Tony Lecce

Anthony "Tony" Lecce (born January 1, 1945) is an Italian-born Canadian former soccer defender who earned nine caps with the Canadian national soccer team and played four seasons in the North American Soccer League.

Tony Lecce
Personal information
Full name Anthony Lecce
Date of birth (1945-01-01) January 1, 1945
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1966 Toronto Italia
1967 Boston Tigers
1968 Toronto Falcons 28 (1)
1969 Rochester Lancers
1969 Toronto Italia
1971–1973 Toronto Metros 39 (0)
National team
1968–1972 Canada 8 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Lecce played in 1964 with Toronto Italia in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League for three seasons.[1] Throughout his tenure with Italia he received the league's MVP award in 1965.[2][3] In 1967, he played in the American Soccer League with Boston Tigers.[4][5] He played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1968 with Toronto Falcons.[6] In early 1969, he played with Rochester Lancers in the American Soccer League.[7] The remainder of the season he played in the National Soccer League with former club Toronto Italia.[8] In 1971, he returned to the NASL to sign with Toronto Metros from 1971 through 1973.[9][10]

International career

He played for Canada where he made his debut on October 6, 1968 against Bermuda in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.[11] He would make eight appearances for the national team.[12]

References
  1. Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 214.
  2. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  3. Gillespie, Norman (October 21, 1965). "Chelsea May Play Here". Newspapers.com. The Gazette. p. 39. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. "NASL-Tony Lecce". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  5. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Tony Lecce". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. Wilson, Wayne (June 16, 1968). "Wolves play at Sun Valley Park". Newspapers.com. The Van Nuys News. p. 43. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  7. Loj, Alex (March 13, 1969). "2 Canadian Players ink Lancer Contracts". Newspapers.com. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. p. 40. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  8. Kernaghan, Jim (May 2, 1969). "Veteran soccer league gets big chance". Toronto Daily Star. p. 23.
  9. Sparano, Nicola (March 28, 2017). "Mezzo secolo di ricordi | Corriere Canadese". corriere.ca. Corriere Canadese. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. Cross, Jeff (April 28, 1971). "Some delight, surprise, and some wonder". Newspapers.com. The Province. p. 24. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  11. "Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  12. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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