| Brian Ashton | |
| Fullname: | Brian Ashton |
| Birth Date: | 5 September 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Sudbury, Ontario |
| Position: | Defensive Midfielder |
| Years1: | 1992 |
| Clubs1: | London Lasers |
| Caps1: | 3 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 1998–2004 |
| Years3: | 2002 |
| Clubs3: | → Mississauga Olympians (loan) |
| Caps2: | 159 |
| Caps3: | 3 |
| Goals2: | 13 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1991 |
| Nationalteam1: | Canada U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 1992 |
| Nationalteam2: | Canada U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 1994 |
| Nationalteam3: | Canada U23 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Pcupdate: | January 2, 2015 |
| Ntupdate: | n/a |
Brian Ashton (born September 5, 1974) is a Canadian former soccer player who played notably with the Toronto Lynx, and is currently the Ontario Soccer Association Region 6 Head Coach.
Ashton attended St. Charles College, where he played soccer. Ashton was a key part of the 1990 and 1993 NOSSA title for St. Charles.[1] [2]
Ashton began playing professional soccer with the London Lasers in 1992.[3] Although receiving a tryout offer from Premier League club Sheffield United in 1993, he never officially made the squad.[4]
He later played with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League in 1998 the second year of the franchise's inception.[5] He made his debut for the club on April 9, 1998, in an exhibition match against the Rochester Rhinos.[6] During his tenure with the Lynx he was awarded the Toronto Lynx Fan Favorite award a record five times including a Public Relations award.[7] He held the record for most club appearances for the Lynx, until he was surpassed by David Diplacido in 2006.[8] In the 2000 USL A-League season he assisted Toronto by reaching the post season for the second time in the franchise's history. In the playoffs Ashton scored a goal in the conference quarterfinals against the Long Island Rough Riders, which resulted in a 2–1 victory.[9] The Lynx playoff run came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final against the Rochester Rhinos in a 2–1 loss on aggregate.
Once the 2002 A-League season came to a conclusion he was loaned to the Mississauga Olympians of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.[10] He made his debut on September 11, 2002, in an Open Canada Cup match against the Toronto Croatia.[11] He helped the Olympians secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the Western Conference, but unfortunately were defeated by the North York Astros in a wild card match.[12] On February 12, 2004, Ashton announced his retirement from professional soccer after he was offered a regional coach of youth development position with the Ontario Soccer Association.[13]
Ashton made his national team debut on March 25, 1991, with the Canada men's national under-17 soccer team at the 1991 CONCACAF U-17 Tournament. He later featured with the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team in the 1992 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament. He also played with the Canada men's national under-23 soccer team at the 1994 Jeux de la Francophonie.[14]