1990 North American Club Championship

The Maryland Bays of the American Professional Soccer League qualified for the match after having won the inaugural American Professional Soccer League season by defeating the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks 1–1 (4–3 on penalties) in the final just 3 days earlier.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/376346992/?terms=Bays|title=Bays win, get trip to Canada, too|publisher=newspapers.com (Baltimore Sun)|date=September 24, 1990|access-date=August 7, 2022}}

The Vancouver 86ers qualified by winning the 1989 Canadian Soccer League Championship.{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-09-27-1990270046-story.html|title=Bays beaten in overtime, 3-2, in North American title game Mobilio's goal lifts Vancouver|date=September 27, 1990|first=Iain|last=MacIntyre|work=The Baltimore Sun}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ottawafury.com/ottawa_soccer_history|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207100031/http://www.ottawafury.com/ottawa_soccer_history|archive-date=February 7, 2012|title=Canadian Soccer History|url-status=dead|work=Ottawa Fury SC}} At the time of the match, the 1990 Canadian Soccer League was still in its semi-finals phase, with Vancouver having just played to a 2–2 draw at the Victoria Vistas in game one.{{Cite news|last=Keating|first=Jack|date=September 23, 1990|title=Vistas show flair in tie with 86ers|page=9|work=The Province}}

The Vancouver 86ers were selected to host the match at Swangard Stadium.

The Vancouver 86ers dominated the first half of the match and took only fourteen minutes to open the scoring, with Domenic Mobilio finding the net after a series of short passes in the offensive end. Vancouver had a great opportunity to double their lead in the thirty-sixth minute after being awarded a penalty kick, however Steve Powers was able to deny Mobilio's second goal with a heroic punch of the ball. Despite the miss, Maryland would concede again four minutes later after Powers was rounded by Dale Mitchell to put Vancouver 2–0 up. This two goal lead did not last for long however, as Maryland's Kevin Sloan was able to exploit a defensive mistake and quickly slotted the ball past 86er goalkeeper, Paul Dolan, to keep them in the game in the forty-fourth minute.

The second half saw a change in both teams' performance, with Maryland looking much more hostile while Vancouver appeared to have lost their composure and intensity. Maryland leveled the game in the sixty-eighth minute courtesy of a Jean Harbor strike. Maryland had several more opportunities to score before full time, most notably when Maryland's John Abe struck the crossbar, and when Vancouver's Vlado Vanis was able to clear a Scott Cook shot off the goal line, but were unable to find a winner as the match went into extra-time.

After escaping defeat during their poor second half performance, Vancouver turned up in extra-time with much more energy, and eventually found the winner with just three minutes remaining as Mobilio scored his second of the match, making up for his first half penalty miss and securing the title for Vancouver.{{cite news|author=Stinson, Dan|title=86ers regain form in overtime|publisher=Vancouver Sun|page=25|date=27 September 1990}}

{{Expand section|Uniforms and rosters|date=August 2022}}

{{football box

|date = September 26, 1990

|time=

|round =

|team1 = Vancouver 86ers {{flagdeco|CAN}}

|score = 3–2

|aet = yes

|report = [https://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1990/resultsasl90.htm A-League archives]
[Vancouver Sun {{cite news|author=Stinson, Dan|title=86ers regain form in overtime|date=27 September 1990|publisher=Vancouver Sun|page=25}}]

|team2 = {{flagdeco|USA}} Maryland Bays

|goals1 =

• Mobilio {{goal|14||117}}
• Mitchell {{goal|40}}

|goals2 =

• Sloan {{goal|44}}
• Harbor {{goal|68}}

|stadium = Swangard Stadium

|location = Burnaby, British Columbia

|attendance = 2,643

|referee =

}}

|-

| || ||{{flagicon|USA}} Stephen Burns || {{yel}}

|-

| || ||{{flagicon|CAN}} Carl Valentine

|-

| || ||{{flagicon|CAN}} Domenic Mobilio

|-

| || ||{{flagicon|CAN}} John Catliff

|-

| || ||{{flagicon|CAN}} Dale Mitchell

|-

|colspan=3|Substitutes:

|-

|colspan=3|Manager:

|-

|colspan=4|{{flagicon|CAN}} Bob Lenarduzzi

|}

|valign="top" width="50%"|

|}

|}

{{winners-other|North American Club Championship
1990 Winners|CAN|Vancouver 86ers|First}}

The Vancouver 86ers continued their winning ways in game 2 of the CSL semi-finals and defeated the Victoria Vistas 6–1 at Swangard Stadium just four days later to advance to the 1990 Canadian Soccer League Final. Vancouver then won their third playoff title following another 6–1 home victory against the Hamilton Steelers, and secured a treble of sorts, having won their, regular season, playoffs, and the North American Club Championship.{{cite news|author=Stinson, Dan|title=Catliff lifts 86ers to third title|publisher=Vancouver Sun|page=29|date=9 October 1990}}{{Cite news|title=86ers romp to third CSL title|publisher=Nanaimo Daily News|page=15|date=9 October 1990}}

The North American Club Championship was not continued after the 1990 season, however a similar competition in 1992 was created as the Professional Cup to determine a North American champion from 3 professional leagues operating in Canada and the United States.

• CONCACAF Champions League
• 1990 North American Nations Cup — A round-robin tournament contested by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, also hosted at Swangard Stadium.

{{reflist}}

{{American Professional Soccer League seasons}}

{{Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)}}

{{Vancouver Whitecaps matches}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:North American Club Championship 1990}}

Category:International club association football competitions hosted by Canada

Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)

Category:American Professional Soccer League

Category:1990 in Canadian soccer

Category:1990 in American soccer

Category:Vancouver Whitecaps FC matches

1990 North American Club Championship

1990 North American Club Championship

Category:Soccer matches in Canada