MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - The Canadian Soccer League unveiled Tuesday its schedule for the 2012 season , with the Montreal Impact U21 squad set to open its season at home on May 13 against the York Region Shooters in its home opener at 2pm, at Centre sportif du Collège St-Jean-Vianney, in RDP.
The 2012 CSL division 1 season consists of a 22 game schedule, 11 home and 11 away, and is made up of an expanded 16 teams, three more than in 2011: Niagara United, SC Waterloo and Kingston FC. The season goes six months, from May until October.
The Impact U21 team will play all teams at least once, with an additional six return matchups. The U21 face off against rival Toronto FC Academy at home on June 6 at 2pm, with the return match set for September 14. The Impact will meet last season’s champions Toronto Croatia only once on the road on June 23.
“The objective for this season in the CSL is to improve on what we did last year,” said Impact U21 head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “Therefore, we are aiming to finish higher than we did last year, return to the playoffs and reach the semi-finals. We must not forget that for all our Academy teams, we must combine the way we play and progress along with the result. The quality of play during games is an extremely important factor in judging the progression of our players.”
The Impact U21 finished in sixth place in 2011, qualifying for the post-season for the first time in only its second year in the league, losing its quarterfinal match to Capital City FC.
The month of September will be a busy one as the team will plays six games in 22 days, including four games on the road. The U21s will also play two games in just two days.
