View source for Ian Bridge

{{Short description|Canadian soccer player (born 1959)}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ian Bridge
| fullname = Ian Christopher Bridge
| image = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1959|9|18}}
| birth_place = [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| youthclubs1 = 
| youthyears1 = 
| years1 = 1979–1983
| clubs1 = [[Seattle Sounders (NASL)|Seattle Sounders]]
| caps1 = 100
| goals1 = 11
| years2 = 1980–81
| clubs2 = [[Seattle Sounders (NASL)|Seattle Sounders]] (indoor)
| caps2 = 16
| goals2 = 2
| years3 = 1984
| clubs3 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]]
| caps3 = 24
| goals3 = 2
| years4 = 1984–1985
| clubs4 = [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]]
| caps4 = 40
| goals4 = 7
| years5 = 1985–1990
| clubs5 = [[FC La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
| caps5 = 
| goals5 = 
| years6 = 1990
| clubs6 = [[Victoria Vistas]]
| caps6 = 22
| goals6 = 3
| years7 = 1991
| clubs7 = [[Kitchener Kickers (CSL)|Kitchener Kickers]]
| caps7 = 11
| goals7 = 0
| years8 = 1991
| clubs8 = [[North York Rockets]]
| caps8 = 7
| goals8 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 1979
| nationalteam1 = [[Canada men's national youth soccer teams|Canada Youth]]
| nationalcaps1 = 
| nationalgoals1 = 
| nationalyears2 = 1981–1991
| nationalteam2 = [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]]
| nationalcaps2 = 34
| nationalgoals2 = 5
| manageryears1 = 1989–1990
| managerclubs1 = [[FC La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
| manageryears2 = 1990–2000
| managerclubs2 = [[University of Victoria]]
| manageryears3 = 1997–present
| managerclubs3 = [[Canada women's national soccer team|Canada (women)]] (assistant coach)
| manageryears4 = 2001–2008
| managerclubs4 = Canada U20 women (assistant)
| manageryears5 = 2008
| managerclubs5 = Canada U20 women
| manageryears6 = 2009–2010
| managerclubs6 = Canada U17 women
| manageryears7 = 2010
| managerclubs7 = [[Victoria Highlanders]]
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Association football]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[CONCACAF Championship]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[1985 CONCACAF Championship|1985 North America]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[North American Nations Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[1990 North American Nations Cup|1990 Canada]]|}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[1991 North American Nations Cup|1991 United States]]|}}
}}

'''Ian Christopher Bridge''' (born 18 September 1959) is a [[association football|soccer]] coach and former professional who played as a [[defender (association football)|defender]]. A former player for the [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada national team]], he has coached the [[Canada women's national soccer team|Canada women's national team]] among other teams.

==Club career==
Bridge was born in [[Victoria, British Columbia]]. He began his pro career in 1977 and played in the [[North American Soccer League (1968-1984)|NASL]] with the [[Seattle Sounders (NASL)|Seattle Sounders]] from 1979 to 1983 and with the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] in 1984, and [[Major Soccer League|MISL]] indoor soccer with the [[Tacoma Stars (MISL)|Tacoma Stars]]. Over six NASL seasons, he played 124 games and scored 13 goals. Following the demise of the NASL Bridge played for Swiss club [[FC La Chaux-de-Fonds]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/trainers-zwit-clubs.html |title=Switzerland - Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs |access-date= 21 May 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627223859/http://www.rsssf.com/players/trainers-zwit-clubs.html |archive-date=27 June 2008 }}</ref> for two seasons when the club was in the Swiss league first division.  Later in the [[Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)|Canadian Soccer League]], he played for the [[Victoria Vistas]] (1990), [[Kitchener Kickers (CSL)|Kitchener Kickers]] (1991), and [[North York Rockets]] (1991).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVcaiqoaufxngges_8tVFa_YWyJQ3APl/view|title = CSL 1991 Media Guide w 92 season info and all-time records_HiQ.PDF}}</ref> Ian played his youth soccer with the [http://lakehillsoccer.com/ Lakehill Soccer Association] in Victoria BC, and has an annually awarded Youth Player "Inspirational" trophy named in his honour.

==International career==
A defender, Bridge made his debut for [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]] in an October 1981 friendly match against [[Trinidad and Tobago national football team|Trinidad & Tobago]] and earned 34 caps, scoring 5 goals. He has represented Canada in 12 [[FIFA World Cup qualification]] matches<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080228061953/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=46947/index.html Record at FIFA Tournaments] – FIFA</ref> and played all three of Canada's games at the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] finals, the country's first appearance at a World Cup finals. Bridge also played for Canada at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]] and at the [[1979 FIFA World Youth Championship]]. He scored a goal in the first two [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] qualifying games that he played in. His final international was a June 1991 [[CONCACAF Gold Cup]] Finals match against [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]].

Bridge was inducted into the [[Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame]] in 2003.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

==Managerial career==
Bridge was head coach of the [[University of Victoria]] women's soccer team from 1990 to 2000. He became assistant coach of [[Canada women's national soccer team]] in 1997, a position he still has. He became U-19 national women's coach<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/ian-bridge-named-women-s-u-20-head-coach-1.719172 | title=Ian Bridge named women's U-20 head coach | date=9 October 2008 | publisher=CBC News | access-date=20 May 2019 }}</ref> and chief national team assistant coach in March 2001. (The national youth women's team has since become U-20.)
Bridge is also team chef of the [[Canada men's national youth soccer teams]].<ref>[http://www.canadian-soccer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18655&whichpage=2 CANADA Under-17 National Team]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On 10 January 2010, Bridge resigned as head coach of the U-17 Canadian women national team<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2010/01/08/ian-bridge-out-as-women-s-u17-coach.aspx |title=Ian Bridge out as women's U17 coach |access-date=11 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113200754/http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2010/01/08/ian-bridge-out-as-women-s-u17-coach.aspx |archive-date=13 January 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is now coaching the Victoria Highlanders of the USL (United Soccer league) Premier Development League.

==Career statistics==
:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bridge goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Ian Bridge
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| style="text-align:center"|1 || 12 November 1981|| [[Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino]], [[Tegucigalpa]], Honduras || {{fb|HND|1949}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || [[1982 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|2 || 15 November 1981|| Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras || {{fb|MEX}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|3 || 28 March 1984|| [[Stade Sylvio Cator]], [[Port-au-Prince]], Haiti || {{fb|HAI|1964}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || [[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|4 || 25 May 1988|| [[Varsity Stadium]], [[Toronto]], Canada || {{fb|CHL}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || [[Matthews Cup]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|5 || 15 October 1988|| [[Swangard Stadium]], [[Burnaby]], Canada || {{fb|GUA}} || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || [[1990 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|}

==Honours==
'''Canada'''
*[[CONCACAF Championship]]: [[1985 CONCACAF Championship|1985]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/conca85det.html|title=Torneo Premundial 1985 (IX Campeonato de Naciones (NORCECA) CONCACAF)|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref>
*[[North American Nations Cup]]: [[1990 North American Nations Cup|1990]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/north-am-champ90.html#sqd|title=North American Championship 1990 (Canada)-Squads|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref> 3rd place, [[1991 North American Nations Cup|1991]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{Canada Soccer player|id=498}} / [[Canada Soccer Hall of Fame]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019180953/http://www.gvshof.ca/inductees_detail.asp?IDINDU=119 Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame inductee page for Bridge]
* [http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/B/Bridge.Ian.htm NASL/MISL stats]
* {{NFT player|pid=13845}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Canada squads
| bg = red
| fg = white
|list1=
{{Canada football squad 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Canada squad 1985 CONCACAF Championship}}
{{Canada squad 1986 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Canada squad 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
}}
{{Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge, Ian}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Victoria, British Columbia]]
[[Category:Canadian people of British descent]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Canadian men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Canada men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:1986 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:CONCACAF Championship–winning players]]
[[Category:Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players]]
[[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players]]
[[Category:Tacoma Stars players]]
[[Category:FC La Chaux-de-Fonds players]]
[[Category:Victoria Vistas players]]
[[Category:North York Rockets players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]]
[[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players]]
[[Category:Swiss Super League players]]
[[Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Olympic soccer players for Canada]]
[[Category:FC La Chaux-de-Fonds managers]]
[[Category:Canada men's youth international soccer players]]
[[Category:Kitchener Spirit players]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]