February 22, 2007 CSL announcements (from CSL media release)
Kaplan talks pro soccer expansion tonight
New team Trois-Rivieres signs defenders
TORONTO - Thursday, February 22 - CSL commissioner Cary Kaplan will be interviewed on Sports Radio The Fan 590 tonight when co-hosts of the Soccer Show Nigel Reed and Bob Iarusci will want to know what's happening to expand and strengthen Canada's professional soccer structure, seen by many and considered by FIFA to be a weakness in this country's quest to be a player on the world stage. Canada needs to expand its professional soccer, said FIFA president Sepp Blatter while visiting Toronto six years ago and today there are three teams at the top flight with MLS team Toronto FC and two teams (Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps) as members of the U.S.-based USL, while 11 teams will kickoff this 2007season in the Canadian Soccer League - and at least two more are lined up for 2008.
The increasingly popular radio show which features Canadian and overseas soccer, will air 9 to 10 p.m. tonight and the commissioner is expected to be on air shortly after 9.15 p.m.
The CSL has indicated a program of strong expansion during the next few years and recently added a second team in Quebec City to its National Conference and African Icons to its International Division. They will kickoff in 2008, but expansion team Trois-Rivieres Attak will kick off this coming May and have announced some player signings with defenders Alex Surprenant, Olivier Brett and Danny Anderson joining the Quebec-based team for the upcoming 2007 season.
Olivier Brett has played for Kodiak of Charlesbourg for the three last seasons, was a member of the Quebec team at the Canada Games in 2000 and is an All-Star with McGill University Redmen. Anderson has international experience, having played professionally in England and Sweden, while Surprenant impressed head coach Marc Dos Santos while training at Quebec's National Centre for High Performance (CNHP). He was a member of Quebec's U-18s at the Canadian championships in 2006 and a member of Canada's under 17 squad.
The CSL regular league season kicks off mid-May.
Please refer Stan Adamson
Canadian Soccer League Inc.,
The Soccer Centre, 7601 Martin Grove Road, Vaughan, Ontario L4L 9E4
Tel: 905 856-5439 Fax: 905 856-9325 e-mail: canadiansoccerleague@csl.ca www.canadiansoccerleague.ca
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