Squamish has a rich soccer tradition but perhaps the most talented soccer player the town has ever produced was recently honoured again for his spectacular professional career.
Mike Sweeney, who grew up in Squamish, was named to the all-time Canadian roster as a midfielder on the Major League Soccer website and The Chief had the opportunity to catch up with the living soccer legend.
"Growing up in Squamish, we played whatever sport was in season," Sweeney said of his formative years in town. "We played football, baseball, hockey and soccer but it wasn't until I was 15 that I really developed my game."
Sweeney joined the Squamish United men's team at the tender age of 15 and he said the experience of playing with older and more seasoned players helped elevate his game.
"Playing with the Squamish United team was the most fortunate thing to happen to my career," he said. "I played on a team with Scots, Swedes and so many other ethnicities that knew the game so well and taught me so much about so many different parts of the game."
Sweeney gained valuable experience for several years with the Squamish United club but after graduating from Howe Sound Secondary School, he fought his way onto the Simon Fraser University soccer team as a walk-on and then made his way onto the Canadian squad for the 1978 CONCACAF Youth Tournament. That team placed second and then qualified for the 1979 U-20 FIFA World Cup.
After his appearance there, Sweeney made his debut for his country, scoring in his first match against New Zealand in a Sept. 17, 1980 friendly. He would go on to represent Canada 61 times throughout his career, an accomplishment of which he is still proud.
"Qualifying for the World Cup with Canada in 1986 and qualifying for the Olympics in 1984 were huge for me," he said. "I still remember track athletes back in high school who I thought were such better athletes than me who didn't even make it out of B.C. and here I was competing against the world's best at the Olympics."
Sweeney was part of the last Canadian team to qualify for the World Cup in 1986 and is the only player in Canadian soccer history to be dismissed from a World Cup game.
"We were playing Hungary and I got called for a hard tackle early in the game," he said. "I was playing against their superstar later on and it was the first World Cup where you got a card for tugging on a player's jersey. I pulled his shirt and got dismissed but I think because it was a Canadian guy getting booted for that kind of penalty, it wasn't a big deal. If that had happened to a player on Brazil or England, the ref would have never heard the end of it."
Despite being sent off, being a part of the last Canadian team to compete for soccer's biggest trophy is a source of pride for Sweeney.
"We were a team full of young guys and I think we were a little lucky to make it, but I thought we competed hard," he said. "As lucky as we were in 1986, we were unlucky in 1990 and 1994."
Sweeney said he thinks the reason Canada has failed to qualify since 1986 is simple lack of solid organization.
"Americans take their sports more seriously than we do and since 1986 they have become so much better at soccer," he said. "They have better facilities, better staff and Canada just doesn't have a long-term plan to build soccer players. America has become much more professional since 1986 and it seems like Canada still has the same system in place. Good players almost need to become stars by default in Canada nowadays."
Aside from playing on Canada's national team, Sweeney played on several indoor and outdoor soccer teams during the 1980s and early 1990s. He had stints with the Edmonton Drillers and the Golden Bay Earthquakes in the North American Soccer League but his highlight was having the opportunity to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps when they opened up B.C. Place in 1983. Sweeney had two assists in the home opener and said he will never forget playing in front of his hometown fans.
"It was just huge," he said. "We were drawing 35,000 at the old Empire Stadium and then to move to B.C. Place was great. We always had a great crowd, a very much English crowd and I was so lucky to be able to start and play every game for the Whitecaps that year."
Sweeney played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 to 1988, with stops in Cleveland, Minnesota and Baltimore. He then joined the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League in 1989 before going back to Cleveland. He finished his pro career with two years in the American Professional Soccer League before retiring in 1993 after playing for Canada in a World Cup qualification match against Australia.
Sweeney was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sweeney pointed out that he thinks the recent MLS expansion to Montreal and Vancouver will be great for soccer in Canada.
"I think both teams are going to do really well," he said. "They have great youth systems and great scouting and I know Vancouver is an extremely professional organization. It's going to be great for the fans too, because they have the rivalries with Toronto and Montreal, as well as with Seattle and Portland."
Sweeney has settled in Cleveland and is heavily involved with the soccer scene in the city. He runs several youth clubs and manages a number of camps, staying busy passing on his knowledge of the game he loves.
He still manages to make it back to Squamish on occasion, as several of his family members still live in town. Sweeney was the oldest of six children and his brothers Sean, Dave and Donald still call Squamish home, as well as his aunt, Molly Goodgrove.
"I like Squamish but I don't really get a chance to get out there often enough," he said. "Growing up in Squamish was so important to my career and everyone in town was so supportive of me. Whether it was when I was on the Whitecaps, the World Cup or the Olympics, they always supported me and I thank the people of Squamish for that.
For more information on the spectacular career of Mike Sweeney, visit his Canada Soccer profile at http://www.canadasoccer.com/players/profile.asp?playerid=1226
