Dave Simpson (born January 11, 1983 as David Anthony Simpson Knight) is a Canadian retired
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
.
Youth career
Simpson began his youth career with North Scarborough SC, where he played until he was 17. During his time with NSSC, he earned a trial with
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club () is an English professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, which competes in the . Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, before which they were based at The Dell. The club play in ...
following an appearance at the Welsh International Super Cup, where he was named the Golden Boot Winner, scoring 14 goals in 5 matches.
He then joined the Erin Mills Soccer Club, as part of their Professional Soccer Academy (PSA). In 2001, he travelled to Stuttgart, Germany with PSA, where they played against various teams including against the youth academy of
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
, where he impressed the Stuttgart coach, who got Simpson to play the second half with his team. After a brief trial with the VfB Stuttgart U19 side, he signed later on that summer and remained with them till the end of 2001.
Professional career
After leaving Stuttgart, he had agreed to join Hungarian side
MTK Budapest
Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre is a multi-sports club from Budapest, founded in 1888. It has sections for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, water polo, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, canoeing, boxing, wrestlin ...
, but three days later they had a match in Belgium, where he instead signed a five year contract with Belgium first division side
Royal Antwerp FC
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
, although due to complications with getting his ITC from Canada, he was limited to playing in only exhibition matches for three months. However, the club went through financial difficulties and he left the club in the summer of 2002.
In 2003, he returned to Canada to sign with
Hamilton Thunder
The Hamilton Thunder were a soccer team located in Hamilton, Ontario, playing in the Western Conference of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The team played its home fixtures at Brian Timmis Stadium until a rent dispute with the city caus ...
of the
Canadian Professional Soccer League. He recorded his first goal for Hamilton on June 7, 2003 against the
Durham Flames
Durham Flames were a semi-professional Canadian football club based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The club competed in the Canadian Professional Soccer League for five seasons from 1999 to 2003.
Background
Durham Flames ''(previously known as Osh ...
. He helped Hamilton win their first title as Western Conference champions, although they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the playoffs by the
Vaughan Sun Devils
The Glen Shields Sun Devils were a soccer team which played in the Canadian Soccer League, Canadian Professional Soccer League from 1998–2002. They played their home matches in Thornhill, Ontario. The franchise was one of the original teams of ...
, by a score of 2–0. After a contract disputes with the organization, he missed the entire 2004 season, due to Hamilton owning his player rights.
On April 19, 2005, he joined the
Toronto Lynx
Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes ...
of the
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...
. He made his debut for the Lynx on April 23, 2005 against the
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
. He recorded his first two goals for the Lynx in a 4–4 draw against the
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
on May 28, 2005.
In 2006, after an impressive season in Toronto he departed to Europe once more to sign with
Lombard-Pápa TFC of the
Borsodi Liga Borsodi or Borsody can refer to:
*A resident of Borsod, Hungary, now part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county
*Borsodi beer, the flagship product of Borsod Brewery in Hungary
**Borsodi Liga, the nickname of the Hungarian League from 2005 to 2007, when ...
. At the end of season, Lombard-Pápa were relegated.
In the summer of 2006, he became the first Canadian-born player to be signed by Czech giants
AC Sparta Prague
) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).'' Letenští''
, ground = Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena
, capacity = 19,416
, clubname = Sparta Prague
, image = Sparta Praha logo.png
, image_size = 160px
, fu ...
.
[ After an early season coaching change bringing in ]Michal Bílek
Michal Bílek (born 13 April 1965) is a football manager and former player. He led the Czech Republic national football team for four years between 2009 and 2013. As a player, he represented Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at international ...
as coach, Simpson was loaned to newly promoted side SK Kladno
Sportovní klub Kladno, commonly known as SK Kladno or Kladno, is a association football, football club from Kladno, Czech Republic. It was founded on February 15, 1903. The team plays at the Stadion Františka Kloze, named after legendary player ...
. He scored in his second game for the club, however, in a match against FK Teplice
FK Teplice is a Czech football club based in the city of Teplice. The club currently plays in the Czech First League.
The club was founded after World War II in 1945. The club advanced to the Czechoslovak First League in just three years after ...
, he suffered a concussion, leaving the game on a stretcher, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season, apart from a single appearance against Sparta as a late game substitute.
In the summer of 2007, he extended his contract with Spart Prague for two more years. However, he was soon sent to the reserve team, before eventually going on loan to FK SIAD Most FK or fk may refer to:
In arts and entertainment:
* Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise.
* Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block.
* Funky Kong, a video game character.
Place: ...
in early 2008. Simpson was a starter until he suffered a car crash which kept him out of action for two more weeks. Simpson was reportedly linked Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
of the English Championship Division after a brief stay at the club's grounds early May 2008. In the summer of 2008, Simpson and Sparta agreed to terminate the remainder of his contract.
He went on trial with Viborg FF
Viborg Fodsports Forening ("Viborg Footsport Association"), or Viborg F.F. and VFF for short, is a Danish professional football club based in Viborg. The club was founded in 1896 and waited more than a century before winning its only national ...
and Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
, before ultimately signing with Hungarian side Dunaújváros FC
Dunaújváros FC (previously known as ''Dunaferr SE'') was a football team from Dunaújváros, Hungary. Though they won the Hungarian NB I in 1999–2000, recently they played in the second league, until the team withdrew in March 2009, ceasi ...
, finishing as the club's top goal scorer with five goals. In February 2009, Dunaújváros folded due to financial problems. He then joined Integrál-DAC, where he finished with 11 goals as the club's top goal scorer, but then Integrál-DAC also folded in the summer of 2009 leaving him as a free agent.
On June 25, 2009, he played as part of the Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
squad in a charity match against the Canadian All-Stars. Zidane had a part in the tying goal during added time, passing to his right to Simpson, who found Yannick Lewis in front of the goal for the tap in.
In July 2010, he was signed by Thai Premier League
The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...
side Chonburi
Chonburi ( th, ชลบุรี, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and Mueang Chonburi District in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Its name means 'city of water'. Chonb ...
becoming once more the first Canadian to play in the league. He scored his first goal in his second game against Pattaya United
Pattaya United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลพัทยา ยูไนเต็ด) was a Thai football club based in Pattaya, Chonburi Province. Defunct after the 2018 season, the club was renamed to Samut Prakan Ci ...
. During his time with Chonburi he won the Thai F.A Cup in 2010. The following year, he retired from competitive soccer due to injuries.
In April 2011, he came out of retirement to sign with his home club Mississauga Eagles FC
Mississauga Eagles FC were a Canadian professional soccer team founded in 2010 that played in the Canadian Soccer League for two seasons. The Eagles were owned and operated by the Erin Mills Soccer Club and played at the Mississauga Hershey Fi ...
of the Canadian Soccer League
The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) 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 (C ...
, and was named the team captain. In 2012, he signed with Brantford Galaxy
Brantford Galaxy Soccer Club was a semi-professional Canadian soccer club based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, with their home venue located in Hamilton, Ontario at the Heritage Field Turf. The club competes in the Canadian Soccer League, a leag ...
, recording seven goals in ten matches. After the sacking of head coach Ron Davidson, eight players including with Simpson, sided with Davidson which led to their departure from the team.
International career
He is a former member of U17, U18, and U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to:
Naval vessels
*
* , a sloop of the Royal Navy
* , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Other uses
* Great truncated cuboctahedron
* Meizu U20, a smartphone
* Roland U-20, a synthesizer
* Small nucleolar RNA SN ...
Canada national teams, appeared in 4 matches scoring 1 goal in 2003. Played with the U20 National Team at the 2003 US Soccer Festival.
He has recently been called into multiple senior men's camps. In the summer of 2007, he was part of the player pool for the 2007 Gold Cup. He earned his first cap with Canada's senior team on 30 January 2008 , during a 1-0 win over Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
).
Honours
;Club
*AC Sparta Prague
) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).'' Letenští''
, ground = Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena
, capacity = 19,416
, clubname = Sparta Prague
, image = Sparta Praha logo.png
, image_size = 160px
, fu ...
:
**Gambrinus liga
The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically ru ...
Championship: 2007
** Champions League Qualification in 2007
*Chonburi
Chonburi ( th, ชลบุรี, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and Mueang Chonburi District in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Its name means 'city of water'. Chonb ...
:
**Thailand FA Cup
The Thai FA Cup ( th, ไทยเอฟเอคัพ), known officially as The Football Association of Thailand Cup, is a football cup competition in Thailand. Thai FA Cup is an annual knockout association football competition in men's domestic ...
Champions in 2010
Personal life
Simpson is the son of a Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and Bajan
Bajan may refer to:
Geography and culture
Barbados
* Barbadians, known by the colloquialism Bajan(s) (pronounced 'bay-jun')
* Barbadian English language
* Bajan Creole, a Creole language
Other location
* Something or someone from Baja ...
mother Ann Knight, and a Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n father Bovrell Simpson. His family tree dates back to African heritage. He was born in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and raised in North York
North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...
.
In the winter of 2010 while on winter break from Chonburi, he was diagnosed with Stargardt Eye Disease, a disease which affects the central vision and can cause legal blindness. He had been suffering from the disease since the age of 18, but was unaware of its rare strain in his family. Dave became a father on September 24, 2011, with a daughter named Jaya. He married ex-Czech model Janelle Nathaniel in 2012.
Simpson to this day is the highest transfer the Toronto Lynx
Toronto Lynx was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes ...
and Lombard-Pápa TFC have ever made and is to date the highest purchase that SK Kladno
Sportovní klub Kladno, commonly known as SK Kladno or Kladno, is a association football, football club from Kladno, Czech Republic. It was founded on February 15, 1903. The team plays at the Stadion Františka Kloze, named after legendary player ...
has ever made per loan spell. He was and remains the only Canadian to ever play for Thai Premier league giants Chonburi F.C.
References
External links
Dave Simpson Sparta Praha UEFA
*
Career stats
- Hungary and Czech Republic Teams
Simpson's Grand Finale video
YIFootball Official Website
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Dave
1983 births
Living people
Men's association football forwards
Men's association football wingers
Black Canadian men's soccer players
Canada men's international soccer players
Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic
Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
Canadian people of Barbadian descent
Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players
Canadian men's soccer players
Royal Antwerp F.C. players
Dave Simpson
Czech First League players
Dunaújváros FC players
Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary
Expatriate men's footballers in the Czech Republic
Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand
Hamilton Thunder players
AC Sparta Prague players
Integrál-DAC footballers
FK Baník Most 1909 players
Pápai FC footballers
Nemzeti Bajnokság I players
SK Kladno players
Soccer players from Scarborough, Toronto
Toronto Lynx players
USL First Division players
Mississauga Eagles FC players
Brantford Galaxy players
Nemzeti Bajnokság II players