Oh man- that is the greatest pic ever. I used to LOVE that pic (collage). Thanks for bringing back a GREAT memory.
Ah, nostalgia. I'm not sure I recognize all the teams that are supposed to be represented by those caricatures.... Actually this looks like it was drawn by the same guy who drew the various Rowdies caricatures, including the "Ralph Rowdie" guy in the Rowdies logo, and the various caricatures of the original Rowdies players who graced the inside cover of the Rowdies theme song 45 vinyl record which I have....used to have....hmmmm.....whose location I am no longer sure of......
Re: Why memories are unreliable... 1981? I think I was at that game, wearing my Rowdies t-shirt, having moved to California the year before. BTW, Rowdies games were televised in the Tampa Bay area too, on local cable, in the 1970s (not sure if that started immediately in 1975, or if it started a few years later - definitely they were on local cable by 1978 or 79 at the latest, if my memory is right). I don't think it was uncommon for NASL clubs of that era, if they had their act together, to arrange a local cable TV deal. Of course back then, especially in the 1970's, cable TV wasn't the monster that it is now. In Florida in the late 70's I only knew of one family (my next door neighbors) who actually had cable TV. Being on local cable TV back then was pretty obscure. At least the three local Tampa Bay area network TV affiliates did show Rowdies highlights on their sports news segments. I'm not sure how many NASL clubs (apart from the Cosmos) had such a positive relationship with their local sports media, as the Rowdies had. In California, I was living a long way from San Jose, up in the east bay/Concord/Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill area, so I didn't get a chance to see how much, if any, local media exposure the Quakes got - it didn't seem to penetrate much into the greater Bay Area, though, at least not where I was living back then. The San Francisco and Oakland media outlets that I saw pretty much ignored the Quakes.
Re: Why memories are unreliable... The Quakes got good coverage in the San Jose Mercury news. I remember the only reason I started reading the Mercury was just to read articles on the Quakes. Fred Guzman was the first soccer reporter then came Dave Payne. Controversial sports editor Mark Purdy came in 1984, but he was sort of a soccer hater. He has changed up a bit since his daughter played in HS & college I believe.
Re: Why memories are unreliable... I don't remember cable. I remember games being on WTOG-44. I remember listening to Jack Harris do games on WFLA-AM 970. I remember seeing the indoor championship win over Memphis live on (I think) Channel 8. My parents didn't get cable until we moved outside the city limits in 1981, and I don't recall there being a cable outlet for Rowdies games. As for that 'Quakes/Strikers game of 1981, the DVD I have doesn't have the open and doesn't seem to have commercials, so it may be from a truck feed, but it was apparently carried on something called "The Sports Channel."
Re: Why memories are unreliable... Ok the Sports Channel. I forgot they ever existed! How funny! 1981 was the year of the new remodeled Spartan. Ben Reichmuth fomrer GM of the Quakes suggested to SJSU that they add an upper deck and they did. Whether they did it because of soccer or becuase they just wanted an expansion of seating and/or a new west side remains to be seen. That is the same side of the gold seats. Here is a pics below.
Re: Why memories are unreliable... The NASL was a great soccer league. I really liked the uniforms, the team names and the different playing styles, all the different nationalities and m.m. I am a huge fan of the old NASL and have a large collection of NASL memorablia. But I want more and I wonder if there are anyone who is interested in selling or trading guides, programs, magazines, yearbooks, games on video/DVD, team group pics++++
Re: Why memories are unreliable... That heartbreaker wasn't shown in Memphis. We were so confident... One and only chance at a title of any kind for the Rogues.
Re: Why memories are unreliable... What happened to NASL ? Well 1979 Basketball was injected with new life as Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird that went from Michigan State vs Indiana State to the pro level as the Lakers vs the Celtics. Every year it was one or the other winning the title pretty much. College football had the Hurricanes & Seminoles emerge, Doug Flutie. NFL, you saw the 49ers dynasty and the matchups were incredible to watch with the rest of the league. And then we had team USA beating Russia in hockey, this lead to an interest in the NHL, you had Gretzky and the championships the Edmonton won. I remember in the bars, the game to play was the USA vs Russia hockey plastic bubble game away from the billiards tables and dart boards. College hoops had North Carolina, the Big East teams. Soccer for me was a 70's thing in my childhood, and later these sports simply held my interest. Soccer right now is weekend exercise, rather play it for an hour or so than watch it.
Re: Why memories are unreliable... Those aren't the only reasons on why the league folded although you are right on some points. You left out the recession of the early 80's, the fact that FIFA snubbed the USA for the 86 World Cup and gave it to Mexico and a host of other problems of that the time. Another main problem which many people fail to mention was at the time as opposed to now with soccer anyway, was that the owners were trying to make and model the league into another NFL with the Soccer Bowl etc etc.....As we all know the NFL is a different conglomerate that can't be beat. I mean even the meaningless NFL preseason matches are brining in high TV ratings along with a lot of money. I loved the NASL and I think the MLS should try some ofthe things the NASL did but I think now with the SSS in place and the chances American players have to shine, its an entirely different story. Those Soccer Bowls were fun, however! 1979 Soccer Bowl highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baPUDYuwIas&mode=related&search= NASL Soccer Bowl 78 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8U1xmtvGYw&mode=related&search= NASL Soccer Bowl 77 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyhY51Kizp8&mode=related&search=
Re: Why memories are unreliable... I agree with the earlier reply that basically says this guy is "missing out". I'm not sure what was so special about American soccer in the 70s that it would outshine today's soccer culture, for a fan or a player. This is probably the best time to-date to be an American soccer fan. There's a successful domestic pro league getting better every year. There are more American and foreign league games on tv than any fan can watch in a week. Premiership clubs are buying Americans, and Americans are buying Premiership clubs. The US team has been to 5 consecutive world cups and made the quarterfinals in 2002. I have all the respect in the world for the American soccer culture of the 70s. I'm from a soccer family in a soccer town, and we devoured whatever we could get -- whether it was cheap seats at an NASL game or an amateur US Open cup semi or an 11pm Soccer Made in Germany broadcast on PBS (with the sound turned down low). But it pales to what we now have available. Hell, we can commune via the internet with other fans worldwide in real-time, whether they're new to the game or long-timers . . . that communtiy was never available 30 years ago. The 70s were important to American soccer history, but the nostalgia doesn't compare to the climate of today.
NASL was great. better quality of play than in the MLS at this moment. But!!!!! MLS has improved play over the 11 years it has been in existance. I remember watching the Soccer Bowl final between Sting and Cosmos in 84'. It was great. When the Sting came back to chicago, about 50000 people showed up for the parade. it was actually front page news with a sports section 5 page spread. I miss the Sting.
I think that was 1981 though. The Sting played the Blizzard I believe in a 2 game series in 1984. You are right about that. The quality of the NASL was much better. The Americans are much better now than they were then but by 1984 they were getting better. I remember the Olympic tournament at Stanford hosted the USA and a lot of other teams and the Americans held their own against Italy and Egypt. I think they finished just as well as the 1994 World Cup team did 10years later. Therefore, had the NASL continued to grow as the MLS does now, I'm sure the level would have continued to grow even more so today. The only trouble with that was soccer died right after that. The MISL inherited many of the NASL Americans as well as the great foreign players. That league lasted well into the early 90's with Branko Segota, Preki and Zungul. As much as the people at the helm of that league (I.E. Earl Foreman) would hate to admit it, they owed quite a bit to the NASL.
Hey, I saw that documentary "Once upon a time". However, I looked up some of the teams of NASL on wikipedia after and found that the Cosmos were not the only thing happening in soccer back then. Wikipedia says the Tampa Rowdies were averaging near 30k - all other teams had, at most, 19k or much lower- numbers that have been matched by MLS teams such as with Chicago (sting vs fire) or with the earthquakes (mls vs nasl), but the Rowdies...what happened there? How did they get such huge attendance? Rowdies (30k) vs. Mutiny(7k) seems like a documentary in itself. So what went wrong with Tampa Bay as a soccer town?
In 1975 the Tampa Bay Rowdies made the Soccer Bowl in San Jose. At the time they were the only game in town and they had pretty good attendance following that initial campaign. In 1976 Rodney Marsh the clown price of soccer came over from Manchester City and other players such as South Africans Steve Wegerle, Derek Smethurst and Mike Connell made quite an impact with coach Eddie Firmani and then Gordon Jago. There was no baseball and the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers started in 1976 but started the first two seasons winless with an overall 0-26 record before finally winning its first game in 1977. Then in 1979 they finally made the NFC Championship game. During the NFL offseason however, the Rowdies were popular and made the Soccer Bowl twice in a row first against the NY Cosmos and then losing against the Whitecaps in 78 & 79 respectively. They were successful and had a great following. Its a big wonder on why the Mutiny couldn't recapture the tradition and legacy that the Rowdies. 1975 - 10,728 1976 - 16,452 1977 - 19,491 1978 - 18,123 1979 - 27,650 1980 - 28,345 1981 - 22,532 1982 - 22,532 1983 - 18,507 1984 - 10,932
What happened with the NASL is the league & teams' as a whole could no longer afford to pay the high wage's of the imported players'. They brought over Pele who at the time was still by far one of the best players' in the world & one of the best of all time. In 1975 he was bringing in around 45 grand per week which for that time was a huge amount of money. This opened up the flood gates' for other former world class European & South American players' to come here to play & most of them were getting large amounts' as well. I agree with what some people here have posted as the quality of play was far better than what we see in the MLS but it didn't last. Now this league the MLS is attempting to do the same thing I feel. They have brought over a former England international ...<We all know who he is> Problem is though he's no Pele! Not by a long shot & he also like Pele stand's to make a huge amount of money over his contract with all the other bells' & charms' attached to it as well. At least Pele was worth it & a former world champion. This other guy is well, like I said ... Far from being anywhere near the level of Pele. If you stop & think about it for any world class players' from Europe or South America to come over & agree to play in the MLS & there are many. Many players' far better than, well, you know the Spice Boy! Anyways they will want a better deal than he's got & I think we all know it's not going to happen so it's like the old saying goes ... Everything old is new again & though I hate to say it. History just might repeat it'self.
This is true although in 1975 even the great Pele had his troubles at 35 years old & hardly had an easy go of it either. One thing I must admit about the scrub foreigners as well as the big time name guys in the NASL was that the league had a quality class of players. Whether they were Scottish/English 3rd or 4th division players or not had no bearing as those players came into their own during the NASL era. When you look at journeymen players that came over to play in the NASL who maybe were just average in Europe like Paul Child, Alan Willey, Karl Heinz-Granitza, Godfrey Ingram, Steve Hunt, Ken Fogarty or Steve Litt they came into their own in the NASL . Playing and starting with and against world class players every week will also improve quality as will playing in front of lots of fans as the NASL had during their halcyon era. There is a lot of discussion about the NASL vs. the MLS and the different levels of quality in both leagues but even Pele states its not an easy league. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539947 Was the NASL a better product on the field than the MLS? Yes it was and yes they had highly skilled and many different styles and nationalities that we've yet seen in the MLS. The MLS has done many good things and I think the starting of Americans is certainly a step in the right direction. One reason on why Beckham will not have an easy go of it in the USA is because of the great American athletes who play in the MLS. Although they lack the skill and finesse of the foreigners especially those great NASL names, they still have this incredible stamina and physical ability which makes the league tough especially in the stronger more physical positions like defense and goalkeeper which is an American forte. Even during the NASL days Americans excelled (or were relegated) at those positions. Again guys like Jeff Durgan, Ricky Davis and Bobby Smith got better because they played alongside world class players. The main comparison between those days and now is that American still lacks or has yet developed a Maradona or a threatening goalscorer like a Luca Toni and Pippo Inzaghi or the type of player of Zidane & Platini .
Why do you continue to hate on Beckham on practically every post you make? He's definitely not Pele, no one was man. Unfortunately for the people in the United States to have any interest in futbol was to bring a guy like Beckham who is surrounded by all the glamour and this country loves that crap, speaks english and has good looks for the ladies. I didn't get to see Pele play but obviously he was a much more simple guy, which I love, and was strictly in the USA for his ability to play. Beckham brings more to the table as far as marketing the league and he doesn't suck either at futbol. He's not like you said a "former England international." Last time I checked he still gets called up and starts. Personally I don't give a crap about the glamour and I'm not a big fan of Beckham like I am for Ronaldinho for example. But I don't hate on him either. The truth is the MLS could use any sort of publicity. Again though, he DOES NOT suck.
O yea, another reason the MLS has a bigger shot of surviving unlike the NASL is cuz there's more people that like futbol in this country nowadays. Also, the US NT sucked back then! Now they're pretty good so some more people are excited about the league cuz of that as well. The US doesn't suck anymore even if they're not a world futbol power.
And all of those positive points you make about the MLS and the national team are because of a direct result from the legacy that the NASL pioneers built and created. I'll reiterate what I said in another NASL threads, if it weren't for the NASL we wouldn't be here discussing this now nor would there ever have been a World Cup played in this country, a successful national team or for that matter, an MLS start up.
It's best not to respond to this little one. It's pretty clear this young member of the Los Angeles/Hollywood Church of Beckham is around at best 15 years of age at best so he's not going to understand what you have stated about the NASL even though your 100% right! Some people are a bit thick in the head. Little angry mex here is a perfect example. I must remind myself to put this kid on ignore. He, she or maybe I should sayb it! seem's to follow me around here on the forum. Not very healthy to say the very least!