Category: North American Soccer League

1974 Toronto Metros Media Guide from the North American Soccer League

Toronto Metros

The Toronto Metros were a North American Soccer League franchise founded in 1971. The Metros followed closely behind two other failed pro soccer clubs in Toronto during the late 1960’s: Toronto City (1967) and Toronto Falcons (1967-1968). In 1975, the Metros merged with Toronto Croatia of Canada’s amateur National Soccer League. Much to the exasperation of NASL officials, the new management imposed a Croat ethnic identity onto the organization and re-branded the club as Toronto Metros-Croatia. Read more…

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Denver Dynamos NASL

Denver Dynamos

The Denver Dynamos were Colorado’s first major professional soccer franchise. The Dynamos were part of a West Coast expansion of the NASL during the winter of 1973-74. Three of the other Western clubs formed during this 50-day expansion flurry – the San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps – went on to become iconic North American soccer brands. Re-boots of all three clubs play in Major League Soccer today. The Dynamos, meanwhile, are all but forgotten.

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Pavle Garov

Houston Stars

United Soccer Association (1967) North American Soccer League(1968) Born: 1967 – USA founding franchise Folded: Postseason 1968 First Game: May 27, 1967 (T 1-1 vs. Los Angeles

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1983 Jacksonville Tea Men Soccer

Jacksonville Tea Men (1980-1984)

Jacksonville’s first professional soccer team was the oddly named “Tea Men”. The Teas arrived in 1981, starting out in the top flight North American Soccer League and the 80,000-seat Gator Bowl before gradually self-relegating to cheaper, lower division leagues and minor league baseball’s Wolfson Park by their final season in 1984. The strange moniker carried over from the team’s previous home in New England (Boston), where the Tea Men name had a double meaning, referring both to the Boston Tea Party protest of 1773 and the team’s original corporate owner, the Lipton Tea Company. The Teas were champions of the American Soccer League in 1983.

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Doug Verb Headshot

The Promoters: Doug Verb

Recently, Fun While It Lasted had the pleasure of speaking to long-time sports executive Doug Verb for the latest entry in our Promoters Series. Doug was

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