1995 Canadian National Soccer League season
The 1995 Canadian National Soccer League season was the seventy third season for the Canadian National Soccer League. The season began on May 26, 1995 with London City facing Scarborough Astros at Cove Road Stadium.The season concluded on November 2, 1995, with St. Catharines Wolves claiming their second CNSL Championship after defeating Toronto Jets in a two-game series.
The season saw a reduction in membership with the league being solely represented in the province of Ontario. After the advent of the Canadian International Soccer League the CNSL faced competition as the Puma League was centered around the Toronto area with ethnic based teams. The All-Star match was noteworthy as the league representatives faced the 1994–95 UEFA Cup champions Parma FC.
Overview
The membership in the league decreased to six teams with all the clubs located in Ontario within the Golden Horseshoe area. The single new addition was the return of professional soccer to Hamilton represented by the Hamilton White Eagles.The league faced competition from the newly formed Canadian International Soccer League, which received sponsorship from Puma. The Puma League was centered around the Toronto area with ethnic based teams, and were able to attract Toronto Croatia in defecting. Former league commissioner, and Toronto Italia owner Rocco Lofranco resigned, and the league took over the Toronto franchise. Reports suggested that Lofranco had intentions of acquiring the franchise rights of the Toronto Rockets in order to receive entry into the American Professional Soccer League, but the Rockets ownership refused to relinquish their territorial rights.
Teams
Final standings
Playoffs
Finals
St. Catharines won 3–2 on aggregate.Cup
The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all six teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season. Teams played each other once home and away in the Cup competition, and the first and second place teams would play a singles match for the Cup.Matches
Finals
St. Catharines won 3–0 on penalties.All-Star game
The all-star match was held in Toronto, Ontario at Varsity Stadium, and the league arranged for Parma FC the 1994–95 UEFA Cup champions as the opposition for the match.Individual awards
The annual Canadian National Soccer League awards ceremony was held at the North York Council Chambers in North York, Ontario with an attendance of around 200 people. The master of the ceremony was future Hamilton Bulldogs president Cary Kaplan, who was operating as the secretary of the league. London and St. Catharines were tied each with two awards being given to the clubs. Mark Konert was named the Coach of the Year after leading St. Catharines to a double, which consisted of the CNSL Championship, and Umbro Cup. Wolves midfielder Chris Handsor was voted the MVP, and would go on to play in the USL A-League, and play a prominent role in indoor soccer throughout North America.London City was given the Most Disciplined Team award for being the most disciplined team throughout the season, and John Bottineau received the Rookie of the Year. The remainder of the awards such as the Golden Boot went to Scarborough Astros Laszlo Martonfi, and Joe Ciaravino of the Toronto Jets was named the Goalkeeper of the Year. Les Wilcox was named the Referee of the Year.
| Award | Player |
| CNSL Most Valuable Player | Chris Handsor |
| CNSL Golden Boot | Laszlo Martonfi |
| CNSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | Joe Ciaravino |
| CNSL Rookie of the Year Award | John Bottineau |
| CNSL Coach of the Year Award | Mark Konert |
| CNSL Referee of the Year Award | Les Wilcox |
| CNSL Most Disciplined Team Award | London City |
; First Team All-Stars
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Dino Perri | Rene Martin Jeff Brown Shawn Taggart Tom Perks | Chris Handsor Jack Zomparelli Orlando Rizzo Lucio Ianiero | John Bottineau Gary Deleon |