28th Season Recap
2019-08-15Another season of the Alberta Major Soccer League (AMSL) has wrapped up, with the final game taking place last night in Edmonton. The season brought with it some big changes, thanks to the inclusion of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) development teams joining in on the competition. FC Edmonton’s and Cavalry ...
Another season of the Alberta Major Soccer League (AMSL) has wrapped up, with the final game taking place last night in Edmonton.
The season brought with it some big changes, thanks to the inclusion of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) development teams joining in on the competition. FC Edmonton’s and Cavalry FC’s U20 squads competed in the Men’s division, making for a longer season with a greater number of games for the teams (17 games compared to past years’ 14).
Read more: CPL U20 Development teams to join Alberta Major Soccer League
The addition of these teams added a unique challenge to the other teams in the league, while also providing an excellent development opportunity for the players on the CPL U20 teams:
“It was a huge step for the Cavalry U20 team to be able to participate in the AMSL,” said Martin Nash, Cavalry FC Technical Director. “The league was very competitive and pushed our players more than we could have anticipated. It was an important step in their development as young soccer players.”
The 28th season also experienced a record number of rescheduled games (12) due to the combined impact of the poor air quality and stormy weather conditions. Fortunately, the weather late in the season took a turn for the better, allowing teams to make all but one (at the teams’ request) of these games up.
Youth Trialists
Of specific interest for this season is the dramatic increase in the number of youth trialists called up to compete, particularly on the Men’s side. In 2018, teams called up just 7 trialists. In 2019, that number jumped to 46. For the Women, the number increased from 62 in 2018 to 80 this past season.
“The increase in youth call-ups this past season is an exciting development,” said Shaun Lowther, Alberta Soccer Executive Director. “Integrating high performing Youth Players into the AMSL and exposing them to pressure situations with and against older, more experienced players will assist in their individual growth from technical, tactical, physical and social/emotional perspectives.”
Final Standings
On the Women’s side, Edmonton Victoria claimed the first-place spot once again, earning 40 points throughout the season. Edmonton Northwest United placed second with 32 points, and Edmonton Scottish Angels placed third, with 21 points.
Click here to view the full Women’s standings
The Men’s group saw Edmonton Green & Gold place at the top of their division standings by a wide margin, with 44 points. Edmonton Scottish followed in second with 32 points, then Calgary Dinosaurs with 29.
Click here to view the full Men’s standings
Top Goal Scorers
Congratulations to Sunder West of Lethbridge FC, who scored 11 goals in 13 games:
| Player | Team | Goals | GP |
| Sunder West | Lethbridge FC | 11 | 13 |
| Salma Kamel | Edmonton Northwest United | 9 | 13 |
| Heather Lund | Edmonton Victoria | 8 | 7 |
| Laura Kautz | Edmonton Victoria | 8 | 8 |
| Leanne Kadatz | Edmonton Scottish Angels | 8 | 11 |
Congratulations to Matteo Valdes, of Calgary Villains Elite FC, and Derek Brust, of Calgary Dinosaurs, who tied as the Top Goal Scorers this season. Valdes scored 13 goals in 15 games and was also the leading goal scorer in the 2017 season. Brust scored 13 goals in 17 games.
| Player | Team | Goals | GP |
| Matteo Valdes | Calgary Villains Elite FC | 13 | 15 |
| Derek Brust | Calgary Dinosaurs | 13 | 17 |
| Lahai Mansaray | Edmonton Green & Gold | 10 | 15 |
| Dominik Zuczek | Calgary Dinosaurs | 9 | 12 |
| Prince Amanda | FC Edmonton U20 | 9 | 14 |
What’s Next
The top three men and women’s teams in both the North and the South will meet at the 2019 Alberta Soccer Senior Provincials from August 30 to September 2. The teams will be competing for a shot at the Canada Soccer National Championships in St John’s, Newfoundland this Fall.
Should they qualify, Women’s League Champions, Edmonton Victoria Women, will battle for their 5th National title in seven years. Men’s League Champions, Edmonton Green & Gold, will seek to return to Nationals after last qualifying in 2016, when they placed 5th.
Challenges
Two teams have qualified to vie for a spot in the 29th season of the AMSL: Rangers Sportif FC in the South Men’s Division and Futbol United/Powerplay FC in the North Women’s Division. Both teams will now participate in a Challenge Series to determine whether they’ll enter the league in 2020.
South Men’s Challenge Series
- Game 1, September 11 (revised 16-Aug)
- Rangers Sportif FC vs Calgary Villains Elite FC
- Shouldice- Hellard, KO at 7:00 PM
- Game 2, September 19 (revised 16-Aug):
- Calgary Villains Elite FC vs Rangers Sportif FC
- Calgary Soccer Centre 2, KO at 7:00 PM
North Women’s Challenge Series
- Game 1, September 7 (tentative):
- Futbol United/Powerplay FC vs Edmonton Green & Gold
- Field/KO (TBC)
- Game 2, September 14 (tentative):
- Edmonton Green & Gold vs Futbol United/Powerplay FC
- Field/KO (TBC)
Photos
Check out pictures from some of the games throughout the season on the Alberta Soccer Flickr page. If you don’t see your team represented, please send your photos to Alberta Soccer for uploading.