| Competition: | Canadian Soccer League First Division |
| Season: | 2017 |
| Dates: | May 26 – September 10 (regular season) September 15 – September 30 (playoffs) |
| Winners: | FC Vorkuta (First Division regular season) York Region Shooters (First Division playoffs, 3rd title) |
| League Topscorer: | Aleksandar Stojiljković (17) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Serbian White Eagles 8–1 Milton SC (August 18) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Milton SC 1–7 York Region Shooters (July 30) Milton SC 1–7 Royal Toronto FC (August 4) Brantford Galaxy 2–7 FC Vorkuta (August 26) Brantford Galaxy 0–7 FC Vorkuta (August 30) |
| Longest Wins: | 5 matches FC Vorkuta |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 12 matches Serbian White Eagles |
| Matches: | 56 |
| Total Goals: | 241 |
| Prevseason: | 2016 |
| Nextseason: | 2018 |
The 2017 Canadian Soccer League season (known as the Givova Canadian Soccer League for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season began on May 26, 2017, and concluded on September 30, 2017, with the CSL Championship final.
The season saw the York Region Shooters claim their third CSL Championship by defeating Scarborough SC in a penalty shootout. In the Second Division, FC Ukraine United went home with their first CSL double after defeating Burlington SC in the finals. FC Ukraine became the second club in the Second Division after TFC Academy II in 2012 to go undefeated the entire regular season. While FC Vorkuta became the second expansion franchise in CSL history since the Ottawa Wizards in the 2001 season to claim the title in their debut season.
The 2017 season was a highly competitive campaign, particularly in the First Division. The title was heavily contested between FC Vorkuta, Serbian White Eagles, and York Region Shooters. The outcome was determined on the final week of the regular season with Vorkuta claiming their first division title.[1] [2] The divisional champions were an expansion franchise with a noted history at the amateur level around the York Region.[3] [4]
Vorkuta relied on the Ukrainian soccer market for player recruitment and hired the services of Serhiy Zayets as head coach.[5] [6] [7] Another source of talent acquisition came from FC Ukraine United's decision to relegate to the Second Division which allowed Vorkuta to acquire Ukraine United's key players.[8] [9] [10] The club's foray into the professional scene was instantly felt as they managed to obtain the first position in the first two weeks. The majority of the season they were situated in the top three and produced an eight-game undefeated streak.[11] They ultimately secured the title in the final two weeks and reached the second stage of the postseason.[12] [13]
The Serbian White Eagles entered the season as the defending champions with general manager Uroš Stamatović originally returning to manage the squad. Serbia retained their seasoned imports from Europe, while also rejuvenating the roster with graduates from their youth system.[14] Their on-field performance prospered as the White Eagles began the season with a 12-game undefeated streak.[15] [16] Their only defeat occurred in an away match while at home they remained undefeated and held the first position for seven consecutive weeks. A defeat to York Region dropped the Serbs to third and concluded as runners up to Vorkuta by a single point. Unfortunately, they failed to defend their championship after being eliminated by York Region in the semifinals.[17]
York Region Shooters were consistent challengers for the divisional title. The Vaughan-based team preserved their veteran roster and continued their practice of acquiring additional talent from the Caribbean soccer market. They managed to hold the first position for three different occasions and held the third spot for the majority of the season. York Region continued their reputation as a solid defensive team and as a result, secured the best defensive record. The Shooters were undefeated on the road and eventually finished third in the standings just two points away from the division title.[18] In the postseason the Shooters secured their third CSL Championship.[19]
The fourth position was secured by Scarborough SC as the eastern Toronto club developed into an elite team. Preparations for the season included the recruitment of Krum Bibishkov as a player-coach.[20] Scarborough added more depth to their roster by attracting further overseas talent.[21] The team achieved a five-game undefeated streak towards the conclusion of the season and finished in the top four in best offensive and defensive records.[22] In the postseason Scarborough reached the championship final for the first time in its history.[23]
Brantford Galaxy secured a postseason berth by finishing fifth in the standings. The Galaxy primarily battled with Scarborough and fluctuated between the fourth and fifth positions. Saša Vuković was the change in the managerial structure and took the team to the first round of the playoffs.[24] [25]
The bottom section of the division featured Milton SC, Royal Toronto FC, and SC Waterloo Region. After competing in the second division for the 2016 season Waterloo returned to the First division with former player Stefan Ristic managing the team. The club produced a mediocre season by finishing in seventh place tied with Milton in points only separated by a lower goal difference.
Royal Toronto FC an academy operated by former players Dario Brezak and Luka Majstorovic was granted a franchise in the league. The expansion franchise failed to produce sufficient results and finished at the bottom of the standings.
FC Ukraine United decided to relegate themselves to the Second division for the 2017 season. The club continued in attracting seasoned imports from the Ukrainian soccer market and as result achieved a club milestone by producing their first perfect season in the league. The division witnessed the return of Burlington SC where they finished as runners up in the division and faced Ukraine United in the DII Championship final.
Since 2014 season the First Division has continued to be primarily based in the Greater Toronto Area, as Hamilton City SC and Toronto Atomic FC both failed to renew their membership for the 2017 season.[26] The additions of FC Vorkuta and Royal Toronto FC were brought in as expansions.[27] [28] [29] While SC Waterloo Region was promoted to the First Division to bring the division back to 8 teams. While the Second Division saw an increase to 8 teams with the return of Burlington SC and the relegation of FC Ukraine United.[30]
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saša Vuković[31] | ||||
| Serhiy Zayets[32] | ||||
| Jean Vanier Stadium | Jasmin Halkic[33] | |||
| Luka Majstorovic[34] | ||||
| Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario | Krum Bibishkov[35] | |||
| Milan Mijailović[36] | ||||
| Waterloo, Ontario | Stefan Ristic[37] | |||
| Joan of Arc Turf Field | Tony De Thomasis[38] |
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbian White Eagles | Uroš Stamatović[39] | Resigned | 1st in July | Branislav Vukomanović (interim) | [40] | ||
| Serbian White Eagles | Branislav Vukomanović (interim) | end of interim period | 2nd in September | Milan Mijailović |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scarborough SC | 17 | |
| 2 |  Serhiy Ivlyev | FC Vorkuta | 13 |
| 3 |  Evan Beutler[41] | York Region Shooters | 7 |
| 4 | Brantford Galaxy | 6 | |
 Scott Damion Tristan | Milton SC | ||
| Kiril Dimitrov | Scarborough SC | ||
| Đorđe Jočić | Serbian White Eagles | ||
| Miroslav Jovanović | Serbian White Eagles | ||
| Branislav Vukomanović | Serbian White Eagles | ||
| 5 | Krum Bibishkov | Scarborough SC | 5 |
| York Region Shooters | |||
| FC Vorkuta | |||
| Competition: | Canadian Soccer League Second Division |
| Season: | 2017 |
| Winners: | FC Ukraine United (Second Division regular season) FC Ukraine United (Second Division playoffs, 1st title) |
| League Topscorer: | Taras Hromyak (15) |
| Biggest Home Win: | FC Ukraine United 12–0 Serbian White Eagles B (June 18) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Royal Toronto FC B B 1–12 FC Ukraine United (July 8) |
| Longest Wins: | 7 matches FC Ukraine United |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 14 matches FC Ukraine United |
| Matches: | 56 |
| Total Goals: | 290 |
| Prevseason: | 2016 |
| Nextseason: | 2018 |
The Second Division increased to include eight teams in total. Departing clubs included the disbandment of defending champions York Region Shooters B, Toronto Atomic FC B, and the promotion of SC Waterloo to the First Division. New entries included the return of Burlington SC, the relegation of FC Ukraine United, and the reserve squads of FC Vorkuta B, SC Waterloo B, and Royal Toronto FC B.[42]
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomo Dancetovic | ||||
| Bruno Giannotti | ||||
| Andrei Malychenkov[43] | ||||
| Hellenic Centre Stadium | Cedo Popovic | |||
| Milos Scepanovic[44] |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taras Hromyak | FC Ukraine United | 15 |
| 2 | Jerry Gbodume | Royal Toronto FC B | 7 |
 Amardo Oakley | Burlington SC | ||
| 4 | Pavlo Lukyanets | FC Ukraine United | 6 |
| 5 | Adriano Marques[45] | Burlington SC | 5 |
| Aleksander Mitic[46] | SC Waterloo Region B | ||
| 7 | Kiril Antonenko | FC Ukraine United | 4 |
| Vitomir Jelić | Serbian White Eagles B | ||
| FC Vorkuta B | |||
| Adam Villella[47] | Brantford Galaxy B | ||
