Chris Bennett
Personal information
Date of birth (1952-01-15) 15 January 1952
Place of birth London, England
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1970–1971 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974 Vancouver Whitecaps 8 (2)
1976–1977 Seattle Sounders 17 (0)
1978 Memphis Rogues 5 (0)
1979–1980 Cleveland Force (indoor) 25 (6)
Total 55 (8)
International career
1973–1975 Canada 6 (1)
1975 Canadian Olympic 4 (1)
Managerial career
1993–1997 Canada U20 (assistant)
1998–2000 Canada U15
2000–2004 Canadian Soccer Association
2004, 2005 Whitecaps FC Women
2005 Whitecaps FC men's reserves
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Chris Bennett (born 15 January 1952) is a former soccer player who played as a forward in the North American Soccer League. Born in England, he played for the Canada national team at international level. He was one of the original Vancouver Whitecaps players from their first season in 1974. Since retiring from playing, he has been a football coach and instructor in the Vancouver area.

Club career

An English immigrant to Canada, Bennett was a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL in their inaugural season of 1974, playing 8 games and netting two goals and an assist. Just before the 1976 season, the Whitecaps traded Bennett to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Tommy Baldwin.[1] In 1978, he moved to the Memphis Rogues. Prior to going to North America, Bennett was a member of Chelsea in 1970 and '71, although he never played a first-team game . He played indoor soccer at some point, likely the 1978–9 season, for the Cleveland Force.

International career

Bennett earned six 'A' caps between 1973 and 1975 for Canada, scoring once. He also earned four Olympic team caps in 1975, scoring once.

Coaching career

Bennett was a coach for 12 years with the Canadian Soccer Association, including 1998 to 2000 as the U-15 boys' team head coach as well as assistant coach to the U-20 side and as an interim to the national side. The U-20 men's team won the 1995-6 CONCACAF gold medal whereas the 1993-4 team finished third in the same tournament. From 2001 he has provided soccer coaching to his local community in Coquitlam and at Penticton, BC, Canada.

Bennett was in 2005 and possibly 2006 coach of the Whitecaps F.C. men's reserves. In 2004, he led the Whitecaps women's team to the W-League championship which subsequently led to his inauguration in the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Special recognition

2004 - 2005 BC Directors Coaching Award, for dedication to the development of soccer through coaching
2001 - 2002 Coach of the Year, North Coquitlam
2014 - Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1976 Seattle Sounders: Chris Bennett Archived 5 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum Website > Hall of Fame > Hall of Fame Inductee Announcements > 2014 Inductees". Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
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