Soccer, Athlete, 2014 |
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Pat Philley was one of the community’s early sports heroes, having earned a spot on the Canadian National soccer team in the mid-1950s.
Playing alongside brother Brian, Philley served as Canada’s captain in World Cup qualifiers in 1957, including a 5-1 victory over the United States in Toronto, and a pair of losses to Mexico in Mexico City. The win over the US came in Canada’s first FIFA World qualifier match, with Pat Philley scoring one of the goals.
Prior to that, Philley was a prominent member of the Vancouver City team that won the Canadian Challenge Cup in 1950, beating Winnipeg 4-1 and 4-0 in the final. He would be a two-time member of the BC All-Stars, playing against such legendary clubs as Rangers FC in 1954, Huddersfield Town in 1955, Aberdeen FC and Lokomotiv Moscow in 1956 and finally Tottenham Hotspur in 1957.
He was elected a member of Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.