Player
Although born in Scotland, Bain's father was a scout for the English club Bristol City. Bain signed with Bristol City in July 1974, but was unable to break into the first team. In 1976, Bristol loaned him to Brentford F.C. for the 1976-1977 season. In 1978, Bristol transferred two players, defender Brian McNeill and John Bain to the Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League. Before moving to the United States and joining the Timbers, Bain played on Scotland's U-18 and U-21 teams. He would never return to play in Britain or for the Scottish national teams. During five seasons with the Timbers, Bain became one of the team's all time greatest players. He would go on to score 45 goals and assist on 55 others giving him the Timbers' record for career goals and assists. Additionally, he is in second place on the list of games played with 148. In addition to his outdoor success, Bain played in both the 1980-1981 and 1981-1982 NASL indoor seasons. In the 1980-1981 season, he scored 20 goals in 15 games. In the 1981-1982 NASL indoor season, his scoring pace dropped as he only bagged 8 goals in 18 games. The Timbers folded at the end of the 1982 outdoor season and the Seattle Sounders picked up Bain in the dispersal draft. He would play a single season with the Sounders, before they also folded. In 1984, he played with the Minnesota Strikers in the NASL’s last season. When the NASL collapsed in 1984, the Strikers moved to the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). Bain played one season indoors with the Strikers, then moved to the Kansas City Comets, also of the MISL, for the next two seasons. In 1989, Bain returned to Portland as a player/coach for the new Portland Timbers of the Western Soccer League (WSL). This team had begun existence as F.C. Portland, but had reclaimed the name and heritage of the NASL Timbers for the 1989 season. Bain was selected to the league’s first team All Star list that year. In 1990, the WSL merged with the American Soccer League to form the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). Bain remained with the team as a player/coach. At the end of the season, the Timbers owner, Art Dixon, folded the team after losing $500,000 over two years.
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Famous quotes containing the word player:
“Between the daylight gambler and the player at night there is the same difference that lies between a careless husband and the lover swooning under his lady’s window.”
—Honoré De Balzac (1799–1850)
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“Intelligence and war are games, perhaps the only meaningful games left. If any player becomes too proficient, the game is threatened with termination.”
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