Steve MacDonald (soccer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 13, 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1987-2000 | Vancouver 86ers | 321 | (18) |
| National team | |||
| 1987 | Canada U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 1988 | Canada U-20 | 3 | (1) |
| 1991-1992 | Canada U-23 | 5 | (0) |
| 1989-1995 | Canada | 7 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Steve MacDonald is a Canadian soccer defender who spent his entire professional career with the Vancouver 86ers. He played extensively for the Canadian national teams between 1987 and 1995.
Club
MacDonald began playing for the Douglas Park Spartans when he was seven. In 1987, he began his professional career with the Vancouver 86ers of the Canadian Soccer League. From 1988 to 1991, MacDonald and his team mates won four consecutive CSL championships. This team was later inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.[1] In 1992, Vancouver moved to the American Professional Soccer League. MacDonald was a 1993 and 1998 Second Team All League defender.[2] He retired following the 2000 season. "STEVE MacDONALD'S #5 JERSEY TO BE RETIRED ON FRIDAY
On Friday, August 31, in the game against the Milwaukee Rampage, the Whitecaps will hold a special ceremony to celebrate the career of Vancouver's all-time games played leader, defender Steve MacDonald, whose number 5 jersey will be retired.
MacDonald announced his retirement from professional soccer at the end of last season, shortly before his 30th birthday. He joined Vancouver as a 16-year-old in 1987, and over 14 seasons played a total of 321 games, with 305 starts, for 26,942 minutes. He recorded 18 goals, 4 assists, 4 game winning goals, 52 yellow cards, and 5 red cards. His career totals for games, starts, minutes, yellows, and reds are all club records. MacDonald also earned six senior and 13 U-23 caps for Canada, and was a five-time All-Star (CSL 1989, 1990, 1991; APSL 2nd Team 1993; A-League 2nd Team 1998)."
The Vancouver ‘86ers were a powerhouse soccer team that in 1989 set a North American sports record on their way to a Canadian Soccer League championship.
The 1988 edition of the ’86ers had won the CSL title and when the 1989 campaign began the team kept winning. Over two seasons, from June 5th, 1988 to August 8th, 1989, the team remained undefeated in 46 games (37 wins and nine ties). They eclipsed the Canadian pro sports record set by the 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens (28), the North American standard established by the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers (36) and even Nottingham Forest’s English soccer record of 42 unbeaten games.
Head coach Bob Lenarduzzi had an all-star line-up that included captain John Catliff, Domenic Mobilio, Dale Mitchell, Carl Valentine, and Steve MacDonald.
International
In 1987, MacDonald made his international debut with the Canadian U-17 team at the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship.[3] A year later, he played three games for the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team which failed to advance beyond group play at the 1988 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament. On April 14, 1989, MacDonald earned the first of his seven caps with the senior Canada men's national soccer team in a 1-0 loss to the Faroe Islands. In 1991 and 1992, he played for the Canadian U-23 team during its unsuccessful qualification campaign for the 1992 Summer Olympics. MacDonald’s last national team appearance came in a 2-0 loss to China on October 11, 1995.