Nicholas Michael Gilbert (born 20 July 1965) is a former

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

high-scoring soccer striker and

Canada men's national soccer team The Canada men's national soccer team () represents Canada in international Association football, soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Canada. They have been a m ...

member.

Club career

His first semi-professional experience came as a member of the

Victoria Riptides Victoria Riptides (also known as the RipTides and Riptide) were a professional soccer team based out of Victoria, British Columbia. The team played for two seasons; the 1984 season of the Pacific Coast Soccer League, and 1985 season of the Wester ...

. Gilbert was the

's inaugural Most Valuable Player selection as he led the league in goals in 1987 as a member of the

Calgary Kickers The Calgary Strikers (formerly the Calgary Kickers) were a Canadian soccer team in Calgary, Alberta, that competed in the Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1989. They were founded as the Calgary Kickers for the 1987 and 1988 seasons, winning t ...

, with 10. He was the 6th leading goal scoring in 1988 with 11 as he split time between Calgary and the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

. In the league's 7-year existence Gilbert was its 7th all-time highest goal scorer with 36. Gilbert played four games for the

Vancouver 86ers Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Met ...

in 1993, all starts, and scored a goal, on 30 July in a 2–1 win over the Montreal Impact. Gilbert was a long-time member of Victoria United of the

Pacific Coast Soccer League The Pacific Coast Soccer League is an amateur Association football, soccer league, currently featuring teams from British Columbia. In the past, clubs from Washington (state), Washington and Oregon have competed. The Pacific Coast Soccer Leagu ...

. He finished tied for third in the league's 2000 goal scoring leaders with 7. He played for the Victoria Athletic Association of the Vancouver Island Soccer League in 2000–1, apparently while stay playing for United. Gilbert left United to join PCSL rival Seattle Hibernian Saints in July 2002.

International career

Gilbert first played for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

in the 1984

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

Under-20 Championship, in a tournament in which Canada finished runners-up. He earned his first senior cap as a 22-year-old in a February 1988 friendly played in

Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and the main settlement of Pembroke Parish. A port city, Hamilton is Bermuda's financial and commercial centre, and a popular tourist destination. Its population of ...

that ended scoreless, and his last one in September 1992 in a 0–2 loss to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, a friendly played in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

. Gilbert earned a total of 10 caps and scored once for Canada.

International goals

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

Honours

Calgary Kickers *

: 1 :: 1987 * Canadian Soccer League Top Goalscorer: 1 :: 1987 Canada *

North American Nations Cup The North American Nations Cup was an association football competition organized by NAFU as its top regional tournament for men's senior national teams from North America. The tournament was held in 1990 and 1991. Canada, United States and Mexi ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

; 3rd place,

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

References

External links

*
Western Alliance Challenge Series 1985 Season
* * ttp://members.shaw.ca/jderk/Hylanmvp.html Trophy Case of the Vancouver Island Soccer League* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Nick 1965 births Living people Soccer players from Vancouver Men's association football forwards Canadian men's soccer players Canada men's youth international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Victoria Riptides players Calgary Kickers players Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993) players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Hibernian Saints players Western Soccer Alliance players Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players American Professional Soccer League players Pacific Coast Soccer League players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Edmonton Brick Men players Winnipeg Fury players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen