Gerry Gray

Gerard "Gerry" Gray (born 20 January 1961 in Possilpark, Glasgow, Scotland) is a former Canadian national soccer team player and head coach.

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Gerry Gray (ice hockey).

Gerry Gray
Personal information
Full name Gerard Gray
Date of birth (1961-01-20) 20 January 1961
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1982 Vancouver Whitecaps 82 (13)
1979–1982 Vancouver Whitecaps (indoor) 32 (29)
1982–1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) 36 (11)
1983 Montreal Manic 25 (3)
1983–1984 New York Cosmos (indoor) 28 (14)
1984 New York Cosmos 13 (1)
1984 Chicago Sting 6 (0)
1984–1986 Chicago Sting (indoor) 49 (37)
1986–1987 Tacoma Stars (indoor) 50 (15)
1987–1988 St. Louis Steamers (indoor) 49 (20)
1988 Ottawa Intrepid
1988–1990 Tacoma Stars (indoor) 73 (19)
1989 Hamilton Steelers
1989–1990 Kansas City Comets (indoor) 12 (3)
1990 Toronto Blizzard
1991 Hamilton Steelers
1991 Toronto Blizzard
National team
1980–1991 Canada 35 (2)
Teams managed
2010–2012 Tacoma F.C.
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born and raised in Scotland, Gray moved to Toronto, Ontario[1] with his family at the age of 12 and played for several teams in Canada and the United States in the NASL. In 1982 Gray was named to the NASL's first North American All-Star team.

Gray also played indoor soccer in the original MISL for the Chicago Sting as well as the Tacoma Stars.

Gray played outdoors again in the Canadian Soccer League with the Ottawa Intrepid in 1988, Hamilton Steelers in 1989, Toronto Blizzard in 1990, the Steelers again in 1991, and then the Blizzard again in the same year.

In April 2001, Gray was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

International career

Gray was a member of the national youth team that played in the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship in Japan. He made his senior debut on 15 September 1980 for Canada in a 4–0 victory against New Zealand in a friendly match in Vancouver. Gray earned a total of 35 caps, scoring 2 goals, one of which came via a stunning free kick versus Mexico in a 1982 World Cup qualifier in Mexico City.[2][3]

He represented Canada in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[4] and played in two of Canada's games at the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals, the country's only appearance at a World Cup finals. He also played for Canada at the 1984 Olympics.

His final appearance came in a 0–2 defeat in a March 1991 North American Nations Cup match against the United States in Torrance, California.[2]

He was named Mississauga, Ontario's Professional Athlete of the Year in 1980, and he was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[5]

Managerial career

On 8 April 2010, Gray was appointed the head coach for the Tacoma F.C. of the USL Premier Development League.[6]

International goals
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
116 November 1980Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico Mexico1–11–11982 FIFA World Cup qualification
210 May 1986Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Canada Wales2–02–0Friendly match

References
  1. https://www.canadasoccer.com/?pid=1360&t=profile&
  2. "Gerry Gray". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  3. "UNUSED 19/11/80 SOCCER :MEXICO V CANADA 1-1 DRAW". Youtube.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. Record at FIFA Tournaments - FIFA
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Tacoma Tide FC Hire Hall of Famer as New Coach". tacomafc.com. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
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