NASL FC Edmonton

Association Confirms 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship Schedule

Published on February 18, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


OTTAWA, On. - The Canadian Soccer Association has announced a new format for the Nutrilite Canadian Championship along with its 2011 schedule. For the first time, the competition will now feature four teams, with FC Edmonton added to the existing group of Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Impact Montréal.

"The Nutrilite is the world's best kept secret but it will be us playing the best Canadian team and it will be an exciting way to heighten awareness and hopefully show Edmonton fans that we're building the team to be competitive from the beginning," said FC Edmonton owner Tom Fath.

The old round-robin format has been replaced by the combination of a home-and-away semi-final stage along with a home-and-away championship final.

The winner of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship will qualify for CONCACAF Champions League, the 24-team confederation championship that qualifies one team for the FIFA Club World Cup. This year's FIFA Club World Cup will be played in Japan. Internazionale of Italy are the reigning champions winning the 2010 competition in Dubai.

"This new format, with the addition of the final series, will add more excitement to what is already a terrific event on the soccer calendar," said Peter Montopoli, General Secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association.

The new schedule features a line up with FC Edmonton against Toronto FC in one semi final and Vancouver Whitecaps FC against Impact Montréal in the other. On 27 April, Edmonton hosts Toronto while Montréal hosts Vancouver.

One week later on 4 May, the fixtures will be reversed.

"We now know exactly when our first match will take place and who our opponents will be," said FC Edmonton Head Coach Harry Sinkgraven. "The team is extremely excited and will be ready for Toronto FC."

The two-leg championship final will be played on 18 May and 25 May.

The determination for semi-final pairings was based on the relative Major League Soccer or USSF Division 2 standings from the 2010 regular season. The 2011 seeding was (first to fourth) Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal and Edmonton.

FC Edmonton was granted full membership as a professional club at last year's Canadian Soccer Association Annual General Meeting. Approval for the revised format was sought through CONCACAF. With the sanction of NASL this week by the USSF, FC Edmonton's acceptance into that competition was completed, thus securing FC Edmonton's berth in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

"We are delighted to be invited to participate in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship," said Mel Kowalchuk, General Manager of FC Edmonton. "It will give us an opportunity to play against established, top soccer franchises, and to set our sights on bringing international competition to Edmonton."

Since 2008, Canada's top professional teams have played in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup. The Impact won the inaugural championship in 2008 while Toronto FC won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

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