Earthquakes history -- NASL style!, Part 2

Remembering the only Quakes player to appear in two consecutive World Cup finals...

Wim Suurbier (LA Aztecs (1979-1981) and San Jose Earthquakes (1982).

16 January 1945 – 12 July 2020

 

NASL Dateline: On 17 January 1974, the NASL admitted the San Jose Earthquakes as its 14th franchise for the upcoming season.

Owned by Milan Mandaric, a 35‐year‐old electronics expert from Yugoslavia, the franchise also hired former Stanford quarterback Dick Berg as its general manager and announced that most home games would be played at Spartan Stadium, although some matches were planned to be staged in Oakland and San Francisco as well.

 

Happy 64th birthday to George Katakalidis (number 19), the Greek-born defender and Canadian youth international who won 6 MISL titles with the New York Arrows (1980-83) and San Diego Sockers (1984-88), while also playing 2 NASL seasons with the Golden Bay Earthquakes (1983-84), notching 9 assists in 41 games.

 

NASL Action: Los Angeles Aztecs goalkeeper Blas Sanchez cuts down the angle and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Boris Bandov shoots wide at El Camino College.

 

NASL Memories: Giorgio Chinaglia was an Italian international who lived in Wales and whose heroics seldom lived up to his hype until he reached North America. Born on 24 January 1947, Chinaglia moved to New Jersey in 1976 and demanded the New York Cosmos sign him, then proceeded to dominate the NASL like no other player for the next 8 years, finishing as the league's all-time goals (183) and points (478) leader, setting virtually ever scoring record in NASL history, earning 7 all-NASL selections and driving the Cosmos to 4 Soccer Bowl titles.

Chinaglia also feuded with teammates and opponents alike, and once responded to Pele's criticism on shot selection by shouting, "I am Chinaglia! If I shoot from some place, it is because I can score from that place!” He won the NASL MVP Award in 1981, was a 2-time Soccer Bowl MVP, and his number 9 jersey was retired by the Cosmos in 2014.

His close relationship with Warner president Steve Ross gave Chinaglia tremendous control of the franchise -- and, some say, American soccer -- and his reach ultimately allowed him to own both the Cosmos and the Serie A's Lazio. In retirement, Chinaglia was a popular TV soccer analyst and celebrity, and he was elected to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sadly, Chinaglia died of a heart attack in Florida in 2012 at the age of 65.

 

MISL Dateline: On 27 January 1987, the Wichita Wings defeated Dynamo Moscow, 7-6, in the 2nd game of the MISL-sponsored Soccer Summit series before 8,305 at the Kansas Coliseum.



NASL Art: Kazimierz "Kaz" Deyna













NASL Memories: Former West Germany and Bayern Munich teammates Franz Beckenbauer (New York Cosmos) and Gerd Müller (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) share a light moment at Lockhart Stadium.

 

Did You Know? Vancouver Whitecaps defender Dave Watson earned 1st team all-NASL honors in 1983, joining 5 other Whitecaps players on the all-NASL teams (Frans Thijssen, Tino Lettieri, Peter Beardsley, Fran O'Brien and David Cross).



NASL Action: Tampa Bay Rowdies forwards Rodney Marsh and Derek Smethurst scramble to get off a shot against New York Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing at Tampa Stadium



Happy 66th birthday to Canada international Chris Turner, the Vancouver-born goalkeeper who started all 3 games for Canada in the 1979 World Youth Championship, then joined the NASL and posted 9 shutouts in 68 games over a 6-year career that included the San Jose Earthquakes (1979-80), Los Angeles Aztecs (1981), San Diego Sockers (1982), Seattle Sounders (1982-83) and Vancouver Whitecaps (1984), in addition to playing indoors with the Detroit Lightning and earning MISL All Star honors in 1979-80.





NASL Memories: Tony Waiters was a standout English goalkeeper who found his true calling as a coach, leading Canadian soccer to its greatest club and international heights. Born on 1 February 1937, Waiters shone for Blackpool for 9 seasons and battled to be Gordon Banks' back-up for the 1966 FIFA World Cup before retiring in 1967 but soon excelled as a coach with Plymouth Argyle (1972-77) and then taking over the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1977. Waiters was named NASL Coach of the Year in 1978 after leading Vancouver to a 24-6 record and the division title, then upset the New York Cosmos en route to victory in Soccer Bowl '79. He was named Canada's coach in 1982 and responded by reaching the quarterfinals of the 1984 Olympic Games and then qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup for the only time in history, and was elected to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001. Sadly, Waiters passed away in 2020 at the age of 83.



NASL Memories: Midfielder Johan Cruyff limbers up prior to a Washington Diplomats practice outside RFK Stadium.




NASL Memories: Goalkeeper Volkmar Gross was a larger-than-life personality whose 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame only bolstered that image. Born on 31 January 1948, Gross was a star with clubs like Hertha BSC (1967-72), FC Twente (1974-76), and FC Schalke 04 (1977-79) -- earning a West German national team call-up in 1970 and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 1975 -- but also spent 2 years in exile in South Africa due to a Bundesliga match-fixing scandal. Signed by the Minnesota Kicks in 1979, Gross was sold to the San Diego Sockers in mid-season and promptly found a home, posting 27 shutouts in 140 games over the next 5 NASL seasons, earning an all-NASL nod in 1981 and helping San Diego to 2 division titles. Sadly, Gross passed away in 2014 at the age of 66.




Happy 71st birthday to U.S. international Sam Bick (number 17), the St. Louis-born midfielder who earned All American honors leading Quincy University to 3 NAIA titles from 1973 to 1975, then was taken by the Minnesota Kicks with the 6th overall pick in the 1976 NASL Draft and helped the club reach Soccer Bowl '76, made 60 appearances over 5 NASL seasons with Minnesota (1976-78) and the San Jose Earthquakes (1979-80), then added 8 MISL seasons with the hometown St. Louis Steamers, and was named to the 1980-81 MISL All Star team.

 

NASL Merchandise: San Jose Earthquakes seat cushions



Happy 73rdd birthday to Roger Verdi (number 22), the Kenya-born defender who came up through the Wolverhampton and Ipswich Town youth programs, but turned pro with the Montreal Olympique in 1972, and ultimately played in 93 games with Montreal (1972-73), the Miami Toros (1974), St. Louis Stars (1975-77) and San Jose Earthquakes (1978) -- reaching the NASL final with Miami in 1974 -- and later played in the ASL (Cleveland Cobras / Columbus Magic / Cleveland Fire) and MISL (Phoenix Inferno).



NASL Merchandise: NASL pillowcase



Happy 74th birthday to Andy Atuegbu, the 3-time All American midfielder who led the University of San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1975-76, then was taken with the 15th overall pick of the 1978 NASL Draft by the Oakland Stompers and notched 3 goals and 10 assists in 55 games over the next 2 seasons with Oakland (1978) and the Edmonton Drillers (1979), and later scored 31 goals in 2 MISL seasons with the Hartford Hellions (1979-80) and San Francisco Fog (1980-81).



Did You Know? Nikolina Liveric, the daughter of former NASL and USA striker Mark Liveric, is a senior manager at the Architectural Record in New York, one of the world's most prestigious architecture and design publications.



Happy 74th birthday to goalkeeper Mervyn Cawston, the Norwich City youth product who played for 7 teams in a 16-year English league career but also spent 4 seasons in the NASL with the Chicago Sting (1975-78), recording 15 career shutouts in 82 games.



MISL Dateline: On 4 February 1983, Gary Etherington scored at 5:51 of overtime to give the New York Arrows a 4-3 MISL victory over the Cleveland Force at the Richfield Coliseum before a crowd of 2,656 that braved a blizzard, keeping alive the Arrows' perfect 17-0 record against the Force spanning 5 years.



NASL Subbuteo: Vancouver Whitecaps

 

MISL Dateline: On 5 February 1986, MISL superstar Steve Zungul was sold by the cash-strapped San Diego Sockers to the Tacoma Stars for $200,000, marking his 4th team in the last 5 indoor seasons.



NASL Dateline: On 5 February 1977, the Las Vegas Quicksilvers came to terms with midfielder Eusebio for the 1977 NASL season, marking the 3rd North American club in as many seasons for the Portuguese legend.



NASL Quotes: “The worst thing a team can do to Giorgio Chinaglia is get him angry or hurt him during a game. If that happens, look out. He gets revenge and his revenge is to put the ball in the back of the net.” - Gordon Bradley, coach, New York Cosmos





Did You Know? When the MSL dropped its salary cap from $770,000 to $630,000 ahead of the 1990-91 season, one of the casualties was San Diego Sockers defender George Fernandez, who became a free agent. But the Cleveland Crunch stepped in and offered Fernandez a "substantial" increase over his $30,000 salary with San Diego, and he responded by leading the Crunch to the Eastern Division title and the 1991 MSL Championship Series.










NASL Memories: Haiti’s surprising appearance at the 1974 World Cup finals spurred global interest in Caribbean talent, and 6-foot-2 defender Arsène Auguste quickly proved a major catch. Born on 3 February 1951, Auguste was signed by the Tampa Bay Rowdies in time to solidify the backline en route to the Soccer Bowl ’75 title - where he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal against the Portland Timbers - and Auguste played 69 matches over the next 5 years and earned all-NASL honors in 1978 as the Rowdies returned to Soccer Bowl ’78. Auguste joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers the following season and reached Soccer Bowl ‘80, but was slowed by injuries in his final 2 NASL seasons. Sadly, Auguste died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 42.

 

Display cases from History San Jose exhibit at City Hall, circa 2011.

 

1975 Indoor trophy celebration at Cow Palace. Garage man cave.

 

Clsssic pic from the 70’s.

San Jose Earthquakes Buzz Demling. Obie Dave Obenour Laurie Calloway. Mark Demling.

 

MISL Merchandise: San Francisco Fog






Happy 73rd birthday to Stuart Lee, the English striker who rang up big numbers for Bolton, Wrexham and Stockport City before being sold by Manchester City to the Portland Timbers in 1980 and embarked upon a 4-year NASL career that comprised 15 goals with Portland (1980-82) and the Tampa Bay Rowdies (1984), then moved to MISL and found success with the St. Louis Steamers (1985-86), Kansas City Comets (1982-83, 1985-86), Los Angeles Lazers (1984-85, 1986-87) and Dallas Sidekicks (1987-88).




NASL Action: Fort Lauderdale Strikers midfielder Thomas Rongen and Team America forward Tony Crescitelli contest a header at RFK Stadium.



NASL Merchandise: Las Vegas Quicksilvers newsletter




Happy 78th birthday to Tony Powell (number 6), the 6-foot-2 English defender who made over 200 appearances each for Bournemouth and Norwich City, then jumped to the NASL in 1981 and made 68 appearances over 3 seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes (1981-82) and Seattle Sounders (1983).




NASL Action: Bernd Holzenbein and Jan van Beveren take the field for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Tampa Stadium. (Photo by Gail Megaloudis Rongen)



Happy 68th birthday to U.S. international Adolphus "Doc" Lawson, the speedy 6-foot defender who was born in Liberia but immigrated to the USA as a child and was a 2-time All America pick at Southern Connecticut State University, then signed with the Cincinnati Kids of MISL in 1978 - and was later picked by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 3rd round of the 1979 NASL Draft - and crafted an indoor / outdoor career that comprised 42 games with the Earthquakes (1979), San Diego Sockers (1979-80) and New York Cosmos (1984) and a far more successful indoor career with Cincinnati (1978-79), the Philadelphia Fever (1979-82), New York Arrows (1982-84), New York Cosmos (1984-85) and Dallas Sidekicks (1985-91), winning the 1987 MISL Championship, earning 5 MISL All Star nods, and helping the U.S. finish 3rd at the 1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship.




Did You Know? USA midfielder Boris Bandov set the record for American international appearances when he earned his 21st cap in an exhibition match against the Soviet Union on 11 February, 1979. (The current record-holder is Cobi Jones at 164.)




The New York Cosmos will celebrate their 2026 USL home opener against the Portland Hearts of Pine on 14 March by honoring Cosmos legends. A special pre-match jersey that includes the names of many Cosmos alumni will be worn and all-time greats such as Shep Messing, Werner Roth and former Cosmos Girls Cheerleaders will be in attendance.

 

Former Earthquakes NASL coach, Bill Foulkes......

 

NASL Fans: Paul Child / San Jose Earthquakes

 

NASL Action:
Los Angeles Aztecs forward Steve David readies a shot as San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Mike Hewitt comes out to cut down the angle at Memorial Coliseum.

 

NASL Dateline: On 28 February 1975, the final regional tournament of the NASL's inaugural indoor competition ended when Paul Child scored a hat trick and Mirko Stojanovic was steadfast in goal as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps, 7-3, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, thereby advancing to join the Tampa Bay Rowdies, New York Cosmos and Dallas Tornado 2 weeks later in the final round.

 

Did You Know? When the NASL suspended Rochester Lancers coach Don Popovic for 8 games for inciting fans against the officials in a match against Toronto Metros-Croatia in 1978, Popovic resorted to coaching the team for the rest of the season via walkie-talkie from the rooftop at Holleder Stadium.




Happy 69th birthday to U.S. international Charlie Fajkus, the suburban Chicago product nicknamed the "Wheaton Wonder" who reached 2 NCAA finals at Indiana University, then was taken by the Chicago Sting in the 3rd round of the 1979 NASL Draft and went on to scored 18 goals in 138 games over the next 6 seasons, helping Chicago win Soccer Bowl '81, then became an MISL mainstay with the Sting (1982-83, 1987-88) and Kansas City Comets (1985-87), notching 101 goals in 212 appearances.



Happy 73rd birthday to Laurie Abrahams (number , the English prodigy who once scored 101 goals in a youth league season and insisted he'd prefer working as a tailor to playing soccer, yet joined the NASL in 1978 and quickly became an offensive force, tallying 76 career goals -- good for 11th on the all-time list, while his 64 assists rank 13th -- winning Soccer Bowl '83 with the Tulsa Roughnecks, earning all-NASL honors in 1982, receiving the Offensive MVP Award at the NASL Grand Prix of Soccer in 1983, and later spending 3 MISL seasons with the New York Cosmos (1984-85), Kansas City Comets (1984-86) and Wichita Wings (1986-87).



NASL Dateline: On 4 March 1979, David Bradford converted a penalty kick in the 15th minute and the Detroit Express held on for a 1-1 draw against the Bermuda National in a pre-season exhibition match in Hamilton.

 

NASL Dateline: On 3 March 1981, Giorgio Chinaglia scored 3 goals and the New York Cosmos hung on for a 4-3 win over Penarol of Uruguay in the 5th match of New York's 9-game Latin American pre-season tour before 40,000 in Montevideo.



NASL Dateline: On 3 March 1979, Jose Neto scored in the 35th minute but the San Diego Sockers surrendered a late goal to UNAM's Hugo Sanchez and played to a 1-1 draw in an exhibition match in Acapulco.



NASL National Team: Jomo Sono, South Africa










NASL Action: Vancouver Whitecaps defender Mark Nickeas clears the ball to safety against the Golden Bay Earthquakes at Spartan Stadium.

 

NASL National Team: Leonardo Cuellar, Mexico

 

NASL Memories: Peter Bridgwater was born in northwestern England and raised as a soprano singer, a Shakespearean actor, a police officer and an industrial banker, but is best-known as a driving force behind professional soccer in North America.

Born on 7 March 1935, Bridgwater (pictured at center) was named as the Vancouver Whitecaps general manager in 1982 and later assumed the same role with the San Jose Earthquakes in 1984, then worked tirelessly to keep outdoor soccer alive in the U.S. after the NASL folded in 1985.

He lobbied successfully to have the 1994 FIFA World Cup include Stanford Stadium and brought the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup to San Jose, staged international matches that drew large crowds -- including the 61,132 that watched the U.S. drop a 3-1 decision to the Soviet Union in Palo Alto in 1990 -- and then was hired as President of the San Jose Clash when MLS debuted in 1996.

Sadly, Bridgwater passed away in 2005 at the age of 70.