Lyndon Hooper

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Lyndon Hooper

| image = Lyndon Hooper.jpg

| caption = Hooper in 2010

| fullname = Lyndon Fitzgerald Hooper

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|5|30}}

| birth_place = Georgetown, Guyana

| height = {{convert|5|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}

| position = Midfielder

| years1 = 1986 |clubs1 = Toronto Blizzard | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1987 |clubs2 = National Capital Pioneers | caps2 = 18 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1988 |clubs3 = Montreal Supra | caps3 = 28 | goals3 = 2

| years4 = 1990–1992 |clubs4 = Toronto Blizzard | caps4 = 83 | goals4 = 11

| years5 = 1993–1994 |clubs5 = Birmingham City | caps5 = 5 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1995–1996 |clubs6 = Cincinnati Silverbacks (indoor) | caps6 = 20 | goals6 = 12

| years7 = 1996 |clubs7 = Chicago Power (indoor) | caps7 = 1 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 1996–1997 |clubs8 = Toronto Shooting Stars (indoor) | caps8 = 8 | goals8 = 1

| years9 = 1996–1998 |clubs9 = Montreal Impact | caps9 = 53 | goals9 = 3

| years10= 1997–1998 |clubs10= Montreal Impact (indoor) | caps10= 33 | goals10= 2

| years11= 1999 |clubs11= Hampton Roads Mariners | caps11= 19 | goals11= 2

| years12= 2000–2001 |clubs12= Toronto Lynx | caps12= 42 | goals12= 1

| years13= 2005 |clubs13 = Toronto Lynx | caps13 = 2 | goals13= 0

| nationalyears1 = 1986–1997

| nationalteam1 = Canada

| nationalcaps1 = 68

| nationalgoals1 = 2

| manageryears1 = 2005

| managerclubs1 = Toronto Lynx (assistant coach)

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}}

}}

Lyndon Hooper (born May 30, 1966) is a Canadian former professional soccer player and former assistant coach of the Toronto Lynx soccer team of the United Soccer Leagues First Division. A former midfielder, he was a prominent Canadian international.

Club career

Guyana-born but moving to Ottawa at age 11, Hooper turned professional in 1987 with the Ottawa Intrepid of the Canadian Soccer League. He continued to play for Wilfrid Laurier University in the autumns from 1986 to 1990 and was named second-team CIAU all-Canadian in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto Blizzard.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/455673290/?terms=toronto+blizzard|title=Nepean's Hooper among 16 soccer players protected by National Capitals|last=McAuley|first=Lynn|date=November 13, 1986|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=Ottawa Citizen|page=39|language=en|access-date=2020-04-08}} He went on to play for CSL teams the Montreal Supra, and returned to Toronto Blizzard in 1990.

The 5'8, 160 lbs. Hooper played in the Football League with Birmingham City in the 1993–94 season. His first game for Birmingham City was on 6 October 1993; a second city derby away at Aston Villa where Birmingham lost 1–0. Hooper returned to North America to play for A-League teams the Montreal Impact from 1994 to 1998, Hampton Roads Mariners in 1999, and Toronto Lynx, retiring as a player with the Lynx in 2001. Hooper played amateur soccer for Scarborough GS United in the 2005–06 season. The team won the Senior (open age) Men's Canadian Club Championship.

International career

Hooper is the sixth most capped player[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/can-recintlp.html Canada - Record International Players] - RSSSF in the history of the Canadian national team, having made 68 'A' team appearances (scoring 2 goals) between 1986 and 1997. He made his debut for Canada in an August 1986 Merlion Cup match against Singapore. He represented Canada in 18 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120819022543/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=50990/index.html Record at FIFA Tournaments] - FIFA His final international was a June 1997 World Cup qualification match against Costa Rica.

He also represented Canada at the inaugural 1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship.{{cite web|url=https://canadasoccer.com/index.php/?pid=1510&t=profile&|title=Lyndon Hooper|date=21 November 2019 |access-date=12 May 2020|publisher=Canada Soccer Association}}

Post-retirement

When he retired from soccer he served as a sports consultant with the Toronto Sports Council and earned his Level "B" coaching license while coaching the U17 Ontario Provincial Team. On March 3, 2005 he was appointed the new assistant coach for the Toronto Lynx,[http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports05/05lynx07.htm Hooper joins Toronto Lynx] under Hubert Busby Jr. But when the Lynx finished with a league worst 3 wins, 17 losses, and 8 ties, the worst performance in league history, he and Busby both left their coaching roles after one season with the club.

Hooper has recently started an elite soccer camp in the Durham Region of Ontario where he resides. The soccer camp has embarked on its journey to building a new generation of Canadian homegrown talent.

Hooper currently works for Ontario Soccer as the Coordinator, Coach Development.{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/contact-us |website=Ontario Soccer |access-date=22 September 2023}}

Personal life

Hooper's sister is star soccer player Charmaine Hooper and Ian Hooper, a former professional and collegiate soccer player at NC State and current Director of Business Operations for the Ottawa Champions Baseball Club. Hooper is married to Jennifer Beckford and has two kids, Trey and Taylor Hooper. He was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana then moved to Canada in 1978.

Career statistics

:Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.

class="wikitable"

! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition

26 March 1988

Lima, Peru

1–1

3–1

Friendly match

15 August 1993

Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia

1–1

1–2

1994 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Canada

North American Nations Cup: 3rd place, 1991{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/north-am-champ91.html#sqd|title=North American Championship 1991 (Los Angeles, USA)-Squads|access-date=April 20, 2025}}