TORONTO, June 11, 2004 -- After only one Voyageurs Cup match in the first two months of the A-League season, this weekend marks the beginning of a two-week stretch of seven matches in the competition.
The 2004 Voyageurs Cup kicked off with the two-time defending champions Montreal Impact taking all three points as they defeated the Toronto Lynx 2-0 on May 29 in Toronto.
Now Montreal begin their season's sole western trip with a match tonight against the Vancouver Whitecaps, before moving on to Alberta to face the Calgary Mustangs on Sunday and the Edmonton Aviators on Tuesday. Those will be the first-ever Voyageurs Cup matches for the Mustangs and the city of Edmonton, as both are new to the A-League this year.
On the women's side, the Vancouver Whitecaps have an opportunity to clinch the inaugural Women's Voyageurs Cup West when they visit their western rivals in midweek. After sweeping their home schedule against the Calgary Wildfire (5-0 on May 14) and Edmonton Aviators (2-0 on May 23), the Whitecaps need only four points from their two matches in Alberta to finish on top of the standings.
The first of these matches will be played in Edmonton prior to the Aviators' men's match against Montreal on Tuesday, offering a double-header for Aviators fans. Vancouver then head south to play Calgary the following evening.
In the east, the Montreal Xtreme have taken an early lead in the Women's Voyageurs Cup East standings after three straight wins, at home to the Toronto Inferno (4-1 on May 23) and Sudbury Canadians (4-0 on May 29) and at Sudbury (7-0 on June 5). The Ottawa Fury defeated Sudbury (11-0 on May 30) at home in their only match so far to keep pace with Montreal. This competition resumes next weekend.
SUMMARY OF UPCOMING MATCHES
First team mentioned is the home team. All times are local.
June 11 - Men - Vancouver vs. Montreal (Swangard Stadium, 7:00 PM)
June 13 - Men - Calgary vs. Montreal (McMahon Stadium, 2:00 PM)
June 15 - Women West - Edmonton vs. Vancouver (Commonwealth Stadium, 6:00 PM)
June 15 - Men - Edmonton vs. Montreal (Commonwealth Stadium, 8:30 PM)
June 16 - Women West - Calgary vs. Vancouver (Calgary Rugby Park, 7:00 PM)
ABOUT THE VOYAGEURS CUP
The Voyageurs Cup, inaugurated in 2002, is awarded annually to the most successful Canadian A-League team based on league points earned in matches between these teams. The teams participating in 2004 are the Calgary Mustangs, Edmonton Aviators, Montreal Impact, Toronto Lynx and Vancouver Whitecaps. The Montreal Impact won the first two editions of the competition in 2002 and 2003.
The Women's Voyageurs Cup East and Women's Voyageurs Cup West, inaugurated in 2004, are awarded to the most successful Canadian team in each of the Eastern and Western conferences of the W-League, respectively, based on league points earned in matches between these teams. The teams participating in 2004 are the Ottawa Fury, Montreal Xtreme, Sudbury Canadians and Toronto Inferno in the East, and the Calgary Wildfire, Edmonton Aviators and Vancouver Whitecaps in the West.
The entire cost of all Voyageurs Cup competitions has been borne entirely by private donations from individual Voyageurs.
Match schedules, results and standings for all Voyageurs Cup competitions are provided at www.voyageurscup.ca.
ABOUT THE VOYAGEURS
The Voyageurs soccer fan club was founded in 1996 as a national group of fans of Canada's men's World Cup team. Since then, they have been a visible presence at Canadian national team games both in Canada and abroad, at all age levels, for both the men's and women's teams.
The Voyageurs are maintained, run, and funded entirely by its fiercely enthusiastic members. The Voyageurs host the most active Canadian soccer site and forum on the Internet at www.canadian-soccer.com.
CONTACTING THE VOYAGEURS
Matthew Bin, Director of Communications for the Voyageurs Cup, is available to provide any further information about the Voyageurs or the Voyageurs Cup competitions.
Matthew Bin
125 Cyrus St
Cambridge, Ontario N3H 1H2
519-729-8432
info@voyageurscup.ca
