Robert Iarusci (born November 8, 1954) is a former star NASL player and member of the Canadian national soccer team. In 2012 as part of the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (Canada Soccer) is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides ( ...

's centennial celebration, he was named to the all-time Canada XI men's team.

Club career

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, Iarusci played in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

with

Toronto Italia The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

in 1973. He would play with Italia for three seasons from 1973 till 1975. He began his NASL career with his hometown

Toronto Metros-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 ancho ...

, playing the 1976 and part of 1977. He played every game as the Toronto won the league championship in 1976. Iarusci played nearly the entire 1977 season in Toronto, but was traded at the end of the season to the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independe ...

where he saw time in one game in 1977. He also played the 1978 season in New York, as they won consecutive

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

s. He was traded in the Spring of 1979 to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...

and played there two seasons. Iarusci returned to the Cosmos to play 1981 through 1983, and finished with the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996), a soccer team in the North American Soccer League *San Diego Sockers (2001–2004), a soccer team in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League *San Diego S ...

as the league folded following its 1984 season. Overall Iarusci won four Soccer Bowl titles, three of them in a row.

International career

Iarusci played 27 times for Canada from 1976 through 1983 and captained the team for a number of games. He scored twice, both in qualification for the

1982 World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3–1 i ...

and playing as sweeper. The first goal on November 1, 1980, in a 2–1 win over the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in Vancouver and the second in Canada's last match of the

1981 CONCACAF Championship The 1981 CONCACAF Championship, the eighth edition of the CONCACAF Championship, was held in Honduras from 1 to 22 November. All games were played in the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino in Tegucigalpa. This tourna ...

tournament against

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. The game finished 2–2 and Canada, along with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, failed to qualify for the World Cup, finishing a point shy of second place qualifier

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

International goals

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

Post-retirement

Iarusci was an inaugural member of

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

, inducted in 2000. He is currently chairman of the Toronto Azzurri Soccer Club and vice president of the North York Hearts Soccer Club. He is a co-host on

Sportsnet 590 CJCL (590 AM, ''Sportsnet 590 The Fan'') is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media since 2002, CJCL's studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor and Jarvis in downtown Toron ...

's "The Soccer Show" and also a colour commentator for

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 ...

home games broadcasts/webcasts on the station.

References

External links

* /

Canada Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Hal ...

*
NASL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iarusci, Robert 1954 births Living people Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate soccer players Canada men's international soccer players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian radio sportscasters Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian soccer players Canadian sports announcers Canadian people of Italian descent Expatriate soccer players in the United States Association football commentators Association football defenders North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Cosmos players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Soccer players from Toronto San Diego Sockers (NASL) players Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Toronto Italia players Washington Diplomats (NASL) players