Happy 72nd birthday to Davie Kemp (number 13), pctured with Johnny Moore (left) Jimmy Johnstone (center) , the tireless Scottish defensive midfielder who made 96 appearances in 4 NASL seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes (1975-78) -- helping San Jose win the 1975 NASL Indoor title in the process -- and later played for the MISL's San Francisco Fog (1980-81).
Soccer in the 1970s: The Fort Lauderdale Strikers' line-up briefly rivaled that of the New York Cosmos for firepower and star power. NASL Ticket Brochures: After finishing with an NASL-worst 6-24 record in 1979, the Memphis Rogues wisely promised something different for 1980. Happy 73rd birthday to Dario Ruzik (pictured at left), the Croatian goalkeeper who played 8 seasons for NK Istra 1961 of the Yugoslavian league (1969-77), then joined the Houston Hurricane for the 1978 NASL campaign. NASL Dateline: On 5 August 1978, Jeff Bourne scored 4 of the Dallas Tornado's goals in a 5-3 win over the New York Cosmos before 11,213 at Ownby Stadium. NASL National Team: Mark Hateley, England NASL Memories: Like so many Dutch players, Fort Lauderdale Strikers goalkeeper Jan van Beveren was also an accomplished baseball player.
Here is another Fisher, former Quakes coach, Terry Fisher.... NASL Legends: Al Miller, Timo Liekoski, Terry Fisher and Francisco Marcos Terry Fisher with George Best, Los Angeles Aztecs at Tampa Bay Rowdies
NASL Dateline: On 7 August 1979, Chris Dangerfield notched a hat trick and Johan Cruyff and Leo Van Veen added two goals each in a 7-1 rout of the Seattle Sounders before 9,780 at the Rose Bowl.
Karl-Heinz Granitza (12), Leonardo Cuellar (12), Mihalj Keri (14) San Jose Earthquakes at Chicago Sting
Happy 67th birthday to Chris Dangerfield, the England youth international who jump-started his professional career by spending the 1975 NASL season on loan to the Portland Timbers and reached the Soccer Bowl '75 final, then built a 10-year North American career that comprised 41 goals with the Timbers (1975-76), Las Vegas Quicksilvers (1977), Team Hawaii (1977), Tulsa Roughnecks (1978), California Surf (1978), Los Angeles Aztecs (1979-80) and the San Jose / Golden Bay Earthquakes (1981-83) Earthquakes, playing alongside legends like George Best , Steve Zungul and Johan Cruyff, and adding a 5-year indoor span with Golden Bay (1982-83) and the Minnesota Strikers (1984-88) that featured reaching the 1986 MISL final.
Did You Know? The San Jose Earthquakes were barely a .500 team in their first 2 years of existence - and finished dead-last in their division in 1975 - yet still led the NASL in average attendance both years, averaging 16,584 in 1974 and 17,924 in 1975 at Spartan Stadium.
I had just come back from Europe on a vacation with my family so I missed the New York Cosmos at San Jose Earthquakes game on Wednesday, August 27, 1975. I read the Cosmos lost 3-2 and the Spartan Stadium attendance was 19,338. What a great memory for those who attended this game!
Here is a picture of the Earthquakes Shakers along with Bruce Jenner, top row second from left, and Lou Rawls next to Pele. The date was on Sunday, August 24, 1975 at Spartan Stadium at Soccer Bowl '75.
NASL Dateline: On 10 August 1983, the Toronto Blizzard drew a franchise-record 41,035 to Exhibition Stadium for a 0-0 draw against Juventus of Italy -- which included Paolo Rossi, Michel Platini, Claudio Gentile, Zbigniew Boniek, Marco Tardelli and a host of World Cup stars in its roster -- eclipsing the mark of 35,000 set the year before against the same Serie A power.
NASL Dateline: On 12 August 1981, Chris Dangerfield scored 2 goals and Poli Garcia added a 3rd as the Los Angeles Aztecs defeated the San Diego Sockers, 3-1, before 10,059 at the Coliseum, clinching an NASL playoff spot for the 7th straight season.
NASL Dateline: On 13 August 1978, David Irving's 2 goals canceled out a pair by Trevor Francis and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers went on to beat the Detroit Express in a shootout before 11,517 at Lockhart Stadium.
Did You Know? Terry Fisher was just 26 years of age when he coached the 1976 Los Angeles Aztecs, making him younger than 14 of the players on his 21-man roster, including veterans George Best (30 years of age), Charlie Cooke (34), Ron Davies (34), Luis Marotte (32), Bob McAlinden (30) and Dave Smith (33).
NASL Dateline: On 14 August 1977, the New York Cosmos got 3 goals from Giorgio Chinaglia and 2 more from Steve Hunt and routed the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, 8-3, in Game 1 of the NASL Division Championships before a Giants Stadium crowd of 77,691, the largest attendance ever for a soccer match in the United States at that time.
Happy 69th birthday to U.S. international Mirko "Mark" Liveric, the Croatian-born forward who played his entire 13-year professional career in North America, scoring 31 goals in 134 games with the New York Cosmos (1974-75, 1979-80), San Jose Earthquakes (1976-77, 1981), Washington Diplomats (1977), Oakland Stompers (1978) and Edmonton Drillers (1979), capturing Soccer Bowl '80 and earning all-NASL honors in 1976, while also playing indoors for 7 MISL seasons, winning the 1982 MISL title with the New York Arrows and amassing 202 career goals, good for 26th place on the all-time MISL scoring charts.
NASL Legends: Godfrey Ingram NASL Merchandise: San Jose Earthquakes cards Happy 71st birthday to Hans-Günter Etterich (Mr.Perpetual Motion), the West German midfielder who developed through the VfL Bochum academy system, then made 77 appearances with the first team (1970-74), then spent 5 seasons with SC Westfalia Herne before joining the San Jose Earthquakes for the 1979 NASL season, where he contributed 4 goals and 8 assists in 27 games. Happy 72nd birthday to Rene Breevoort (number 27), the Dutch midfielder who played 11 years in the Eredivisie with Blauw-Wit, Haarlem, and KAA Gent, the joined the Washington Diplomats in 1979 and contributed 2 goals and 3 assists in 20 NASL games. Happy 63rd birthday to Dominic Barczewski (number 25), the 2-time All American from the University of Missouri-St. Louis who was taken by the Wichita Wings in the 1980 MISL Draft but elected to wait for outdoor soccer and was a 3rd-round choice of the New York Cosmos in the 1981 NASL Draft, spending the 1981 and 1982 seasons with the club. Did You Know? The Portland Timbers were very nearly christened the Portland Pioneers when the franchise was launched in 1975 and "Pioneers" was the runaway favorite of over 3,000 submissions in a name-the-team contest. But because Lewis and Clark College already used the name "Pioneers" for its athletic teams - and the State of Oregon's corporation commissioner refused to certify 2 teams with the same name - the team's owners turned to "Timbers." NASL Action: Washington Diplomats forward Tony Crescitelli looks to get past Minnesota Kicks defender Stewart Jump at RFK Stadium.
NASL Action: Golden Bay Earthquakes forward Steve Zungul moves on goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Spartan Stadium.