Category: North American Soccer League

Roman Rosul Oakland Stompers

Oakland Stompers

June 22, 2014

The Oakland Stompers were a One-Year Wonder in the North American Soccer League in 1978.  Club founder Milan Mandaric previously started up the NASL’s other Bay Area franchise, the popular San Jose Earthquakes, in 1974. In late 1977 he divested himself of the Earthquakes and bought the league’s struggling Connecticut Bicentennials club and moved it across the country to the Oakland Coliseum.  It was bold move considering that many at the time wondered if the Bay Area could even support its two Major League Baseball franchises.  But the NASL was riding at a peak of investor enthusiasm in 1978 amidst the belief that pro soccer would be the Sport of the 80’s.

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Portland Timbers NASL

Portland Timbers (1975-1982)

May 12, 2014

The Portland Timbers were an iconic North American Soccer League (NASL) franchise that helped earn Portland the nickname “Soccer City U.S.A.”.  The original Timbers (1975-1982) sparked a youth soccer boom in the Rose City and inspired numerous reunions, revivals and re-births over the years, culminating in the acceptance of a new Portland Timbers club into Major League Soccer in 2011. The highpoint for the NASL-era Timbers was the team’s 1975 debut, when Vic Crowe’s club posted a 16-6 record and advanced to the NASL’s Soccer Bowl final in their inaugural campaign.

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San Diego Jaws North American Soccer League

San Diego Jaws

March 24, 2014

The San Diego Jaws were a North American Soccer League franchise that lasted only one summer at the Aztec Bowl in 1976. The franchise left for Las Vegas in 1977 only to return a year later with a new owner, new stadium and new name: the San Diego Sockers.

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1975 Toronto Metros-Croatia Media Guide from the North American Soccer League

Toronto Metros-Croatia

January 28, 2014

Toronto Metros-Croatia was an anomaly within the North American Soccer League during the NASL’s boom years of the mid-to-late 1970’s.  The club emerged in 1975 from the merger of the NASL’s Toronto Metros and Toronto Croatia of Canada’s small-time National Soccer League. To the chagrin of NASL executives the merged club played up its ethnic identity, coming up with the awkward “Metros-Croatia” moniker and filling its management (entirely) and roster (largely) with ethnic Croats. But in their finest hour, the club acquired Western European stars Eusebio and Wolfgang Sunholz and rode these late season acquisition to the 1976 Soccer Bowl title.

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Team America North American Soccer League

Team America

December 22, 2013

North American Soccer League (1983) Born: January 20, 1983 – NASL expansion franchise Folded: October 1983 First Game: April 23, 1983 (W 1-0 @ Seattle

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