Name: Rick Titus.
Club: Toronto Lynx (Canada).
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
Born: March-10th-1969, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
College: University of Toronto (Canada).
Previous Clubs: Toronto Italia (Canada - 1988), Toronto Lynx (Canada -
1997 to 1999), Hershey Wildcats (USA - 1999), Island Vipers (USA - 1999), Vancouver Whitecaps (A-League, 2000-01),
Colorado Raphids (USA - signed as a Discovery Player, March 2002), Edmonton Aviators (Canada, 02-Apr-2004 to
11-Jun-2004), Charleston Battery (USA).
NOTE: Titus represented Team Canada in the 1999-2000 All-Star game…Tied for second in team scoring (66) with Edmonton in 2001, and led Drillers with a team-record 115
fouls, He also represented Trinidad and Tobago national football team in part of
the 2002 gold cup qualifiers series under T&T coach Hannibal Najjar.
A bruising defender who relishes the role of marking the toughest forwards in the league, Titus joined the Rapids for training camp in Bradenton, Florida in February and was signed as a Discover Player shortly after. An ironman who regularly plays every minute of every game, Titus plays a physical game and is composed on the ball and impressive in the air. With a wealth of experience at both the indoor and outdoor games, Titus is expected to battle for a spot on the back line with Fraser and Kotschau.
Toronto Lynx sign Rick Titus and Robin Hart.
Toronto Lynx Media & Public Relations.
20-Apr-2005 - The Lynx also announced the return of Rick Titus for the
2005 season. Titus begins his third stint with the Lynx after beginning his
A-League career with Toronto in 1997 and returning for one match in 2004. A
former A-League Defender of the Year (Vancouver 2001) and A-League Champion
(Charleston 2003), Titus will provide leadership and experience for the young
Lynx roster. In addition to his A-League accomplishments, Titus also enjoyed
success with the Colorado Rapids of MLS and the Trinidad and Tobago National
Team.
The 2005 Lynx roster will also feature several new players: Robin Hart,
Niels Dekker, and Huffman Eja-Tabe. Of the talented trio of young Canadians
presented at the conference, only Hart has experience in the USL First Division
having played with Edmonton FC in 2004. A former member of the Ottawa Wizards of
the CPSL, coached by Hubert Busby Jr., Hart is a versatile wide player with good
speed and skill. The Victoria, British Columbia native appeared in 13 matches
with Edmonton FC last season.
Rick Titus released by Toronto Lynx.
Edmonton Sun.
7-Jul-2004 - After spending less than a week with the Lynx organization it has
been mutually agreed that midfielder, Rick Titus, will be released from the
Club. "We are disappointed that it didn't work out better with Rick,"
commented Lynx Head Coach, Duncan Wilde. "We felt that an experienced
player with Rick's ability would compliment what we have built so far this
season. After reviewing his time with the Lynx, it is in the best interest of
the team to continue with the nucleus that we have in place". Titus' place
in Vancouver this weekend could be taken by veteran midfielder, Shawn Faria.
Faria, who has been out of action since the season opener due to injury has been
training pain free this week and will take a fitness test tomorrow with Lynx
Medical Coordinator, Dr. Robert Gringmuth of Sports Centre to determine his
availability for Friday's match.
In Related News, Can a fence be mended after such a bitter divorce?
Despite his volatile departure from the Edmonton Aviators earlier this month,
veteran defender Rick Titus has expressed an interest in rejoining the club.
Titus bolted from the Aviators, delivering a scathing review of the A-League
expansion team right from former president Wylie Stafford, through to head coach
Ross Ongaro and on down to several ex-teammates.
He then signed on with the Toronto Lynx but lasted only one game in his hometown
after a falling-out with management there. Titus has an offer on the table to
rejoin the Charleston Battery, but his preference is to return to the Aviators.
"I signed a three-year deal because I wanted to be here, but I had a hard
time with what was going on," Titus said in extending an olive branch.
"I'm not going to take back what I said, but it's a different situation
now. A lot of that has to do with Wylie stepping down and Ross and Joe (Petrone,
director of soccer operations) now having full control of the team.''
However, the bridge looks to be burned beyond repair.
"In my mind, no, we are not entertaining any thought of him playing for us
again, but I told him I'd talk to him in 10 days," said Petrone, who may be
waiting to see which foreign players he can attract to bolster the club before
making a commitment to Titus.
"In my opinion, it's too far crossed. He's got his emotions. He made his
decision and we're making ours, which he may not like. What he said (when
released) was totally out of context."
In hindsight, Titus realized that much of his concern about the club stemmed
from the Aviators' arrangement with Edmonton Minor Soccer that 50 per cent of
the team be made up of local talent. That meant a number of players originally
tabbed to make the team back in training camp were forced out because the club
had to make room for Edmonton- and Alberta-groomed players.
"I didn't really think about it before, but that probably made things very
difficult for Ross," said Titus. "He and Wylie were arguing about that
and Joe was caught in the middle.
"Had Ross and Joe been doing everything, I think it would have been very
different for me."
Toronot Lynx Signs Rick Titus.
lynxsoccer.com.
19-Jun-2004 - Former A-League Defender of the Year in 2001, Rick Titus, has come
to an agreement with the Toronto Lynx to return to Toronto for remainder of the
2004 season. The hard-tackling, Mississauga-native, was released late last week
by the Edmonton Aviators and joins the Lynx for a second tour of duty after
breaking into the A-League with the Club in 1997 until 1999. Titus will make a
tremendous addition to the club given his accomplishments in the A-League and
MLS. Titus honed his skills in MLS where he earned the Defender of the Year
Award with the Colorado Rapids in 2002. He returned to the A-League in 2003 to
capture the Championship with the Charleston Battery. One of the most physical
and intense players in the A-League, Titus is thrilled to be back “home”
closer to family and friends and arrived in Toronto late last night to make
training today and ready for suiting up for Sunday’s match against the Impact.
“We’re very pleased to have added Rick,” said Lynx Head Coach, Duncan
Wilde. “We’ve been looking for that one addition that will make a difference
for our season. Rick’s ability to hold defensively will allow our attacking
players more freedom to attack. He remains a very ambitious player and will make
an excellent role model for our young players”. Wilde is optimistic that the
former Trinidad and Tobago international will shore up the Lynx defense and
added that Titus had other options but liked the makeup of the Lynx roster and
their chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
Rick Titus released by Edmonton Aviators.
aviatorshangar.com
11-Jun-2004 - Today, the Edmonton Aviators Soccer Club released
defender Rick Titus. The 34 year old defender played in all six of Edmonton's
games this season, registering three shots and nine fouls.
Joe Petrone, Director of Soccer Operations for the Edmonton Aviators, says the
decision was a difficult one. Rick Titus was supposed to be the veteran presence
solidifying the defence of a young expansion team. Instead, just six games into
their inaugural season, the Edmonton Aviators released Titus in a bizarre
transaction yesterday. Titus, who begged his way out of a contract with the
A-League's Charleston Battery to join the Aviators, was sent packing after an
ongoing series of battles with a handful of teammates who apparently didn't like
the way Titus dealt with them on the field.
While Joe Petrone, the team's director of soccer operations, rather quietly
determined this as "visions that were slightly different," Titus went
on a full-out attack. His lengthy tirade was directed at team management, head
coach Ross Ongaro and a number of his teammates. "This has been a Mickey
Mouse organization from the beginning,'' said Titus. "I don't know if
they're very serious about winning.
Titus, a fan favourite dating back to his days with the indoor Drillers, first
began to notice a problem during the team's training camp, which was plagued by
poor weather. And from the 34-year-old defender's perspective, things only got
worse when the team was introduced to the city.
"You can't have a professional team train at the (Edmonton) Garrison,"
said Titus. "We should have got out of town to Kelowna or Kamloops, then we
could have had a good camp and been prepared to play our first game. A pro team
can't train at O'Leary and we can't have a press conference on the lawn of
O'Leary. "We had guys coming from playing with Colo-Colo in Chile and we're
having a press conference at a high school ? When coming up through the ranks,
Titus said he was always eager to receive advice from veteran players and, as
recently as last season, valued the thoughts of Charleston backliner and former
Canadian national teamer Mark Watson.
On the occasions he decided to voice his opinion, Titus, a former all-star in
both the A-League and Major League Soccer, felt his now ex-teammates
disrespected him.
"I know there's four or five other guys who if they had any other place to
go, want to leave right now," said Titus, who has received calls from
Charleston and Toronto of the A-League as well as the MLS's New England
Revolution.
"I asked Chris Handsor to come here and now he's upset that I'm leaving.
"My friendship with Ross has soured. He asked me to come here and I wanted
to continue the winning tradition that the Drillers had but the new ownership
wanted nothing to do with the old Drillers fans. Nobody in the soccer community
has any respect for Ross."
Titus, who has a daughter in the city, was also critical of the club's decision
to play in Commonwealth Stadium.
In fact, he and an investor from Denver had approached the United Soccer Leagues
about an expansion franchise for Edmonton which would play out of Foote Field,
but the league rejected that bid in favour of the current ownership's plan.
"To succeed in professional sports, good team dynamics are crucial.
Although Rick is a very good player, he did not fit in with the team as we'd
hoped he would," said Petrone the team's director.
"Releasing Rick from our club is the best thing for him and for the
Aviators. He's a talented player, one of the best in the league. He should have
no trouble finding a new place to play."
The Aviators will look to Turkish defender Ebo to strengthen their defence.
"Ebo's impressed us every day that he's been here. He is going to solidify
our defence and we expect that he will make us a better team," said
Petrone.
"This team is a work in progress. We will continue to evaluate our players,
as well as potential players, and we will work to strengthen any weak areas we
see in the team. We are fully committed to fielding competitive teams that will
make Edmonton proud," said Petrone.
Titus returns to Edmonton.
04-Apr-2004 - Edmonton, - The Edmonton
Aviators have signed Rick Titus to their Men’s team for the upcoming season.
Rick Titus is a 35 year old, 6’1”, 175 lb. defender who is considered to be
one of the best and most physical at his position in the USL A-League. Rick is a
professional soccer veteran having played in the A-League for the Toronto Lynx,
Hershey Wildcats, Staten Island Vipers, Vancouver Whitecaps and most recently
the Charleston Battery. He has also played indoor soccer professionally,
spending time with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Edmonton was home for Rick when he played for the Edmonton Drillers from 1997 -
2000. He was consistently a team leader in a number of statistical categories
which earned him a spot on the NPSL All-Star team.
A dual citizen of both Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, Rick has played
internationally, which included being part of the 2002 Trinidad and Tobago entry
in the Gold Cup Qualifiers Series.
Throughout his soccer career, Rick has earned a number of awards and
accomplishments. This included being named an NPSL All-Star while playing for
the Drillers and the prestigious A-League “Defender of the Year Award”.
“We are very excited about being able to add Rick Titus to our team. Rick is a
premier defender in the A-League,” said Joe Petrone - Director of Soccer
Operations for the Edmonton Aviators Soccer Club. “We are confident that his
presence will make us a very difficult team to play against, said Petrone.
Rick is excited to be back in Edmonton. We know that he will fit right back into
the community and be a very valuable ambassador for our team and for the game of
soccer,” said Petrone.
The Edmonton Aviators are the newest addition to Edmonton’s professional
sports scene. Both the Aviators Men’s and Women’s soccer teams will play in
the United Soccer Leagues. Both teams will play at Commonwealth Stadium
beginning in spring of 2004. Additional information can be found on the Aviators
website at www.aviatorssoccer.com.
Rick Titus Signs for Charleston Battery.
12-Mar-2003 - Defender Rick Titus comes to Charleston Battery in the US A-League after spending the 2002 season with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids. Titus played and started 27 games for the Rapids in 2002 accumulating 2,362 minutes, with one assist. He played against the Battery in its 1-0 OT US Open Cup loss to the Rapids. “There is no doubt that Rick Titus has proved to be a quality player both in the A-League and in Major League Soccer. We are very pleased that he has chosen to return to the A-League to play for us added Charleston Battery Head Coach, Chris Ramsey.
2002 ADT Defensive Player of the Year - Rick Titus
2002 - Few defenders leave their mark on the opposition the way a great striker does, but first-year Colorado defender Rick Titus proves the exception. Voted the A-League Defender of the Year in 2001 while playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Titus quickly adapted to the transition into MLS, coming into preseason camp as a Discovery Player and showing his worth from Day 1. After finalizing his international paperwork, Titus earned a starting spot in the defense and started in all 25 games in which he played. A tall, bruising defender, Titus often drew the unwanted job of shutting down each team’s most dangerous marksman ¾ a calling at which he excelled. The ADT Defensive Player of the Year award, voted on by local media, is given to the player deemed to be the best defensive player during the Major League Soccer regular season.
Rick Titus Named A-League Defender Of The Year.
Courtesy of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Alan Douglas, Soccer Information.
October, 2nd, 2001 - Whitecaps ironman claims prestigious A-League award on eve of his 50th consecutive game with Vancouver.
Vancouver Whitecaps defender Rick Titus was today named the A-League Defender of the Year.
Titus, who was recently given All A-League honours for the second consecutive year, has played every minute of every game for Vancouver since joining the club on June 13, 2000, a streak of 49 consecutive games and 4,950 consecutive minutes over two seasons.
The 32-year-old from of Mississaugua, Ontario, is expected to play his 50th career game and 5,000th consecutive minute for Vancouver on Wednesday at Swangard Stadium, when the Whitecaps take on the Hershey Wildcats in game one of their two-game total-goal semi-final playoff series. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. with tickets still available from Ticketmaster at 604-280-4400.
Titus is in his fifth A-League season, after previously playing for the Toronto Lynx (1997-98), Hershey Wildcats (1999), and Staten Island Vipers (1999). He played 17 games for Hershey, Wednesday's playoff opponent, in 1999 before being traded mid-season to Staten Island. Titus was named Vancouver's Defensive Player of the Year last season, although ironically that award went this year to defender Chris Franks. Last week Titus was given All A-League First Team honours after being given All A-League Second Team honours the year before.
Rick Titus' Vancouver Playing Statistics (p = playoffs)
Year GP GS Min G A Pts GWG C E
2000 18 18 1665 0 1 1 0 0 0
2000p 3 3 304 0 0 0 0 0 0
2001 26 26 2391 1 1 3 0 2 0
2001p 2 2 180 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 49 49 4950 1 2 4 0 2 0
Rick Titus survives rocky road, becomes an all-star.
By NEIL DAVIDSON -- Canadian Press.
31-Jan-2000 - Tonight's National Professional Soccer League all-star game is in Rick Titus's backyard. But this trip to the Skyreach Centre has been anything but a short commute for the Edmonton Driller.
"It's been a long road, I've played on a lot of teams," said the 30-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. "Finally I get some recognition and some consistency in where I play, what position.
"I feel really, really good about it."
Titus has been a soccer nomad the last four seasons. His NPSL resume includes stops in Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo and Philadelphia -- not to mention three separate stints in Edmonton.
Outdoors, soccer has taken Titus from Toronto, Montreal, Hershey, Penn., and Staten Island, N.Y., all the way to Beijing.
Titus started his NPSL career in 1996-97 with the fledgling Toronto Shooting Stars, a team that was taken over by the league just days into the season when ownership collapsed.
It turned out to be a shoestring operation. The team made 18-hour bus trips and when the coach wanted to watch game video, someone had to bring their own VCR from home.
Unsure of the team's future, Titus kept his day job in claims adjudication with a pharmaceutical firm.
At the time it was pretty miserable, but the conditions may have prepared Titus for a future trip to China.
The invitation to Beijing came from a former teammate with the Toronto Lynx, Chinese midfielder Lei Gong, who had a friend that ran the team Quan Li. Titus lasted a month there.
The team wasn't very well organized but the final straw was the accommodations -- a tiny box of an apartment that he shared with fellow Canadian Dwayne DeRosario.
"The pipe where the shower water came out of was just to the side of the toilet," Titus recalled. "So you could be showering and going to the bathroom at the same time.
"It was unbelievable."
The soccer wasn't that good either. He reckoned a mid-level A-League team could beat a Chinese club.
Titus also gives a thumbs-down to NPSL stints in Montreal and Buffalo, saying that the inmates ran the asylum with a few select players in control.
But he liked Philadelphia and loves Edmonton, which is now home.
His three stints in Edmonton came about because 1) Montreal bought out his Edmonton contract, after a draft of ex-Shooting Stars following a move from Toronto to the Drillers; 2) After Buffalo, he asked to go back to Edmonton and was invited to a tryout camp. He made the team but left shortly after to play outdoors in China. When he came home, the Drillers front office didn't want him back and sold him to Philadelphia; 3) After finishing out the season with the Kixx, he asked to go back to Edmonton. His timing was spot on. The Drillers were having some contractual problems with Domenic Mobilio, so they traded him to Philadelphia for Titus.
This time round, Titus has flourished under Drillers coach Ross Ongaro, who will coach Team Canada against the U.S. at tonight's all-star game.
Titus's entire line -- he plays alongside Martin Dugas and Nikki Vignjevic -- was named to the all-star game. But Vignjevic, a Yugoslav native who qualifies under all-star rules for Team Canada because he is an import on a Canadian team, has pulled out to play for Yugoslavia in a qualifying tournament in Finland for FIFA's indoor world championship.
The lanky Titus -- six foot one and 175 pounds -- is the line's target man. Like a basketball centre, he'll often play with his back to the net, holding the ball before distributing it to a linemate.
Often he'll end up in front of the net, tipping in a ball or collecting a garbage goal.
Signed with Edmonton through 2002, Titus is having a career year with 19 goals and 45 points.
The Dugas-Titus-Vignjevic line has accounted for 126 of the 14-6 Drillers' 298 points. Vignjevic leads the team in scoring with 32 goals and 88 points, followed by Dugas (17 goals and 46 points) and Titus.
Titus hasn't played for any of Canada's national teams but wants to try out.
"I've seen the team and I personally think I could put together 12 guys who could beat them right now. . . . There's a lot of good young players, but I don't know if they have the experience for national team duty right now."
Titus, who usually plays left fullback outdoors but is thinking of shifting to midfielder, had better hope national team coach Holger Osieck sees his words as showing confidence rather than derision if he wants a crack at playing for Canada.
But Titus, whose nickname Gilla comes from his rap handle of years gone by -- is a survivor. He has turned his life around after falling afoul of the law in his early 20s.
"I made some pretty bad choices around that time," he said. "I caught up with the wrong group doing the wrong things."
Titus uses his past in talks with kids, hoping to help them keep out of trouble.
"We all have some dark clouds in our past, things that we've done that we regret," Ongaro said. "You have to be a man about it and stand up and improve from what you've been doing. And he's definitely done that.
"He's a big ambassador for this club. . . . Just his ability to portray his story to the public and keep working on it has made him a much bigger man."