Greg Ion

{{short description|Canadian retired soccer midfielder (born 1963)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Greg Ion

| fullname = Gregory Stewart Ion

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|3|12}}

| birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1981–1982

| years2 = 1983

| years3 = 1984

| years4 = 1984–1987

| years5 = 1987

| years6 = 1987

| years7 = 1987–1988

| years8 = 1988–1990

| years9 = 1989

| years10 = 1990–1992

| clubs1 = Portland Timbers

| clubs2 = Montreal Manic

| clubs3 = Tulsa Roughnecks

| clubs4 = Los Angeles Lazers (indoor)

| clubs5 = Minnesota Strikers (indoor)

| clubs6 = Vancouver 86ers

| clubs7 = Chicago Sting (indoor)

| clubs8 = Kansas City Comets (indoor)

| clubs9 = Vancouver 86ers

| clubs10 = Tacoma Stars (indoor)

| caps1 = 9

| caps2 = 11

| caps3 = 21

| caps4 = 133

| caps5 = 10

| caps6 =

| caps7 = 51

| caps8 = 99

| caps9 =

| caps10 = 92

| goals1 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| goals3 = 4

| goals4 = 43

| goals5 = 2

| goals6 =

| goals7 = 14

| goals8 = 48

| goals9 =

| goals10 = 31

| nationalyears1 = 1983–1988

| nationalteam1 = Canada

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Gregory Stewart Ion (born March 12, 1963, in Vancouver) is a Canadian retired soccer midfielder.

Professional

The son of Gordie Ion, Ion graduated from Burnaby North Secondary School. In 1981, the Portland Timbers selected him in the first round of the North American Soccer League draft.[http://www.timbersfanpage.com/alltimeinfo.htm Portland Timbers Drafts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206054323/http://www.timbersfanpage.com/alltimeinfo.htm |date=2012-02-06 }} However, he lost the entire 1981 season with a knee injury. He came back in 1982 and played nine games, but the team folded at the end of the season. He then signed with the Montreal Manic, but that team collapsed at the end of the 1983 season. On November 10, 1983, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers purchased his contract from the Manic.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19831110&id=Ga4RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0ekDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4035,3008735 November 10, 1983 Transactions] The Strikers sent Ion to the Tulsa Roughnecks during the 1984 pre-season. When the NASL collapsed at the end of the season, Ion moved to the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He remained with the Lazers until March 26, 1987, when the team traded him to the Minnesota Strikers in exchange for Thompson Usiyan. He finished the season with the Strikers. On October 2, 1987, the Strikers traded him to the San Diego Sockers in exchange for draft picks and cash."Sockers obtain Strikers' Ion" San Diego Union Saturday, October 3, 1987 On November 6, 1987, the Sockers waived Ion during the pre-season as part of a salary reduction move.[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/06/sports/transactions-154287.html?pagewanted=1 November 6, 1987 Transactions] The Chicago Sting quickly signed him and he spent the 1987–1988 season in Chicago. The Sting, facing financial collapse, released Ion and ten other players on June 2, 1988. Ion then moved to the Kansas City Comets for two seasons. In 1990, he moved to the Tacoma Stars for two seasons.

During the 1986 and 1989, Ion played for the Vancouver 86ers of the Canadian Soccer League. He is inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as member of the record setting 1989 team.{{cite web |title=1989 Vancouver 86ers |url=https://bcsportshall.com/honoured_member/1989-vancouver-86ers/ |website=BC Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=13 September 2024}}

National team

Ion was part of the Canadian team that participated in the FIFA World Cup in 1986.

Post-playing career

Ion was soccer marketer for Adidas and is Program Director of their ESP youth program. He currently runs his own marketing company.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001256/http://www.wweek.com/html2/leada013101.html] He has also been Administrative Director of Club Development with youth soccer club Washington Premier Football Club, in Tacoma, Washington. He is a USSF A licensed coach.

Greg has three daughters Kelsey, Claire and Katelynn.