Les Wilson (soccer)

Les Wilson
Personal information
Full name Leslie John Wilson[1]
Date of birth (1947-07-10)10 July 1947[1]
Place of birth Manchester, England
Playing position utility player [2]
Youth career
?-1962 Collingwood Legion (British Columbia)[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962-1964 Westminster Royals
1964-1971 Wolverhampton 101 (7)
1967Los Angeles Wolves (guest) ? (0)
1969Kansas City Spurs (guest) 7 (1)
1971-1973 Bristol City 43 (1)
1973-1974 Norwich City 6 (0)
1974-1978 Vancouver Whitecaps[1][2] 37 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Leslie John "Les" Wilson is a football administrator and former professional player. He played in The Football League for Bristol City, Norwich City, and most notably Wolverhampton Wanderers, one of the very first North American-trained players to do so.[2] Following his playing career with the original North American Soccer League's and his hometown Vancouver Whitecaps, Wilson became a Canadian Soccer Association coach and administrator involved in a number of the national program's finest ever results.

Childhood and youth career

His family settled in Vancouver when Wilson was seven years old.[2] He played youth soccer for Collingwood Legion in the Vancouver and District Juvenile Soccer League.[1]

Senior playing career

At age 16, Wilson joined top Canadian amateur club Westminster Royals' senior side. The following summer, that of 1963, while a member of a British Columbia All-Star side that competed against Wolverhampton's first team during their pre-season tour in North America, Wilson was invited England to try out for Wolves.[1][2] He made his Wolves first team debut in December 1965, in a Second Division away match against Middlesbrough.

Wilson is one of very few professional footballers to have played in matches in nine different positions, as designated in that era by a player's jersey number, something he achieved while playing for Wolves.[2] During his over ten years playing in England, which also included a brief stint at both Bristol City and Norwich City, Wilson played over 100 First Division matches.[2]

Coaching and administrative career

Wilson became a Whitecaps coach immediately following retiring as a player, helping the club lift the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl, and stayed on with the club as an administrative until the organization folded in 1984.[2]

Wilson joined the CSA as a national teams administrator. During his tenure, the senior national team reached their only World Cup finals to date, Mexico 1986. The side also reached the quarter-finals at the 1984 Summer Olympics and beat huge odds to win the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship with Wilson on staff.

Wilson was named CONCACAF assistant secretary in 1999.[2] The following year he became executive director of the British Columbia Soccer Association.[2]

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Les Wilson". Soccer.on.ca. 1947-07-10. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Blog Archive » ‘An Overwhelmingly Positive Impact’". Wolves Heroes. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
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