Jim Easton Jr.

Last updated

James Easton
Personal information
Full name James Howatson Easton
Date of birth (1965-06-03) June 3, 1965 (age 58)
Place of birth Dumbarton, Scotland
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1981 Sutherland Secondary School
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1983 Tampa Bay Rowdies (indoor) 3 (0)
1983 Tampa Bay Rowdies 6 (0)
1983–1986 Dundee United 0 (0)
1985 → Forfar Athletic (loan) 2 (0)
New Westminster Q.P.R.
1987 Vancouver 86ers 20 (7)
1989 Vancouver 86ers 26 (6)
1990 Hamilton Steelers 25 (7)
1992–1994 Vancouver 86ers 20+ (4+)
International career
1982 Canada U20 3 (0)
1987–1992 Canada 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Howatson Easton (born June 3, 1965) is a Canadian retired soccer midfielder who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, the Scottish First Division, the Canadian Soccer League and for the Canada men's national team.

Contents

Club career

Easton was drafted, as a 16-year-old, by the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL on December 14, 1981 and had previously trained with Leicester City in England. [1] After training with Tampa Bay's reserve team in 1982 and in Brazil at São Paulo FC with three other young Rowdies' players, [2] [3] Easton finally cracked the line-up with the Rowdies senior squad in 1983, making six appearances that season. Earlier in the year, he also appeared in several matches during Tampa Bay's indoor campaign, that had culminated with them winning the 1983 title. [4] [5] [6] [7]

After leaving the Rowdies in 1983, Easton signed with Dundee United of the Scottish Premier Division and joined their reserve team squad. [8] In March 1985 he joined club Forfar Athletic on loan, [9] making two appearances for them in the Scottish First Division. [10] Easton was released by Dundee United at the end of the 1985–86 season, having not made any first team appearances in three years at the club. [11]

Easton later played for the New Westminster Q.P.R. squad that was runner-up for the 1987 Canadian national championship. He was selected as a 1987 CSL All-star for the Vancouver 86ers after scoring seven goals in the 20 match season. [12] Easton was also a part of the 86ers' 46-match unbeaten run (36 wins, 9 draws) that spanned parts of the 1988 and 1989 seasons and led to the 1989 team being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. [13] In 77 career matches for the 86ers, he scored 24 goals, good for sixth all-time. [14] He also played for Hamilton Steelers. [15]

International career

In 1982 at age 17, Easton appeared in three matches for the Canadian under 20 squad. Before making his full international debut, he was named in Canada's provisional squad of forty prior to the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but didn't make the final cut. [11] Between 1987 and 1992 he appeared in seven matches for the national team. [16]

Personal life

Easton holds an M.A. and an M.B.A., and as of 2011 is the Managing Director of the San Francisco-based ReThink Management Group, which focuses primarily on sports consulting. [17] [18]

His father, Jim Easton, played for several Scottish sides, including Hibernian and Dundee, before playing one season in the NASL and later managing the original Vancouver Whitecaps during the Whitecaps' first two seasons.

In 2018, Easton was named vice president of soccer operations for the Canadian Premier League. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Soccer League (1968–1984)</span> Defunct major soccer league in the United States and Canada

The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It was the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The NASL laid the foundations for soccer in the United States that helped lead to the country hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the set-up of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)</span> Defunct Canadian soccer club

The Vancouver Whitecaps were a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1986, the team played its final year in the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid in the NASL Conference of the USSF Division 2 Professional League coached by Teitur Thordarson. The team played its home games at Swangard Stadium in nearby Burnaby, British Columbia. The team's colours were blue and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993)</span> Defunct American soccer club

The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida, that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although San Diego played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Lenarduzzi</span> Canadian soccer player

Robert Italo Lenarduzzi, OBC is a former North American Soccer League player, Canadian international, and coach of the Canadian national and Olympic soccer teams. He is currently club liaison for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Tornado</span> Soccer club

The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons.

Robert "Bob" Bolitho is a former Canadian national team, North American Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League player. He is of Cornish descent.

Arnold "Arnie" Mausser is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played with eight different NASL teams from 1975 to 1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

David McDonald Norman Jr. is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984)</span> Defunct Canadian soccer club

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were a professional soccer team founded on December 11, 1973. During the 1970s and 1980s they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

The history of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a professional soccer team based in Vancouver, Canada, spans over four decades. The first team to use the "Whitecaps" name was the Vancouver Whitecaps of the now-defunct North American Soccer League, playing from 1974 to 1984. After two years while the core of the players were focused on preparations for the 1986 World Cup, a second version of the club was founded in 1986 as the Vancouver 86ers. This team bought back the Whitecaps name in 2000 and has operated continuously in various leagues since 1986. A Whitecaps FC team began play in Major League Soccer starting in 2011 making it the first time since 1984 that a "Whitecaps" team played in the top tier of soccer in the United States and Canada.

Division 1 professional soccer returned to Vancouver in 1974 with the Vancouver Whitecaps as interest began to grow in U.S. soccer, and the NASL grew after stabilizing in terms of attendance and number of teams with six to eight teams. In 1974 the Whitecaps were one of five expansion teams that were the first teams since 1968 west of Dallas, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri.

Jim Easton is a Scottish former professional association footballer and manager. He played for Hibernian and Dundee and was player/manager of Queen of the South. He also played for the Miami Toros in the NASL and also managed the Vancouver Whitecaps for their first two seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry</span> Club soccer rivalry in Florida

The Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry, also known as the Florida Derby, refers to the suspended soccer rivalry that most recently involved the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, both of whom played in the North American Soccer League through the 2016 season. Over the years the rivalry has spanned more than one hundred matches across eight soccer leagues and several tournaments, and involved nine different teams from the two regions of Florida. At times it has involved players, coaches, management and fans. Even the press has fanned the rivalry's flames at times. From 2010 through 2014, the winner of the regular season series automatically won the Coastal Cup as well. The status of the rivalry beyond 2016 remains unclear because the Rowdies have since joined the United Soccer League, while the Strikers ongoing ownership and legal battles of 2016 and 2017 have left them defunct.

The 1982 season was the original Tampa Bay Rowdies eighth season of existence, and their eighth season in the North American Soccer League, the then-top division of soccer in the United States and Canada. In the 1982 season, the Rowdies finished third in the Southern Division, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Brazilian striker, Luís Fernando lead the club in scoring, with 16 goals in the regular season and 25 across all competitions.

The 1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer was an indoor soccer tournament staged by four franchises of the North American Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccer Bowl '79</span> Soccer match

Soccer Bowl '79 was the championship final of the 1979 NASL season. The National Conference champion Vancouver Whitecaps played the American Conference champion Tampa Bay Rowdies. The match was played on September 8, 1979, at Giants Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This was the second straight year that Giants Stadium hosted the Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps won the match, 2–1, to claim their first North American championship.

The 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational was a four-team indoor soccer tournament held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida on the final weekend of January 1979.

The 1993 Vancouver 86ers season was the club's eighth year of existence, as well as their first as a Division 2 club in the franchise model of U.S.-based soccer leagues. After their 1992 CSL season, the CSL folded and the Whitecaps joined the American Professional Soccer League for the 1993 season. They continued the tradition of excellence from the CSL capturing the Commissioner’s Cup but losing the playoff semifinal in a shootout to the Los Angeles Salsa.

Juan Carlos Molina is a retired professional footballer from Argentina that played in the Pimera División, Primera B, the North American Soccer League and the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Mark Edward Karpun is a Canadian retired soccer player that played in the North American Soccer League, the Major Indoor Soccer League the Canadian Soccer League and for the Canadian Men's National Team. He is also noted for having twice scored the golden goal of sudden-death overtime to win an indoor championship final.

References

  1. ↑ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  2. ↑ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  3. ↑ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  4. ↑ "NASL-Jim Easton". www.nasljerseys.com.
  5. ↑ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  6. ↑ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  7. ↑ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  8. ↑ Gracie, p.31
  9. ↑ Gracie, p.41
  10. ↑ "Forfar Athletic: 1949/50–2013/14". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Gracie, p.48
  12. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer - 1987". homepages.sover.net. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ "1989 Vancouver '86ers". BC Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ "Jim Easton soccer Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com.
  17. ↑ "Press Release Service | Press Releases | SIRC". Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Canadian Soccer Association officials envision new league similar to CHL" – via The Globe and Mail.
  19. ↑ "James Easton Named Head of Soccer Operations for the Canadian Premier League". canpl.ca. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
Sources
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.