The club that was once called the Vancouver 86ers continued its association with the past today when it announced that Carl Valentine has joined the club as a ambassador and coach.
Valentine was a member of the 1986 Canadian team that played the role of lovable underdog at Mexico 86.
He's also an alumnus of the Whitecaps and was a fan favourite during his playing days.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
His resume:
The native of Manchester he was part of the last Canadian team to win a northern North American club championship, the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl. He was also a key member of the Vancouver 86ers squad that claimed four-straight CSL championship titles between 1988 and 1991. Valentine was Vancouver's all-time leader in appearances with 409, while he sits third on the club's career points list with 65 goals and 69 assists for 199 points. Between 1994 and 1999, Valentine served as Whitecaps head coach.
He made 31 international appearances for Canada between 1985 and 1993, and, as stated, actually played in the World Cup! The World Cup!!
Oh yeah, he scored the most important goal in Canadian soccer history.
(oh great, now I'm crying)