The Quakes are saddened to learn of the passing of original 1974 Earthquakes defender Gonzalo “Lalo” Perez, pictured here wearing number 16. Perez played 15 games during the very first NASL season in San Jose’s history.Our thoughts are with his family at this time 🖤💙. pic.twitter.com/558AA4HFYU— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) August 25, 2024 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
For a second I thought it was Easy Perez. I read about Lalo but can't remember him playing. He played in the Quakes first game in 1974. May he RIP!
NASL pioneer Gonzalo "Lalo" Perez, an original member of the San Jose Earthquakes in 1974. He was 77. Perez appeared in 16 games for San Jose in the inaugural season and contributed 2 goals and 2 assists, helping the Earthquakes clinch a playoff berth and cement a fan base that still thrives today.
Happy 77th birthday to U.S. international Johnny Moore (pictured at left), the Glasgow-born midfielder who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and was the 1st player signed by the expansion San Jose Earthquakes in 1974, sparking a pro soccer career that included 9 goals in 71 games with San Jose (1974-77) -- with whom he simultaneously served as Vice President and assistant general manager -- and the Oakland Stompers (1978), and later played indoors with the Detroit Lightning (1979-80), San Francisco Fog (1980-81), Kansas City Comets (1981-82) and Phoenix Inferno (1981-82), scoring 58 goals in 86 games and earning 2 MISL All Star nods and ultimately winning election to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, (1997) the California Soccer Hall of Fame (1997), the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame (2014), and the California Youth Soccer Hall of Fame (1995).
Happy 71st birthday to Willi Cryns, the West German defender who spent the 1979-80 NASL seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes, making a combined 30 appearances while marking many of the game's top goal-scorers.
NASL Dateline: On 3 September 1983, the Seattle Sounders played the last game in the 10-year NASL history of the franchise, suffering a 2-1 loss to the Golden Bay Earthquakes before 14,271 at Spartan Stadium. New owner Bruce Anderson purchased the Sounders in late 1982, then alienated the fans base by firing coach Alan Hinton, changing the team's logo and colors, and committing to an "Americanization" strategy that purged the team's popular British pedigree. The team officially folded 3 days after the final game.
Happy 86th birthday to Milan Mandarić (pictured at right, with Harry Redknapp), the naturalized Serbian-American business tycoon who made Bay Area soccer his specialty by founding the San Jose Earthquakes in 1974, selling the team 3 years later in order to purchase the Connecticut Bicentennials and relocate the team west to play as the Oakland Stompers, then buying back the Earthquakes again in 1980 before turning his attention to Europe, where he bought and sold clubs such
This all brings back terrible memories, and it turned me off to watching soccer for years. I still curse the name Bruce Anderson, talk about doing all the wrong things. The fans love affair with its English players, the "Lads" was something special, and though the Sounders signed a few well known players over the years, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Mike England, Alan Hudson, Bruce Rioch, and Steve Daley, a majority of the lads, (including Harry Redknapp ) came from the lower divisions of English soccer, and the fans fell in love with their hard-nosed play and work ethic on the field.
NASL Dateline: On 3 September 1983, Germain Iglesias (number 9) and Leonardo Cuellar (number 12) scored goals to help the Golden Bay Earthquakes notch their franchise-best 20th win in a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders before 14,271 at Spartan Stadium, guaranteeing the Earthquakes' first playoff berth in 7 years.
Happy 72nd birthday to David Irving (pictured at left with Ray Hudson and Maurice Whittle), the English forward who battled for playing time at Everton, Sheffield United and Oldham United from 1970 through 1978, then jumped to the NASL and quickly helped the Fort Lauderdale Strikers become a force, scoring 27 goals -- including a team-high 16 in 1978 -- in 72 games (1978-80), then later added stints with the Tulsa Roughnecks (1980), Atlanta Chiefs (1980) and San Jose Earthquakes (1981). NASL Dateline: On 10 September 1981, the Chicago Sting got goals from Arno Steffenhagen (pictured), Frantz Mathieu, Karl-Heinz Granitza and John Tyma and eliminated the Montreal Manic, 4-2, in Game 3 of the quarterfinals of the NASL Playoffs before 27,489 at Comiskey Park.… NASL Media: Franz Beckenbauer / New York Cosmos NASL Dateline: On 10 September 1980, Giorgioa Chinaglia and Angelo DiBernardo scored and the New York Cosmos stole Game 1 of the National Conference Championship on the road with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Aztecs before 25,487 at the Rose Bowl. NASL Dateline: On 9 September 1981, Giorgio Chinaglia scored his 1st goal in nearly a month and Wim Rijsbergen added a 2nd as the New York Cosmos eliminated the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2-0, in Game 3 of the quarterfinals of the NASL Playoffs before 33,754 at Giants Stadium. NASL Legends: Stan Terlecki RIP!
NASL Stadiums: Spartan Stadium is a 21,000-seat venue located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of San Jose and situated on the campus of San Jose State University. Built in 1933 and known for its iconic Greek column railing, Spartan Stadium was home to the San Jose Earthquakes (1974-84), hosted Soccer Bowl '75, and led the way in NASL innovation by coloring the field and other marketing ventures. NASL Dateline: On 11 September 1980, Teofilo Cubillas and Ray Hudson scored to carry the Fort Lauderdale Strikers past the San Diego Sockers, 2-1, in Game 1 of the American Conference championship before 27,635 at San Diego Stadium. ( NASL Memories: Franz Beckenbauer was the reigning Balon d'Or winner when he shook the soccer world by leaving Bayern Munich to sign with the New York Cosmos in 1977, and his impact resonated for decades. Born on 11 September 1945, Beckenbauer was a West German legend who revolutionized the sweeper position as "Der Kaiser" in leading his country to victory in the 1974 FIFA World Cup - then returned to coach West Germany to victory 16 years later. Beckenbauer spent 13 years with Bayern Munich and won 4 Bundesliga titles, 3 European Cups and 1 Cup Winner's Cup, but shocked the world when he signed with the Cosmos - a player who was both West German Player of the Year and the reigning Balon d'Or champion, yet a player whose stated desire was to play alongside Pelé. Although converted to midfielder to make room for Carlos Alberto in the New York line-up, Beckenbauer made 105 appearances in 5 NASL seasons with New York, winning 3 Soccer Bowl titles, earning 5 All-NASL honors and capturing the 1977 NASL MVP Award. When he turned to coaching, Beckenbauer was named World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year and European Coach of the Year in 1990, and later chaired Germany's successful organization of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Sadly, Beckenbauer passed away in January at the age of 78. Did You Know? Before he relocated to the United States in 1967 and became the chief architect of soccer's 1970s explosion, Clive Toye was the Chief Sports Writer for the Daily Express, Great Britain's largest tabloid publication with a daily circulation of over 4 million at its peak. Toye later served in key executive positions with the Baltimore Bays (1967-68), New York Cosmos (1971-77), Chicago Sting (1978-79) and Toronto Blizzard (1980-84), grabbing headlines with the acquisition of top players like Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Roberto Bettega. Happy 70th birthday to Brian Hornsby (bottom row, 2nd from left), the English midfielder who won the 1977 Welsh Cup with Shrewsbury Town and had successful spells at Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, then joined the Edmonton Drillers for the 1982 NASL season and contributed 2 goals and 3 assists in 16 games. Happy 65th birthday to Eddie Krueger (2nd from left), the U.S. youth international who signed with the hometown Seattle Sounders out of high school in 1977 and ultimately played 5 NASL seasons with the Sounders (1977-80), San Diego Sockers (1980) and Vancouver Whitecaps (1984), and later led the Seattle Mitre Eagles to the 1987 U.S. Open Cup final. Happy 68th birthday to Ron Atanasio, the Adelphi University standout who was a 1st-round draft pick of the New York Cosmos in 1978 and spent 2 NASL seasons with the club, then later played for the Houston Hurricane (1980) and appeared in the MISL with the Houston Summit (1979-80) and New York Arrows (1983-84). Happy 61st birthday to Canada international Greg Ion, the steady midfielder who was taken with the 9th overall pick from his British Columbia high school by the Portland Timbers in the 1981 NASL Draft, then scored 4 goals in 41 NASL games over the next 4 seasons with Portland (1981-82), the Montreal Manic (1983) and the Tulsa Roughnecks (1984) and played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, later transitioning indoors with the Los Angeles Lazers (1984-87), Minnesota Strikers (1986-87), Chicago Sting (1987-88), Kansas City Comets (1988-90) and Tacoma Stars (1990-92), notching 138 goals and 152 assists in 385 games.
Happy 65th birthday to U.S. international Jim Gabarra, the Connecticut College midfielder whose eclectic pro career included the 1982 ASL championship with the Detroit Express, the 1986 AISA title with the Louisville Thunder, 2 MISL championships with the San Diego Sockers (1990-91), 87 career goals in 8 MISL seasons with the Dallas Sidekicks (1985-86), Los Angeles Lazers (1986-89), San Diego (1989-92), and the Tacoma Stars (1991-92), and international duty that included the 1988 Olympic Games and the 1989 and 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championships. ASL Dateline: On 18 September 1980, the Pennsylvania Stoners got goals from George Gorleku and Rich Reice to defeat the Sacramento Spirits, 2-1, and capture the 1980 ASL championship before 7,723 at ASD Stadium in Allentown, PA. Olympic Dateline: On 18 September 1988, the United States got a 78th minute goal from Mike Windischmann and played Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the Olympic games in Daegu, South Korea. USA Line-Up: David Vanole, Kevin Crow, Paul Krumpe, Brian Bliss, Paul Caligiuri, Rick Davis, Tab Ramos (Mike Windischmann), Bruce Murray, Desmond Armstrong, Brent Goulet (John Harkes), Peter Vermes. NASL Dateline: On 18 September 1984, the Vancouver Whitecaps got an overtime goal from Carl Valentine to snatch Game 1 of the semifinals of the NASL Playoffs with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Sting before 5,484 at Comiskey Park. NASL Dateline: On 18 September 1984, David Byrne scored the game-winner as the Toronto Blizzard notched a 2-1 win over the San Diego Sockers in Game 1 of the semifinals of the NASL Playoffs before 4,204 at Jack Murphy Stadium. NASL Dateline: On 18 September 1982, the New York Cosmos won their 5th and final NASL title by defeating the Seattle Sounders, 1-0, in Soccer Bowl '82, using a 30th minute goal by Giorgio Chinaglia to claim victory before 22,634 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. So sad to report the death of journalist and archivist Colin Jose, the English-born researcher who immigrated to Canada in 1957 and became the dean of North American soccer press. He was 88. Jose wrote 12 books on the sport -- including the North American Soccer League Encyclopedia (2003) that is the de facto "bible" of the NASL era to many -- serving as the press officer of the Canadian National Team (1972-82), working as the historian / archivist of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame (1997-2007), coordinating with FIFA on global events, and earning the honor of having the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame's annual media award given in his name. Jose was honoured by both the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame (as a builder in 2009) and Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame (in 2016) and recognized as a Canada Soccer Life Member (in 2014) and he received the Canada Soccer President’s Award (2007), the Ontario Soccer President’s Award (1986 and 2015), and the Soccer Québec Centennial Medal (2011).
Happy 77th birthday to Scotland international Tommy Hutchison, the steady midfielder who made 368 appearances in a decade with Coventry City (1972-81) but also reached the FA Cup final with Manchester City (1981) and won the Welsh FA Cup with Swansea City (1989) and played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, but also spent the 1980 NASL season on loan to the Seattle Sounders, where he contributed 3 goals and 12 assists in 25 games and helped Seattle post the league's best record at 25-7, earning all-NASL Honours. ASL Dateline: On 22 September 1975, the Boston Astros and New York Apollo were declared ASL co-champions after battling through 9 overtimes of a 1-1 draw -- and a 3-3 aggregate -- in Game 2 of the ASL final at Memorial Stadium in New York. NASL Dateline: On 22 September 1983, Neill Roberts and David Byrne (pictured) scored to carry the Toronto Blizzard past the Golden Bay Earthquakes, 2-0, in Game 2 of the semifinals of the NASL Playoffs before 15,556 at Varsity Stadium, thereby clinching the Blizzard's berth in Soccer Bowl '83.… NASL Memories: Antonio De La Torre was a rugged Mexican defender who won league titles with 2 separate clubs - Club America and Puebla - and arrived on loan to the Los Angeles Aztecs midway through the 1981 NASL season and helped the club finish strong. Born on 21 September 1951, De La Torre's 17-year career included stints with big clubs like UNAM Pumas (1971-74), Club America (1974-82), Puebla (1982-84) and Atlas (1984-88), and he led Club America to the CONCACAF Champions'… Happy 76th birthday to U.S. international Art "Buzz" Demling (pictured at left), the St. Louis youth star and older of 2 brothers to play in the NASL who became a Michigan State All American defender who scored 2 goals in 115 NASL appearances with the St. Louis Stars (1973) and San Jose Earthquakes (1974-78), then joined the Cincinnati Kids for the first-ever MISL match in 1978-79, and played for the United States in the 1972 Olympic Games.… Soccer in the 1970s: New York Cosmos stars Franz Beckenbauer, Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia survey Holleder Stadium prior to a match against the Rochester Lancers.… NASL Action: Edmonton Drillers defender Dwight Lodeweges extends to try and stop Vancouver Whitecaps forward Carl Valentine at Commonwealth Stadium. NASL Action: San Jose Earthquakes forward Tony Crescitelli tries to break past Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Refik Kozic at Spartan Stadium.…
NASL Merchandise: San Jose Earthquakes Did You Know? Dutch international Ruud Krol made his NASL debut with the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 3-0 loss to the New York Cosmos on 29 June 1980, then proceeded to play in the next 14 matches to close out the season - helping Vancouver clinch the last playoff spot in the National Conference. NASL Action: New York Cosmos defender Carlos Alberto settles the ball as Minnesota Kicks forward Ricardo Alonso closes in at Giants Stadium NASL Action: San Jose Earthquakes defender John Rowlands goes up to contest a header against New York Cosmos forward Pelé at Yankee Stadium.… NASL Dateline: On 23 September 1984, Karl-Heinz Granitza scored 2 goals to spark the Chicago Sting to a 3-1 win over the host Vancouver Whitecaps in Game 2 of the semifinals of the NASL Playoffs, evening the best-of-three series at 1 game each before 14,473 at B.C. Place.…
Happy 67th birthday to Ken McDonald (top row, 2nd from right), the Penn State standout defender who was a 2nd-round pick in the 1979 NASL Draft and split the 1979 season between the San Jose Earthquakes and Tulsa Roughnecks, then helped the Pennsylvania Stoners win the 1980 ASL title and later played 3 MISL seasons with the Denver Avalanche (1981-82) and St. Louis Steamers (1983-85). Happy 74th birthday to Bobby Bell (pictured at left), the English central defender who developed through the Tottenham youth system and played primarily for Ipswich Town (1968-71) and Crystal Palace (1971-73), but also played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, appearing in 15 games during the 1977 NASL season NASL Dateline: On 26 September 1983, Dwight Lodeweges scored the lone goal to allow the Montreal Manic to snatch a 1-0 win over the Tulsa Roughnecks before 16,185 at Olympic Stadium, tying the best-of-3 semifinal series of the NASL Playoffs at 1 game apiece. NASL Dateline: On 26 September 1981, the Chicago Sting and New York Cosmos played 105 minutes of scoreless soccer and 4 rounds of a tense shootout before Rudy Glenn scored the go-ahead goal and goalkeeper Dieter Ferner blocked Robert Iarusci's final attempt to give Chicago a 1-0 win in Soccer Bowl '81. Sting defender Frantz Mathieu was named Man of the Match as Chicago captured the first title in franchise history - and the first for the City of Chicago since the Bears won the NFL Championship in 1963 - before 36,971 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. NASL Dateline: On 25 September 1979, the Tampa Bay Rowdies slapped a $175,000 price tag on striker Oscar Fabbiani to permit him to return on loan to Palestino of Chile for 3 months of the NASL off-season, but Palestino officials turned down the offer as too high. The Argentina-born Fabbiani attempted to intervene and asked Tampa Bay to lower the price as he wanted to spend more time in Chile and gain his citizenship, but they refused. "I would like to wear the Palestino shirt again," Fabbiani said. "I want to become a Chilean citizen not only because I want to play on Chile's national team, but I feel like a Chilean and my children are born there. In Argentina, they are only now beginning to take note of me." NASL Dateline: On 25 September 1983, New York Cosmos forward Roberto Cabanas won the NASL Most Valuable Player Award in a balloting of league players by The Sporting News after scoring an NASL-best 25 goals in 28 games and finishing as the top scorer with 66 points
Happy 75th birthday to Les Chapman, the veteran English midfielder who scored 20 goals in 263 appearances for Oldham Athletic and jumped to the NASL in 1978 where he played in 20 games for the San Jose Earthquakes. NASL Dateline: On 27 September 1981, the Atlanta Chiefs ceased operations for the 2nd time in a decade after losing nearly $7 million in 3 NASL seasons and averaging just 6,189 in attendance in 1981 in cavernous Atlanta - Fulton County Stadium. The franchise joined 6 others in withdrawing from the league, threatening the NASL's long-term future. NASL Action: New York Cosmos defender Carlos Alberto and Pino Wilson set a defensive wall at Giants Stadium. NASL Head Shots: Rochester Lancers, 1977 Happy 79th birthday to Scotland international goalkeeper Bobby Clark, the Aberdeen bedrock who helped the Dons win the Scottish Cup (1970), the League Cup (1977) and the Premier League title (1980) in addition to playing in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, then joined the San Antonio Thunder on loan in 1976 and posted 4 shutouts in 19 games, and ultimately served as head coach of Stanford University (1996-2000) and Notre Dame (2001-2017), leading the Fighting Irish to the NCAA title in 2013. NASL Dateline: On 26 September 1978, Johan Cruyff made his 2nd and final guest appearance with the New York Cosmos in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea before 39,659 at Stamford Bridge in London. Dennis Tueart scored for New York, cancelling out Ray Wilkins' strike for Chelsea.
Happy 66th birthday to Mike Hunter, the Santa Clara University defender who was selected by the expansion Detroit Lightning in the 1st round of the 1979 MISL Draft and made 20 appearances that season indoors, then was a 2nd-round pick of the San Jose Earthquakes in the 1980 NALS Draft and played in 98 games over the next 5 years with San Jose / Golden Bay, then was sold to the Los Angeles Lazers when the NASL collapsed in 1984 and closed out with 2 more MISL seasons (1984-86). MISL Dateline: On 30 September 1978, veteran East Coast sports executives Earl Foreman and Ed Tepper announced the formation of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), which would begin play 11 weeks later with 6 franchises: the Houston Summit, New York Arrows, Cleveland Force, Philadelphia Fever, Pittsburgh Spirit and Cincinnati Kids.… NASL Memories: Paul Cahill became Portsmouth's youngest-ever captain at the age of 21 in 1976, and he still had plenty to offer when he jumped to the NASL 3 years later. Born on 29 September, 1955, Cahill (number 17) made over 100 appearances in defense for clubs like Coventry City, Portsmouth, Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County, and earned all-ASL honors with the Southern California Lazers during a summer loan in 1978. The 5-foot-9 center-back signed with the California Surf one year later and quickly became one of the league's most reliable defenders, making 81 appearances with California (1979-80) and the San Jose / Golden Bay Earthquakes (1981-82), while often marking some of the NASL's top scorers. Sadly, Cahill died in 2021 at the age of 65. NASL Fans: Jack Brand / New York Cosmos Happy 72nd birthday to Mike Dillon, the English central defender who reached the UEFA Cup final with Tottenham in 1974 and had loan spells with Milwall (1974-75) and Swindon Town (1974-75), but whose greatest success occurred in the NASL, where he racked up 11 goals in 98 games with the Montreal Olympique (1972), New York Cosmos (1975-77) and Washington Diplomats (1978-79), helping New York win Soccer Bowl '77 and developing a reputation as one of the league's best at marking top scorers. NASL Stationery: NASL
So sad to report the death of legendary baseball player Pete Rose, the all-time hit king and sparkplug of the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine" whose admission of gambling earned him a lifetime ban from baseball and kept him out of the Hall of Fame. He was 83. Nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" for his aggressive style and known for running to first base even on a walk, Rose (pictured at center with Shep Messing and Keith Van Eron) once said he loved baseball so much he'd "walk through hell in a gasoline suit" just for the chance to play. In addition to his baseball accomplishments, Rose was also part-owner of the MISL's Cincinnati Kids franchise and kicked out the first ball at the inaugural match in MISL history between his Kids and the New York Arrows.
47 years ago today. NASL Dateline: On 1 October 1977, the New York Cosmos, a crowd of 75,646 at Giants Stadium and a global TV audience estimated 500 million said goodbye to Pelé after 3 years of remarkable NASL output that put soccer firmly on the American sports map. The Cosmos notched a 2-1 defeat of Pelé's old team, Santos FC, in an exhibition match, with Pelé playing a half for each team in a game that ended in a downpour and celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, and Henry Kissinger in attendance. LOVE , LOVE , LOVE!