League: Forza Left Struggling
It was a busy week in the Prairies Premier League with five games taking place. Friday night had two fixtures, where Bonivital enjoyed a 6-1 success over Forza Academy. The damage was done in the first half, where the Flames scored four times. Bahaa Alkhawaldeh got Forza on the board in the second half, only to concede an own goal minutes later, before a sixth was added towards the end.
Friday’s other contest saw QC United edge 10-man FC Manitoba 3-2 thanks to an Abdullahi Jamaal winner midway through the second period. Saturday’s lone game ended in a Thunder Bay Chill 2-1 victory at home to Sask Excel Academy. Francesco Scopacasa gave his team the win with his 67th minute marker.
Bonivital and QC United played to a 1-1 stalemate on Sunday, with the two goals coming two minutes apart. As for FC Manitoba, they bounced back with a 2-1 defeat of Forza, who played most of the game down a man.
The Chill are the only unbeaten side left of the lot, despite playing only four matches thus far. The top five are separated by just two points, though there is a variety in terms of matches played. Forza sits at the bottom without a point from their three contests.
Thunder Bay faces Forza next Saturday in the only match to take place next week.
Ontario Premier League: League Leaders Struggle
There will not be any OPL Cup action until July when the cup competition returns with the semifinals, but that did not mean we were without matches in the OPL this week. Much went on across the province as we approach the midway point.
Here is a bit on what occurred in all three divisions in Ontario.
Ontario Premier League 1: Rovers Finally Breaks Duck
Just four games occurred in the OPL’s top division last week, due in large part to the postponed match on Sunday. The goals rained in Hamilton on Saturday as North Toronto Nitros topped Sigma 4-2. Despite going down a man, the Nitros scored thrice after the break to stun Sigma and claim all three points.
Simcoe County Rovers finally got off the mark by defeating International FC 1-0. Jamie Nicholson got the winner for the Barrie-based team get them just their second result of the campaign. Elsewhere, St. Catharines Roma Wolves drew 0-0 with Oakville SC, while the other game ended 1-1 between Unionville Milliken and Sudbury Cyclones in a battle of the promoted sides.
Oakville missed the chance to go further ahead in the rankings, with their point only giving them outright possession of first place in a close title race. As for Simcoe, they are now three points back of Sudbury for 11th place after their victory.
A double gameweek is coming next week, as all 12 sides will have a pair of games. The midweek fixtures all see top half clubs face bottom half sides in what should make things highly intriguing. Over the weekend, Scrosoppi takes on Oakville in what is easily the game of the week.
Ontario Premier League 2: Inter Scores Five as Hamilton Wins Again
Unlike OPL1, there was a full round of play in OPL2. Friday night had five of the six games, which commenced with a 2-1 Hamilton United Elite success over Guelph United. Fadell Sore completed the comeback for the Hamiltonians, who have now won back-to-back games.
Whitby FC topped The Borough 3-1 in an important result for the former. Waterloo United edged Cambridge United 1-0, while Master’s FA also got the job done with a 1-0 road win at North Mississauga. The goals came in London, where Inter Toronto II prevailed 5-2 at FC London. Aylon Yshaia netted twice for the CPL academy team in the win.
Windsor City came out on top in Saturday’s lone fixture, getting past Pickering FC 3-2. Ciaran O’Connor was the hero for the hosts, scoring all three of his side’s goals as they held on in the second half to get the win.
Windsor stays in front, with one more point and one more game played over Whitby. They still have a gap over Master’s, and the rest of the chasing pack. Hamilton’s win over Guelph means they are no longer bottom, with the latter replacing them.
There is a double matchweek coming up in OPL2 with 11 games in total. Hamilton will look to make it three wins in a row as they face North Mississauga in one of five Wednesday night fixtures. Whitby will have to wait until next weekend before they take the pitch to meet Waterloo United on Saturday.
Ontario Premier League 3: Sentinels With Mixed Week
The OPL3 continued on as we are in the second half of the campaign. It was a mixed week for the Kingston Sentinels of the Northeast Conference. They fell 4-2 to nearest challengers The Borough B as Derrick Londono Zapata bagged a hattrick. However, they recovered to beat International B 7-0, with Jacob Ball scoring five times.
The Borough B won their other game as well, topping Pickering B 4-0. Other games saw Whitby B draw 0-0 with International B, and Pickering B earn a 1-0 road win at Master’s B.
It was a busy week in the Central Conference, as Rush Canada got past Scrosoppi B 2-0. A pair of first half goals did the trick for the Oakville side. Inter Toronto III also won that Friday night, edging Sigma B 4-0.
Elsewhere, North Toronto B topped North Mississauga B 2-1, Woodbridge B prevailed 5-3 over Sudbury B, Vaughan B won 3-1 over Inter Toronto III, and Sigma B beat North Mississauga B 4-0.
In the Southwest Conference, Railway City completed a 6-0 win against Windsor B at home. Gavin Goddard and David Cubillos both netted braces for their side in a comprehensive victory.
In other Southwest Conference results, Burlington B got past Cambridge B 3-2, St. Catharines B edged Hamilton B 1-1, Burlington B won 4-1 over St. Catharines B, and a crazy match ended 4-4 between Guelph B and London B. Despite taking the lead thrice, London B failed to get over the line.
There is no change in the conference leaders once more, as Kingston, Vaughan B, and Burlington B still lead their respective groups. The wildcard team is The Borough B.
Kingston is on the road next week to face Unionville B. Richmond Hill, who had the week off last time out, is back in action as they face Master’s B. Rush will be at home for their fixture as they take on Simcoe B. As for Railway, they will have a rare Tuesday night game as they meet London B away.
LS PRO Quebec: Ligue 1 Sides Held Scoreless
There were were five matches in the Coupe du Quebec over the past week. Two of those games ended goalless. CS LaSalle could not find their way past Ambassadeurs St-Jerome at home. The same went for CS Mont Royal Outremont, who was also kept out by Ligue 3 opposition in Soccer Pointe-Claire.
It was not a good week for Ligue 1 teams in the competition, as Ottawa South United was also kept out against West Ottawa SC in the local matchup. AS Gatineau did not struggle in their game though, beating rivals FC Gatineau 4-0 at home. The only other winner from the week was CS St-Lazare-Hudson, who scored a 7-1 win over interregional club Inter Montreal.
Next week will have eight games in total. Among the matches, there will be three Ligue 1 teams involved. Royal Beauport heads to CF L’International de Quebec, CS St-Hubert is at CS Boucherville, and and AS Laval is on the road to meet CSRDP.
Ligue 1 Quebec: Ottawa Beaten Across Close Week
Goals were not the theme for this week’s Ligue 1 Quebec play as no side scored more than two. In fact, no home side managed to win across the six clashes, a rarity.
Friday saw Celtix du Haut-Richelieu drew 1-1 with CS Longueuil to kick things off. Then, Saturday saw the result of the week, as league leaders Ottawa South United fell 2-0 at home to Royal Beauport. Both goals came in the second half as Beauport closed the gap at the top.
CS LaSalle and AS Gatineau drew 0-0 in their clash, while FC Laval held CS St-Laurent to a 1-1 stalemate. Sunday had two road wins, with CS St-Hubert topping AS Blainville 1-0, while AS Laval got the better of CSMRO 2-0.
The good news for Ottawa is that the rest of the teams have failed to close the gap, outside of Beauport. Their lead is still seven points. The relegation battle is heading up, with the bottom seven teams just seven points apart. Perhaps the most enthralling relegation race of any league.
There are only three matches next week in Ligue 1, as Longueuil takes on St-Laurent on Wednesday night. On Sunday, Blainville takes on AS Gatineau, and CSMRO meets St-Laurent.
Ligue 2 Quebec: Montreal Centre Earns Second Win
All 12 teams saw the field in Ligue 2 Quebec as the season continues to provide never-ending drama. Panellinios St-Michel started off the day with a huge 3-0 win at AS Chaudiere-Ouest. Three different players got in on the scoring.
In what has been a season of struggle for CS Montreal Centre, they finally got their second win by beating CS Roussillon 3-2. There were a pair of 1-0 successes, as Mistral de Sherbrooke edged Revolution FC and CF L’International de Quebec got past CS Trident.
CS St-Lazare-Hudson got past CSRDP 2-1 on the road thanks to a winner from an Emile Ste-Marie winner eight minutes into the second half. On Sunday, Lakeshore SC drew 1-1 with Union Lanaudiere Sud.
Both groups have two teams currently running away with it, though Lakeshore SC and Revolution are still in the running in both. Mistral de Sherbrooke and CSRDP are in relegation danger in Group A, while Montreal Centre still has the most work to do in Group B.
Next week has all 12 sides take part once more. Roussillon starts the week with a Friday night home game against Union Lanaudiere Sud. The other games are Saturday, as St-Lazare-Hudson hosts Sherbrooke, Revolution meets Chaudiere-Ouest, Panellinios takes on Lakeshore, Trident plays Montreal Centre, and CSRDP welcomes L’International de Quebec.
Ligue 3 Quebec: Venturi Enjoys Two Wins
There were nine completed games in Ligue 3 Quebec. Only one of Wednesday’s five games were completed, as CS Levis-Est got past CS Trois-Rivieres 2-1. On the weekend, West Ottawa started things off with a 3-1 defeat of Vallee Blizz’Or. Optimum de Victoriaville also continued their strong start to LS PRO life with a 4-2 success over Levis-Est.
Phenix des Rivieres and Cosmos de Granby played to a 2-2 stalemate as the former came from behind twice to earn a point. It also ended 2-2 between Soccer Pointe-Claire and Notre-Dame-de-Grace. Boreal d’Alma topped CS Haute-St-Charles 4-1, while AS St-Leonard drew 1-1 with CS Titans.
It was particularly a great week for Venturi de Saguenay. They managed to claim a pair of wins, beating CS Fury de Rimouski 3-0 on Saturday and Mondial de Riviere-du-Loup 4-3 on Sunday.
Levis-Est suffered their first league loss of the season, allowing for Boreal d’Alma to close the gap on them. Victoriaville continues to cruise towards the playoffs, while West Ottawa continues to hold off NDG, with the lead now increasing to three points.
There are a total of seven games next week as the season hits the midway mark for many sides. There are 14 different teams taking the field, with no one playing multiple league games. The big one sees division leaders West Ottawa and St-Jerome square off at Algonquin College on Sunday. St-Jerome is one of two teams left without a defeat to their name, adding further intrigue to the fixture.
Header Image Photo Credit: BTB Academy
