The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), Major League Soccer's Toronto FC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact of the USL-1 announced details for a three city, six-match Canadian club competition. The competition determines Canada's representative at the CONCACAF Champions League this summer.
The qualification tournament takes place between May 27 and July 22, 2008 with each participating city hosting two games.
The CONCACAF Champions' League is the revamped version of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the longest running international club competition in the CONCACAF region that has crowned the best club of the confederation since its inception over four decades ago.
The CONCACAF Champions League will have 24 teams from all regions of CONCACAF participating. The preliminary round begins in August 2008 with the first CONCACAF Champions League winner to be crowned in late April 2009. The League winner will move on to represent the confederation at the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan and compete for the top prize of $5 million against some of the top soccer clubs in the world.
"Toronto FC is excited to compete in a national tournament that challenges our players and gives them an opportunity to develop their game at a another level," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and Governor of Major League Soccer. "More importantly competitions such as this Canadian Qualification tournament support our goal of motivating the next generation of Canada's soccer talent and show them that they have professional soccer teams to aspire too."
"We are very excited, as a club, to participate in an event that will showcase soccer locally, nationally and internationally," said Joey Saputo, President, Montreal Impact. "All three clubs have achieved great things in their respective local markets, but this is a unique opportunity to further promote the game of soccer throughout the country."
Saputo added "I truly want to underline the great spirit of cooperation that has surrounded this project since the clubs first initiated their discussions last October. When natural rivals such as Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto put their differences aside and come together for the good of the game, you know something exciting is going to happen." "The realization of a Canadian club represented at the CONCACAF Champions League is a huge step in the evolution of professional soccer in Canada," said Vancouver Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. "Canada's three professional clubs have never been stronger both on and off the field, and this tournament will showcase the growth of the sport in Canada's three biggest markets. It's a great time to be a fan of the professional game in Canada."
"This competition provides a unique opportunity for the professional clubs and the Canadian Soccer Association to showcase a high-level competition to our fans," said CSA chairman of the board Dominic Maestracci. "It will open the door for our best professional club to measure itself against the best clubs in CONCACAF."
Details for ticket sales for the Canadian Qualifier Competition will be announced later this spring. For more information, visit www.canadasoccer.com, www.torontofc.ca, www.whitecapsfc.com, or www.montrealimpact.com
Canadian Qualification Tournament dates:
• Toronto FC at Montreal Impact - May 27, 2008 (Stade Saputo)
• Vancouver Whitecaps at Montreal Impact (Stade Saputo) - June 17, 2008
• Montreal Impact at Vancouver Whitecaps (Swangard Stadium) - June 25, 2008
• Vancouver Whitecaps at Toronto FC (BMO Field) - July 1, 2008
• Toronto FC at Vancouver Whitecaps (Swangard Stadium) - July 9, 2008
• Montreal Impact at Toronto FC (BMO Field) - July 22, 2008
