September was full of big matches, with the Voyaguer’s Cup coming to a close & the League1 Ontario playoffs crowning a new champion, there was plenty to get excited about. Competitions may be winding down for the year, but the best is yet to come. Here’s how everything shook out last month.
Top by League & Biggest Movers
Very few changes as far as the top-sides by elo-ratings are concerned. In fact, both CSA & USSF have the exact same teams listed at the top of the heap, although there are some adjustments to the actual numbers.
Cavalry have once again surpassed 1400-points, retaking 2nd place on the overall elo-ratings table. Vaughan Azzurri are down a little, and were eliminated early from the League1 Ontario playoffs. The early elimination may have been a blessing for Vaughan, as it locked-in the high ratings with which they ended out the season. AS Blainville are nearly unchanged, even as they compete in the PLSQ Cup competition.
On the USSF-side, TFC have better solidified their position as the top-Canadian side in the MLS. With Montreal’s 2nd-leg loss in the Voyageur’s Cup (despite their victory in penalties), TFC were boosted at the expense of the Quebec-side.
Master’s Futbol of League1 Ontario have managed the largest growth this month. As the L1O Champions they’ve earned their berth in the 2020 Voyaguer’s Cup. Whitecaps had the 2nd largest gain, with 30.773 points, followed by TFC with 22.302.
On the other side of the equation, FC Edmonton have tumbled by 51.992 points, and have dropped to 6th in the overall table. Pacific FC, with a 26.821 point slide, have also slid in the rankings. They now come in 8th place overall. CS Longueuil of the PLSQ, dropped 23.602 points, sliding down 6 places into 38th as a result of their poor performance over the course of the month. Their run in the PLSQ cup is likely coming to an end.
2019 Voyageur’s Cup
At long last, we have a champion.
Montreal Impact took the first leg of the Canadian Championship final with a 1-0 victory at home. They lost the 2nd leg, 1-0 to TFC on the road. As a result, it all came down to penalties to determine the winner.
Thankfully for Impact, the Reds suck at penalties.
After only 3-rounds, Montreal won the Battle of the North.
Despite being eliminated from contention for the MLS Playoffs a few nights later, Montreal can begin preparing for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League. With Forge’s Round-of-16 loss to Olimpia in CONCACAF League, they will be Canada’s only entrant into the confederation’s top-competition.
2020 Voyageur’s Cup D3-Qualifiers
League1 Ontario wrapped up their season this past weekend, with Master’s Futbol taking on FC London. With the winner receiving a berth in the 2020 Voyageur’s Cup, there was a lot on the line for both clubs.
Master’s 4-1 victory caps off a stellar year for the club. They went from being one of the worst-performing clubs, year-after-year, to League1 Ontario champions. They started 2019 in 31st-place overall with 893.356 elo-rating points. A arduous season & remarkable playoff run have propelled them up 8 places to 23rd, with 948.588 points.
Although this leaves the side behind perennial powerhouses Vaughan Azzurri (14th @ 1055.230), Oakville Blue Devils (18th @ 965.244), Woodbridge Strikers (21st @ 950.347), and FC London (22nd @ 949.540), they have shown that it’s important not to count out clubs that have, traditionally, fared poorly.
To make an EPL comparison, this year they were the 2015-16 Leicester City. An underdog of a team, that fought its way right to the top.
Assuming the Voyageur’s Cup format doesn’t undergo extensive change (Ha!), Master’s Futbol will get the opportunity to face off against a CPL side in the competition next year.
Additionally, A.S. Blainville of the PLSQ will make its return to the Voyageur’s Cup. Blainville once again won the PLSQ regular season, earning them their 3rd consecutive appearance in the Voyageur’s Cup.
Although CS Mont-Royal Outremont continues to challenge them in the regular season, A.S. Blainville remain the only PLSQ-side to qualify for the competition.
Conclusion
Although most competitions have come to a close. Play continues for MLS, CPL, USL-C, USL-1, and with the PLSQ Cup.
Here’s where 81-teams rank, based upon data from Spring 2017 through September 30, 2019:
We continue to have weekly updates for our $1+ Patreons, and will return with our big monthly update in November. Until then, let’s go enjoy some soccer.
Looking forward to Canada Soccer men’s national competition October 9th-14th in St. John’s, NL to finalize some of the ranking from Provincial leagues.