Elvis Thomas (born July 27, 1972) is a former

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player. He spent the majority of his soccer career in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, primarily playing for clubs in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Thomas' greatest achievements were spent with 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 the

Toronto Olympians 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 anchor ...

, where he won a league title and two

Open Canada Cup The Open Canada Cup was an annual knock-out cup competition in Canadian Soccer. The competition was first held during the 1998 season as the CPSL League Cup. It was organized by the Canadian Soccer League (formerly the Canadian Professional So ...

s with the Olympians; he was also awarded the Canadian Professional Soccer League MVP Award. Internationally, Thomas has represented Canada at the senior level, by being capped a total of three times. He is first CPSL player to be called up for the national team, while playing in the league.

Club career

Thomas began playing soccer during his tenure at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. During his four-year tenure at Hartford Thomas' accomplishments were being named All-New England and First Team All-Conference in 1993 and 1994, and serving captain in both those seasons. Also helped the Hawks earn a spot on the All-Conference Championship postseason team in 1991, 1992, and 1994. He was the Championship MVP in 1992. Upon graduating from Hartford Thomas was drafted by the

Connecticut Wolves The Connecticut Wolves were an American soccer club that was founded by the Clifton Onolfo, the Onolfo Family, and several investors including Tony DiCicco. The Club's inaugural match was attended by 5,200 plus fans and competed in the United Socc ...

of the

USISL Select League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

in 1996. The following season the USISL Select League merged with the

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

, which resulted in Thomas returning to his hometown to sign with the newly expansion franchise

. The signing of Thomas was announced in a press conference where the Lynx unveiled their roster for their debut season. Thomas made his debut on April 12, 1997 in a match against

Jacksonville Cyclones The Jacksonville Cyclones were a professional soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They played in the A-League from 1997 to 1999. The team originated as the Tampa Bay Cyclones, who played in Tampa, Florida from 1995 to 1996 before moving ...

, where he made history by scoring the franchise's first goal; unfortunately the match ended in 3–1 defeat. On May 3 Thomas in a match against the

Worcester Wildfire Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

Thomas contributed by scoring the second goal in a 3–1 victory, which marked the first victory for the Toronto side. Thomas would continue his fine form by recording another goal in a 3–0 victory over the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

on May 11. He helped the Lynx to set a franchise and A-league record of ten straight wins; their streak came to an end with a 1–0 defeat to

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofst ...

on June 22. He finished his rookie season with six goals that helped the Lynx clinch a playoff spot. During the club's playoff run Thomas started in the first leg of the semi-final match against the Montreal Impact where the Lynx were defeated 2–1. Unfortunately for the Lynx they were defeated 4–0 in the second leg of the semi-final match, which resulted in a 6–1 victory on aggregate for Montreal. In 1998 Thomas recorded his first goal of the season in a 2–1 defeat to his former club Connecticut. On August 26 the Toronto Lynx traded Thomas to rivals Montreal Impact for future considerations and an undisclosed amount of cash. In Montreal Thomas appeared in only three matches and led the Impact to the Conference Semi-finals. In the post season, Thomas recorded two goals for the Impact in the Eastern Conference semifinals against

Rochester Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...

. Thomas left Montreal in September 1999, when new ownership opted against fielding an outdoor squad in order to properly prepare for the 1999-2000 indoor season. Resulting in Thomas to sign with the

of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut on June 6, 1999 against

York Region Shooters York Region Shooters is a Canadian soccer team, that plays in the Canadian Soccer League. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The team's colours were blue and white, mirroring ...

where he even managed to score two goals in a 7–1 victory. During the 1999 season, he was instrumental in leading his club to

the Treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

, and setting a league record by becoming the first CPSL franchise to finish the season undefeated. The season was a productive one for Thomas, as he scored 25 goals in all competitions. In doing so he led the Olympians to their first

Rogers Cup The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...

triumph, where he scored the opening goal in a 2–0 victory over

Toronto Croatia 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 anchor ...

on October 2 in the CPSL playoff finals match. Thomas was further instrumental during Toronto's quest to claim their second consecutive

. In the tournament Thomas contributed by registering five goals that led the

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

side to the finals, where their opponents were

. During the finals the Olympians were leading the match with a one-goal lead, until Thomas struck two stunning goals to allow the match to culminate to a 3–0 victory. Once the season came to a conclusion Thomas was named the CPSL MVP Award. Due to a sensational debut season he received his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for the national side and was part of the winning team in the

2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fifth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and the 15th overall CONCACAF tournament. It was held in Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego ...

. During the 2000 season, Thomas was again instrumental in Toronto's exceptionally successful campaign; together with the likes of Gus Kouzmanis,

Eddy Berdusco Eddy Berdusco (born 8 September 1969) is a Canadian retired professional soccer player. A former forward, he began his career in the Canadian Soccer League, where he finished as the third all-time highest goalscorer. After the demise of the CSL ...

, and

Darren Tilley Darren Tilley (born 15 March 1967) is an English football coach and former player. He has coached USL-1 club Rochester Rhinos. Playing career York City Tilley was born in Keynsham, Somerset. He played for York City in the Football League T ...

, Thomas led the Olympians to a 10-game undefeated streak, as well as claiming the Open Canada Cup in the process. The victory in claiming the Open Cup marked the first time in league history a club winning the trophy three consecutive years in a row. Thomas was responsible for scoring the lone goal that would clinch the title for the Scarborough-based club, in a 1–0 victory over

St. Catharines Roma Wolves St. Catharines Roma Wolves (also known as St. Catharines Wolves or simply Roma Wolves), are a Canadian association football, soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and Lea ...

. Thomas finished the season with nine goals placing him third in most goals scored for the Olympians. Though he did manage to lead his team to the playoff finals, they were defeated by Toronto Croatia by a score of 2–1. Shortly after the season Thomas announced a leave of absence in order to pursue a career in teaching. He made his return to soccer a year later when he returned to the A-League to sign with his former club Toronto Lynx. Thomas was signed on April 20, 2002 in a press conference held by the Lynx. He scored his first goal of the season on April 27, 2002 in a 2–1 victory over

Hampton Roads Mariners Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

. He nearly helped the Lynx make the playoffs, where the Lynx required a victory in the final game of season against

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

, but unfortunately the match resulted in a tie for the Lynx, which allowed

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at ...

to clinch the final playoff berth. On March 18, 2003 the Toronto Lynx re-signed Thomas to a one-year contract. Thomas concluded the season with two goals, but unfortunately the Lynx failed to reach the post season for the third year straight. As his contract expired at the end of season, Thomas played the remainder of the season in the CPSL with

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 ...

. He made his debut on September 12, 2003 against

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 ...

. He helped secure a postseason berth by finishing third in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs he contributed a goal in a 4–3 victory over

Toronto Supra SC Toronto was a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1994. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and played its final home games at Lamport Stadium in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The club found success early on since its incep ...

. Vaughan reached the CPSL Championship final against

Brampton Hitmen Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ...

, but Thomas didn't feature in the match. After the 2003 season he retired from professional soccer in order to continue on teaching. In 2006 it was announced that Thomas was inducted into the University of Hartford Hall of Fame. Thomas had a stint in the National Professional Soccer League with the short lived expansion franchise the

Toronto ThunderHawks Toronto ThunderHawks were an indoor soccer team based in Mississauga, Ontario that competed in the defunct NPSL. The team began play in the 2000–2001 season, with home games at the Hershey Centre. The team was owned by businessman Neil Ja ...

during the 2000-2001 winter indoor season. He helped the ThunderHawks reach the postseason by finishing second in the National Conference, and reached the Conference finals where they were defeated by the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

International career

He made his debut for

in an October 1999

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

qualification match against

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and went on to earn a total of 3 caps, scoring no goals. He was in Canada's title-winning squad at the

, but did not play himself. His final international was a January 2000 friendly match against

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

Coaching career

He now works for

Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School Neil McNeil Catholic High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after Neil McNeil, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver from 1910 to 1912 and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto from ...

as a Cooperative Education teacher.Elvis Thomas Soccer Coach, Neil McNeil High School
- Fan590

Honors

Canada

(1):

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

Toronto Olympians

CPSL Championship The Canadian Soccer League championship final or CSL Championship is the post-season match of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and is the successor to the CNSL Championship. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North A ...

(1):

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

(2): 1999, 2000 * Canadian Professional Soccer League Regular Season Champions (2): 1999, 2000

Individual

* Canadian Professional Soccer League MVP: 1999

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Elvis 1972 births Living people Sportspeople from Scarborough, Toronto Soccer players from Toronto Association football midfielders Black Canadian soccer players Canadian soccer players Canada men's international soccer players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Connecticut Wolves players Hartford Hawks men's soccer players Toronto (Mississauga) Olympians players Toronto Lynx players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players A-League (1995–2004) players Toronto ThunderHawks players York Region Shooters players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players