Coaches and captains have symbiotic relationships in team sports. It was never more so in Canadian men’s soccer than when Tony Waiters coached and Bruce Wilson captained the national team to its greatest heights in the 1980s. With Waiters on the bench, and Wilson captaining from the back-line, Canada reached the quarter-finals of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and qualified for the World Cup in 1986 for the first and as yet only time.
The lessons learned from Waiters, who died Tuesday at age 83, held Wilson in good stead as head coach at the University of Victoria the past 33 years, guiding the Vikes to three national and nine Canada West championships. “Tony [Waiters] commanded great respect from all the players,” said Wilson, the former NASL pro, who captained Canada for 11 of his 13 years on the national team.
“Tony communicated well with the players and everyone listened to what he had to say.”
Literally, and from commanding heights.
“I played one season for the Vancouver Whitecaps and remember hearing his voice booming and conducting the practice session from the roof of Empire Stadium,” recalled Wilson. “I almost keeled over laughing.”
NASL veteran Wilson was not on the Whitecaps team that won the league championship in 1979. But he would join together again with Waiters on the national team for its most halcyon moments.
“We should have gone to the 1982 World Cup in Spain and were gutted when we didn’t [before Waiters became Canadian head coach]. Tony was the person who really made the biggest difference following what happened in 1982,” said Wilson.
“He had the total loyalty of the players.”
That’s because he supported them on the pitch and battled for them off it.
“Tony fought for money from the Canadian Soccer Association for proper preparation,” said Wilson.
“He told the CSA we needed money to prepare properly for being on the world stage. He made sure that money was made available.”
Wilson played on a national team back line that included Ian Bridge of Victoria, Whitecaps legend Bob Lenarduzzi and Randy Samuel of Richmond. “We took Brazil to penalty kicks in the quarters of the 1984 Olympics and almost made the semifinals, and then qualified for the World Cup two years later,” noted Wilson.
“Much of that was due to Tony Waiters. No Canadian teams have gone further. ”
Also on the 1986 World Cup team were George Pakos of Victoria and Jamie Lowery of Port Alberni. No matter what happens in 2022 Qatar qualifying, Canada’s Waiters-era World Cup appearance drought is guaranteed to end in 2026 when it co-hosts the global tournament with the U.S. and Mexico.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
