View source for Lyndon Hooper

{{Short description|Canadian soccer player (born 1966)}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2011}}
{{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]]<ref name = "CSA"/>
| height = {{convert|5|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}
| position = [[Midfielder]] 
| years1 = 1986      |clubs1 = [[Toronto Blizzard (1986-1993)|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 (1986-1993)|Toronto Blizzard]]         | caps4 = 83 | goals4 = 11
| years5 = 1993–1994 |clubs5 = [[Birmingham City F.C.|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 (1992–2011)|Montreal Impact]]           | caps9 = 53 | goals9 = 3
| years10= 1997–1998 |clubs10= [[Montreal Impact (1992–2011)|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 men's national soccer team|Canada]]
| nationalcaps1 = 68
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| manageryears1 = 2005
| managerclubs1 = [[Toronto Lynx]] (assistant coach)
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Association football]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[North American Nations Cup]]}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[1991 North American Nations Cup|1991 United States]]|}}
}}

'''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]] [[USL First Division|First Division]]. A former [[midfielder]], he was a prominent [[Canada men's national soccer team|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 (1987–1992)|Canadian Soccer League]]. He continued to play for [[Wilfrid Laurier University]] in the autumns from 1986 to 1990 and was named second-team [[Canadian Interuniversity Sport|CIAU]] all-Canadian in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, he played in the [[Canadian National Soccer League|National Soccer League]] with [[Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993)|Toronto Blizzard]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> He went on to play for CSL teams the [[Montreal Supra]], and returned to Toronto Blizzard in 1990.<ref name=RR/>

The 5'8, 160&nbsp;lbs. Hooper played in the [[Football League]] with [[Birmingham City F.C.|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 (1992–2011)|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<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/can-recintlp.html Canada - Record International Players] - RSSSF</ref> 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 men's national soccer team|Canada]] in an August 1986 [[Merlion Cup]] match against [[Singapore national football team|Singapore]].<ref name = "CSA"/> He represented Canada in 18 [[FIFA World Cup qualification]] matches.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120819022543/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=50990/index.html Record at FIFA Tournaments] - FIFA</ref> His final international was a June 1997 World Cup qualification match against [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]].<ref name = "CSA"/>
He also represented Canada at the inaugural [[1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship]].<ref name = "CSA">{{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}}</ref>

==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]],<ref name=RR>[http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports05/05lynx07.htm Hooper joins Toronto Lynx]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/contact-us |website=Ontario Soccer |access-date=22 September 2023}}</ref>

==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
|-
| 1 || 26 March 1988|| [[Lima]], Peru || {{fb|PER}} || 1–1 || 3–1 || [[Friendly match]]
|-
| 2 || 15 August 1993|| [[Sydney Football Stadium (1988)|Sydney Football Stadium]], [[Sydney]], Australia || {{fb|AUS}} || 1–1 || 1–2 || [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|}

==Honours==
'''Canada'''
*[[North American Nations Cup]]: 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>

==External links==
*{{Canada Soccer player|id=1510}} / [[Canada Soccer Hall of Fame]]
* {{NFT player|21105}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Canada futsal squad 1989 World Cup}}
{{Canada squad 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
{{Canada squad 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
{{Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Lyndon}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Georgetown, Guyana]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Ottawa]]
[[Category:Guyanese emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada]]
[[Category:Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Black Canadian men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[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 the United States]]
[[Category:1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players]]
[[Category:Ottawa Intrepid players]]
[[Category:Montreal Supra players]]
[[Category:Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993) players]]
[[Category:Birmingham City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Silverbacks players]]
[[Category:Virginia Beach Mariners players]]
[[Category:Toronto Lynx players]]
[[Category:Canadian National Soccer League players]]
[[Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players]]
[[Category:USL First Division players]]
[[Category:Guyanese people of African descent]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian soccer coaches]]
[[Category:A-League (1995–2004) players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]