Mike Sweeney (soccer)

Mike Sweeney

Personal information
Full name	Michael Sweeney
Date of birth	December 25, 1959 (1959-12-25) (age 51)
Place of birth	Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
Playing position	midfielder or defender (retired)
Youth career
	Squamish United[1]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1980–1982	Edmonton Drillers	86	(2)
1980–1982	Edmonton Drillers (indoor)
1983–1984	Vancouver Whitecaps	22	(0)
1984	Golden Bay Earthquakes	21	(2)
1984–1986	Cleveland Force (indoor)	87	(18)
1987–1988	Minnesota Strikers (indoor)	54	(21)
1988	Baltimore Blast (indoor)	44	(6)
1988–1989	Toronto Blizzard
1989–1992	Cleveland Crunch (indoor)	92	(29)
1988–1990	Boston Bolts
National team
1980–1993	Canada	61	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Michael "Mike" Sweeney (born December 25, 1959 in Duncan, British Columbia) is a former Canadian soccer player.

Club career

NASL

In 1980, the Edmonton Drillers of the North American Soccer League signed Sweeney. He spent three seasons with the Drillers before moving to the Vancouver Whitecaps for the 1983 season. While he began the 1984 season with the Whitecaps, he was traded to the Golden Bay Earthquakes. The NASL folded at the end of the 1984 season. Sweeney, never discouraged, continued to display soccer skills far advanced compared to the rest of the league.

MISL

Sweeney was also a long-time Cleveland Force MISL player. He then moved to the Minnesota Strikers for the 1987-1988 season.^[1] He then moved to the Baltimore Blast. In 1989, the Cleveland Crunch selected Sweeney in the Expansion Draft. On June 30, 1989, he signed with the Crunch and remained with the team through at least the 1991-1992 season.^[2]

Toronto Blizzard

In 1988, Sweeney spent time with the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL).

Boston Bolts

In 1988, he signed with the Boston Bolts of the American Soccer League (ASL). In 1990, the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League to form the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). The Bolts spent one season, 1990, in the APSL before folding.

The Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inducted Sweeney in 2002.^[3]

International career

A defender or midfielder, Sweeney made his debut for Canada in a September 1980 friendly match against New Zealand and earned 61 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented Canada in 24 FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[2] and played 2 of Canada's games at the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals, the country's only appearance at a World Cup finals. Sweeney was sent off in the second game against Hungary^[3], making him the only Canadian player ever to be dismissed at a World Cup Finals tournament.

He also played for Canada at the 1984 Olympics and was a squad member at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship ^[4] but did not play.

His final international game was an August 1993 World Cup qualification match against Australia.

International goals

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 April 1985	Victoria, Canada	Haiti	2-0	2-0	1986 FIFA World Cup qualification

External links

• Player profile - Canada Soccer
• Career stats - National Football Teams
• NASL/MISL stats

References

1. ^ Lypka, Ben (7 January 2011). "Catching up with soccer great Mike Sweeney". Squamish Chief. http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20110107/SQUAMISH0201/301079945/0/squamish/catching-up-with-soccer-great-mike-sweeney. Retrieved 30 January 2011. 
2. ^ Record at FIFA Tournaments - FIFA
3. ^ HUNGARY - CANADA - Planet World Cup
4. ^ Japan 1979 Teams Canada - FIFA

Persondata
Name	Sweeney, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1959-12-25
Place of birth	Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death
Place of death