Garry Ayre
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Garry Ayre (born on October 12, 1953 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a former Canadian national team and NASL player.
A member of Canada's 1976 Olympic team, at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Ayre played against the Soviet Union and North Korea. He was also a member of Canada's national team at the Pan American Games in Mexico in 1975. He was with amateur side New Westminster Blues in 1976. In 1977 Garry turned professional with the Vancouver Whitecaps played 23 games in that first season and 15 in 1978 before being transferred to the New York Cosmos where he played in Soccer Bowl 78 as a substitute.
A defender, Ayre toured Europe with the Cosmos in the fall of 1978 and played against Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens, Atlético Madrid, Galatasaray and Chelsea. Later he toured South America with the Cosmos playing against the Argentina U-23 team which included the young Maradona. Often Ayre was used in a special midfield role by the Vancouver club in shadowing the opposition's key player. In 1979 he moved on to the Portland Timbers where he played 18 games the following season. He was with the national team for World Cup qualifying play in 1976 and 1977, but a serious knee injury kept him off the 1980 roster.
In 1973 Ayre won a Gold Medal playing for the British Columbia Under 23 team at the Canada Summer Games, and in 1975 at the Western Canada Summer Games. In 1979 he signed with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League and played 25 games indoors during the 1979-80 season. In 1981 he returned to the indoor game with Baltimore Blast but only played ten games before a knee injury ended his career.
Garry's son Keegan Ayre currently plays for the youth teams of Hibernian F.C.
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Categories: 1953 births | Living people | British Columbia sportspeople | Canadian men's international soccer players | Canadian soccer players | Indoor soccer players | NASL players | People from Vancouver | Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) players | New York Cosmos players | Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame
