who is the greatest Canadian soccer player of all-time?

Discussion in 'Canada' started by yellowbismark, Sep 27, 2005.

  1. yellowbismark

    yellowbismark Member+

    Nov 7, 2000
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    Club Tijuana
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know only a little about Canadian soccer and my knowledge doesn't go far back into history, so I was wondering if Canadian fans can pitch in and make a case for somebody. I just want to see what people come up with...
     
  2. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Start here
    https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244481
    http://www.canadian-soccer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7799

    Perhaps you should look for nominations. It also depends on your criteria. Club? Country? Both? You can make a good case for Craig Forrest and Alex Bunbury for both club and country. Guys like Rad have had good club careers but not so great for Canada.

    My choice is Dale Mitchell (simply as a player) because I actually saw him play. I also like Bruce Wilson who was voted to the All-Time Concacaf team.

    Here's another pick that hardly gets mentioned, likely because most of the present day fans aren't over 20 and never heard of him. He's the only Canadian soccer player I had heard of as a kid.

    Wes McLeod

    Was the youngest player to ever represent Canada in International soccer.

    Participated as a member of the 1976 Canadian Olympic Team, and was a long standing member of the Canadian national soccer team.

    Wes had a distinguished career with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, NY Cosmos, and Dallas Sidekicks (MISL).

    In January 2004 was honored to have his number and jersey retired in Dallas.

    [​IMG]

    I believe that is what the experts would call a perceptive pick :)
     
  3. CanuckFan

    CanuckFan Member

    Dec 13, 1999
    Calgary
    Club:
    FC Energie Cottbus
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Or you could invite hate mail and suggest the Cdn born Owen Hargreaves who is good enough to play for England and world powerhouse Bayern Munich despite his colonial upbringing in the soccer wasteland known as Calgary Alberta.
     
  4. yellowbismark

    yellowbismark Member+

    Nov 7, 2000
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    Club Tijuana
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    On my criteria, the player should have also starred for the Canadian NT, so guys like Hargraves can suck it.

    Because I grew up watching MISL, guys like Dale Mitchell, Wes McLeod are familiar to me. I also remember Tino Lettieri (who just opened a gelatto shop near my aunt's house in the Twin Cities), Dominic Mobilio, Branko Segota, but I'm not sure where they rank in terms of greatness...
     
  5. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Amen

    While Tino and Ozzie tended a fine goal, Craig Forrest brought his game to a new level wearing the leaf. He's my choice in goal. Forrest and Carlo Corrazin stole the Gold Cup for us.

    Segota would be up there but I don't recall if he was too effective internationally because (like Dale) he was playing indoor and wouldn't get used as often or as effectively as he might have by Tony Waiters.

    Just for being great players (all judging criteria aside), my top five would include Mitchell and Segota.

    Mobilio scored some big goals but I don't know if I'd include him, God rest his soul.

    Sometimes I think we tend to diminish the individual skills of the WC86 team as some sort of bunker defence. Samuel and Lenarduzzi were fine players in their own right.
     
  6. FARFAN 17

    FARFAN 17 Member

    Jan 29, 2005
    Back in NJ :(
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Peru
    Steve Nash
     
  7. hobbes

    hobbes Member

    Jul 26, 1999
    regina, saskatchewan
    I would probably pick Bruce Wilson and I think Lenarduzzi and Samuel are being under-appreciated in these various threads. Which isn't to say that Mitchell, Bunbury, Radzinski or Forrest aren't worthy choices. I think Stalteri or Julian deGuzman could be worthy of a vote, but it's too soon to say.

    I don't think anyone has mentioned Colin Jose's choice keeper Joe Kennaway (won three FA cups and two league cups, while being named to the all-league team four times with Celtic in the 1930s, back when Scotland had one of the better leagues in the world).

    There's also right flank mid Erroll Crossan who scored in seven straight games for Norwich in part of their famed FA Cup run in 1958-59 where they went to the semis. He was voted as the third best foreigner ever to play for the Cannaries and is in the team's hall of fame.

    Sweeper Robert Iarusci won three straight Soccer Bowl titles and lost the final in 81. He started for the Cosmos which is pretty impressive in its own right.

    I’d mention Whitey McDonald too except he represented Northern Ireland instead of Canada, but we didn’t play any internationals between 1927-57 which is the era when he got his NI caps, so its tough to rip on anyone who didn’t rep Canada in those years. He won a US title with Bethlehem Steel in the 20s and then spent 11 years (1928-39) with Rangers winning four Scottish league titles and four FA Cups.

    Good shout on Wes McLeod too.

    cheers,
    hobbes
     
  8. jpg75

    jpg75 Member

    Jun 11, 2005
    Toronto, Canada
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Damn, now that's some research!!

    ...in terms of those i've seen i'd say it's down to bunbury, forrest, samuel and wilson...what about igor vrablic? ;)
     
  9. Brook

    Brook BigSoccer Supporter

    Sep 13, 2001
    Cleveland
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Segota, while playing for Ft Lauderdale Strikers, even though he was born in Jugoslavia.
     
  10. edcalvi

    edcalvi Moderator
    Staff Member

    Olimpia
    Guatemala
    May 1, 2005
    US
    ;)
     
  11. hobbes

    hobbes Member

    Jul 26, 1999
    regina, saskatchewan
    Not really. I figure there's isn't that much history in Canadian soccer, it's not tough to know a little of it. I didn't even mention my pet favourite great - John Bell Gourlay captain of the Galt FC 1904 Olympic winners. He won four straight Western Football Association titles and toured with them.

    And now that it's relatively easy to get tapes of NASL matches, you can watch a lot of the players before my time on tape. I think if more people saw Lenarduzzi in the NASL he'd get more props. Same with Wilson.

    IMO Vrablic and Segota were two of the most talented players I've seen for Canada, but they didn't produce for their country very often. There's lots of reasons for that (indoor, Singapore, tactics), but for as skilled as Segota was I'd rate Catliff higher.

    cheers,
    hobbes
     
  12. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Catliff like McKenna was no blooming orchid on the field, he just produced. I wonder what McKenna's legacy will be.

    If anybody watched Ken Burns' Baseball, they talked about Casey Stengal and Yogi Berra. Stengal called Berra "My Man"; can't play a game without my man. McKenna is somewhat the same, you have to find a way to get him into the lineup. When he plays he produces goals, did it at Hearts and is picking up where he left off at Cottbus.
     
  13. gilmoreaz

    gilmoreaz Member

    Aug 19, 2003
    Peoria, Arizona
    Top 5 from the NASL days:

    1. Bob Lenarduzzi
    2. Bruce Wilson
    3. Tino Littieri
    4. Wes McLeod
    5. Branko Segota
     
  14. Goofy

    Goofy Member

    Jun 10, 2005
    support for oneself.
    How about John Kerr?
     
  15. gilmoreaz

    gilmoreaz Member

    Aug 19, 2003
    Peoria, Arizona
    Great player, but did not impact the NASL as those listed did (At least in my opinion!)
     
  16. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Didn't affect Canada either hence the exclusion of him and the Whore.

    You didn't include Dale Mitchell in your NASL top five, and Carl Valentine should get a shout as well. Actually, can't really argue with that top five, that's why we got to the WC we had some talented players.

    All-Time NASL Scoring Leaders (Top 100)

    Player / Teams Seasons Games Goals Assists Points
    1. Giorgio Chinaglia 8 213 193 81 478 NY 76-83
    2. Karl-Heinz Granitza 7 199 128 101 357 Chi 78-84
    3. Alan Willey 9 238 129 48 306 Min 76-81, Mon 81-83, Min 84
    13. Branko Segota 6 147 73 49 195 Roc 79-80, FL 81-83, GB 84
    23. George Best 6 139 54 54 162 LA 76-78, FL 78-79, SJ 80-81
    30. Carl Valentine 6 165 44 59 147 Van 79-84
    50. Bobby Lenarduzzi 11 288 31 57 119 Van 74-84
    56. Dale Mitchell 6 106 43 30 116 Van 77-78, Port 79-82, Mon 83
    66. Wes McLeod 8 188 34 36 104 TB 77-84
    91. Trevor Francis 2 33 36 18 90 Det 78-79
    92. Pele 3 56 31 25 87 NY 75-77
    92. Johan Cruyff 3 53 25 37 87 LA 79, Was 80-81
    96. Franz Beckenbauer 5 105 19 47 85 NY 77-80;83

    Bio John Kerr
    A former Hermann Trophy winner and one of the foremost names in intercollegiate and national-level soccer as a player, John Kerr enters his seventh year as the Virginia and James Welch Head Coach for Harvard Men's Soccer.

    Kerr enters the 2005 season with a six-year record of 49-40-9, including winning seasons in each of the last four years.

    Kerr's most successful side to date was Harvard's 2001 team, which finished the year with a 10-3-1 overall record, a 5-1 Ivy League mark, a spot in the NCAA tournament

    Kerr is no stranger to collegiate soccer or head coaching. He won the Hermann Trophy as college soccer's player of the year while leading Duke to the 1986 NCAA championship and, in 1998 and 1999, served as player/coach for the Boston Bulldogs of the professional A-League.

    In addition to more than 12 years of national and international playing experience -- which includes 17 U.S. National Team appearances -- Kerr has coached at the youth, high school, collegiate, and professional levels in both England and the United States.

    A 1987 graduate of Duke, Kerr was a two-time first team All-America and became the first winner of the Missouri Athletic Club Collegiate Player of the Year award while also being tabbed Player of the Year by Soccer America, Adidas, and the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1986. He began playing for the U.S. National Team in 1984 (while just a sophomore at Duke at the age of 19), and would remain with the team until 1995.

    After graduating from college, Kerr played professionally in England, Ireland, France, Canada, and the United States. He won a Major Soccer League title as a member of the San Diego Sockers in 1991-92. From 1992 to 1995, he played for the Millwall Football Club in the English First Division before joining the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer in 1996. Kerr then spent two seasons with the New England Revolution prior to joining the Boston Bulldogs in 1998.

    Kerr's coaching experience began in 1988, when he was a youth coach in London's Football Association for two years. He returned to his alma mater in 1992 to serve as the top assistant coach for one season, helping to guide the Blue Devils to the national semifinals. And in 1997 and 1998, Kerr was the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Mass.

    Born in Toronto, Canada, Kerr represents the 12th coach in the 90-year history of the Harvard men's soccer program. He is 38 years old and married to Tracy Kerr, a former assistant coach with the Crimson women's soccer team and the former head coach at Providence College. The couple has twins, Cameron John and Alexandra Catherine (3).
     
  17. gilmoreaz

    gilmoreaz Member

    Aug 19, 2003
    Peoria, Arizona
    Valentine and Dale Mitchell were quality players and I loved to watch them play!

    I also enjoyed watching Sam Lenarduzzi, Mike Sweeney, Tony Chursky, Ian Bridge, and Buzz Parsons back in the day. They weren't spectacular players, but good solid professionals.

    The fall of soccer up there (Again in my opinion) is a direct reflection on the collapse of the NASL. The Canadian players who played in the NASL were contributors. Very few American players were. Hopefully Frank Yallop can get it going, and hopefully MLS will open its doors to the north and put teams in Canada. Vancouver and Toronto can support it and I wish it would happen! Unfortunately, I don't think it will as MLS is narrow minded and is only thinking of fostering American players which is a shame!
     
  18. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Buzz Parsons, another guy who deserves a shout. The 70's really seem to be the forgotten decade of Canadian soccer and that's when we were a player in Concacaf.

    One good thing about some of the guys you mentioned. Some of them played at a high level with some of the best players in the world and also qualified for a World Cup. They are now giving back to the Canadian game as coaches and administrators (Mitchell, Bridge, Wilson et al)

    Radz has even mentioned about returning and getting involved.
     
  19. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    Kind of surprising to look back at the WC86 lineups to see who actually played and who rode the pine.

    Game 1
    Canada 0 France 1
    [ 2] LENARDUZZI Robert
    [ 3] WILSON Bruce
    [ 4] RAGAN Randy
    [ 6] BRIDGE Ian
    [ 7] VALENTINE Carl
    [10] VRABLIC Igor
    [11] SWEENEY Mike (-54')
    [12] SAMUEL Randy
    [15] JAMES Paul (-81')
    [17] NORMAN David
    [22] DOLAN Paul (GK)

    Substitutes
    [ 1] LETTIERI Tino (GK)
    [ 5] MOORE Terence
    [ 8] GRAY Gerard
    [ 9] SEGOTA Branko (+81')
    [13] PAKOS Georges
    [14] MITCHELL Dale
    [16] ION Gregory
    [18] LOWERY James (+54')
    [19] DELUCA Pasquale
    [20] MILLER Colin
    [21] HABERMANN Sven (GK)

    Coach WAITERS Tony

    Game 2
    Hungary 2 Canada 0
    [ 1] LETTIERI Tino (GK)
    [ 2] LENARDUZZI Robert
    [ 3] WILSON Bruce (-41')
    [ 4] RAGAN Randy
    [ 6] BRIDGE Ian
    [ 7] VALENTINE Carl
    [ 8] GRAY Gerard
    [10] VRABLIC Igor
    [12] SAMUEL Randy
    [15] JAMES Paul (-53')
    [16] ION Gregory

    Substitutes
    [ 5] MOORE Terence
    [ 9] SEGOTA Branko (+53')
    [11] SWEENEY Mike (+41')
    [13] PAKOS Georges
    [14] MITCHELL Dale
    [17] NORMAN David
    [18] LOWERY James
    [19] DELUCA Pasquale
    [20] MILLER Colin
    [21] HABERMANN Sven (GK)
    [22] DOLAN Paul (GK)

    Coach WAITERS Tony

    Cautions
    SWEENEY Mike (CAN) 52', LENARDUZZI Robert (CAN) 83'.

    Expulsions
    SWEENEY Mike (CAN) 85'

    Game 3
    Soviet Union 2 Canada 0
    [ 1] LETTIERI Tino (GK)
    [ 2] LENARDUZZI Robert
    [ 3] WILSON Bruce
    [ 4] RAGAN Randy
    [ 6] BRIDGE Ian
    [ 7] VALENTINE Carl
    [ 8] GRAY Gerard (-69')
    [12] SAMUEL Randy
    [14] MITCHELL Dale
    [15] JAMES Paul (-64')
    [17] NORMAN David

    Substitutes
    [ 5] MOORE Terence
    [ 9] SEGOTA Branko (+64')
    [10] VRABLIC Igor
    [11] SWEENEY Mike
    [13] PAKOS Georges (+69')
    [16] ION Gregory
    [18] LOWERY James
    [19] DELUCA Pasquale
    [20] MILLER Colin
    [21] HABERMANN Sven (GK)
    [22] DOLAN Paul (GK)

    Coach WAITERS Tony
     
  20. Blizzard

    Blizzard Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Ya, the indoor league really did mess things up. With Branko, Dale and I presume Tino joining the team relatively late, some of the others such as Dolan actually got to start. Personally, I think Dolan should have played all three games.

    It's stunning that Dale couldn't get off the bench inthe first two games.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but our list of subs for those games includes five players that didn't even make the trip to Mexico but who were on standby in Canada just in case. I believe that both Colin Miller and Pasquale Deluca were in that "taxi" squad.

    What a shame that they were not allowed to be part of the team due to the financial issues that surely must have been the reason for their limbo status.

    I'm assuming that Lowery, Ion and Habberman would have been the other three but I welcome corrections.


     
  21. hobbes

    hobbes Member

    Jul 26, 1999
    regina, saskatchewan
    To be fair, it's not like Valentine and Vrablic played poorly against France and after we played so well, there was no real reason to change the team against Hungary (except for Dolan and that's debatable). Though we probably should have used one or the other as a sub as we trailed for 89 minutes against Hungary.

    I believe it was Dolan's play in the run up to the tournament that earned him the start against France more than anything. He played all of the games though I don't if Lettieri was even available. Mitchell did appear in a couple of those pre-tourney games.

    cheers,
    hobbes
     
  22. edcalvi

    edcalvi Moderator
    Staff Member

    Olimpia
    Guatemala
    May 1, 2005
    US
    sasquatch
     
  23. Wessoman

    Wessoman Member+

    Sep 26, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was going to harp in my typical Yank answers (Mobilio and Radzinski), but I just want to chime in and say that I for one would LOVE to see Canada become a FORCE again. It would be nice to have CONCACAF to be more than "USA, Mexico, sometimes Costa Rica, and Honduras and Jamaica are good sometimes but not all the time..."
    I wonder --If Canada had a pro league like the MLS, would a player like Hargreaves ever get stolen by England?
     
  24. toronto_sports_1 redded

    Sep 15, 2005
    Ontario
    Ex Blizzard defender Bruce Wilson has got to be Canada's best ever player.
    Even to this day Canada has not got a defender of his quality/ He would make a great national team boss....CSA are you listening?
     
  25. Joe MacCarthy

    Joe MacCarthy New Member

    Dec 4, 2004
    While he wasn't the greatest Canadian soccer player of all time, Brian Budd was probably the greatest soccer athlete of all time.
     

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