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Canadian Soccer Association

The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of association football, or soccer as it is called locally, in Canada. It organizes the senior men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective U-21 and U-19 sides. Internally it looks over national amateur club championships for both Senior Men and Senior Women, U-18, U-16 and U-14 (all levels boys and girls).

History

Just what form association football, or soccer, took in Canada in the early years of the game is hard to determine. A game was played in Toronto in 1859 between the St. George's Society and a team of Irishmen. Games were played in New Westminster in 1862 and in Victoria in 1865. But in the lack of evidence to the contrary, the game in Canada as we know it today has its roots in a game played in Toronto in 1876. Much more research into the history of the game all across the country needs to be done before everything can be known for certain. Here are some highs and lows experienced by Canada's soccer family.

• 1880 - The Western Football Association (WFA) was formed in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. This organization was to play a major role in the development of soccer throughout southern Ontario for many years. Particularly before and just after 1900, the WFA had teams all over western Ontario in the small towns and villages. They included Seaforth, Mildmay, Listowel, Woodstock, Ingersoll, Brussels, Dundas, Aylmer, Ayr, Tavistock, Preston, Galt and of course Berlin.
• 1885 and 1886 - The Western Football Association sent teams to New Jersey to play teams from the American Football Association, then the unofficial governing body of soccer in the United States. In 1885 the WFA and AFA played outdoor and indoor games. In an unofficial international in 1885 Canada defeated the U.S. in East Newark, N.J. 1-0, one year later the U.S. won 3-2 on the same field. Teams from these two organizations played one another regularly in the years that followed, sometimes in Canada and other times in the U.S.
• 1896 - Manitoba Football Association formed on March 19 in Brandon.
• 1901 - The Ontario Football Association (today's Ontario Soccer Association) was formed in Toronto and the competition for the Ontario Cup began.
• 1904 - Galt Football Club from the WFA won the gold medal at the Olympic Games held in St. Louis. Only two other teams participated, both American.
• 1906 - The Saskatchewan Soccer Association was formed.
• 1911 - The Province of Quebec Football Association (PQFA) was formed in Montreal with Frank Calder, of NHL renown, playing a leading role. The Alberta Football Association was incorporated in 1911.
• 1912 - The founding meeting of the Dominion of Canada Football Association was held in Toronto on May 24 when provincial soccer executives laid the foundation of what is today's Canadian Soccer Association.
• 1913 - The Dominion F.A. became a member of FIFA.
• 1926 - The National Soccer League was formed with teams in Ontario and Quebec.
• 1928 - The Dominion of Canada Football Association resigned from FIFA and remained outside the world governing body until 1946, following the example of British Associations in a dispute over broken time payments to amateurs. Hamilton's Robert McDonald is signed by Glasgow Rangers, who spotted him while on tour in North America.
• 1930 - During the Great Depression Canadian soccer was hit hard. The DFA struggled financially and couldn't afford to hold annual meetings in 1932 and 1933 and from 1935 to 1940. In those years business was conducted by mail. At one point president Len Peto of Montreal loaned the DFA a considerable sum of money to stave off bankruptcy. The money was later repaid in full.
• 1931 - Montreal born goalkeeper Joe Kennaway signed for Glasgow Celtic and was an immediate success.
• 1933 - Toronto Scottish won the North American club championship by beating current U.S. champions St. Louis Stix at Chicago's Soldier Field by a score of 2-1.
• 1957 - Canada entered the FIFA World Cup for the first time and met the United States and Mexico in qualifying for the finals in Sweden in 1958. Canada won its first World Cup game 5-1 against the U.S. in Toronto, but played Mexico twice in Mexico City, for financial reasons, and lost 2-0 and 3-0. In the final game Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in St. Louis, but it was Mexico who advanced to the Finals. This was the first time Canada has formed a national team in 30 years.
• 1976 - The Olympic Games were held in Montreal, but the football tournament featured only 13 teams instead of the normal 16 after the African nations boycotted in protest against South Africa's apartheid policies. Canada opened against the Soviet Union in the Olympic Stadium and lost 2-1, the second game is played in Toronto against North Korea and with another loss and Canada was eliminated.
• 1979 - The Vancouver Whitecaps won the NASL championship by beating Tampa Bay Rowdies in the final 2-1 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
• 1983 - Toronto Blizzard reached the NASL final, played at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, but lost 2-0 to the Tulsa Roughnecks.
• 1984 - Canada having qualified for the finals of the Olympic Football Tournament, being played in the United States. In the first round they drew with Iraq, lost to Yugoslavia and then beat Cameroon to qualify for the quarter finals. Here the opposition was Brazil and after taking an early lead Canada lost on penalty kicks.
• 1986 - Canada played in the World Cup finals for the first time when the finals were held in Mexico. Playing in Group C, Canada lost 1-0 to France, and 2-0 to both Hungary and the Soviet Union.
• 1990 - The Vancouver 86ers win the North American Championship beating Maryland Bays 3-2 in the final played in Burnaby.
• 1993 - Following the collapse of the CSL, two Canadian teams, Vancouver 86ers and Montreal Impact, joined the "A" League in the United States.
• 1995 - Canada qualified for the finals of the second FIFA Women's World Cup played in Sweden. The team lost to England and Norway and tied with Nigeria.
• 1999 - Canada qualified for the finals of the third FIFA Women's World Cup played in the United States. Canada tied with Japan and then lost to Norway and Russia.
• 2000 - Canada's Men's National Team won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in February beating Colombia 2-0 in the final. In the group competition Canada tied with Costa Rica and South Korea but won the coin toss (called the most important flip of a coin in Canadian soccer history) in a three way tie. In the quarter final Canada beat Mexico 2-1 and in the semi-final Trinidad and Tobago 1-0.
• 2002 - Canada reached the Gold Cup semi-final for the second time and met the U.S. in the semi-final but lost on penalty kicks. Canada hosted the first ever FIFA World U-19 tournament for women with games in Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. The final between Canada and the United States was played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium and the U.S. won on a golden goal. Later in the same year Canada, with many players from the U-19 squad, and the U.S. met in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final for women, the U.S. won the Gold Cup, again on a golden goal.
• 2003 - Canada qualified for the finals of the fourth FIFA Women's World Cup. In the group stages they lost to Germany then beat Japan and Argentina recording their first wins in World Cup history. In the quarter-finals they upset China 1-0 before going down to Sweden in the semi-finals and US in the 3rd place game.