Martin Nash (soccer)

Martin Nash
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-12-27) December 27, 1975
Place of birth Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position Central Midfielder
Youth career
1989–1992 Lower Vancouver Isl. Metro Selects
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Vancouver 86ers 41 (7)
1996–1998 Stockport County 20 (1)
1998–1999 Edmonton Drillers (indoor) 15 (1)
1999 Vancouver 86ers 15 (1)
1999–2000 Chester City 16 (0)
2000–2002 Rochester Raging Rhinos 65 (9)
2002–2003 Macclesfield Town 5 (0)
2003 Montreal Impact 22 (4)
2003–2004 Dallas Sidekicks (indoor) 29 (27)
2004–2010 Vancouver Whitecaps 188 (18)
Total 416 (67)
National team
1997–2010 Canada 38 (2)
Teams managed
2013–2016 Ottawa Fury (assistant)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 6, 2016.


Martin Nash (born December 27, 1975) is a Canadian retired[1] soccer player.

A five-time all-league selection in the USL-1 and its predecssor, the A-League,[2] Nash has won four league championships, two with the Rochester Rhinos in 2000 and 2001 and two with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2006 and 2008. He spent the majority of his playing career in North America, most notably in the Vancouver area, but also played in England for Stockport County, Chester City and Macclesfield Town.

Nash was also a regular member of the Canadian national soccer team, making 38 appearances and scoring 2 goals during his 13-year career.

He is the younger brother of retired basketball superstar Steve Nash.[3]

Career

Club

Nash began his career with the Vancouver 86ers in 1995. He was named to the all-A-League team in his second season with the 86ers as a 20-year-old in 1996.[2] He spent the next several years jumping backwards and forwards across the Atlantic: he also played 5 games for a Stockport County side in 1996-97 that won promotion to Football League First Division and appeared in 15 games as a substitute for the club's first-team the next season. He also played briefly for Third Division Chester City in 1999, on loan for Third Division Macclesfield Town in February 2003, and had a short stint with the Edmonton Drillers in 1998-1999.

Nash played for the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League from 2000 to 2003, winning back-to-back league titles in 2000 and 2001. He was given second-team all-league honours in 2000.[2] He spent the 2003 season with the Montreal Impact, before signing with the Vancouver Whitecaps for a third time in 2004. During this time, Nash also played pro indoor soccer in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The 2003-04 season with the Dallas Sidekicks.

In 2006, Nash helped Vancouver capture their first USL First Division Championship, beating Rochester Raging Rhinos by a score of 3-0. He established a new team record for longest ironman streak, playing 77 consecutive games over three seasons. The record had previously belonged to Domenic Mobilio with 68 games. After being named to two Second All-League teams in 1996 and 2000, Nash received First All-League honours in 2007 with the Whitecaps.[2] The following season, on September 30, 2008, Nash was named to his second consecutive USL-1 First All-League Team,[4] en route to another USL-1 Championship on October 12, 2008, beating the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 in Vancouver.[5] The win marked Nash's fourth league title (including the USL's predecessor, the A-League).[6]

With the departure of Jeff Clarke following the Whitecaps' championship, Nash succeeded Clarke as team captain on January 26, 2009.[3] He missed the final five games of the regular season after pulling his hamstring in a game against the Rochester Rhinos on August 29. He returned in time for the playoff opener against the Carolina RailHawks.[7] In the midst of Vancouver's playoff run, Nash was named to the Second All-League team.[2] Despite finishing the 2009 regular season as the seventh and final seed in the playoffs, Nash and the Whitecaps advanced to the finals for the second consecutive year, eliminating the RailHawks and Timbers, the league's top two seeds. In the first leg of the final against the Montreal Impact, however, Nash was assessed a red card in the 52nd minute after delivering a tackle to Roberto Brown, suspending him for the remainder of the two-leg final. Brown was carried off the field on a stretcher but quickly returned to finish the game, which Montreal won 3–2.[8]

Despite expectations that he would captain the Whitecaps as the team enters Major League Soccer in 2011, Nash announced his retirement from professional soccer on October 27, 2010, stating "Today is a day of mixed emotions for me, but we all decide to move on. I'm glad to end my career here, where it all started". Nash accepted a new role as a scout and youth playing coach with the club.[9]

International

Nash made his debut for Canada in an April 1997 FIFA World Cup qualification match against El Salvador. Along with Jason De Vos, Paul Stalteri and Jason Bent, he formed a new generation of Canadian internationals who would succeed the retiring veterans Frank Yallop, Colin Miller, Randy Samuel and Alex Bunbury. He earned a total of 38 caps, scoring 2 goals. He has represented Canada in 10 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[10] He was a member of the Canadian squad at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

International goals

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 January 11, 2000 National Stadium, Hamilton, Bermuda  Bermuda 1-0 2-0 Friendly
2 January 11, 2000 National Stadium, Hamilton, Bermuda  Bermuda 2-0 2-0 Friendly

Coaching

Nash was named the assistant coach of the Ottawa Fury on October 18, 2013 for their inaugural year in the North American Soccer League.[11]

Honours

Rochester Rhinos

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Canada

Individual

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "USL-1 All-League Second Team unveiled". OurSportsCentral.com. September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Whitecaps name Nash team captain". Sportsnet.ca. January 26, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  4. ↑ "USL-1 All-League Teams announced". Uslsoccer.com. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Schedule | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Whitecapsfc.com. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ "For Whitecaps' Nash, team comes first". The Province. October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Captain Nash says he's ready to go". The Province. September 22, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Whitecaps lose first leg of USL-1 final 3-2 to Montreal". Vancouver Sun. October 10, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  9. ↑ Vancouver Whitecaps captain Martin Nash retires
  10. ↑ Record at FIFA Tournaments - FIFA
  11. ↑ "Ottawa Fury name M. Nash assistant coach". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
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