{{Short description|Canadian soccer player (born 1957)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Tino Lettieri | image = | fullname = Martino Lettieri | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1957|9|27}} | birth_place = [[Bari]], Italy | height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}} | position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]] | years1 = 1976 | years2 = 1977–1981 | years3 = 1980–1981 | years4 = 1982–1983 | years5 = 1984 | years6 = 1984 | years7 = 1984–1987 | years8=1987 | clubs1 = [[Montreal Castors]] | clubs2 = [[Minnesota Kicks]] | clubs3 = [[Minnesota Kicks]] ''(indoor)'' | clubs4 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–84)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] | clubs5 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–84)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] ''(indoor)'' | clubs6 = [[Minnesota Strikers]] | clubs7 = Minnesota Strikers (''indoor'') | clubs8 = [[Hamilton Steelers (1986–1992)|Hamilton Steelers]] | caps1 = | caps2 = 88 | caps3 = 14 | caps4 = 55 | caps5 = 13 | caps6 = 18 | caps7 = 121 |caps8=9 | goals1 = | goals2 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 0 | goals6 = 0 | goals7 = 0 |goals8=0 | nationalyears1 = 1980–1986 | nationalteam1 = [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]] | nationalcaps1 = 24 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}} {{MedalSport|Men's [[Association football]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[CONCACAF Championship]]}} {{Medal|W|[[1985 CONCACAF Championship|1985 North America]]|}} }}
'''Martino "Tino" Lettieri''' (born 27 September 1957) is a former [[North American Soccer League (1968-1984)|NASL]] and [[Major Soccer League|MISL]] professional [[association football|soccer]] [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]], who represented Canada twice at the [[Summer Olympics]]: 1976 and 1984 and at the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]].
==Club career== Lettieri began his pro career with the [[Montreal Castors]] in the [[Canadian National Soccer League|National Soccer League]] in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 17, 1976|title=Castors feature international soccer stars|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/49472680/|publisher=Ottawa Journal|page=30}}</ref> In 1977, he played with the [[Minnesota Kicks]] in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League]] and played there until 1981. He went on to play the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–84)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] in 1982 and 1983 and the [[Minnesota Strikers]] in 1984. He was named NASL North American Player of the Year in 1983<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]] |title=NASL Honors Whitecap Goalie |page=D12 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PgItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CM8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6591,1210396&dq=nasl+honors+whitecap+goalie&hl=en |date=22 September 1983}}</ref> and had the league's best Goals Against Average in both 1982 and 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/year/1982.html |title=The Year in American Soccer - 1982 |publisher=Homepages.sover.net |access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/year/1983.html |title=The Year in American Soccer - 1983 |publisher=Homepages.sover.net |access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>
Lettieri was a regular in the original [[Major Soccer League|MISL]].{{citation needed|date=August 2011}} He continued to play for the Strikers as the team joined the indoor league, playing the 1984–85 season through to 1987–88.{{citation needed|date=August 2011}} Lettieri was voted Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1986–87 season.{{citation needed|date=August 2011}} Lettieri led the Strikers to a runner-up finish in the MISL playoffs during the 1985-86 season, as the team fell 4-3 in the championship round to the San Diego Sockers. Two years later, the Strikers won the Eastern Division.
Lettieri finished his outdoor career in 1987 with the [[Hamilton Steelers (1986–1992)|Hamilton Steelers]] in [[Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)|Canadian Soccer League]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.statscrew.com/minorsoccer/stats/p-lettitin001| title = Tino Lettieri soccer statistics on StatsCrew.com}}</ref> He was elected to the [[Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame]] in 2001.{{citation needed|date=August 2011}}
Lettieri is often remembered for his keeping a stuffed parrot in the back of his net during games.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sidekicks Stay Alive, Overcome Strikers, 4-1 |author=Terry Bigham |newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=17 April 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Franz Lidz |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122482/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416212607/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122482/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 April 2014 |title=If Tino Lettieri is the NASL's best goalie, he owes it all |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=3 September 1984 |access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref> The bird was named "Ozzie". In 1985 the league banned Ozzie from the nets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-15-8503270106-story.html |title=STRIKERS GOALIE SQUAWKS OVER BENCHING OF MASCOT |date=15 December 1985 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref>
==International career== Lettieri made his full international debut for Canada on 17 September 1980 in a 3–0 victory over [[New Zealand men's national football team|New Zealand]] in [[Edmonton]]. He earned 24 caps for [[Canada men's national soccer team|Canada]] and was the first-choice goalkeeper from 1980 until 1986. In the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]], Lettieri played two of Canada's three matches, the latter of which, a 0–2 defeat to the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] in [[Irapuato]], was his final international appearance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canadasoccer.com/index.php?pid=1877&t=profile&|title=Tino Lettieri|website=www.canadasoccer.com|date=21 November 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> In 2001, Lettieri was honored by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, and a year later was named a member of the Quebec Soccer Hall of Fame.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} He was named by Canada Soccer as one of the top 100 Canadian footballers of all time in 2012.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}
==Personal life== Lettieri is married to Michelle Nanne, the daughter of [[Minnesota North Stars]] hockey player and general manager [[Lou Nanne]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=From soccer to football to the NHL, Vinni Lettieri cut his... | last=Russo | first=Michael | work=The Athletic | date=14 February 2018 | access-date=1 March 2020 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/241349/2018/02/14/vinni-lettieri-rangers-lou-nanne-tino-lettieri-tyler-nanne-edina/ }}</ref> He now runs a successful food products business, Tino's Cafe Pizzeria, in [[Shorewood, Minnesota]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Tino's Cafe Pizzeria |title=About Me |url=http://tinospizzeria.com/About_Me.html |access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> His son, [[Vinni Lettieri|Vinni]], played hockey for the [[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|University of Minnesota]] and signed with the [[New York Rangers]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vinni Lettieri|url=http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/vinni_lettieri_851252.html|website=Gophersports.com|access-date=8 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lettieri Inks Deal with Rangers|url=https://gophersports.com/news/2017/3/27/Lettieri_Inks_Deal_with_Rangers.aspx?path=mhockey|website=Gophersports.com|access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref>
==Honours== '''Canada''' *[[CONCACAF Championship]]: [[1985 CONCACAF Championship|1985]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/conca85det.html|title=Torneo Premundial 1985 (IX Campeonato de Naciones (NORCECA) CONCACAF)|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://tinospizzeria.com/Welcome.html Tino's Pizzeria official website] *{{Canada Soccer player|id=1877}} / [[Canada Soccer Hall of Fame]] *[http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/L/Lettieri.Tino.htm NASL/MISL stats]
{{1980–81 NASL Indoor All-Stars}} {{1983 NASL All-Stars}} {{1983–84 NASL Indoor All-Stars}} {{Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame}} {{Canada football squad 1976 Summer Olympics}} {{Canada football squad 1984 Summer Olympics}} {{Canada squad 1985 CONCACAF Championship}} {{Canada squad 1986 FIFA World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lettieri, Tino}} [[Category:1957 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1986 FIFA World Cup players]] [[Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States]] [[Category:Canadian expatriate men's soccer players]] [[Category:Canada men's international soccer players]] [[Category:Canadian National Soccer League players]] [[Category:Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players]] [[Category:Canadian men's soccer players]] [[Category:CONCACAF Championship–winning players]] [[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]] [[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]] [[Category:Footballers at the 1976 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Hamilton Steelers (1981–1992) players]] [[Category:Italian emigrants to Canada]] [[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players]] [[Category:Minnesota Kicks players]] [[Category:Minnesota Strikers (NASL) players]] [[Category:Montreal Castors players]] [[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada]] [[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]] [[Category:Olympic soccer players for Canada]] [[Category:Footballers from Bari]] [[Category:People from Shorewood, Minnesota]] [[Category:Soccer players from Hennepin County, Minnesota]] [[Category:Soccer players from Montreal]] [[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players]] [[Category:Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]