86 Forever Envisions A Canadian Soccer League

When the Canadian Soccer Association put a moratorium on sanctioning further Division 2 teams that want to play in U.S.-based leagues, it was with the obvious understanding that there could someday be another national domestic soccer league.

The great thing about that is it opens the door for people like 86 Forever’s Benjamin Massey to speculate on what a Division 2 league in Canada might actually look like.

Since the appointment of Peter Montopoli as General Secretary, the Canadian Soccer Association has made several encouraging strides towards competence. They’re not there yet, but they’re getting closer. It’s hard not to have faith and even some confidence in those leading our national soccer programs today.

Massey was able to find 10 suitable cities — FIFA would require at least eight to sanction a league — that could support Division 2 soccer teams.

The first thing to keep in mind when looking at Massey’s list is that he does not believe CSA would ever force the Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC or, eventually, the Montreal Impact to leave MLS. He clearly sees the reasonable best-case scenario for a Canadian league as being no more ambitious than a Division 2 league.

As such, he foresees the reborn MLS Reserve Division playing a part in the league with virtual minor league teams based in Burnaby, British Columbia (Whitecaps), Toronto and Quebec City, Quebec (Impact). The next three teams are cities that have existing clubs in either NASL or PDL: Edmonton, Alberta (FC Edmonton); Victoria, British Columbia (Highlanders); and London, Ontario (Forest City). The final group of cities are those he sees as having the realistic potential, but are currently without teams: Ottawa, Ontario; Hamilton, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.