George Pakos

George "Teddy" Pakos (born August 14, 1952 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a former Canadian international soccer player. His goals were crucial in Canada qualifying for its only FIFA World Cup finals to date, in 1986.[1]

George Pakos
Personal information
Date of birth (1952-07-14) July 14, 1952
Place of birth Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Position(s) Second striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989 Victoria Vistas
National team
Canada 23 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Pakos won Rookie of the Year honours in the final Pacific Coast League season, helping Victoria West United finish second overall in the 1972-73 league standings. He later played for Victoria's London Boxing Club (which later became the VAA) and won Canada Soccer's The Challenge Trophy in 1975. He began work at the same time as a water-metre technician for the city of Victoria, a job he continued for over 25 years. The third son of Polish immigrants, George's father Zenon played professionally in Poland before being displaced by the war. Pakos did play briefly professionally in the Western Soccer Alliance in 1985 with the Victoria Riptides and with the Victoria Vistas in 1989.[2]

International career

Spotted by coach Bob Bearpark while playing for the Vancouver Island Selects amateur team, Pakos made his debut with the Olympic team at age 30. He also played for Bearpark in 2 Olympic qualifying matches in 1983 against Bermuda, scoring once in each game. He was however left off the team that reached the quarterfinals of the Olympics.

The midfielder Pakos scored 5 times in 23 'A' internationals, all of which he earned from age 31 on. In 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification as a 33-year-old who had been cut from the team after the first round of qualifying, Pakos was recalled and scored the lone goal in a vital away win at Honduras. He also scored the first goal in a 2–1 home victory against Honduras that clinched Canada's berth in their only finals appearance. Pakos came on for the last 21 minutes of Canada's third match in the finals versus the Soviet Union in his final full international appearance.[3]

International goals
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
111 December 1983Estadio General Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras Honduras1–3Friendly match
24 April 1985Civic Stadium, Portland, USA United States1–1Friendly match
325 August 1985Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Honduras1–01–01986 FIFA World Cup qualification
414 September 1985King George V Park, St. John's, Canada Honduras1–02–11986 FIFA World Cup qualification
52 February 1986Orange Bowl, Miami, USA Uruguay1–11–3Miami Cup

Post-retirement

Pakos was head coach of V.A.A.'s Division 2 men's team of the Vancouver Island Soccer League in 2005–06.

In 2001, Pakos was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.[4]

Honours and achievements

Victoria London Boxing Club

Individual

  • Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year, 1972–73
  • Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, 2001
  • BC Soccer Award of Merit, 2004
  • VISL Team of the Half Century, 2015

References
  1. "The unlikely tale of a World Cup hero". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  2. "George Pakos". NASL Jerseys. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  3. "George Pakos". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. "George Pakos". GVSHOF. 2001. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
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