Remembering the WSA/APSL

Discussion in 'Soccer in the USA' started by sounderfan, Oct 18, 2004.

  1. sounderfan

    sounderfan New Member

    Apr 6, 2003
    Here's my tribute museum to the WSA/APSL FC Seattle Storm. The club played many international matches, even knocking off famed clubs like Santos of Brazil along the way. FC Seattle were almost completely American, and they played the Cosmos, Strikers, the US Olympic team and Whitecaps in 1984, the NASL's last season.

    http://soundercentral.com/museum/FCSeattleStorm.htm

    [​IMG]

    It was an interesting time for pro soccer in the US. The NASL had just collapsed, and the fragmentation led to separate leagues on both coasts. The WSA (Western Soccer Alliance) eventually merged to become part of the APSL (American Professional Soccer League) which looked like this for the 1990 season:

    [​IMG]

    Yes, your eyes do NOT deceive you! "Real Santa Barbara" claimed the moniker 14 years before Salt Lake City.
     
  2. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I actually attended the last eight home games played by the Penn-Jersey Spirit and enjoyed them quite a bit. The Spirit had a decent team, but when I started going they started to have financial problems which led to a number of players leaving the team. Still, I saw some very good players like Meola, Kinnear, Balboa, Bruce Murray etc. visit. The crowds were decent too. Tickets cost about $8 and about 2000 or so made it out to most games.
     
  3. Eric B

    Eric B Member

    Feb 21, 2000
    the LBC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And it made a little more sense considering that Santa Barbara was founded by Spaniards.

    Interesting that there was supposed to be a team in Chicago in the APSL in 1990.
     
  4. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    While the MLS San Jose Earthquakes can't quite trace their origin back to the NASL/WSA/WSL San Jose Earthquakes, they can trace their origin back to the APSL's San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, as is explained in the Earthquakes' team-name timeline here. :)


    -G
     
  5. Steve Holroyd

    Steve Holroyd New Member

    Apr 19, 2003
    New Jersey
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I went often, too. Lions Stadium was a great place to play and watch a game, but for the astroturf. Well, that and the fact the PA guy would play that awful "Doctorin' The Tardis" song (which combined the Dr. Who theme with Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Pt. II" ) The 1990 team was a pretty good squad. By 1991, however, money problems started to creep in.

    Paul Oliu, who posts here often, was a backup keeper on the 1991 team, if memory serves.

    I still have my Spector sport watch...they used to give one away every match.
     
  6. tedwar

    tedwar Member

    Jun 24, 1999
    Richmond, CA-EastBay
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    OK, this might be myth, but it has been stated elsewhere on BS that MLS tried to get the name Rowdies, but it cost too much. And yet, there was a Rowdies in the APSL? If MLS couldn't afford the name, how could an APSL team?

    Were the San Diego Nomads affiliated with or run by the La Jolla Nomads club? I presume they were.

    Christopher Merrill has a funny-in-a-sad-way chapter on the Chiles in his book The Grass of Another Country. The owner said he was "in it for a decade" in May and they were out of business before Christmas.

    Tony
     
  7. former baller

    former baller New Member

    Mar 10, 2002
    Where can I find more league graphics or information on APSL, publications, teams, players etc. Don't suppose they have video of games.
     
  8. Steve Holroyd

    Steve Holroyd New Member

    Apr 19, 2003
    New Jersey
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The APSL Rowdies were, for all intents and purposes, the "original" NASL Rowdies. After the NASL folded, they stayed alive, playing exhibitions, playing indoors in the AISA, and, eventually, joining the third ASL (which became the APSL). They finally folded the team in 1994 or so, but the owner kept the name (her name escapes me). Anyway, affording the name was never an issue...it was theirs from the start.

    A great book, BTW.
     
  9. sounderfan

    sounderfan New Member

    Apr 6, 2003
    APSL logos:
    http://www.logoserver.com/APSL.html

    US Soccer History:
    http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/

    I have a few Seattle Storm games on video, of varying quality. They were a feature team on what is now "Fox Sports NorthWest" back in the 1980's. They were not yet in the APSL, as it debuted in 1990.

    I'll bet a few other teams did telecasts as well. Likely somewhere someone has some.
     
  10. ButlerBob

    ButlerBob Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 13, 2001
    Evanston, IL
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    The spelling could be wrong but it was Cornelia Corbett ( or something close to that). I worked for the Orlando Lions in the first couple of years and got to meet her. She seemed like a nice owner. The first year in the ASL they were coached by Rowdies legend Rodney Marsh. Here was a prime example of an attacking player becoming a defensive coach.

    Other highlights from that first season were;

    1. Meeting George Best, playd as a guest player in the all star game.
    2. Meeting Cosmo legend Carlos Alberto, he coached the Miami Sharks that became the Freedom.
    3. Getting to see Tab Ramos, John Harkes and Peter Vermes play their first professional soccer game.
    4. Meeting Alan Rough, who was a goal keeper on Scotland's '82 World Cup team. He playd for the Orlando Lions.
    5. Meeting Chuck Balzer and then knowing the answer to who ate all the pies. ;)
     
  11. Brewster

    Brewster Member

    Sep 18, 2004
    Pasadena,Ca
    As a fan of the WSA when we in LA had two teams-the LA Heat and Hollywood/California Kickers I disagree with your timeline. Here is what I have gathered from various media guides:
    San Jose EarthquakesII WSA/WSL/APSL 1985-1988
    San Francisco Bay Blackhawks WSL/APSL 1989-1992 and the in 1992 they became the San Francisco All Blacks of the USL for one season. I think I remember all of this correctly, so I hope this helps
     
  12. Brewster

    Brewster Member

    Sep 18, 2004
    Pasadena,Ca
    The San Diego Nomads were affiliated with the La Jolla Nomads. The club lasted from 86-90 in the WSA?WSL/APSL
     
  13. Eric B

    Eric B Member

    Feb 21, 2000
    the LBC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not quite. The SFB Blackhawks left the APSL after the 1992 season to wait it out until (what would become) MLS came about (or so the owner said). They went into the USISL in 1993 as the San Jose Hawks. I think that was their last year of existence.
     
  14. Brewster

    Brewster Member

    Sep 18, 2004
    Pasadena,Ca
    Great team. Made the playoffs too. Nice stadium at Santa Barbara Community College with a great view of the marina and Channel Islands. Always enjoyed driving up from LA to catch a game when the LA teams were out of town or were playing Real. No crowds but the view was killler
     
  15. Brewster

    Brewster Member

    Sep 18, 2004
    Pasadena,Ca
    Eric ,
    I beg to differ, but they became the All Blacks. You can double check at the Grand List at the American soccer history archieves. Check it out OK? Thanks
     
  16. ButlerBob

    ButlerBob Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 13, 2001
    Evanston, IL
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Actually the All Blacks was a completely different group and they eventually became the SF Bay Seals. Below is a link that mentions the All Blacks becoming the Bay Seals. :)


    http://www.abseits-soccer.com/clubs/seals.html
     
  17. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The San Francisco All-Blacks were indeed a completely different team that later became the San Francisco Bay Seals (and later, the Bay Area Seals).

    From what I heard, one of the reasons Dan Van Voorhis pulled the Blackhawks out of the APSL was to apply for entrance into the MFL... and by some accounts, he would've been successful had it not been for a threatened MFL players' strike at the time. The Blackhawks did play exhibitions against MFL teams during that time, though.

    Having failed entrance into the MFL, the Blackhawks played in the USISL in 1993 as the San Jose Hawks.

    I do know that the Blackhawks/Hawks front-office became the San Jose Clash front-office and that the Blackhawks/Hawks players that were still under contract were added into the initial MLS player-selection pool, though Dan Van Voorhis was later bought out by MLS as explained in the timeline I provided earlier in this thread.


    -G
     
  18. sounderfan

    sounderfan New Member

    Apr 6, 2003
  19. sounderfan

    sounderfan New Member

    Apr 6, 2003
  20. TheHun

    TheHun Member

    May 5, 2005
    This was indeed an interesting time for American soccer. The team that qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy was composed of APSL players - Tony Meola (Ft. Lauderdale Strikers), Steve Trittschuh (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Brian Bliss, john Harkes, Mike Windeschmann (Albany). Tab Ramos (Miami), John Doyle and Eric Wynalda (San Francisco), Kasey Keller (Portland Timbers), Bruce Murray and John Stollmeyer (Washington Stars).

    In addition, there were several "unannounced" exhibitions against Brazilian and Colombian clubs - including Zico and Valderrama.

    There were World Cup stars like Osvaldo Ardillies Argentina), Nene Cubillas (Peru) and Eskandarian (Iran) that played in the league.

    The only source I know that has all kinds of APSL memorabilia - photos, tickets, programs, pins and jerseys is the International Soccer Archives.
     
  21. TheHun

    TheHun Member

    May 5, 2005
    Does anyone have photos of the trophy celebration of the 1989 National Championship match between Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and San Diego ?

    Newspaper, magazine, press photos ?
     
  22. TOTC

    TOTC Member

    Feb 20, 2001
    Laurel, MD, USA
    If there's one thing I'd like to find, it's the crest of the Penn-Jersey Spirit. They have that wordmark, but there was a four-quarter shield with part of it red and part of it blue. I thought it was way cool.
     
  23. DavidP

    DavidP Member

    Mar 21, 1999
    Powder Springs, GA
    I think the end began when the WSL (they changed from WSA to WSL around 1989, I think) and ASL "merged" to form the APSL. They should have remained separate, and just adopted the same format (W-T-L, 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie), and then had the respective league champs play each other in the final (like they did before the merger). These leagues were maybe one or two steps above the old ASL (or the USL/NASL of today), and the cross-country travel helped kill them off (when they were "absorbed" by the USISL). It's both funny, and sad, that the APSL was merely tolerated by US Soccer; even toward the end, a lot of the top American players were opting for the D-3 USISL over the APSL. But then, some of the teams toward the end were rather rinky-dink operations, so there ya go.
     
  24. brentgoulet

    brentgoulet Member+

    Oct 12, 2005
    PuertoPlata, DomRep
    This was the Orlando Lions jersey during the 1990 season

    [​IMG]
     
    falvo repped this.
  25. TOTC

    TOTC Member

    Feb 20, 2001
    Laurel, MD, USA
    Found it. Wow. They used this logo on the Conte's Pizza jersey for Year 2, and they had the old wordmark on the Sector watch jersey for Year 1.

    Conte's Pizza of Princeton, N.J. was owned by a man named Vincent Baldino, who would eventually own a W-League franchise named the New Jersey Wildcats. The Wildcats would win the W-League championship with a side including the likes of Heather O'Reilly and Cat Whitehill.

    Screen Shot 2016-08-04 at 18.28.08.png
     

Share This Page