BiS - Wednesday, April 13, 1983 - North Shore News

Vancouver Whitecaps ’83

in 1982, appearing in 19
games, drawing a starting
assignment 13 times.
Although born in North
Shields, England, Lowther
moved to Edmonton as a
teenager and became a
Canadian citizen last year.
He was the Whitecaps’
second draft pick and 29th
overall in the NASL

Colliege/High School draft in
1980. He has spent the past
three winters with University
of Dublin in the League of
Ireland.

ALAN TAYLOR
Forward Ht.: 5-10, Wt.:
160, Age: 29, Citizen:
Eagiand

A three-year Whitecap
veteran, Taylor missed two
and a half months of the
NASL season in 1982 with a
severe groin strain. As a
result, be only appeared in
11 games but still managed
to score six goals and four
assists to rank sixth overall
on the club. Alan began his
English career in 1973 with
Rochdale appearing in 55
games over two seasons. He
was transferred to West Ham
United in 1974 and played
four seasons there appearing
in 88 games, scoring 25
goals. The year 1975 was
“Taylor-made” as Alan and
West Ham enjoyed a
glonous F.A. Cup run.
Although a substitute most
of the 1975 season with the
“Hammers”, Taylor came off
the bench and went on a
goal-scoring tear. He scored
both goals in a 2-0 semi-final
win over Ipswich = and,
unbchevably, scored both
goals in the Cup Final in a 2-
0 decision over Fulham.

PLAZA

Filter Queen

is pleased to be part of the North Shore with our

PAUL NELSON
Defender: Ht.: 5-8, Wt.:
155, Age: 23, Citizen:
Canada

A regular first team player
in 1980 and 1981, Nelson
only appeared in nine games
this past season suffering
from a slipped disc injury.
Nelson's back had bothered
him all through the 1981-82
indoor season. During the
off-season he underwent
major surgery and was in
traction for three weeks.
Now fully recovered, he is
expected to battle for one of
the fullback spots in 1983. A
product of Vancouver's Cliff
Avenue system, Nelson has
been with the Whitecaps
since 1977.

FRAN O'BRIEN

Midfielder

Has 5°B”, We: 140,

Age: 28, Citizen: ireland
Fran O'Brien, with the

Montreal Manic last season,

was a NASL first team all-

star last year in polis by both

Soccer America and_ the
Professional) Soccer
Reporters Association. A

native of Dublin and an Irish
international, he was runner-
up to Seattle's Peter Ward as
PSRA Three-Star Player of
the Year

new office

community

We look forward to serving you and your

Good Luck Whitecaps

CUSTOM DESIGN SUITS

Let’s Go Whitecaps!
985-4411 o, 985-9222

k

&

x

DAVID NORMAN
Defender

Ht.: 5-7, We.: 150, Age: 20
Canada

Now entering his fourth
season with the Whitecaps,
David is coming off his
busiest year. He appeared in
19 games last season and
collected six assists. Another
outstanding product of the
B.C. minor soccer system,
David was the club's number
one draft pick in 1980.

Although born in
Glasgow, Scotland, he grew
up im suburban Coquitlam
attending Centennial

Secondary School. Over the
past three NASL off-season
periods, David has been a
regular with the University
College Dublin in the League
of Ireland.

MIKE SWEENEY
Midfielder
Ht.: 5-8, We.: 155, Age: 23
Citizen: Canada

A native British
Columbian, Sweeney was
acquired by the Caps as a
free agent from the Ed-
monton Drillers. Entering
his fourth year in the NASL,
Sweeney has been a regular
first team player his previous
three seasons with = the
Dnillers.

986-9317

Hit.: 5-7, Wt.: 180, Age: 30
Citizen: Denmark

Unquestionably one of pro
soccer’s iron-men, Lund was
acquired in a cash deal from
Buffalo Stallions of the
Major Indoor Soccer
League. He has missed only
one game indoors or out-
doors since 1974. Spent
three seasons in the NASL
from 1979-81 with the Dallas
Tornado where he played in

85 consecutive games — a
club record and just shy of
the NASL record.

Prior to that played in the ©

Bundesliga with Fortuna
Dusseldorf and was a
member to the club’s 1979

European Cup Winners Cup
finalists. Also played for
Antwerp in Belgium and KB
Kobenhagen in his native
Denmark. Has been capped
26 times for Denmark.

DAVE WATSON
Defender: Ht. 6 We: 175

Age: 36, Citizen: England

KNOWN AS the ‘Man of
Granite,’ the 6-0, 175 Ib.
Watson started his career as
a forward with Notts County,
but was traded to
Rotherham in 1968 where he
was switched to centreback
by then manager Tommy
Docherty. -

He was sold to Sunderland
in December 1970 for a club
record $200,000 and was the
individual star of Sun-
derland's underdog 1973
F.A. Cup victory. That
triumph came _ over
England's top club team of
the era, Leeds United,
whose midfield included
Johnny Giles, with Peter
Lorimer on the Leeds for-
ward line.

Watson, a native of
Nottingham, England,
anchored the back line of
England for almost eight full

years between 1974 and
1982.
FRANS THIJSSEN

Midfielder: He.: 5-11, We.:
160, Age: 31, Citizen:
Holland

One of the _ best
midfielders in the game
today, Frans Thijssen began
his career with Dutch club
NEC Nijmegen but was
soon traded to VC Twente
of Enschede where he
played for five and a half
years — while also being
selected to the Dutch
national squad.

He was spotted in 1979
by Bobby Robson, the
former Vancouver Royals’
coach who was then

_ manager of Ipswich. In a

quick series of deals he
bought Thijssen and Twente
team-mate Arnold Muhren

(the latter now at
Manchester United).
Thijssen was named

Footballer of the Year in
England following the 1980-
81 season, only the second
foreigner ever to win the
award in the 36 years it has
been presented.

He and his wife Henrietta
have two children.

Top teams heading west

The soccer fan will have
himself a ball this year in the

Pacific Northwest, and
especially night in Van-
couver.

As the sport continues to
make positive inroads into
North America, top teams
are heading in this direction.

On June 12, the national
team of Scotland will make
their first appearance in
Vancouver, taking on the
Canadian national team
under Tony Waiters.

The Scots are promising to
bring ajong their best calibre
of players. “We always take
our best,” says legendary
manager Jock Stein, making
this Canada's toughest in-
ternational opponent.

The familiar blue jerseys
and white shorts, the at-
tacking, raiding sytle which
always gives exciting cn-

4
ca
GENTLEMAN

ENTRE

tertainment, will delight the
many Scots from far and
wide who are already
making arrangements for the
June date. One team of old
Scots from Edmonton are
already booked in with buses
being chartered from dif-
ferent locations in the in-
terior.

The tartan army will be in
full cry June 12.

And just before the Scots
come to call, Seattle will be
taking part in the Trans-
Atlantic Challenge Cup with
Cosmos as well as Fiorentina
of Italy and the beautiful to
watch Brazilians from Sao
Paulo who boast a number of
their World Cup team.

Sao Paulo plays Sounders
May 30 and on June 1},
Fiorentina will visit the
Kingdome.

And the national tcam of

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with presentation of this coupon

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Scissor’s Edge

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the United States will be
visitors here during the
course of the NASL Season.

Team America will be
looking for experience for
the next couple of seasons
aiming at the 1986 World
Cup.

Canada and the United
States are scheduled to link
up in a what should be a
great battle the week of
Soccer Bowl, sometime the
last week of September
under the dome.

Then there is the Europac
tournament set for August 2,
4, 6 with the People's
Republic of China,  In-
ternacional of Brazil, Seattle
and Whitecaps taking part in
a round-robin series.

All-in-all, some pretty
good soccer talent is going to
be happening close to home
in 1983.

So do we

$Q?5
986-1317