Brian Ashton (soccer)

Ashton began playing professional soccer with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League in 1998 the second year of the franchise`s inception.[1] He made his debut for the club on April 9, 1998 in an exhibition match against the Rochester Rhinos.[2] During his tenure with the Lynx he was awarded the Toronto Lynx Fan Favorite award a record five times including a Public Relations award.[3] He held the record for most club appearances for the Lynx, until he was surpassed by David Diplacido in 2006.[4] In the 2000 USL A-League season he assisted Toronto by reaching the post season for the second time in the franchise`s history. In the playoffs Ashton scored a goal in the conference quarterfinals against the Long Island Rough Riders, which resulted in a 2-1 victory.[5] The Lynx playoff run came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final against the Rochester Rhinos in a 2-1 loss on aggregate.

Once the 2002 A-league season came to a conclusion he was loaned to the Mississauga Olympians of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.[6] He made his debut on September 11, 2002 in an Open Canada Cup match against the Toronto Croatia.[7] He helped the Olympians secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the Western Conference, but unfortunately were defeated by the North York Astros in a wild card match.[8] On February 12, 2004, Ashton announced his retirement from professional soccer after he was offered a regional coach of youth development position with the Ontario Soccer Association.[9]

Ashton made his national team debut on March 25, 1991 with the Canada men's national under-17 soccer team at the 1991 CONCACAF U-17 Tournament. He later featured with the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team in the 1992 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament. He also played with the Canada men's national under-23 soccer team at the 1994 Jeux de la Francophonie.[10]