1998 Canadian Professional Soccer League season
The 1998 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the inaugural season under the Canadian Professional Soccer League name. The season began on May 31, 1998, and concluded on October 14, 1998, with the St. Catharines Wolves defeating the Toronto Olympians in 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout to claim the first CPSL Championship held at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. Though Toronto was denied the treble they still managed to go undefeated the entire regular season, and dominate the league with the best offensive and defensive record.
| Season | May 31 – September 30 (regular season) October 4 – October 14 (playoffs) |
|---|---|
| Champions | St. Catharines Wolves |
| Regular Season title | Toronto Olympians |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Goals scored | 270 (4.82 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gus Kouzmanis (Toronto Olympians) |
| Best goalkeeper | Dino Perri |
| Biggest home win | Toronto Olympians 12-0 York Region Shooters (September 27, 1998) |
| Biggest away win | Toronto Croatia 0-10 Toronto Olympians (August 19, 1998) |
| Highest scoring | Toronto Olympians 12-0 York Region Shooters (September 27, 1998) |
1999 → | |
The CPSL was created by an alliance forged by the Ontario Soccer Association with the Canadian National Soccer League in order to implement the Image of the Game Report to provide a suitable professional soccer structure in Ontario and potentially throughout the country for the development of players and to serve as a preliminary league for the North American top tier leagues. During the initial stages of the formation of the league it faced certain difficulties as the schedule was finalized just two weeks prior kickoff. The scheduling problem revolved mainly around the status of Toronto Italia as it disagreed with the league's policy and territory rights. Though they applied for membership it was challenged by Toronto Croatia over alleged debts being owned to them from the 1995 CNSL season. After refusing to pay the debt Italia withdrew and were refunded of its membership application fee, as a result the CPSL lost one of the country's most prestige clubs. In addition the league received sponsorship from Adidas, Labatt, and Coffee Time.