National Professional Soccer League (1967)
North American Soccer League (1968)
Tombstone
Born: 1967 – NPSL founding franchise
Folded: 1968
First Game:
Last Game: September 6, 1968 (W 3-0 vs. St. Louis Stars)
NPSL Championships: None
NASL Championships: None
Stadium
Varsity Stadium (25,000)
Opened: 1911
Demolished: 2002
Marketing
Team Colors: Blue & White
Ownership
Owner: Joe Peters
Editor's Pick
Rock n' Roll Soccer
The Short Life and Fast Times of the North American Soccer League
by Ian Plenderleith
The North American Soccer League – at its peak in the late 1970s – presented soccer as performance, played by men with a bent for flair, hair and glamour. More than just Pelé and the New York Cosmos, it lured the biggest names of the world game like Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Gerd Müller and George Best to play the sport as it was meant to be played-without inhibition, to please the fans.
The first complete look at the ambitious, star-studded NASL, Rock ‘n’ Roll Soccer reveals how this precursor to modern soccer laid the foundations for the sport’s tremendous popularity in America today.
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
The Toronto Falcons played two seasons of pro soccer at Varsity Stadium during the late 1960’s. The roots of the team traced back to the Toronto Italia-Falcons of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League. Italia-Falcons owner Joe Peters backed the promotion of the team into the ambitious National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967. The NPSL was one of two start-up North American pro leagues that launched that spring. The NPSL’s rival, the United Soccer Association (USA), also featured a Toronto entry – Toronto City, owned by future Toronto Maple Leafs owner Steve Stavro.
Building The Falcons
Peters hired former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid manager Ferdinand Daucik to coach the Falcons in 1967. Daucik came as a package deal with members of his soccer-playing family, including son Yanko Daucik, son-in-law Ladislav Kubala and Kubala’s son Branko. “Laddie” Kubala, as Falcons officials referred to the 40-year old Hungarian, was one of the greatest strikers to ever play for FC Barcelona. He would score 5 goals in 19 appearances with the Falcons in 1967 in his final playing campaign. But it was Yanko Daucik who lit up the NPSL with a league-best 20 goals in 1967.
Despite Yanko Daucik’s offensive heroics, the 1967 Falcons finished out of the NPSL playoff picture with a 10-17-5 record.
The USA and the NPSL merged to form the North American Soccer League at the end of 1967. As part of the deal, the new league bought out Toronto City owner Steve Stavro for $160,000, clearing the marketplace for Joe Peters and the Falcons.
Ladislav Kubala replaced Ferdinand Daucik as club manager for the 1968 season. Yanko Daucik showed flashes of his 1967 scoring touch with five goals, but managed to appear in just four matches in 1968. The team improved slightly to 13-13-6, but missed the playoffs once again.
The End
The Falcons folded after the 1968 season, along with 11 of the other 16 NASL franchises. The league managed to survive with just five clubs in 1969 and returned to Toronto with the formation of the Toronto Metros in 1971.
Toronto Falcons Shop
Downloads
September 1968 – Falcons to End Season Against St. Louis Stars press release
September 1968 Toronto Falcons to End Season vs. St. Louis Stars Press Release
Links
##
