Full name Ryan Gamble 1994-1996 Toronto Italia Years Team | Playing position Place of birth South Africa Name Ryan Gamble | |
1997 San Francisco Bay Seals | ||
Ryan Gamble is a South African former footballer who had notable tenures in the USL A-League, Canadian National Soccer League, and the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
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Playing career
Gamble began his career within the Canadian National Soccer League in 1994 with Toronto Italia, where he led the league in scoring and was named the Rookie of the Year. In 1996, he helped Italia claim the regular season championship by finishing first in the overall standings. In the postseason, Toronto faced St. Catharines Wolves in the finals and won the series by a score of 11-0 on goals on aggregate with Gamble contributing goals to the victory. In 1997, he signed with San Francisco Bay Seals of the USISL D-3 Pro League, where he helped San Francisco win the Western Division. At the conclusion of the USISL season, he signed with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League. He made his debut for Toronto on August 24, 1997 against the Long Island Rough Riders. He helped the Lynx qualify for the postseason and featured in the first round playoff match against Montreal Impact, but lost the series by a score of 6-1 on goals on aggregate.
In 2001, Gamble signed with Toronto Supra of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut for the club on May 25, 2001 in a match against London City. During the season, he was selected for the CPSL All-Star roster which faced C.S. Marítimo in a friendly match. He also helped the Supra finish third in the overall standings and secure a postseason berth. In the postseason, he featured in the semi-final match against league giants, the Toronto Olympians, where the Supra won the match by a score of 3-2. In the finals, Toronto faced St. Catharines Wolves, but lost to a score of 1-0. The following season, he featured rather sporadically for the club due to injuries, while the Supra failed to secure a playoff berth by finishing last in their division. In 2005, he signed with new expansion franchise, the Oakville Blue Devils, where he helped Oakville finish second in the Western Conference with the best offensive record in the division. Gamble featured in the CPSL Championship match against Vaughan Shooters, where he came off the bench to score the winning goal to claim the club's first championship. After the championship match, Gamble announced his retirement from competitive soccer.