National Soccer League

In 1985, less than one year after the Toronto Blizzard

Toronto Blizzard (NASL)

The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....

 ceased operations due to the failure of the North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

 (the club had never actually folded), Blizzard owners York-Hanover purchased Dynamo Latino of the semi-professional Ontario-based National Soccer League

Canadian National Soccer League

The Canadian National Soccer League, known as the National Soccer League until 1993, was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997...

 (established 1922) with the intention of renaming them the Toronto Blizzard. While NSL regulations did not permit the name change in the midst of the season, the name Toronto Blizzard was part of the NSL in 1986.

Under former assistant coach Dave Turner, the club won the "League Championship" and the "NSL Cup" while Toronto Italia won the "Play-Off Championship". The Blizzard roster featured former NASL stars Paul Hammond, Randy Ragan

Randy Ragan

Randolph "Randy" Lee Ragan is a former Canadian elite professional soccer player, who was considered one of the top midfield players in Canada in the 1980s.-Professional:...

, and Paul James.

The Blizzard played only one season in the NSL in preparation to join the fledgling Canadian Soccer League in 1987.

Canadian Soccer League

The Toronto Blizzard joined the Canadian Soccer League in its inaugural season of 1987.

In 1990, despite finishing the regular season on top of the CSL's Eastern Division standings, the Blizzard were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs. In 1991, the Blizzard lost in the Championship Final to the Vancouver 86ers despite two world class long range goals by Canadian International Branko Segota

Branko Segota

Branimir "Branko" Šegota is a former Canadian professional soccer forward, starring in the original Major Indoor Soccer League, the North American Soccer League, the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the National Professional Soccer League, and the Canadian Soccer League.Born in Rijeka, then part...

. It was the 86'ers fourth straight league championship.

Prominent players for the CSL Blizzard included Carl Fletcher

Carl Fletcher (soccer)

Carl Tadeus Fletcher is a former professional Canadian soccer defender.-Club career:Fletcher played early in his career for the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League. He played for the Toronto Rockets in 1994, which was the club's sole season of existence...

, Iain Fraser, Pat Onstad

Pat Onstad

Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

, Pat Harrington

Pat Harrington (soccer)

Pat Harrington is a former soccer and Canadian national team goalkeeper.-Club career:American-born Harrington had a spell at English side Charlton Athletic before making his name at Toronto Blizzard...

, Edhino, Petr Rada

Petr Rada

Petr Rada is a Czech football coach, currently in charge of FK Teplice. He previously coached the Czech Republic national team....

, John Fitzgerald

John Fitzgerald (Canadian soccer player)

John Kennedy Fitzgerald is a former Canadian international soccer player.-Club career:He played for the Toronto Blizzard during this time. He played collegiately for the Toronto Varsity Blues. John Fitzgerald also played reserve football in England for in 1987 for both Brentford F.C...

, Stevie Gill, Trevor McCallum

Trevor McCallum

Trevor McCallum is a former English-Canadian soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and earned eighteen caps with the Canada men's national soccer team....

, Tony Pignatiello, David "Budgie" Byrne, Luis Lufi, Marco Abascal and Paul Peschisolido

Paul Peschisolido

Paolo Pasquale Peschisolido , commonly known as Paul Peschisolido, is a Canadian association football manager and former player...

 who would be sold to Birmingham City

Birmingham City F.C.

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...

 of the English First Division at the conclusion of the 1992 season.

The CSL folded after the 1992 campaign when the Toronto Blizzard and Vancouver 86'ers left the league to join the American Professional Soccer League (then down to only four franchises).

American Professional Soccer League

The CSL Toronto Blizzard joined the American Professional Soccer League

American Professional Soccer League

The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...

 in 1993 playing out of their old North American Soccer League home, the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium

Varsity Stadium

Varsity Stadium is a collegiate football stadium that is home to the Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While the present structure was built in 2007, it is in fact the third major incarnation of the stadium that has occupied the same site...

. Due to financial difficulties and abysmal attendance, the team was forced to move to the city of Toronto owned Lamport Stadium

Lamport Stadium

Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is used mostly for soccer. It was built in 1974 on the site of the notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women, opened in the fall of 1975 and holds 9,600...

 roughly three quarters of the way through the season.

The 1993 Blizzard finished fifth in the regular standings (10 wins and 14 losses), failing to make the play-offs. The team featured Fernando Aguiar

Fernando Aguiar

Fernando João Lobo Aguiar is a retired Portuguese-born Canadian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....

, Julio Vieira, Lyndon Hooper

Lyndon Hooper

Lyndon Hooper is a former professional Canadian soccer player and former assistant coach of the Toronto Lynx soccer team of the United Soccer Leagues First Division...

, Eddy Berdusco

Eddy Berdusco

Eddy Berdusco is a retired professional footballer from Canada.-Club career:The son of Italian immigrants, Berdusco was the original Canadian Soccer League's 3rd all-time highest goal scorer with 54 from 1988 through 1992 as a member of North York Rockets...

, Paulo Ceccarelli, Stevie Gill, Ian Carter

Ian Carter

Ian Noel Carter is a Canadian former association football player who played at both professional and international levels as a-Early and personal life:Born in Birmingham, England, Carter grew up in the Canadian city of Mississauga....

, Carl Fletcher

Carl Fletcher (soccer)

Carl Tadeus Fletcher is a former professional Canadian soccer defender.-Club career:Fletcher played early in his career for the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League. He played for the Toronto Rockets in 1994, which was the club's sole season of existence...

, Juan Carlos Ramirez-Gaston, Amadeo Gasparini, Kevin Holness

Kevin Holness

Kevin Holness is a former Canadian international soccer player.Born in Jamaica, Holness is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan.-Club career:...

, Frank Lofranco, Frank Cardona, Hector Marinaro

Hector Marinaro

Hector Luis Marinaro is the all-time leader in points and goals in professional indoor soccer. He is currently the men's soccer coach at John Carroll University.-Youth:...

, Sean Samuels, Nigel Sparks and was coached by Pedro Kozak.

Blizzard owner Karsten Von Wersebe had taken the club from the CSL to the APSL in hopes that the league would be awarded USA Division One status as FIFA had demanded that a national Division One quality soccer league exist in the USA as a condition of being awarded the 1994 FIFA World Cup

1994 FIFA World Cup

The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

. When the U.S. Soccer Federation instead decided to create a new league, Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

, it was a heavy blow to Von Wersebe and the struggling Blizzard. The club folded immediately at the conclusion of the 1993 season.

Resurrecting the Blizzard

When plans for a Canadian United Soccer League made the news in 2001, the Toronto Blizzard (with a new group of owners) were rumoured to be in the running for a franchise. When the CUSL concept faded away, so did any thoughts of a Blizzard resurrection. When Toronto was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise in 2005, some thought that the team might be named the Blizzard. However, the team ended up choosing to be called Toronto FC

Toronto FC

Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....

.

Notable players

  Fernando Aguiar

Fernando Aguiar

Fernando João Lobo Aguiar is a retired Portuguese-born Canadian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....

   Julio (Raul) Vieira   Lyndon Hooper

Lyndon Hooper

Lyndon Hooper is a former professional Canadian soccer player and former assistant coach of the Toronto Lynx soccer team of the United Soccer Leagues First Division...

 Eddy Berdusco

Eddy Berdusco

Eddy Berdusco is a retired professional footballer from Canada.-Club career:The son of Italian immigrants, Berdusco was the original Canadian Soccer League's 3rd all-time highest goal scorer with 54 from 1988 through 1992 as a member of North York Rockets...

   Ian Carter

Ian Carter

Ian Noel Carter is a Canadian former association football player who played at both professional and international levels as a-Early and personal life:Born in Birmingham, England, Carter grew up in the Canadian city of Mississauga....

   Carl Fletcher

Carl Fletcher (soccer)

Carl Tadeus Fletcher is a former professional Canadian soccer defender.-Club career:Fletcher played early in his career for the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League. He played for the Toronto Rockets in 1994, which was the club's sole season of existence...

   Kevin Holness

Kevin Holness

Kevin Holness is a former Canadian international soccer player.Born in Jamaica, Holness is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan.-Club career:...

 Hector Marinaro

Hector Marinaro

Hector Luis Marinaro is the all-time leader in points and goals in professional indoor soccer. He is currently the men's soccer coach at John Carroll University.-Youth:...

   Branko Segota

Branko Segota

Branimir "Branko" Šegota is a former Canadian professional soccer forward, starring in the original Major Indoor Soccer League, the North American Soccer League, the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the National Professional Soccer League, and the Canadian Soccer League.Born in Rijeka, then part...

   Iain Fraser   Pat Harrington

Pat Harrington (soccer)

Pat Harrington is a former soccer and Canadian national team goalkeeper.-Club career:American-born Harrington had a spell at English side Charlton Athletic before making his name at Toronto Blizzard...

 Pat Onstad

Pat Onstad

Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

 Petr Rada

Petr Rada

Petr Rada is a Czech football coach, currently in charge of FK Teplice. He previously coached the Czech Republic national team....

 John Fitzgerald

John Fitzgerald (Canadian soccer player)

John Kennedy Fitzgerald is a former Canadian international soccer player.-Club career:He played for the Toronto Blizzard during this time. He played collegiately for the Toronto Varsity Blues. John Fitzgerald also played reserve football in England for in 1987 for both Brentford F.C...

 Trevor McCallum

Trevor McCallum

Trevor McCallum is a former English-Canadian soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and earned eighteen caps with the Canada men's national soccer team....

   David Byrne Paul Peschisolido

Paul Peschisolido

Paolo Pasquale Peschisolido , commonly known as Paul Peschisolido, is a Canadian association football manager and former player...