Full name Brian Ashton Years Team | Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Name Brian Ashton | |
Date of birth (1974-09-05) September 5, 1974 (age 41) | ||
Playing position | ||
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Brian Ashton (born September 5, 1974) is a former Canadian soccer player who played notably with the Toronto Lynx, and is currently the Ontario Soccer Association Region 6 Head Coach.
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Professional career
Ashton began playing professional soccer with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League in 1998 the second year of the franchise`s inception. He made his debut for the club on April 9, 1998 in an exhibition match against the Rochester Rhinos. Over the years with the club Ashton played a prominet role with the franchise on and off the field. During his tenure with the Lynx he was awarded the Toronto Lynx Fan Favourite award a record five times including a Public Relations award. He held the record for most club appearances for the Lynx, until he was surpassed by David Diplacido in 2006. In the 2000 USL A-League season he assisted Toronto by reaching the post season for the second time in the franchise`s history. In the playoffs Ashton scored a goal in the conference quarterfinals against the Long Island Rough Riders, which resulted in a 2-1 victory. The Lynx playoff run came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final against the Rochester Rhinos in a 2-1 loss on aggregate.
Once the 2002 A-league season came to a conclusion, Ashton was loaned to the Mississauga Olympians of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut on September 11, 2002 in a Open Canada Cup match against the Toronto Croatia. He helped the Olympians secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the Western Conference, but unfortunately were defeated by the North York Astros in a wild card match. On February 12, 2004, Ashton announced his retirement from professional soccer after he was offered a regional coach of youth development position with the Ontario Soccer Association.
International career
Ashton made his national team debut on March 25, 1991 with the Canada men's national under-17 soccer team at the 1991 CONCACAF U-17 Tournament. He later featured with the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team in the 1992 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament. He also played with the Canada men's national under-23 soccer team at the 1994 Jeux de la Francophonie.