Earthquakes history -- NASL style!, Part 2

Happy 78th birthday to Bob McAlinden, the 5-foot-7 English winger whose journeyman career switched gears once he signed with the Los Angeles Aztecs in 1976, notching 9 goals and 17 assists in 3 NASL seasons, then later played with the Memphis Rogues (1979) and indoors with the San Jose Earthquakes (1980-81), and enjoyed a long friendship with George Best that included co-ownership of Bestie's Bar and Restaurant in Hermosa Beach, CA.

 

NASL Dateline:

On 26 May 1984, Canada surrendered goals to Alessandro Altobelli and Sergio Battistini and suffered a 2-0 loss to Italy in the 1st-ever meeting between the nations at Varsity Stadium.

 

Toronto.

 

NASL Dateline: On 27 May 1977, Paul Child notched the 2nd hat trick of his NASL career in the San Jose Earthquakes' 4-3 win over the St. Louis Stars before 6,899 at Francis Field.




MISL Dateline: On 26 May 1982, Steve Zungul scored 4 goals - including a short-handed goal in the dying minutes that gave him a record 24 for the post-season - and Frantz St. Lot and Stan Karasi added 2 each to lead the New York Arrows to their 4th straight MISL Championship with an 8-6 win over the St. Louis Steamers before 11,023 at the Nassau Coliseum.…




NASL Dateline: On 26 May 1980, Giorgio Chinaglia scored the 499th goal of his professional career in the 77th minute to rally the New York Cosmos to a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps, capturing the inaugural Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup before 60,384 at Giants Stadium. In the 3rd-place match, Manchester City defeated AS Roma, 3-2.




NASL Dateline: On 26 May 1982, the 3rd annual Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup got underway as the New York Cosmos got 2 goals from Julio Cesar Romero and played to a 2-2 draw with SSC Napoli before 28,887 at Giants Stadium.



Happy 71st birthday to Don McAllister (number 4), the steady English central defender who anchored the backline for Bolton (156 games) and Tottenham (172) games -- winning the 1981 FA Cup with Spurs -- but also had 2 loan spells with NASL clubs, playing with the Washington Diplomats (1977) and Tampa Bay Rowdies (1984).



NASL Action: Montreal Manic forward Alan Willey goes up for a header against Seattle Sounders midfielder Brian Schmetzer at the Kingdome.




Happy 74th birthday to Wales international Terry Yorath, the steely midfielder who found success at Leeds United (1967-76), Coventry City (1976-79) and Tottenham (1979-81) -- reaching the FA Cup final and the UEFA Cup final in 1973, and becoming the first Welshman to reach the European Cup final a year later -- but also played 2 NASL seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps (1981-82), where he scored 2 goals in 29 games, then later coached Wales, Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday.









MISL Merchandise: MISL Brochure, 1980-81

 

Francis Field! Site of the 1904 Olympics.

 

MISL Dateline: On 28 May 1981, the San Francisco Fog was launched as the MISL's first West Coast franchise after Dr. David Schoenstadt purchased the moribund Detroit Lightning and moved the team to the Bay Area. Sadly, the Fog managed just 11 wins in 1980-81 and averaged less than 2,500 fans per game in the Cow Palace - losing $1.2 million in the process - and were gone the following season to Kansas City.






NASL Head Shots: Portland Timbers, 1978








Soccer in the 1970s: The Tampa Bay Rowdies - with guest player Rick Davis - set up a defensive wall in an exhibition match against China in 1977 at Tampa Stadium. (L to R: Boris Bandov, Rodney Marsh, Steve Wegerle, Rick Davis, Mark Lindsay, Kevin Eagan)









MISL Dateline: On 26 May 1986, the San Diego Sockers won their 3rd straight elimination game - including one on the road - and captured their 5th consecutive indoor title by defeating the Minnesota Strikers, 5-3, in Game 7 of the 1986 MISL Championship Series before 10,613 at the San Diego Sports Arena.




NASL Dateline: On 26 May 1979, Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward David Irving's 2 goals keyed a 3-1 win over the Memphis Rogues before 13,052 at Lockhart Stadium, the Strikers' 3rd straight victory.…

 

NASL Memories: The Tampa Bay Rowdies honored NASL great Clyde Best at a recent USL match, celebrating the 6-foot-2 Bermuda international who notched 15 goals in 2 seasons with Tampa Bay and scored in the Rowdies' 2-0 victory in Soccer Bowl '75.

 

Clyde Best was a productive striker and West Ham United favorite in his early playing career. I saw play several times against the Sounders, since he actually scored more goals and played more games with the Portland Timbers than he did with the Rowdies in the NASL.

 

NASL Schedules: San Jose Earthquakes, 1975…



Did You Know? When the Seattle Sounders played the San Jose Earthquakes in 1981, Earthquakes forward George Best made a caustic remark to Sounders midfielder Steve Daley (pictured) about the record fee ($11.7 million, by today's rates) that Manchester City had paid for Daley a few years earlier. Daley responded with a caustic remark about Best's excessive drinking. Both had a good laugh and hit the town together that same night. Said Daley: "I have never seen so many blondes in all my life."




NASL Dateline: On 28 May 1978, English superstar Trevor Francis made his NASL debut with the Detroit Express, scoring 1 goal in a 3-2 win over the Memphis Rogues before 9,649 at the Pontiac Silverdome.…



NASL Action: Washington Diplomats midfielder Joe Horvath carries the ball down the wing at RFK Stadium.…



Happy 80th birthday to NASL pioneer Dimitrije "David" Davidovic (number 18), the Serbian midfielder who interrupted a successful career with Partizan Belgrade to score 8 goals in 32 games for the Oakland Clippers in 1968, then returned a decade later to make 27 appearances with the San Jose Earthquakes before becoming a highly successful coach in Belgium and the Middle East.




NASL Action: Philadelphia Fury attackers Peter Osgood and Tony Glavin are outnumbered by Memphis Rogues defenders Henry McCully, Peter Mohrmann, John Faulkner and Phil Beal at Veterans Stadium.







Soccer in the 1970s: The Portland Timbers - Seattle Sounders rivalry was headline news as far back as 1976.…




NASL Head Shots: Seattle Sounders, 1979




NASL Memories: NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton passed away this week after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71. But Walton is rightly being remembered as a supportive and engaging teammate, friend and colleague, including the 5 years he spent with the San Diego Clippers (1979-84), where he befriended San Diego Sockers star Juli Vee. "He always supported me," Veee said. "Especially after I finished my career...

 

NASL Memories: The NASL’s reputation as an “Elephant’s Graveyard” for aging foreign stars was hard to shake, but a quick review indicates dozens of top-flight internationals got an early boost from the NASL and only later became international stars - not counting the scores of U.S. and Canadian players who developed in the league.

For example:

Peter Beardsley, Vancouver Whitecaps (England, 59 appearances, 1986-96)

Mark Hateley, Detroit Express (England, 32 appearances, 1984-92)

Hugo Sanchez, San Diego Sockers (Mexico, 59 appearances, 1977-94)

Julio Cesar Romero, New York Cosmos (Paraguay, 64 appearances, 1979-90)

Roberto Cabanas, New York Cosmos (Paraguay, 28 appearances, 1979-93)

Bruce Grobbelaar, Vancouver Whitecaps (Zimbabwe, 32 appearances, 1980-98)

Fran O’Brien, Philadelphia Fury (Ireland, 4 appearances, 1978)

Javier Aguirre, Los Angeles Aztecs (Mexico, 59 appearances, 1983-92)

Graeme Souness, Montreal Olympique (Scotland, 54 appearances, 1974-86)

Alan Brazil, Detroit Express (Scotland, 13 appearances, 1980-83)

Pierce O’Leary, Philadelphia Fury (Ireland, 7 appearances, 1979-80)

Paul Price, Minnesota Kicks (Wales, 25 appearances, 1980-84)

Augustin Manzo, Los Angeles Aztecs (Mexico, 4 appearances, 1980-84)

Billy Caskey, Tulsa Roughnecks (Northern Ireland, 7 appearances, 1978-82)

 

Happy 72nd birthday to Tibor Molnar (number 18), the Hungarian-Canadian midfielder who joined the Dallas Tornado in 1971 and helped the club reach the NASL final, then made 40 appearances over a 3-year NASL career with Dallas (1971), the Rochester Lancers (1976) -- finishing 2nd in the 1976 NASL Indoor final -- and San Jose Earthquakes (1976-77), and later won 3 straight MISL titles with the New York Arrows (1979-80), and played for the Hartford Hellions (1980-81), Baltimore Blast (1980-81) and Pittsburgh Spirit (1981-82)

 

NASL Dateline: On 10 June 1975, soccer in North America changed forever when the New York Cosmos unveiled 34-year old Brazilian superstar Pelé as the team's newest acquisition in a lavish ceremony at the 21 Club, having signed a 3-year, $4.7 million personal services contract with Warner Communications the night before in Bermuda and then jetted to New York on Warner's private plane. Pelé also signed a $200,000 endorsement deal with Pepsi and would debut 5 days later in an exhibition against the Dallas Tornado in New York. Said Pelé: "You can say now to the world that soccer has finally arrived in the United States."



Happy 63rd birthday to Canada international Branko Segota (number 20), the Croatian-born striker who joined the New York Arrows at the age of 17 and reeled off 3 straight MISL titles -- while doing double-duty in the NASL with the Rochester Lancers, where he scored 25 goals in 39 games (1979-80) -- then signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and tallied 30 goals in 3 seasons and closed out his NASL career with a career-high 18 goals for the Golden Bay Earthquakes, then went back indoors and won 6 more MISL titles with the San Diego Sockers, making 8 MISL All Star teams, finishing his career as the NASL's 13th all-time leading scorer and the MISL's second, while also playing in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Jon van Woerden)



NASL Media: Sylvester Stallone and Pelé promote their upcoming film, "Escape to Victory," during a halftime interview with ABC-Sports broadcaster Jim McKay in Soccer Bowl '80 at RFK Stadium.













Happy 70th birthday to Poland international Wladyslaw Zmuda, the towering centerback who played in 4 FIFA World Cups (1974-86) and was voted the Best Young Player in 1974, then won the silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games, but also had a storied club career with Polish superclubs like Śląsk Wrocław (1974-80) and Widzew Łódź (1980-82) and spent the 1984 NASL season with the New York Cosmos.…






NASL Memories: New York Cosmos defender Carlos Alberto parades the Soccer Bowl '82 trophy at Giants Stadium.

 

MISL Dateline: On 10 June 1989, the San Diego Sockers got 2 goals from Branko Segota - and withstood a furious 4th period rally that included 3 straight goals by Domenic Mobilio - to win their 7th indoor title and successfully defend their MISL crown with a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Blast in Game 7 of the MISL Championship Series before 11,220 at the Baltimore Civic Center.



NASL Memories: New York Cosmos midfielder Franz Beckenbauer scans the crowd of 71,413 prior to his farewell match at Giants Stadium in 1980.



NASL Dateline: On 10 June 1981, Peter Beardsley scored his 3rd goal in the last 4 games and the Vancouver Whitecaps cruised to a 3-1 win over the Chicago Sting before 20,875 at Empire Stadium.…



MISL Dateline: On 11 June 1987, Steve Zungul scored the MISL-record 100th playoff goal of his career and the Tacoma Stars held off the Dallas Sidekicks, 7-4, to take a 2-games-to-none lead in the MISL Championship Series before 14,643 at the Tacoma Dome.




Soccer in the 1970s: Even the referees' publication, "The Whistle," recognized greatness in 1979.…





NASL Dateline: On 9 June 1982, Peter Nogly (pictured), Luis Fernando, Pedro DeBrito and Tatu each scored as the Tampa Bay Rowdies beat their Florida rivals, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, 4-2, before 15,211 at Tampa Stadium

 

NASL Legends: "Krazy George" Henderson

 

NASL Action: Los Angeles Aztecs forward Steve David closes in as San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Mike Hewitt and defender Buzz Demling seek to limit the damage at the Memorial Coliseum.

 

NASL National Team: Leonardo Cuellar and Hugo Sanchez, Mexico




NASL Dateline: On 17 June 1980, Dutch goalkeeper Jan Van Beveren made his NASL debut with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, displacing fan-favourite Arnie Mausser but still posting a 4-0 shutout win over the San Jose Earthquakes before 12,295 at Lockhart Stadium.




CISL Dateline: On 17 June 1993, the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) kicked off with 7 teams and another eight contracted for the following season - just 11 months after the MISL had closed its doors. The brainchild of former Los Angeles Lazers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and California Sports executive Ron Weinstein, the CISL quickly incorporated Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo and targeted NBA and NHL owners. The CISL pioneered the single entity concept later embraced by Major League Soccer - whereby the league controls player contracts and team costs - and ultimately saw half of the teams turn a profit. The CISL also expanded to include 2 teams in Mexico and enjoyed a Game of the Week contract with FOX Sports. But disagreements between NBA / NHL owners and independent teams killed the CISL almost overnight, and the league ceased operations in 1997.




Happy 56th birthday to midfielder Danny Pena, the U.S. youth international who skipped college to turn pro at the age of 20 and scored 40 goals in 85 games over 2 MISL seasons with the Wichita Wings (1990-92), then later played in MLS for the Los Angeles Galaxy (1997-2001) and Tampa Bay Mutiny (2001).…



MISL Action: San Diego Sockers forward Juli Veee scuffles with St. Louis Steamers defender Sam Bick at the San Diego Sports Arena.




NASL Action: Edmonton Drillers forward Andre Oostrom dribbles around San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Gary Etherington at the Northlands Coliseum.

 

I just want to briefly interject that I think Falvo is an EQ Treasure. This one-man band provides a path by which everyone can be introduced to, or stay connected with, the roots of the Club. I don't know if other fora or teams have anything similar, but I'm pleased and impressed that we do.

 

Thanks @NedZ

It's cool to reminisce about the old halcyon days of the Quakes.

I can't believe we are coming up on 40 years since the demise of the old NASL but it's still a lot of fun to relive and see the old pics and memories of a simpler time.

One thing the younger folks will never experience is what we all did in those days.

We saw the best players in the world and many of them were in their prime.

I can't remember too many players other than maybe Pele and a few others who were over 35.

Here are some more pics.....

NASL Schedules: San Jose Earthquakes, 1978



NASL Schedules: Minnesota Kicks, 1981







MISL Merchandise: Memphis Americans



MISL Dateline: On 20 June 1987, the Dallas Sidekicks overcame a Tacoma Dome crowd of 21,728 - still the largest ever to see a professional indoor soccer match in North America - and captured the 1st MISL title in franchise history when Mark Karpun scored at 9:23 of overtime to defeat the Tacoma Stars, 4-3, in Game 7 of the MISL Championship Series.






Happy 74th birthday to U.S. international Alan Merrick, the veteran West Bromwich Albion defender and England youth international who jumped to the NASL in 1976 and never looked back, helping the Minnesota Kicks to the Soccer Bowl '76 final, scoring 13 goals in 185 appearances in 8 seasons with Minnesota (1976-79), the Los Angeles Aztecs (1980), San Jose Earthquakes (1981), Toronto Blizzard (1981-82) and Team America (1983), earning 2 all-NASL nods and debuting for the U.S. National Team upon becoming a U.S. citizen in 1983, then coaching the Minnesota Strikers in the NASL (1984) and MISL (1984-88), leading the team to the 1986 MISL finals and the 1988 Eastern Division title, and coaching in the 1987 MISL All Star Game



Happy 72nd birthday to Canada international Bruce Wilson (number 3), the rock-steady defender who joined the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps in 1974 and spent the rest of his professional career in the lifespan of the NASL, racking up 276 appearances with the Whitecaps (1974-77), Chicago Sting (1978-79), New York Cosmos (1980) and Toronto Blizzard (1981-84), earning 6 all-NASL honors, winning Soccer Bowl '80 and reaching the Soccer Bowl final in 1983 and 1984, while also playing for Canada in the 1984 Olympic Games and the 1986 FIFA World Cup, ultimately earning him a place on Canadian Soccer Association all-time Canada XI team and induction to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame (2000) and the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame (2003)





NASL Dateline: On 19 June 1983, Roberto Cabanas and Giorgio Chinaglia scored 2 goals each and Franz Beckenbauer added a solo tally as the New York Cosmos took over 1st place in the Eastern Division with a 5-1 rout of the Toronto Blizzard before 25,247 at Giants Stadium.…




NASL Memories: Jeff Bourne was a blue-collar English striker who helped Derby County win the league in 1975, then was loaned to the Dallas Tornado the following year and became an NASL star. Born on 19 June 1948, Bourne tallied 69 NASL goals -- good for 15th all-time -- in 5 seasons with Dallas (1976, 1978), the Atlanta Chiefs (1979-80), and Seattle Sounders (1980-81), earning all-NASL honors in 1976 and helping the Chiefs to the best record (13-5) in the 1980-81 NASL Indoor season. Bourne jumped to the ASL in 1982 and paced the Oklahoma City Slickers to the final, and returned in 1983 to lead the ASL in scoring with the Dallas Americans. Bourne was also a hit indoors, racking up 109 goals in 113 games with the Wichita Wings (1981-84). Diagnosed in 2014 with motor neurone disease, Bourne died just 9 weeks later at the age of 66.

 

Bourne was part of that Alan Hinton Derby County connection that included Roger Davies and Bruce Rioch, who also played for the Sounders.

 

NASL Fans: Laurie Calloway, Mike Hewitt & Paul Child / San Jose Earthquakes

 

Why is the kid holding a Chicago Sting pennant?

 

I was at this game.

 

MISL Quotes: "People build on our reputation to sell the game a little. Like Kyle Rote, he's a good friend of mine, he said on TV one time that the Demlings were Hack and Whack. I mean, I don't think I'm a dirty player. I'm a hard player, and I think all the players know that. But I don't punch a player away from the ball or grab his shirt of try to kick him when he's down. I'm a hard tackler, but I'm getting his with some of these penalties and it's costing me money." - Mark Demling, pictured at left, San Francisco Fog, referring to the tough-guy reputation of himself and his brother, Buzz Demling.