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Michael John Sweeney... he was five years old when he started playing soccer for Celtic in Squamish... grew up playing soccer, football, baseball and hockey... favourites have included Billy Bremner, Dave Keon... was the best man at Gerry Gray’s wedding in October 1985... in 2012 as part of the Canadian Soccer Association’s Centennial Celebration, was honoured on the All-Time Canada XI men’s team...
honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as a player (he was shortlisted as an original alternate by The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000 and then honoured as part of the Class of 2002)... honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia... part of the first Canadian team to reach the knock-out phase at the Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1984), recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction... part of the first Canadian team to play at the FIFA World Cup (Mexico 1986), recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction...
Concacaf champion (1985)... represented Canada at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico... represented Canada in four cycles of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers... career 81 international appearances across 15 years from 1979 to 1993 with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team, including 61 international "A" appearances... when he left international football in 1993, he ranked first all-time with 81 international appearances, in fact holding the Canadian record from 1993 (when he surpassed Bruce Wilson) until 1997 (when Randy Samuel surpassed him)... represented Canada at one FIFA youth tournament (U-19 at Japan 1979)... was part of the first Canadian team to qualify for a FIFA youth tournament in 1978...
club career in Canada and USA...
said Sweeney in 1983, “like Gerry Gray, I do a lot of the dirty work in the midfield. In Edmonton, I was a ball-winning type of midfielder who serviced the forwards and I expect to play a similar role in Vancouver”... said Sweeney in the Squamish Chief in 2011, “playing with the Squamish United team was the most fortunate thing to happen to my career. 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”...
wrote the Edmonton Drillers in 1981, “described by his opponents and admirers as a little terror”... wrote the Edmonton Drillers in 1982, “Sweeney is an excellent man-to-man marker who rarely lets his opponent go without a tackle”... wrote the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1983, Sweeney has “a reputation as being one of the most reliable Canadian midfielders in the league”... said Steve Armitage in 1986, “Mike Sweeney is like a tiger, he doesn’t give up easily”...
won a silver medal with Canada at the 1978 CONCACAF Youth Tournament in Honduras, falling 0:1 a.e.t. to Mexico in the final (Canada qualified for a FIFA tournament for the first time in Association history)... represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Japan 1979 (he did not feature)... he was 20 years old when he made his debut for Canada at the national A level (17 September 1980)... represented Canada in 1980-81 CONCACAF / FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for Spain 1982 (helped Canada finish third in the 1981 CONCACAF Championship)... played in a career-high 15 consecutive Canada matches from 1980 to 1983 (Canada “A” matches)... finished fifth with Canada at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Football Tournament... helped Canada win the 1985 CONCACAF Champions / FIFA World Qualifiers for Mexico 1986... represented Canada at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico (he featured in one match)... represented Canada in 1988 CONCACAF / FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for Italy 1990... finished first with Canada at the 1990 Corona Three Nations Cup... he was the second footballer to make his 50th appearance for Canada (15 November 1992)... represented Canada in 1992-93 CONCACAF / FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for USA 1994 (Canada was eliminated in an inter-zone playoff against Australia)... he retired as Canada’s all-time leader with 61 appearances over 14 years with the national team (1980-1993)...
