This Saturday, June 14th 2025, Pacific FC will host York United in a Canadian Premier League clash. This match is extra special as it is their Superhero Match and the league-wide celebration of One Year Out: CPL Welcomes the World.
Jamie Lowery
Pacific FC is inviting nine former Canadian Men’s National Team Legends to come to Starlight Stadium to be celebrated. One of these special individuals, Jamie Lowery, recently sat down with us to talk about the Island’s rich soccer history, his experiences at the 1986 World Cup, the growth of the sport in Canada, and the excitement building toward 2026. His story from local pitches to the World Cup and back as a passionate supporter – is a testament to how far Canadian soccer has come.
Jamie Lowery, a Port Alberni native and Victoria soccer legend, has seen Canadian soccer come full circle. Lowery’s soccer journey began in community clubs and school teams, before attending the University of Victoria and continuing playing locally with the storied Vic West club, an amateur powerhouse in the Vancouver Island Soccer League. In an era without a Canadian professional league, excelling with Vic West was Lowery’s springboard to the national team. “I was just playing soccer for the love of the game,” he recalls. Yet his talent didn’t go unnoticed – by age 22 he earned his first call-up for Canada in 1983. Lowery was quick to credit the Island soccer culture for his development: the competitive local leagues and youth system provided a foundation for players like him, George Pakos, and Ian Bridge – all Vancouver Island products who would make Canada’s lone World Cup squad of the 20th century.
Lowery and Pakos, roommates during the tournament, were the only non-professional players on the team, both holding down day jobs back in Victoria (in Lowery’s case, a city transit bus driver). “We were two guys that just played soccer,” Lowery says of their unlikely World Cup story. Lowery’s 19 official caps (32 total appearances) for Canada between 1983 and 1991 included a final hurrah at the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he even notched a goal against Mexico. After the World Cup, he turned pro with the Vancouver 86ers, winning multiple Canadian Soccer League titles and proving that players from the Island could thrive at the professional level.
Three and a half decades after 1986, Canadian soccer finally returned to the World Cup in 2022 – a moment Lowery eagerly anticipated. Now a proud fan, he traveled to Qatar after some convincing from his daughter. Thirty-six years later, Jamie Lowery was back at the World Cup – this time in the stands, watching Canada line up against the likes of Belgium and Croatia. It was quite a contrast to his playing days: the 2022 squad was filled with full-time professionals playing in top leagues around the world, supported by infrastructure like Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League.
With Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, Lowery’s excitement was off the charts. “If you told me in ’86 that we’d host a World Cup in my lifetime, I might not have believed it,” he says, marveling at how far things have come. Lowery believes the upcoming tournament is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accelerate the sport’s growth and believes the impact on youth will be profound. When he stepped onto the field in 1986, few young Canadians could dream of such a stage. Now, he sees thousands of boys and girls on the Island dreaming big, training with professional aspirations, and actually having a pathway to get there.
As the “One Year Out” celebration at Starlight Stadium brings together legends of the past and fans of the present, Lowery is both reflective and optimistic. The Island’s soccer history – from the Vic West days to the 1986 World Cup tales – is now fueling its future. For Jamie Lowery, that is the real significance of what’s to come: the World Cup isn’t just an event on the calendar; it’s an inspiration to future generations to help build and cement Canada’s place in the global game.
Jamie Lowery isn’t the only Canadian legend that will be in attendance on Saturday. He will be joined by former alumni: Jamie Ackinclose, Frank Woods, Doug McKinty, Nick Gilbert, George Pakos, Trevor Stiles, and Les “Buzz” Parsons. Below we profile these notable alumni and celebrate their contributions at the national, professional, and local levels.
Jamie Ackinclose
Another proud Island product, Jamie Ackinclose made his mark as one of Canada’s most accomplished Para Soccer athletes, with 35 caps and scoring 25 goals for the national team between 2010 and 2019. He was named Canada Soccer’s Para Player of the Year in 2017 and has long been a leader in the local game through his work with Gorge FC, where he served as coach and technical director. In 2023, he was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
Frank Woods
A mainstay in Victoria soccer for decades, Frank Woods represented Canada at the 1974 CONCACAF Youth Championship and helped the Victoria London Boxing Club win the 1975 Challenge Trophy. That team was later inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. After his playing days, Woods became a respected coach and community leader, mentoring countless youth players and staying deeply involved with local soccer initiatives.
Top row: Second in from the left
Nick Gilbert
Nick Gilbert was one of Canada’s most dangerous forwards in the late ’80s and early ’90s, scoring for Canada at the 1989 Jeux de la Francophonie and racking up 12 caps for Canada. He was the inaugural MVP and Golden Boot winner in the Canadian Soccer League’s debut season in 1987, leading Calgary to a title. Gilbert’s impact continued locally, serving as the technical director for Juan De Fuca Soccer and in 2024 he was inducted into the BC Soccer Hall of Fame.
George Pakos
A true Island legend, George Pakos scored two of the most iconic goals in Canadian soccer history to help Canada qualify for the 1986 World Cup, all while working full-time as a city employee. He went on to play in the tournament, earning 23 caps and scoring five goals for Canada. Inducted into both the Victoria and BC Sports Halls of Fame, Pakos is a symbol of local pride.
Trevor Stiles
Trevor Stiles backstopped UVic to a national title in 2004 and later played professionally in North America before a head injury shifted his path to Para Soccer. Stiles served as a striker and a goalkeeper as a member of Canada’s Para National Team. He became the country’s all-time top scorer with 29 goals and earned national Player of the Year honours in 2015. Stiles is the founder of Victoria-based goalkeeper academy Keeper Culture and he served as the goalkeeper coach for Pacific FC in 2024. To this day, Stiles remains a respected mentor on Vancouver Island and continues to shape the future of Canadian soccer.
Les (Buzz) Parsons
A 22 cap Canadian international, Buzz Parsons scored key goals in World Cup qualifying during the 1970s and played a major role in the Vancouver Whitecaps’ 1979 NASL championship. Known for his ability to control the midfield (and maybe better known for his white shoes), he was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. Now a longtime Island resident, he remains one of BC’s most celebrated soccer figures.
Brian Robinson
Another Victoria born soccer player, Robinson started his soccer career at the age of ten with his hometown squad, the Evening Optimist Club. He would then go on to star for Vic West at 17 before joining Victoria United and the Victoria Royals in the coming years. In 1972, Robinson would make his first appearance on the national stage in a World Cup qualification match and would even go on to score a goal against Mexico that year. Robinson would rack up 14 appearances for the Canadian national team and was eventually inducted into both the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia and the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
Bottom row: Furthest right
Doug McKinty
Born in Nanaimo, Doug McKinty represented Canada at the 1987 U-20 World Cup and the Pan American Games, before earning a senior call up for Canada in 1992. He starred with the powerhouse Vancouver 86ers, winning four straight Canadian Soccer League titles from 1988 to 1991 and making over 120 appearances. Doug is also the Father of Cassie McKinty, a recent graduate of the Vancouver Island Wave Program. Cassie and her 2007 Girls Wave team will also be celebrated at halftime for their amazing Wave careers.
You can read more about Cassie and the 2007 Wave Girls team HERE
Each of these legendary players has contributed to the rich history of Canadian soccer. From World Cup appearances to trailblazing professional careers and leadership in the community, this group embodies the passion and resilience that defines the beautiful game on Vancouver Island. Pacific FC and its supporters are proud to celebrate these CANMNT legends for their service to club and country, as we look ahead with excitement to the future they’ve helped inspire.
Grab your tickets for Saturday’s match HERE