Gauss managed to improve his team's performance for the 2004 season, but still fell short of a playoff berth by two points. They also failed to defend their Open Canada Cup title, after a 2–1 loss by last year's finalist the Metro Lions in the wildcard match. One notable achievement for City was accomplished by rookie Paul Munster who finished as the league\s top goalscorer, and was recognized by the league as the Rookie of the Year. As a result, Munster was signed by Slavia Prague of the Czech First League. On November 12, 2004 North London Soccer Club merged with London City in order to create a pipeline for young local players to move up to the professional level with Martin Painter as the technical director.