skip navigation
Women's Premier Division players stand before a game

L1O Weekend Preview

By Matt Bates, 04/22/22, 12:15PM EDT

Share

Here’s a heads up on what to look out for during League1 Ontario’s opening weekend in 2022.

Women's Premier Division teams stand before a game.

With the first League1 Ontario game done and dusted, there are still hundreds of matches to get excited for in both Premier Divisions in the coming months.

But look no further than this weekend as the competition is set for a bumper opening round of games.

Friday night lights

The two Friday night games in the Men’s Premier Division include teams that are yet to take to the field in an L1O regular season – BVB IA Waterloo are hosting Scrosoppi and St Catharines Roma Wolves will face North Mississauga.

Newcomers NDC Ontario will kick off the 2022 Women’s Premier Division tonight with reigning champions Woodbridge Strikers, who won six and drew two of their last eight games in 2021 to lift the title.

An evening for the ages

Pickering and Alliance United will play in both the Men’s Premier Division and Women’s Premier Division for the first time since 2019 on Saturday.

The former – under new ownership from outside Canadian borders – will take on North Toronto Nitros in a men’s and women’s double header; the Alliance men’s side face Master’s FA and the women’s team will pitch themselves against newbies Electric City.

FC London finished third in the Men’s West Conference last year and just missed out on a playoff spot, and they begin their quest to better that this season against Unionville Milliken, while Darby visit Sigma.

Box-office bonanza

The Women’s Premier Division boasts five games on Sunday, meaning there is action right the way through the afternoon and evening.

Kicking off Sunday’s football feast are 2021 finalists Blue Devils against the newly formed Simcoe County Rovers, followed by BVB IA Waterloo facing a Tecumseh side looking to push on from their inaugural season last year.

In a battle of two of the Women’s Premier Division founding teams, Vaughan Azzurri visit ProStars who are playing in the division for the first time since 2015. Darby host the Women’s Summer Series champions Guelph Union, before FC London and Unionville Milliken go head-to-head.

The Men’s Premier Division is slightly quieter in terms of game count, but no less competitive. Woodbridge Strikers entertain Windsor TFC and Jason Beckford’s Simcoe County Rovers get under way for the season against Blue Devils, with ProStars facing Vaughan Azzurri who remained unbeaten for the entire 2021 regular season.

It doesn’t end there

Just when you thought the action was over, St Catharines Roma Wolves and North Mississauga will face off on Monday night and keep the party rolling.

The opening round of games will then conclude on Tuesday with Burlington – who are competing in L1O for the first time this season – hosting Hamilton United.

Anything can happen this weekend, but one thing is certain: League1 Ontario is back