2021 Première Ligue de soccer du Québec season
The 2021 Première Ligue de soccer du Québec season is the tenth season of play for the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec, a Division 3 semi-professional soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Québec.
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 3 – October 20 |
| Champions | CS Mont-Royal Outremont |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 238 (3.31 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Joseph Saint Simon (12) (CS Mont-Royal Outremont) |
← 2020 2022 → | |
A.S. Blainville are the defending champions for the male and female divisions.[1][2] A.S. Blainville defended their title in the women's division and also won the inaugural women's League Cup.[3] CS Mont-Royal Outremont won their fourth men's title and first since 2016.[4]
AS Blainville competed in the 2021 Canadian Championship, losing in the first round to Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers FC.[5]
Changes from 2020 and Changes due to pandemic
The 2021 will have its greatest number of participating teams with 10 teams in both the male and female divisions. Royal-Sélect de Beauport will field a team in the male division for the first time, while FC Lanaudière, CS Mont-Royal Outremont, and CS Monteuil return from hiatus, after not playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] CS Fabrose became FC Laval following a merger with two other local clubs.[7]
As with the 2020 PLSQ season, the start of the season was delayed due to the pandemic. The men's championship will run from July 3 to October 17, with each of the ten each opposing team twice for a total of 18 games, with the Coupe PLSQ being cancelled.[8] The Reserve Division will once again operate with each team playing 16 matches.[8]
In the women's division, Royal-Sélect de Beauport and Celtix du Haut-Richelieu join as new entries in the division. Pierrefonds FC will also debut for the first time, after their entry in 2020 was withdrawn due to the pandemic. In addition, CS Mont-Royal Outremont, CS Monteuil, and CS St-Hubert will also return from hiatus, after not playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The women's division will run from June 26 to August 8.[8] The ten women's teams will play each team once, for a total of nine games.[8] The top four teams in the standings will then take part in the PLSQ Cup for the first time, which will take place on August 13 and 15, at the Desjardins stadium in Laval.[8]
Men's Division
Ten teams are participating in the 2021 season. The league champion will earn a place in the 2022 Canadian Championship.
| Team | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| A.S. Blainville | Blainville, Laurentides | Parc Blainville |
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Montérégie | Stade Alphonse-Desjardins |
| FC Laval | Laval, Laval | Collège Montmorency |
| FC Lanaudière | Terrebonne, Lanaudière | Parc André-Courcelles |
| CS Longueuil | Longueuil, Montérégie | Parc Laurier |
| CS Mont-Royal Outremont | Mount Royal, Montréal | Parc Recreatif de TMR |
| CS Monteuil | Laval, Laval | Parc de Lausanne |
| CS St-Hubert | Saint-Hubert, Montérégie | Centre Sportif Roseanne-Laflamme |
| Ottawa South United | Ottawa, Ontario | George Nelms Sports Park |
| Royal-Sélect de Beauport | Beauport, Quebec City | Stade Beauport |
Standings
On 16 September, Ottawa South United was forced to withdraw from the league due to government restrictions and cross-border difficulties, with their played matches removed from the rankings (their record was 1-2-7 at the time).[9]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont (C) | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 12 | +25 | 40 | 2022 Canadian Championship |
| 2 | A.S. Blainville | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 15 | +24 | 36 | |
| 3 | Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 27 | |
| 4 | FC Laval | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 26 | |
| 5 | CS St-Hubert | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 29 | +2 | 26 | |
| 6 | CS Longueuil | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 23 | |
| 7 | CS Monteuil | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 26 | −10 | 14 | |
| 8 | Royal-Sélect de Beauport | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 44 | −26 | 10 | |
| 9 | FC Lanaudière | 16 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 20 | 45 | −25 | 4 | |
| 10 | Ottawa South United | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | — | 0 | Removed due to border restrictions |
| Removed Matches vs OSU (H/A) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mont-Royal Outremont | – | 4–1 |
| Blainville | 2–1 | – |
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | 3–1 | – |
| Laval | – | 2–2 |
| St-Hubert | – | – |
| Longueuil | 5–1 | – |
| Monteuil | 4–1 | 2–0 |
| RS Beauport | – | 1–1 |
| Lanaudière | 1–3 | 2–0 |
Throughout the season, the PLSQ teams played friendly matches with CF Montrèal U23, with the matches not counting to the overall standings.[10]
| Friendlies vs CF Montréal U23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | @ MTL | @MTL | |
| CS Mont-Royal Outremont | 0–6 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| A.S. Blainville | 3–4 | – | – |
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | 2–2 | – | – |
| CS St-Hubert | – | 2–3 | – |
| FC Laval | – | 1–2 | – |
| CS Longueuil | 1–2 | 1–1 | – |
| CS Monteuil | – | 0–1 | – |
| Royal-Sélect de Beauport | – | – | – |
| FC Lanaudière | – | 1–5 | – |
| Ottawa South United | – | – | – |
Reserve Division
The league operated a reserve division. In early September, some teams (CS St-Hubert, FC Lanaudière, Ottawa South United, and Royal-Sélect de Beauport) opted out of the remaining matches in the reserve division, with their remaining matches not completed.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.S. Blainville Reserves | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 15 | +20 | 30 | 2.50 |
| 2 | CS Monteuil Reserves | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 20 | 1.82 |
| 3 | FC Laval Reserves | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 20 | 1.54 |
| 4 | CS St-Hubert Reserves | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 19 | 2.38 |
| 5 | Royal-Sélect de Beauport Reserves | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 17 | 1.70 |
| 6 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont Reserves | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 15 | 1.25 |
| 7 | Celtix du Haut-Richelieu Reserves | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 14 | 1.00 |
| 8 | Ottawa South United Reserves | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 7 | 1.00 |
| 9 | CS Longueuil Reserves | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 7 | 0.54 |
| 10 | FC Lanaudière Reserves | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 27 | −9 | 6 | 0.75 |
Women's Division
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 26 – August 8 (League) August 13–15 (Cup) |
| Champions | A.S. Blainville |
| Cup champions | A.S. Blainville |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Goals scored | 149 (3.31 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Latifa Abdu (8) (CS Mont-Royal Outremont) |
← 2020 2022 → | |
Ten teams participated in the 2021 season. Each team played against every other team once. At the end of the season, the top four teams will qualify for the first edition of the League Cup (Coupe PLSQ).
| Team | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| A.S. Blainville | Blainville, Laurentides | Parc Blainville |
| Pierrefonds FC | Pierrefonds, Quebec | Pierrefonds Community High School |
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Montérégie | Stade Alphonse-Desjardins |
| FC Laval | Laval, Laval | Collège Montmorency |
| CS Longueuil | Longueuil, Montérégie | Parc Laurier |
| CS Mont-Royal Outremont | Mount Royal, Montréal | Parc Recreatif de TMR |
| CS Monteuil | Laval, Laval | Parc de Lausanne |
| CS St-Hubert | Saint-Hubert, Montérégie | Centre Sportif Roseanne-Laflamme |
| Ottawa South United | Ottawa, Ontario | George Nelms Sports Park |
| Royal-Sélect de Beauport | Beauport, Quebec City | Stade Beauport |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.S. Blainville (C) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 4 | +21 | 22 | Qualify for Coupe PLSQ |
| 2 | CS Monteuil | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 6 | +17 | 21[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Royal-Sélect de Beauport | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 21[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 4 | Pierrefonds FC | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 19 | |
| 5 | Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 19 | −3 | 11[lower-alpha 2] | |
| 6 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 11[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 7 | Ottawa South United | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 18 | −3 | 11[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 8 | CS St-Hubert | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 24 | −19 | 5 | |
| 9 | FC Laval | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 28 | −19 | 3 | |
| 10 | CS Longueuil | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 24 | −17 | 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) goal differential; 5) most goals
(C) Champion
Notes:
- CS Monteuil had a better goal differential than Royal-Sélect de Beauport.
- Celtix du Haut-Richelieu beat CS Mont-Royal Outremont and Ottawa South United on head-to-head points (6–1–1).
- CS Mont-Royal Outremont had a better goal differential than Ottawa South United.
Coupe PLSQ
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | AS Blainville | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Pierrefonds FC | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | AS Blainville | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | CS Monteuil | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | CS Monteuil | 3 | |||||||
| 3 | Royal-Sélect de Beauport | 1 | |||||||
Semi-finals
| August 13, 2021 | AS Blainville | 3–0 | Pierrefonds FC | Laval, Quebec |
| 6:00 pm | V.Sanderson  C.Asselin M.Sauvé |
Stadium: Desjardins Stadium Referee: Salma Flores Desrochers |
| August 13, 2021 | CS Monteuil | 3–1 | Royal-Sélect de Beauport | Laval, Quebec |
| 8:30 pm | K.Fournier 40' A.François 86' (pen.)L.Portelance 89' |
K.Tremblay 50' |
Stadium: Desjardins Stadium Referee: Isabelle Duclos |
Final
| August 15, 2021 | AS Blainville | 1–0 | CS Monteuil | Laval, Quebec |
| 1:30 pm | M.Sauvé 41' |
Report | Stadium: Desjardins Stadium Referee: Sheila Couture |
References
- Tougas, Marc (6 October 2020). "L'AS Blainville Champion D'un Cour Championnat...Encore Plus Court que Prévu" [AS Blainville Champion of a Short Championship... Even Shorter than Expected]. PLSQ (in French).
- Chenoix, Eric (19 August 2020). "Blainville remporte le titre chez les dames!" [Blainville wins the women's title!]. Viau Park (in French).
- O'Neill, Paméla (15 August 2021). "L'AS Blainville Remporte la Coupe PLSQ Féminine!" [AS Blainville Wins the Women's PLSQ Cup!]. PLSQ (in French).
- Tougas, Marc (10 October 2021). "Le CS MRO Champion 2021 de la PLSQ-M Grâce à la Loyauté et à la Profondeur" [CS MRO 2021 Champion of the PLSQ-M Thanks to Loyalty and Depth]. PLSQ (in French).
- Thompson, Marty (17 August 2021). "HFX Wanderers advance in Canadian Championship with nervy 2-1 win over Quebec's AS Blainville". Canadian Premier League.
- "Le Royal Sélect Beauport se joint à la PLSQ" [Royal Sélect Beauport Joins the PLSQ]. PLSQ (in French). 8 February 2021.
- "FC Laval : « Former une structure professionnelle »" [FC Laval: "Form a professional structure"]. Just eSoccer (in French). 15 February 2021.
- "La Dixième Saison de la PLSQ Débute Samedi" [The Tenth Season of the PLSQ Begins on Saturday]. PLSQ (in French). 25 June 2021.
- "La PLSQ Accueille Deux Nouvelles Équipes" [The PLSQ Welcomes Two New Teams]. Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (in French). 16 September 2021.
- Duchesneau, Frédérick (12 May 2021). "Professeur Ibrir" [Professor Ibrir]. La Presse.