Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame Thread

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Samuel To Be Inducted Into the Soccer Hall of Fame

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2358

VAUGHAN, December 5, 2005 -- The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum located at The Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan will induct 9 new members into it’s Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 29, 2006. The purpose of The Soccer Hall of Fame is to recognize and honour the Players and Builders who have made significant contributions to the Game of Soccer in Canada and Ontario both on and off the field.

Randy Samuel, who has played more international games for Canada than any other player, will be one of nine new inductees into The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum in Vaughan, Ontario in 2006.

Joining Samuel in the Player category will be fellow internationals Alex Bunbury, Brian Robinson and David Stothard. Being inducted in the Builder category will be former men's national team coach Bob Bearpark, former women's national team coach Sylvie Béliveau, former Canadian Soccer Association president, Fred Stambrook, plus long time soccer coach, John Buchanan from Simon Fraser University, and well known sports journalist, George Gross. Collectively, they will bring the total of Honoured Members to 86, six of whom are women.

Samuel, a centre-back, played 84 times for Canada in full international competition from 1983 to 1997, including the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico when he appeared in all three games. Following the World Cup, Samuel was signed by the famous Dutch club PSV Eindhoven where he played for two seasons before moving on to two other Dutch clubs, Volendam and Fortuna Sittard. In 1983, he played for the Edmonton Eagles in the short-lived Canadian Professional Soccer League. He was drafted by the Vancouver Whitecaps of the American Soccer League but did not play in the NASL. His 84 internationals included 35 games in World Cup competition. He ended his career with Hampton Roads Mariners of the United Soccer League.

Alex Bunbury's career included 65 internationals for Canada's full national team. His club career began in the Canadian Soccer League with the Hamilton Steelers in 1987 where he played four seasons and scored 28 goals before moving on to the Toronto Blizzard and then the Montreal Supra. In 1992, he moved to England where he played for West Ham United and in December of 1993, was transferred to the Portuguese First Division club Maritimo which plays on the island of Madeira. He ended his career playing in Major League Soccer in the United States with the Kansas City Wizard.

Brian Robinson was born in Victoria and played 21 times for the national team at a time when Canada didn't play as many internationals as are played today. He played in the World Cup qualifying games of 1972 and scored a memorable goal in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. His club career saw him win a Canadian championship medal with the soccer team operated by the London Boxing Club of Victoria in 1975 before moving on to the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League in 1976. Along the way he was converted from a wing-half to a sweeper and played in his second World Cup qualifying series, also in 1976.

David Stothard was a member of Canada's first World Cup team in 1957 and also played 13 times for the British Columbia all-star team. He won a Canadian championship medal with Westminster Royals in 1955 and toured the Soviet Union with the Canadian national team in 1960. Stothard is the ninth member of the 1957 World Cup team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In the Builder category, Bob Bearpark was coach of Canada's amateur team at the Great Wall of China Tournament in 1984, assistant coach of the successful Olympic team in 1984 and successively, coach of the national youth team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Soviet Union in 1986, Associate Professor of Physical Education at McMaster University in Hamilton, Technical Director of The Ontario Soccer Association and subsequently, Director of the Recreation and Sport Branch of the British Columbia government in 1990. He passed away in 1996.

Sylvie Béliveau was the coach of Canada's national team at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, the only female head Coach at the tournament Formerly a youth player, she coached at provincial and national levels, and was the first female to become a High Performance Centre Director.

Sylvie is currently National Staff Coach for The Canadian Soccer Association with responsibility for Community Coach Development, especially at the Grassroots level, and also a member of the Technical Committee of FIFA on behalf of which she has recently conducted a "Futuro" course in South Africa.

She is the sixth woman to be inducted - the second in succession from Québec, and the third as a Builder.

John Buchanan coached Simon Fraser University Team to the NAIA Championship in the United States in 1976, 1982 and 1983. He managed the Canadian national youth team at the CONCACAF Youth Tournament in Guatemala in 1981 and developed a number of players for both the national team and also for teams in the North American Soccer League.

In 1986, he was honoured as a charter member of the Simon Fraser University Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver.

Fred Stambrook was the president of The Canadian Soccer Association from 1986 to 1992 and president of the Manitoba Soccer Association for six years. He was a life member of the Canadian and Manitoba Soccer Associations and a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. He died in July of 2005.

George Gross was recently inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and has also been honoured by the Hockey and Olympic Halls of Fame. He was very much involved in Canadian Soccer in the early years of his life in Canada, both as a player and a journalist. He played for Pannonia in the Toronto Senior Soccer League and published a weekly soccer paper in the 1950s. In the 1960s, in addition to being a sports writer for the old Toronto Telegram he was the general manager of Toronto City Soccer Club of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League.

The 2006 Team of Distinction will be the Toronto Scottish Team of 1933. In that year Canadian champion Scottish met the U.S. champion, Stix, Baer and Fuller of St. Louis for the North American Championship at Soldier Field in Chicago. Scottish won by two goals to one. Included in that famous Scottish team were such renowned players as Andy Stevens, who in addition to being a star with Toronto Scottish, scored over 150 goals in the American Soccer League for Boston and New Bedford; full-back, Jimmy Noke, who played eleven seasons for the Club; centre-half, Harry Phillips, who, in 1947 played for the professional team, Toronto Greenbacks; and Davie Weir who played for Glasgow Rangers in the mid 1920's.

Courtesy of: www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca

[soniq]

yo joe are u a famous guy? i think i have heard your name before?BTW go canada!

[Joe MacCarthy]

Former defender Randy Samuel enters Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2006/04/28/1555875-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Randy Samuel watched Canada's back 82 times on the soccer field. As a reward for that stellar service, the big defender enters the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday.

No Canadian men's player has won more caps than Samuel, whose international career stretched from 1983 to 1997.

A quiet individual off the field, Samuel was a hard-nosed defender on it.

He was an unsung warrior for Canada. And almost a decade after his last international game, many wish they had a player like him.

"We would certainly use Randy at this point in our team," said Canadian national team coach Frank Yallop, who used to play alongside Samuel. "A great player. . .. And it was great playing with him.

"He was very strong, quick, brave. All the things that good centre backs have, he had."

"One of a dying breed," said former Canadian teammate and coach Bob Lenarduzzi, who now runs the Vancouver Whitecaps. "If I could have another two or three of him right now, we'd be laughing."

The former Canadian captain is joined in this year's Hall of Fame induction class by friend and forward Alex Bunbury.

Bunbury played 65 times for Canada from 1986 to 1997, scoring 16 times. Only John Catliff and Dale Mitchell, both already in the Hall of Fame, scored more (19 goals apiece).

Samuel played overseas, in the Netherlands, England and Norway. Bunbury also enjoyed success abroad, playing for Maritimo in Portugal before moving to the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.

Other players in the class of 2006 are Brian Robinson (21 caps, 1972-76) and Dave Stothard (four caps, 1957). Coaches inducted are the late Bob Bearpark, former Canadian men's coach, former Canadian women's coach Sylvie Beliveau and John Buchanan, former Simon Fraser and Canadian youth team coach.

The late Fred Stambrook, president of the Canadian Soccer Association from 1986 to 1992, is being inducted as a builder.

Rounding out the list of builders is George Gross, corporate sports editor of the Toronto Sun and a longtime supporter of the sport.

The nine inductees bring the number in the Hall to 86.

The 2006 "team of distinction" is the Toronto Scottish squad of 1933, which defeated the U.S. club champion in Chicago.

Samuel, now 42, will miss Saturday's festivities as he will be out of the country. He is still in soccer, helping coach and develop young players in the Vancouver area.

He says he wants to be remembered for being a complete player and for his attitude.

"I gave it my all," he said in an interview. "I had tremendous feeling for playing and passion to play for my country. I always gave my utmost. And when I left the field, I left everything on it."

Samuel was just 22 in 1986 when he appeared in all three games for Canada at the World Cup finals in Mexico, playing alongside Ian Bridge in central defence.

"A great defender," recalled Bridge, now coach of the Canadian women's under-20 team. "His qualities were his pace and his strength in the air."

Bridge and Samuel were the quiet men of the Canadian backline.

"We had (fullbacks) Bob Lenarduzzi and Bruce Wilson to do all the yelling back there," Bridge said dryly.

Samuel admits it was only years after the World Cup that the enormity of the moment sank in.

"At the time, it was a dream. It wasn't reality to be playing against (Michel) Platini, (Jean) Tigana."

Lenarduzzi wasn't surprised that Samuel won work in Europe after the World Cup. He had already turned heads in the Canadian squad, winning a starting job en route to Mexico.

Samuel also helped Canada qualify, clearing a ball of the goalline in the decisive game against Honduras in St. John's.

Mexico paved the road to PSV Eindhoven, a storied side packed with stars. PSV coach Hans Kraay Sr. took note after seeing Samuel play in the opening 1-0 loss to France. His son had played in Edmonton with Samuel, so could fill his father in on the Canadian.

The PSV coach then called Eindhoven captain Ruud Gullit, who went on to be named European and World Player of the Year in 1987, and asked him to watch Samuel in the next two games.

Gullit did and reported back favourably, leading the Dutch team to sign Samuel.

"It really took me to the next level of understanding the game, the real intricacies of the game," Samuel said of his time at PSV.

Bridge, who played 33 times for Canada between 1981 and 1991, marvels at Samuel's longevity.

"When you talk about numbers like that, that's extraordinary for a Canadian," he said, referring to the 82 caps. "In those days, we didn't play that many internationals a year."

Samuel later played for Dutch clubs Volendam and Fortuna Sittard before moving to England's Port Vale and Harstad in Norway. He ended his career in the A-League, now known as the United Soccer League First Division.

Samuel survived a scare in 2001 when, playing for the Montreal Impact, he collapsed from severe dehydration during an A-League game in Pittsburgh. He returned to action a month later.

In 2001, he received the Aubrey Sanford Meritorious Award from the Canadian Soccer Association.

The honour is given annually to "one who exemplifies outstanding commitment and achievement to the cause of Canadian soccer."

Sanford was president of the Canadian Soccer Association from 1968 to 1972.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Bunbury, others honoured
Rob Longley Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/04/30/1557936-sun.html

Alex Bunbury can easily point to the moment he knew he fit in with some of the world's soccer elite.

"The greatest honour I got playing professionally in Portugal is that I was Alex, a football player for Maritimo," Bunbury said. "There was no need for a reference to me being a Canadian player.

"We are renowned for our hockey here in Canada, but once they saw my calibre of play, it was no longer that."

Last night Bunbury joined eight others as 2006 inductees into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum in Vaughan.

The native of Guyana developed his skills in Montreal, where his family emigrated when Alex was a child. Bunbury then went on to become a fixture for Canada's national team, participating in 65 international matches.

In 1993, the talented striker moved to Portugal where he was a star scoring a club record 59 goals for CS Maritimo.

"I think there is a stigma for a lot of Canadian players," said Bunbury, who now lives in Minnesota. "I think the only way you can get rid of it is by going and playing the game at a high level and playing it with passion, which is what I did.

"This is a great honour. Very humbling. You never start out even thinking of being in a hall of fame some day."

Brian Robinson, David Stothard and Randy Samuel, a defender who represented Canada 82 times, joined Bunbury as players inducted at last night's ceremony.

In the builders category, Toronto Sun Corporate Sports editor George Gross went in alongside Sylvie Beliveau and John Buchanon, as well as the late Bob Bearpark and Fred Stambrook.

Victoria native Robinson represented Canada in two World Cup qualifiers and scored a memorable goal at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City in 1972.

"I felt that it was frustrating at times," Robinson said of representing Canada against world powers. "We were amateurs. We had families and jobs and we'd get together for two or three weeks then have to go play against countries that were together for much longer periods of time.

"People here in Canada would see (the results) and think we just lost again without understanding what we were up against."

[Joe MacCarthy]

Monday, December 04, 2006
Craig Forrest To Be Inducted Into The Soccer Hall Of Fame
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2598

http://i10.tinypic.com/2u9o393.jpg
Craig Forrest

Former men’s national team goalkeeper and television analyst Craig Forrest will be one of eleven new inductees into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame next April. Joining Forrest in the player category will be Glen Johnson, who played for Canada in the 1970s, and Connie Cant, who played 23 times for the women’s national team in the 80s. Also being inducted are two former players who have passed on. They are Domenic Mobilio, who played 25 times for Canada before his untimely death at the age of 35 in 2004, and Bill Findler, who was a star in the 1920s and 1930s with Edmonton C.N.R. and Westminster Royals.

Being inducted into the Builder category are long serving Canadian Soccer Association president Jim Fleming, national team doctor Rudy Gittens, former CSA Technical Director, Bill Thomson, Herb Capozzi, owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, during the North American Soccer League years, and Gus Etchegarry long time administrator from the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association.

The Hall of Fame will be introducing a new award in 2007, named the Pioneer Award, designed to recognize those individuals who contributed to the game in the distant past. The first recipient of this award will be Tom Robertson, the first secretary of the Dominion of Canada Football Association (today’s CSA) in 1912. Being honoured as the 2007 Team of Distinction will be the Calgary Caledonians, who won the People’s Shield, the unofficial championship of Canada in 1907.

Craig Forrest, seen regularly as a soccer analyst on Roger’s Sportsnet with Gerry Dobson, joins five other former national team goalkeepers (Joe Kennaway, Art Halliwell, Tony Chursky, Tino Lettieri and Paul Dolan) in the Hall of Fame. He gained world wide recognition while playing over 300 games for three well known English clubs Ipswich Town, Chelsea and West Ham United as well as 56 times for Canada’s full national team. He was the key to Canada winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Los Angeles in 2000 allowing a mere three goals, and stopping two penalty kicks, in his teams five games. Currently he is the honorary chairperson for next years FIFA World Youth Championship which will be held in Canada.

Like Forrest, Glen Johnson made a name for himself playing in England, and he is the first Canadian born player to play in England’s old First Division. Johnson was spotted by former West Bromwich Albion manager Alan Ashman, during his clubs Canadian tour in 1969. A striker, Johnson scored six goals for the Vancouver Spartans on opening day of the Western Canada Soccer League that same summer, and was selected to play for the British Columbia All-Stars to play against the English team. However, the played just four games in the Football League before an injury ended his English career and he returned to Canada to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL. He captained Canada’s national team in World Cup qualifying in 1972, scoring on his debut against the U.S. in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Connie Cant was a member of Canada’s national women’s team from 1986 to 1991 and co-captain from 1989 to 1991. She played on the Quebec provincial team which won silver medals at the Canadian championships and played her club soccer at Concordia University. She is a member of the Quebec Soccer Hall of Fame.

Domenic Mobilio was just 18 years old when he became one of the first two players to sign with the old Vancouver 86ers when the team was formed to play in the Canadian Soccer League in 1987. He was the leading goalscorer and MVP in the CSL in 1991 with 25 goals and the leading goalscorer overall in the history of the league with 81 in 121 games. When the 86ers changed their name to the Whitecaps he continued to play for the club in the A-League, and in total his club career spanned 15 seasons and he scored an overall total of 170 goals in 286 games. He played 25 times for Canada between 1986 and 1997 and on retiring coached Coquitlam City. Domenic died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 35.

Bill Findler was a star centre forward with Edmonton Canadian Legion in 1928 and C.N.R. in 1929 and 1930, before moving to the west coast to join the famous Westminster Royals. With C.N.R. he won the Alberta championship in 1929 and 1930 and with the Royals the Canadian championship in 1931 and 1936. He played for the Edmonton All-Stars against the touring Scottish F.A, in 1927, Welsh F.A. in 1929 and Glasgow Rangers in 1930, and the B.C. All-Stars against the English F.A. in 1931. When he hung up his boots he became a coach, a manager and then league secretary and president of the Pacific Coast League, at a time when that league was the best in the country. He died in 1982.

Among the Builders, Jim Fleming served two terms as president of the Canadian Soccer Association at first from 1982 to 1986 and then again from 1998 to 2002. During his first term in office the national team reached the World Cup finals for the first and only time and during his second the team won the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In addition to the CSA Jim held various positions within CONCACAF and also with FIFA. He is a member of the CONCACAF Hall of Fame and a member of the FIFA Order of Merit.

National team doctor Rudy Gittens has been a member of the CSA Medical Committee for 20 years and Canada’s representative on the FIFA Medical Committee, he was also doctor to the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Ottawa 67s junior hockey team.

Bill Thomson was appointed the first full time Technical Director of the CSA in 1974 and during his tenure to 1985 was responsible for the design and implementation of the coaching certificate program for soccer in Canada. He was manager of the Pan American Games team in 1975 and the Olympic Games team in 1976, and voted Coach of the Year in the Canadian Soccer League in 1987 as coach of the Ottawa Pioneers.

Herb Capozzi was a multi-sports star at UBC and is inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame. He played professionally in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League and made two Grey Cup appearances as a member of the B.C. Lions, before turning to soccer. He was the driving force behind the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL, being owner, president and Chairman of the Board for 10 seasons. During this time his club won Soccer Bowl 1979 beating Tampa Bay Rowdies in the final, following a dramatic semi-final win over the New York Cosmos at Giants Stadium in New York.

Gus Etchegarry was president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association from 1966 to 1971 and vice president of the CSA from 1970 to 1973. He began his playing career in 1945 as a member of the Burin Peninsula and St. Lawrence teams, and first entered the administrative side of the game in 1959. He is a member of five sports Hall’s of Fame in his home province.

Tom Robertson, who becomes the first recipient of the Pioneer Award was instrumental, along with Fred Barter of Montreal, in forming the then Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1912. In those days soccer in Canada was always known by it official name 'Football.' Earlier in life Robertson had received an injury as a player that resulted in 53 weeks in hospital and the loss of a leg, and following that he was determined to eliminate the brutality that existed in the game at that time. This led to the formation of the Toronto and District Football Association (today’s Toronto Soccer Assocation) in 1908. He went on to become the Secretary-Treasurer of the T and D in 1908, 1909 and 1910, and of the Ontario Football Association in 1910. He was secretary-treasurer of the DCFA in 1912, 1913 and 1914, and made a life member in 1925. Before World War Two teams in the T and D played for the Robertson Cup, the gate receipts of which went to an injured players fund. The cup disappeared many years ago.

Calgary Caledonians, this years Team of Distinction, won the People’s Shield, the unofficial national championship in 1907, 1908 and 1909 the first three years of the competitions existence. This was before the formation of the Canadian Soccer Association and an official national championship in 1913. The People’s Shield was donated to Canadian soccer by the People newspaper in London, England and the Shield is on display at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. The team has had other successes since and in 2006 also reached the Canadian final of the National Championship.

PLAYERS:

Craig Forrest, national team 1990s. B.C.
Glen Johnson, who played for Canada in the 1970s B.C.
Connie Cant, national women’s team in the 80s. QUEBEC
Domenic Mobilio, national team 1990s B.C.
Bill Findler, a star in the 1920s and 1930s with Edmonton C.N.R. and Westminster Royals. ALBERTA/B.C.

BUILDERS

Jim Fleming, long serving Canadian Soccer Association president ALBERTA
Rudy Gittens, national team doctor ONTARIO
Bill Thomson, former CSA Technical Director, B.C.
Herb Capozzi, owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, during the North American Soccer League years B.C.
Gus Etchegarry long time administrator from the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association. NEWFOUNDLAND

PIONEER AWARD, designed to recognize those individuals who contributed to the game in the distant past. The first recipient of this award will be Tom Robertson, the first secretary of the Dominion of Canada Football Association (today’s CSA) in 1912. ONTARIO.

TEAM of DISTINCTION Calgary Caledonians, who won the People’s Shield, the unofficial championship of Canada in 1907.

The Soccer Hall of Fame & Museum was established at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ontario in 1999 and is dedicated to preserving and researching Canada’s soccer history

The first Induction Banquet took place in 2000

The 2007 Ceremony will take place at “The Country Club, a Clublink Corporation” in Woodbridge, Ontario on Saturday May 5 2007. At this time there will be a total of 97 players and builders and 5 teams of Distinction who will have been honoured.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Forrest playing for keeps
CSA president to be inducted
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/12/04/2621702-cp.html

http://i13.tinypic.com/4355xea.jpg
Former Canadian National soccer team goalie Craig Forrest heads up the new induction class for the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.(AP Fil Photo/Jay L. Clendenin)

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian soccer enjoyed some rare success thanks to Craig Forrest and Jim Fleming.

The former goalkeeper and president of the Canadian Soccer Association helped Canada to the Gold Cup trophy as CONCACAF champion in 2000 and the elite eight-team Confederations Cup the next year. Good times indeed for a men's program whose World Cup finals drought now extends 20 years - dating back to Fleming's first stint as president.

Forrest and Fleming will be reunited in May when they are inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

For Forrest, who turned 39 in September, it's an unexpected honour.

"It wasn't something I actually really thought about too much. Just like any other player, you play because you enjoy playing," the Rogers Sportsnet soccer analyst said in an interview Monday. "The game was good to me anyway before something like that came about.

"It's terrific, great news. It's nice to be recognized."

Forrest retired in 2002 at 34. Despite beating testicular cancer, he was told by doctors that he wouldn't be able to keep up the kind of fitness needed to play top-flight soccer.

Also headed to the Hall is the late Domenic Mobilio, a prolific scorer at club level who was just 35 when he died in 2004. Other players to be honoured are Glen Johnson and the late Bill Findler - and Connie Cant, who played for the women's national team in the 1980s and early 90s.

Other builders to be honoured are national team doctor Rudy Gittens, former Vancouver Whitecaps owner Herb Capozzi, former CSA technical director Bill Thomson and longtime Newfoundland administrator Gus Etchegarry.

This year's team of distinction is the Calgary Caledonians, who won the People's Shield - the unofficial championship of Canada in 1907.

The Hall has also introduced the Pioneer Award, designed to recognize individuals who contributed to the Canadian game in the distant past. The first recipient is the late Tom Robertson, the first secretary of the Dominion of Canada Football Association (today's CSA) in 1912.

The official induction ceremony is slated for May 7, bringing the number of players and builders to 97.

Forest, a Gumby-like six-foot-five 'keeper who left Canada at 16 to play in England, spent 14 seasons with Ipswich before joining Chelsea briefly and then finishing his career with five seasons at West Ham. He earned 56 caps for Canada between 1988 and 2001 and still holds the national team record for shutouts with 19.

In 2000 at the Gold Cup in California, Forrest posted shutouts in three of five games as Canada won the championship of CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. He was named tournament MVP and top goalie.

Canada's reward for winning the Gold Cup included a trip to Japan for the Confederations Cups, where Forrest turned heads by blanking Brazil in an acrobatic display at Kashima.

Craig Forrest joins five other former national team goalkeepers in the Hall: Joe Kennaway, Art Halliwell, Tony Chursky, Tino Lettieri and Paul Dolan.

Fleming served two terms as CSA president, from 1982 to 1986 - when Canada reached the World Cup finals - and then again from 1998 to 2002. He hired Holger Osieck, the coach who led Canada to the Gold Cup.

The Edmonton native is a member of the CONCACAF Hall of Fame and FIFA Order of Merit.

Mobilio was the leading scorer in the history of the Canadian Soccer with 81 goals in 121 games. When the Vancouver 86ers changed their name to the Whitecaps, he continued to score for the club in the A-League. During his 15-year club career, he scored 170 goals in 286 games.

Mobilio played 25 times for Canada between 1986 and 1997, collecting three goals. He died of an apparent heart attack.

Other 2007 inductees are:

-Johnson, a former national team captain who won nine caps for Canada in the 1970s. He was the first Canadian-born player to play in England's old First Division after being spotted by West Bromwich Albion. Injuries cut his English career short.

-Cant, played 23 times for the women's national team in the '80s and was co-captain from 1989 to 1991.

-Findler, a star centre forward in the 1920s and 1930s with Edmonton C.N.R. and Westminster Royals. He died in 1982.

-Gittens, a member of the CSA medical committee for 20 years and Canada's representative on the FIFA Medical Committee. He has also served as doctor to the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Ottawa 67s junior hockey team.

-Thomson was appointed the first full-time technical director of the CSA in 1974, working in the job until 1985. He was responsible for the design and implementation of the coaching certificate program for soccer in Canada. He was voted coach of the year in the Canadian Soccer League in 1987 with the Ottawa Pioneers.

-Capozzi, owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, during the North American Soccer League years. A former NFL and CFL player before turning to soccer, he was the man behind the Whitecaps, serving owner, president and chairman for 10 seasons. During that time, his team won the Soccer Bowl in 1979.

-Gus Etchegarry, a longtime administrator from the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association.