Calgary Mustangs (CPSL)
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Founded | 1983 |
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Dissolved | 1983 |
Stadium | Mewata Stadium |
Capacity | 5,600 |
Owner | Edgar Edringer |
Coach | Günter Noel |
League | Canadian Professional Soccer League |
The Calgary Mustangs were a Canadian professional soccer team in
History
After the original five CPSL clubs were announced, Calgary was later announced as the sixth franchise.[2] After being turned down by a couple of local investors, the league was able to convince West German player agent Edgar Edringer to invest in a team and the team was officially unveiled on February 24, 1983.[2] Edringer announced his intention to be heavily involved with the franchise, moving to the city and serving as the team's general manager as well.[2] He was confident that the team would be successful, unlike the former NASL Calgary Boomers who operated for only one season in 1981 before folding due to losses of over $2 million despite setting an NASL attendance record of averaging over 11,000 fans, in part due to his knowledge of the sport.[2] Edringer announced that the team would operate on a $650,000 budget ($350,000 for player salaries), which would limit losses due to the investment amount.[2][3]
Their first match was played on May 23 on the road against Mississauga Croatia, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[3] Their home opener came in their third game of the season, on May 29, also against Mississauga, which resulted in their first victory by a 4–0 score, in front of a crowd of 5,107 spectators at Mewata Stadium, in which they featured a starting lineup that contained nine young Canadian players.[3]
After two of the six league clubs folded in mid-June, the decision was made to abandon the remainder of the regular season and proceed directly to the playoffs on July 12.[4] As the Mustangs were the lowest ranked remaining team in the league, they matched up against the Edmonton Eagles in the first round.[4] After losing the first match of the best-of-three series to Edmonton, head coach Günter Noel quit as Calgary's coach, one day ahead of the second match, as he had not been paid since mid-June.[3] The Mustangs lost the second match and were thus eliminated from the playoffs.[3]
The league folded following the single 1983 season, ending the tenure of the Mustangs.[5][2]
Professional soccer eventually returned to Calgary in 1987 with the
Season
Season | Tier | League | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1983[note 1] | 1 | Canadian Professional Soccer League | 2–4–6 | 5th | Semi-finals | [4] |
- ^ The 1983 CPSL regular season was cancelled partway through the season and playoffs began immediately after it
Notable players
The following players played for the Mustangs:[8]
References
- ^ "Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)". Fun While it Lasted.
- ^ a b c d e f Huntley, E.J. 73 Days - The Story of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. Kindle.
- ^ a b c d e "1983 Season". theCNSL.com.
- ^ a b c Huntley, Elliot J. (March 5, 2015). "Canada - Canadian Professional Soccer League". RSSSF.
- ^ Litterer, David (July 7, 1998). "Canadian Professional Soccer League I". Soccer History USA.
- ^ Willerton, Alana (June 19, 2019). "What You Should Know About Calgary's New Professional Soccer Team, Cavalry FC". Avenue Calgary.
- ^ Willerton, Alana (June 19, 2019). "What You Should Know About Calgary's New Professional Soccer Team, Cavalry FC". Avenue Calgary Magazine.
- ^ "Calgary Mustangs 1983 (CPSL)". nasljerseys.com.