1974 National Soccer League season explained

Competition:National Soccer League
Season:1974
Shield:Toronto Italia
Shieldtitle:League cup
League Topscorer:Momčilo Stojanović (54)[1]
Best Goalkeeper:Blagoje Tamindžić[2]
Prevseason:1973

The 1974 National Soccer League season was the fifty-first season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in April and concluded in late October with Toronto Croatia defeating Toronto Homer for the NSL Championship.[3] The regular-season title was clinched by the Serbian White Eagles, and as a result, faced the Challenge Trophy champions Calgary Springer Kickers for the Canadian Open Cup and successfully claimed the title.[4] The NSL Cup was won by Toronto Italia after defeating Toronto First Portuguese.[5] [6]

The league experienced a further increase in match attendance and contributed an instrumental role in the construction of Lamport Stadium.[7] [8] Toronto Croatia became involved with the Toronto Metros to form Toronto Metros-Croatia to compete in the 1975 North American Soccer League season.[9]

Overview

The membership in the league increased to 19 members with the additions of Toronto Macedonia, and the Quebec Selects.[10] The Selects were a developmental team sponsored by the Quebec government, and Macedonia was another ethnic associated club that represented the Macedonian diaspora in Toronto.[11] The previous time the Macedonian community participated in the NSL was in the 1963 season.[12] The increase in teams prompted the league ownership to partition the league into two separate divisions with a promotion and relegation system for the following season.[13]

The average match attendance increased from the previous season with the Serbian White Eagles and Toronto Homer as the vanguard clubs in match attendance.[14] [15] The match attendance throughout the NSL would range from 10,000 to 400 spectators.[16] The NSL experienced further riots and fan violence which was primarily fueled by ethnic rivalries amongst the ethnically associated clubs.[17] [18] The frequent hooliganism throughout the season caused several referees to refuse to officiate several NSL matches.[19] [20] The league responded by issuing heavier fines, and suspensions to the responsible parties.[21] On the North American Soccer League front the Toronto Metros were experiencing financial difficulties, which resulted in Toronto Croatia becoming an equal financial partner to form Toronto Metros-Croatia.

Teams

TeamCityStadiumManager
Hamilton CityHamilton, OntarioIvor Wynne Stadium[22]
Hamilton CroatiaHamilton, OntarioIvor Wynne Stadium
Hamilton Italo-CanadiansHamilton, OntarioBrian Timmis Stadium
London CityLondon, OntarioCove Road Stadium
Montreal CantaliaMontreal, QuebecCEPSUM Stadium[23] Jarry Park StadiumSalvatore Italiano[24]
Quebec SelectsMontreal, QuebecJarry Park Stadium[25]
Ottawa TigersOttawa, OntarioMooney's Bay Sports Complex[26] Nick Iulano[27]
Serbian White EaglesToronto, OntarioCNE Stadium[28] Dragan Popović
Srbija KitchenerKitchener, Ontario
St. Catharines HeidelbergSt. Catharines, OntarioClub Heidelberg Field[29] Alex Crawley[30]
Toronto CroatiaToronto, OntarioCNE StadiumVladimir Šimunić[31]
Toronto First PortugueseToronto, OntarioCNE StadiumLuis Dabo
Toronto HomerToronto, OntarioCNE Stadium
Toronto Hungaria Toronto, OntarioCNE StadiumTom Boljkovac[32]
Toronto ItaliaYork, OntarioYork Stadium
Toronto MacedoniaEast York, OntarioEast York Stadium
Toronto Melita Toronto, OntarioCNE Stadium
Toronto PoloniaToronto, OntarioCNE Stadium
Toronto UkrainiansToronto, OntarioCNE StadiumOstap Steckiw[33]

Coaching changes

Playoffs

Finals

Cup

The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season in which all nineteen teams took part. The tournament would conclude in a two-legged match final for the Cup.

Finals

Canadian Open Cup

The Canadian Open Cup was a tournament organized by the National Soccer League in 1971 where the NSL champion would face the Challenge Trophy winners to determine the best team throughout the country.[34] [35] The 1974 edition served as a qualifier match to determine the Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.[36] Serbian White Eagles were the NSL representative for the 1974 competition while their opponents were Calgary Springer Kickers, who were the Alberta Cup, and Challenge Trophy titleholders.[37]

References

  1. Web site: 2016-11-13. PROCESSION OF INCOMING TALENT KEY TO SUCCESS OF 2016 CHAMPIONS....never ending arrivals keep Serbian White Eagles on top. 2021-04-30. Canadian Soccer League. en-US.
  2. Web site: National Soccer League 1926 to 1992. live. May 22, 2021. canadiansoccerleague.ca. https://web.archive.org/web/20140628214309/http://canadiansoccerleague.ca:80/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NSL_1921_1992.pdf . 2014-06-28 .
  3. News: Waring. Ed. October 21, 1974. White Eagles romp to Canadian title, defeat Calgary 3-1. S6. The Globe and Mail.
  4. Web site: CSL Past Champions. live. April 30, 2021. canadiansoccerleague.ca. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414193119/https://canadiansoccerleague.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Champions.pdf . 2021-04-14 .
  5. Book: Jose, Colin. On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. 2001. Vaughan, Ontario. 117.
  6. News: October 5, 1974. 1st Portuguese has 1-0 victory. D5. Toronto Star.
  7. News: Waring. Ed. October 15, 1974. President of NSL wants new stadium to bear his name. 41. The Globe and Mail.
  8. News: Waring. Ed. April 16, 1974. NSL primary tenant: Stadium to be built on reformatory site. 37. The Globe and Mail.
  9. News: Kernaghan. Jim. November 9, 1974. Soccer's Metros are given a reprieve by Toronto Croatia. D6. Toronto Star.
  10. News: Waring. Ed. December 10, 1973. Eight of NSL's ten teams will call CNE Stadium home. S2. The Globe and Mail.
  11. News: Waring. Ed. May 27, 1974. Quebec-financed soccer team loses both weekend matches. S6. The Globe and Mail.
  12. News: Waring. Ed. June 29, 1963. Macedonians Quit NSL, Player Costs Major Factor. 34. The Globe and Mail.
  13. News: Kernaghan. Jim. April 17, 1974. Soccer battle means spiraling costs. C2. Toronto Star.
  14. News: Krivel. Peter. June 25, 1974. Share NSL lead - Serbians could doff bridesmaid's role. C2. Toronto Star.
  15. News: May 20, 1974. Eagles, Homer stay unbeaten, tie 1-1 before 10,951 fans. S8. The Globe and Mail.
  16. News: May 13, 1974. Five shutouts in a row: Toronto Serbians boast perfect record. S9. The Globe and Mail.
  17. News: Krivel. Peter. July 15, 1974. Police quell angry soccer mob after referee stops the game. B5. Toronto Star.
  18. News: Proudfoot. Jim. July 17, 1974. National League must eliminate soccer brawling. C2. Toronto Star.
  19. News: Krivel. Peter. October 15, 1974. Getting referee a problem after NSL game abandoned. C3. Toronto Star.
  20. News: Waring. Ed. October 16, 1974. Toronto soccer refs strike against teams for attacks on field. 32. The Globe and Mail.
  21. News: July 22, 1974. NSL cracks down fines, suspensions, for violent game. B5. Toronto Star.
  22. News: June 19, 1974. Extra police called to quell NSL fracas. C5. Toronto Star.
  23. News: Guernsey. Betty. March 8, 1974. Did You Know? - Soccer. 19. Montreal Gazette.
  24. News: Onorato. Andre. June 8, 1974. Revamped Cantalia facing tough match. 32. Montreal Gazette.
  25. News: Ziolkowski. Tony. May 3, 1974. Only 15 parks for our 28, 000 soccer players. 31. Montreal Gazette.
  26. News: May 3, 1974. Soccer Tigers play two. 21. Ottawa Citizen.
  27. News: July 1, 1974. Want more goals: Fans berate players despite 1-0 victory. S3. The Globe and Mail.
  28. News: April 20, 1974. Hungaria to meet Croatia in opener of NSL season. 49. The Globe and Mail.
  29. News: Gatecliff . Jack . 18 April 1974 . Through the Sports Gate - Soccer time again . 27 . St. Catharines Standard.
  30. News: 1 February 1974 . Club Heidelberg Explains Position on New Soccer Club . 22 . St. Catharines Standard.
  31. News: Krivel. Peter. July 5, 1974. Croatia is showing signs of recapturing soccer glory. C3. Toronto Star.
  32. News: Koep. Bob. April 22, 1974. NSL champs look ready to repeat as powerhouse. B2. Toronto Star.
  33. News: Waring. Ed. June 10, 1974. Geiger thwarts Hamilton City, improved Ukraing gains 0-0 draw. S1. The Globe and Mail.
  34. Book: Jose, Colin. Canadian Encyclopedia of Soccer - Keeping Score. Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. 1998. 0-9683800-0-X. Vaughan, Ontario. 121.
  35. News: October 21, 1975. Toronto meets B.C. in Canadian Open. 34. The Globe and Mail.
  36. News: Kernaghan. Jim. July 12, 1975. Eagles want to win but it is costly. D5. Toronto Star.
  37. News: July 8, 1974. Kickers capture cup. 17. Calgary Herald.

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