Toronto City

This article is about a defunct soccer team. Not to be confused with the city of Toronto, or its local government.
Toronto City
Full nameToronto City Soccer Club
Founded1961
Dissolved1967
StadiumVarsity Stadium
OwnersLarry Myslivec, Ed Fitken
and Steve Stavro

Toronto City was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario. Between 1961 and 1967, teams using this name competed in both the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association.

History

ECPSL

In 1961, along with industrialist Larry Myslivec and journalist Ed Fitken, Steve Stavro, a Macedonian Canadian businessman who would go on to own Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, formed the Toronto City Soccer Club which played in the newly created Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League. During its inaugural season the team featured several prominent soccer players including Northern Ireland international Danny Blanchflower, England internationals Stanley Matthews and Johnny Haynes and Scottish internationals Jackie Mudie and Tommy Younger, notable as the last time the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland captains played on the same side. Younger also coached the team. City won the league in 1964, and in November of that year they offered the role of "manager-coach" to Stan Cullis.[1] In January 1966 Stavro fell out with the league administrators and withdrew the team from the league.

United States

In 1966 Stavro helped form the United Soccer Association and entered a team called Toronto City in the new league. The USA originally intended to launch its league in the spring of 1968. However a rival league, the National Professional Soccer League, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to lose ground to its rival, the USA decided to fast track its launch. Without any players of its own, it opted to import whole teams from Europe and South America. It was intended that these teams would represent the franchises during the inaugural season, giving them time to build their own squads for the following season. Toronto City was subsequently represented by Hibernian of the Scottish Football League.[2]

Together with Cleveland Stokers, Detroit Cougars, New York Skyliners, Boston Rovers and Washington Whips, City competed in the Eastern Division. These teams were actually Stoke City, Glentoran, C.A. Cerro, Shamrock Rovers and Aberdeen respectively. City eventually finished third,[2] behind the Stokers and the Whips. In December 1967 the US and the NPSL merged to form the North American Soccer League.[3][4] As a result of this merger some of the USA franchises, including Toronto City folded. This was partly to avoid cities having more than one club in the new NASL, and City lost out to its NPSL rival Toronto Falcons. Stavro sold his team back to the league for $160,000.[5][6]

Year-by-year

Year League W L T Pts Regular Season Playoffs
1961 ECPSL 11 10 3 25 1st, league Lost in semi-final
1962 ECPSL 8 9 7 38 2nd, league Lost in final
1963 ECPSL 3 16 6 12 Last (6th) in league did not qualify
1964 ECPSL 14 4 6 34 1st in league Won the President's Cup
1965 ECPSL 5 13 6 16 Last (5th) in league did not qualify
1967 United Soccer Association 4 3 5 13 3rd, Eastern Division did not qualify

Head coaches

References

  1. ^ "Mr Cullis's Offer". The Herald. Glasgow. Reuter. p. 4. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b Hardie, David (24 July 2009). "When the Hibees became Toronto". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  3. ^ Waring, Ed (8 December 1967). "Pro soccer merger hinges on unified Toronto team". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ^ Waring, Ed (13 December 1967). "Falcons' boss insists he has sole ownership of merged franchise". The Globe and Mail.
  5. ^ "20 cities picked for soccer loop". New York Times. 14 December 1967.
  6. ^ Waring, Ed (29 March 1968). "Legal action could boot soccer Falcons from Toronto". The Globe and Mail.
  7. ^ "Hibees And Hippies: From Leith To San Francisco – The Soccer Observer". thesoccerobserver.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014.