Calgary Mustangs (CPSL)
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The Calgary Mustangs were a Canadian professional soccer team in
Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...
that competed in the original Canadian Professional Soccer League in 1983.


History

After the original five CPSL clubs were announced, Calgary was later announced as the sixth franchise. 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. 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. 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. 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. Their first match was played on May 23 on the road against Mississauga Croatia, which ended in a 1–1 draw. 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. 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. As the Mustangs were the lowest ranked remaining team in the league, they matched up against the Edmonton Eagles in the first round. 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. The Mustangs lost the second match and were thus eliminated from the playoffs. The league folded following the single 1983 season, ending the tenure of the Mustangs. Professional soccer eventually returned to Calgary in 1987 with the
Calgary Kickers The Calgary Strikers (formerly the Calgary Kickers) were a Canadian soccer team in Calgary, Alberta, that competed in the Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1989. They were founded as the Calgary Kickers for the 1987 and 1988 seasons, winning t ...
of the original
Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...
, who played for three seasons. Another team called the Calgary Mustangs later played in 2004, renamed from the Calgary Storm. In 2019, another team
Cavalry FC Cavalry Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches ...
began playing in the new
Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...
.


Season


Notable players

The following players played for the Mustangs:


References

{{Soccer in Calgary Defunct soccer clubs in Canada
Mustangs The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...
1983 establishments in Alberta 1983 disestablishments in Alberta Association football clubs established in 1983 Association football clubs disestablished in 1983