Canadian soccer has historically been closely intertwined with that of its southern neighbors. Many leagues have spanned borders and continue to do so today, with Toronto FC's entry into Major League Soccer and Canadian clubs competing in the lower divisions of US leagues as prime examples. An all-Canada league existed from the mid-80s to mid-90s but was unable to survive. Although popular in Canada's large immigrant community and gradually making headway elsewhere, the sport is still dwarfed in popularity by the national sport of ice hockey, Canadian football and even baseball and basketball.
Joining Toronto FC in 2011 will be a second Canadian entry, the Vancouver Whitecaps who currently compete in the 2nd tier USL First Division. It is entirely possible that a third club will also make the move upwards in the coming years, that being the Montreal Impact, also of the USL First Division. These three clubs currently compete in the Canadian Championship to determine the Canadian entry in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The national team's record has been largely uninspiring, with only one World Cup appearance to their name. The country did not even begin consistently entering the qualifying tournament until 1970. Their performance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup is rather better, with a surprise 2000 win and two semifinal appearances on their resume.
Canadian Soccer Clubs Map:
Canadian National Team History:
World Cup History:
1st Round (1986)
Did not qualify (1958, 70, 74, 78, 82, 90, 94, 98, 2002, 06, 10)
Sports map specialist Bill Turianski contributes an article to Albion Road roughly once a month, bringing us something from his collection of sports maps.
Details: