He is still playing? Gee whiz! Even if its amateur ball, the guy has to be close to 60 or at least in his mis 50's. BTW, yesterday, I saw Mani Hernandez, an original former SJQ. He has to be 60 something also and he still looked in good shape. Also, Gary Etherington in the Once in a Lifetime film must have looked like he was 12 years old in the late 70's.
Gawd man, I wish some of these teams were still around, LA Aztecs, Rowdies, etc. this NASL nestalgia is tearing me apart!!! wish it hadn't had folded, here some highlights NASL Soccer Bowl 77 Highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx-3ayM6XMw NASL Soccer Bowl 78 Highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLCY4erp1EU NASL Soccer Bowl 80 Highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TX-EdkTZCI NASL Soccer Bowl 81 Highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AZm4JEjbs
I hated those sting teams in a good way. I was a huge Montreal Manic fan and was part of the 60,000 plus crowd in Montreal for the second quarter final game and thinking that we had it made against that 81 sting team after Gordon Hill took this 40 yard shot that hit the seam on the pitcher moung and bounded over the head of a very surprised Sting goalie giving the Manic 3-2 victory. The crowd exploded. I have never been in a louder building in my life...and watching the MLS today, the league has zero personality compared to those golden years of North American soccer. Of Note: The Manic had ten away games on local TV that year. They also showed all the away games during the play-offs.
Can you imagine how you hated those teams and only 3 years later the NASL was dead. There was no one to hate. I mean we went from a love hate relationship as fans & being among 60k supporting screaming fans to seeing no sport and/or league for that matter! It was very sad. Thank God those days are done(at least for soccer fans outside Northern California).
I went to high school with Gary Etherington. He was a pretty good kicker on the football team and was a man among boys (in fact if not in appearance) on the soccer pitch in high school. I was flipping around when I caught a glimpse of Gary in the locker room, and I had an odd moment of recognition. I recognized him before I realized it was a show about soccer. "Hey, that's Gary!" though I hadn't seen him since high school. And, by the way, there's Pele and Chinaglia et al.
The last game I saw was the Dallas Tornado, playing in August in Texas Stadium. It had to be 100F and not a puff of wind through that hole in the ceiling. Yeasty, steamy, and the players moved like they were swimming.
Yeah Gary Etherington came to play for the San Jose Earthquakes in 1981. He was placed at right fullback although it was not really his natural position. He would play great down the wings and provided many scoring opportunities with George Best and the rest of the Quakes. Jimmy McAlister came to the Quakes also and was playing left fullback. The Quakes had Mike Hunter who was a natural left back so then they moved Gary up to the midfield in 82 and Jimmy to the right back spot becuase he was right footed although he was playing on the left for Seattle and won Rookie of the year in 77. I think Etherington won the award in 78 if I'm not mistaken. Don Popovic didn't care for either of them and pretty much got rid of Etherington & McAlister in 83 & 84, respectively. Mike Hunter of Santa Clara was better than both of those guys in the defensive back spot and I was always surprised he never got a USMNT cap in those years. When the NASL folded I think Mike went to LA to play indoor for the LAzers then I never saw him again until the Quakes reunion game in 2004.
Could happen with the MLS. This year play-offs crowds look more like WUSA crowds than NASL crowds. And if the sugar daddies who bankroll the MLS walk away... don't be so smugg..young grasshopper...it happened to the NASL and it can happen again...SSS can also be used as High School Football parks... And that what the new generation of fans in North America don't realise. There is very little difference in the economics of the leagues. Both are money pits with very little chance of ever recovering those loses. My only point is that the NASL had personality and flair, while the MLS is the bland ugly dull sister who can't give a blow job to save her life.
Are you kidding? I think you are barking in the wrong thread! Living the NASL dream? Heck yeah! Every day since it died in 1984! Who wouldn't want another similar league to the NASL? Dick Advocaat Carlos Alberto Alan Ball Gordon Banks George Best Peter Beardsley Franz Beckenbauer Roberto Bettega Vladislav Bogićević Roberto Cabañas Giorgio Chinaglia Charlie Cooke Johan Cruyff Teofilo Cubillas Rick Davis Kaz Deyna Andranik Eskandarian Eusébio Trevor Francis Karl-Heinz Granitza Bruce Grobbelaar Gus Hiddink Alan Hudson Ray Hudson Steve Hunt Geoff Hurst Wim Jansen Ruud Krol Peter Lorimer Marinho Rodney Marsh Bobby Moore Gerd Müller Johan Neeskens Pelé Wim Rijsbergen Julio César Romero Hugo Sánchez Tony Simoes Jomo Sono Graeme Souness Dennis Tueart Jan Van Beveren François Van Der Elst Peter Ward Enough said
We were very fortunate to see these guys on the field (even if most were past their "prime" playing days). I think it is a big mistake to make an attempt to compare the NASL with MLS. The NASL was not a league that made much of an attempt to improve the level of play of American players. Americans on the pitch was a secondary concern in those days. Everyone was disappointed at the US showing in the recent WC, but the very idea of even qualifying for the finals was but a dream in the 1970s. I am sure that most of the fans attending NASL games in 1974 had no idea that the World Cup finals were even being contested that summer.
Or for that matter, who Pele was. I remember in 1974 there were so many ethnic and American fans in the stands that there was an incredible atmosphere created. The Quake American fans learned thru osmosis. Not too many of the 17k fans in the stands at Spartan in the 74 and most of the 75 season even knew of Pele with the exception of maybe the ethnic fans.
What a cool thread. Trevor Francis and the NASL is THE reason futbol became my number 1 sport. He only played parts of 2 seasons with the Detroit Express but he was at the top of his game and pure magic. I lived not too far from the Silverdome and went to a bunch of games. He became something of a legend after his first season but was only allowed back for a half a season the next year (79?). I remember he avereged more than a goal a game for his 30+ game career. And what spectacular goals they were. The crowds would double when Trevor was playing. Sadly he didn't return and the Express folded. Great memories.
On occasion, young players, who had not yet really been noticed elsewhere, found themselves in the NASL. Such was the case with Trevor Francis.
Yeah & how we hated him! He scored 5 freaking goals in 1978 when my San Jose Earthquakes lost to the Detroit Express 10-0. I'll never get over that! Terry Fisher in his infinite wisdom decided to replace veteran NASL and long time GK Mr. San Jose Mike Hewitt with a new American rookie from Santa Clara U Sean Kohane at halftime while they were losing 3-0. Sir Trevor was on a terror in those years. The next week Detroit came to Spartan and the Quakes lost in OT I believe 4-3 again with Trevor tearing it up. I think he scored the winner if I'm not mistaken. Trevor Francis in 1979 was declared the NASL "real" bomber by Soccer Corner magazine because I believe he scored 13 goals in 14 games for Detroit. He was gone in 1980 and I think the team folded the next year.
Actually, I clearly remember seeing the Express play on TV. The game was in the old Silverdome on the turf. I remember they were wearing those old suede Nike basketball shoes, low-cuts. (Crappy shoes, I had a pair. They would rip along the sole.) For those of us who were around then, the NASL was where I learned to love the game. I couldn't get into "Soccer From Germany". I didn't know the players or the teams. I had no stake in the games. But when I fell for the Dips, I fell hard. My favorite Dips memory. I went to a game with my sister, I forget who they were playing. They were stinking up the place, down 4-0. We left towards the end of the second half. As we got to the concourse, a cheer rose from the crowd. They scored, down 4-1. As we got to the car, another cheer. Down 4-2. Before we got onto 295, another score. I listened in agony as they scored 5 unanswered goals to win the game. (I should look that one up. There has to be some record of it on the net.) Why do I miss the NASL? Great characters, really good rivalries (the Dips, Sounders and Timbers always had great games), and a sense of being on the first wave of soccer in the US. As it turned out, in my adulthood I get the best game on earth back into my life. Cool.
Ok well the Dutch contingent. He however, wasn't really a star player in Holland. I remember a Dutch player named Peter Ressel for the Quakes and then the Sting and then of course the NY Cosmos Johann Neeskens & Wim Rijsbergen. Jan VanDer Veen was a good one who played until he was 40 I believe. I'm not sure but I think the NASL would shave some years off of some players ages. I never remember too many over 37 year old players (like Youri)but I'm sure the league lied about some of the players. Maybe a few defenders & gk's here and there were over 35/36.
Sorry, there's no good emoticon for sarcasm. Actually, Thomas wasn't bad but hardly a big name. No, the old Dips were characters, particularly Paul Cannell, who had two stints in town and used to protest calls by dropping his shorts. He met my sister in a bar once and suggested she have a seat, but not on a handy bar stool. Mary took it in the spirit intended, but of course wouldn't ever have done that. (No, not my sister.)
There was no sarcasm intended. If anything I liked Rongen as a player and thought he was a rugged defender with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers from 81-83He, Ken Fogarty & Jan Van Beveren were a really good defensive tandem down in Florida. George Best however, made them all pay dearly for his story book goal at Spartan Stadium on Wed evening July 22, 1981. Best went around 9 players one guy twice to score the NASL goal of the year. I'm pretty sure it was Rongen that best eluded two times. I was there but can't remember exactly. Hey it was 25 years ago!
It seems that this week a buzz is being flow around MLS circle. There is much talk of the "Beckham Rule" and international susperstar player signings. This is what happened 30 years ago in the NASL. In 1976 the year after Pele joined the league came Geroge Best in LA, Bobby Moore in San Antonio, Eusebio in Toronto, Antonio Simoes in San Jose, Rodney Marsh in Tampa Bay, Chinaglia with the Cosmos and Geoff Hurst with Seattle. The big bang theory was good for the league although there were clubs who didn't belong in the league at the time. Anyway, the few Americans/Canadians who got the chance to start, developed fairly quickly as they were playing and training with the best. This time around we have a much better nucleus to build around. I mean all of our American players have had years of playing experience with youth internationals,senior internationals as well as strong solid league play. The MLS is a sreong league it just needs a bolt of thinder & the league is in dire need of the foreign starts. Not only for their stellar play and falir they will bring to the field, but als for their presence, media exposure and of course the fans that will flock to the stadiums to see them play. To see Zidane one more time would be a pleasure.
Agree! I just had the pleasure of viewing a DVD of Pele's first match with the Cosmos, and he appeared as a man playing with children, as far as his new teammates were concerned. To be fair, there was that initial awe, and they were good players from a decent regional league (GASL) for the most part. Too bad it came down to only the few, like Werner Roth, who were given the opportunity to mature alongside the intl superstars that followed to NY. The young American players of today's MLS have so many advantages, best of which is not putting in a 40 hr week on some job they hate & fitting pro soccer into it. The added experience of playing on a regular basis with the Beckhams, Figos, et al. will be priceless. As long as the roster will forever consist of a majority of Americans (or US & Canadians in one case). As long as future owners don't get too greedy.
I've listed this in several different threads. Its an SI article on the MLS proposed Beckham rule and the signing of the different stars resembling the NASL and/or Cosmos. I felt that it deserved a mention here also Brave new world No MLS teams again, but league set to change forever http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jonah_freedman/11/30/rankings/index.html