| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Parsons[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1950-12-16)16 December 1950 (age 74) | ||
| Place of birth | Burnaby,British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Huddersfield Town | |||
| Ipswich Town | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975 | Simon Fraser | 20 | (21) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1969–1970 | Vancouver Spartans | ||
| 1971 | Vancouver Eintracht | ||
| 1976–1982 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 106 | (17) |
| 1979–1980 | →L.A. Aztecs (indoor) | 6 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | →Vancouver Whitecaps (indoor) | 8 | (2) |
| 1985 | Victoria Riptides | ||
| Total | 120 | (19) | |
| International career | |||
| 1972–1980 | Canada | 22 | (6) |
| Managerial career | |||
| Vancouver 86ers | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Les "Buzz"Parsons (born 16 December 1950) is aCanadian formersoccer player who played at both professional and international levels as amidfielder. During his career in North America with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Parsons was affectionately known as "White Shoes", owing to the white boots he wore. After retiring as a player, Parsons later became a professional soccer coach.
Parsons played youth football in England withHuddersfield Town andIpswich Town, but he never made a senior league appearance for either team.[3][4] Parsons returned to Canada to play with theVancouver Spartans andVancouver Eintracht, winning theChallenge Cup with Eintracht in 1971. He also played with Vancouver Italia (Columbus FC) in 1972–1974. He spent one year (1975) studying and playing atSimon Fraser University, netting 21 goals.[5]
Parsons later played in theNorth American Soccer League for theVancouver Whitecaps between 1976 and 1982, scoring 17 goals in 106 appearances.[6] Parsons started at right back in the 1979 NASL championship game that the Whitecaps won 2–1. Parsons also played indoor soccer during this period for theLos Angeles Aztecs and the Whitecaps.
Between 1972 and 1980, Parsons representedCanada on 22 occasions, scoring 6 goals in the process. He also represented Canada at the1971 Pan American Games.[2]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 August 1972 | King George V Park,St. John's, Canada |  United States | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 10 November 1973 | Stade Sylvio Cator,Port-au-Prince, Haiti |  Haiti | 1–4 | 1–5 | Friendly match |
| 3 | 10 October 1976 | Empire Stadium,Vancouver, Canada |  Mexico | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 12 October 1977 | Estadio Azteca,Mexico City, Mexico |  Suriname | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 16 October 1977 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico |  Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 22 October 1977 | Estadio Universitario,Monterrey, Mexico | Mexico | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Parsons was manager of theVancouver 86ers and then theVictoria Vistas of theCanadian Soccer League.
Parsons was born inBurnaby,British Columbia.
In 2003 Parsons was inducted into theCanadian Soccer Hall of Fame.[7]
Parsons now lives in Victoria, B.C., playing Over 50's soccer at Gorge Soccer Association
Vancouver's Leslie Parsons attempts to take ball from Joey Clarke
