Minnesota Strikers
Fort Lauderdale Strikers) | |||
Stadium | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Met Center | ||
---|---|---|---|
Capacity | 62,000 15,000 | ||
Coach | David Chadwick 1984 NASL Alan Merrick1984–88 MISL | ||
League | North American Soccer League Major Indoor Soccer League | ||
|
The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and played their outdoor home games at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the Met Center for indoor games. Founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts and playing in Miami as the Gatos and the Toros before playing seven season as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers the team left Florida following the 1983 North American Soccer League season. After the 1987–88 season and playing four seasons in the MISL the team ceased operations.
History
Origins and 1984 NASL season
Founded in 1963 as the amateur club Washington Britannica and eventually rebranding as the
The Strikers played their first game on the road against the
Major Indoor Soccer League 1984 - 1988
On August 28, 1984, along with three other
The team's final season was the 1987–88 Major Indoor Soccer League season. The Strikers finished in first place of the Eastern Division with a record of thirty-one wins and twenty-five losses.[16] A fight broke out with less than two minutes remaining in the second game of the Division Semifinals against the Baltimore Blast which resulted in players from both teams being ejected.[23] The Strikers went on to defeat the Blast three games to one in the series.[24] Facing the Cleveland Force in the Division Finals, the Strikers lost the series four games to one.[25] On June 22, 1988, Executive Vice President Tim Robbie announced that his family had been looking to sell the team for two years but had not been able to find a buyer and therefore, owners Joe and Elizabeth Robbie had decided to terminate the franchise rather than post a $400,000 letter of credit with the league.[26]
Year-by-year
Year | Division | League | Reg. season | Playoffs | Open Cup | Avg. Attend. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | 1 | NASL | 3rd, Western | did not qualify | did not enter | 14,262 |
1984–85 | N/A | MISL | 4th, Eastern | Semifinals | N/A | 4,809 |
1985–86 | N/A | MISL | 2nd, Eastern | Runners-up | N/A | 6,503 |
1986–87 | N/A | MISL | 4th, Eastern | Division Semifinals | N/A | 6,977 |
1987–88 | N/A | MISL | 1st, Eastern | Division Finals | N/A | 5,930 |
International Friendlies
Date | Visitor | Score | Host | Venue | Location | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 23, 1984 | AFC Ajax | 4–2 | Minnesota Strikers | Metrodome | Minneapolis, Minnesota
|
6,079[27] |
June 13, 1984 | Glasgow Rangers | 2–5 | Minnesota Strikers | Metrodome | Minneapolis, Minnesota
|
6,866[28] |
Honors
Championships
Division titles
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame
MISL All-Star Game participants
|
Newcomer of the Year
League Leading Goal Scorer
League Leading Goaltender
All-League First Team Selections
All-League Second Team Selections
All-League Honorable Mentions
|
1984 (NASL)
1984–85 (MISL)
Ricardo Alonso , John Bain , Ben Collins , Bill Crook , Chris Dangerfield , Drago Dumbović , Gary Etherington , Ken Fogarty , Jan Goossens , Ray Hudson , Mike Jeffries , Matt Kennedy , Tino Lettieri , Steve Litt , Dwight Lodeweges , John McGrane , Bruce Miller , Thomas Rongen , Craig Scarpelli , Gregg Thompson , Thompson Usiyan , Barry Wallace , Alan Willey
1985–86 (MISL)
1986–87 (MISL)
Tony Bono , David Byrne , Dan Canter , Stan Cummins , Chris Dangerfield , Enzo Di Pede , Helmut Dudek , Gary Etherington , Ken Fogarty , Ray Hudson , Greg Ion , Mike Jeffries , Matt Kennedy , Steve Kinsey , Tasso Koutsoukos , Tino Lettieri , Dwight Lodeweges , Hector Marinaro , John O'Hara , Gregg Thompson , Thompson Usiyan , Alan Willey ; Elizabeth Robbie, President; Chris Wright, General Manager, Tim Robbie, Executive Vice President; Alan Merrick, Head Coach; Bruce Miller, Assistant Coach.
1987-88 (MISL)
Jerry Adzic , Tony Bono , Alex Bunbury , David Byrne , Stan Cummins , Chris Dangerfield , Gary Etherington , George Gelnovatch , Tom Gleason , Tim Harris , Ray Hudson , Steve Kinsey , Tino Lettieri , Dwight Lodeweges , Hector Marinaro , John O'Hara , Neill Roberts , Troy Snyder , Mike Sweeney , Gregg Thompson , Alan Willey ; Elizabeth Robbie, President; Chris Wright, General Manager, Tim Robbie, Executive Vice President; Alan Merrick, Head Coach; Bruce Miller, Assistant Coach.
NASL coach
- David Chadwick 1984
Coach (MISL)
- Alan Merrick (1984–88)
Strikers NASL draft
1984
Round | Player | School |
---|---|---|
1 | Greg Kennedy | Indiana |
2 | Ronil Dufrene | Florida International |
3 | David McDaniel | Duke |
Strikers MISL drafts
1985
Round | Player | School |
---|---|---|
1 | Paul DiBernardo | Indiana University |
2 | Peter Sawkins | Yale University |
3 | Tony Bono | Drexel University |
4 | Bruce Bellinger | Southern Illinois-Edwardsville |
1986
Round | Player | School |
---|---|---|
2 | Peter Smith | University of Tampa |
3 | Paul Schojan | Rochester Institute of Technology |
4 | Andy Pantason | University of Connecticut |
4 | Tony Scheuerman | Stillwater High School |
1987
Round | Player | School |
---|---|---|
1 | Brent Goulet | Warner Pacific University |
3 | George Gelnovatch | University of Virginia |
4 | Troy Snyder | Penn State University |
Media
Radio
- 1984 (NASL) KRSI-950 AM
- 1984–85 (MISL) WWTC-1280 AM
- 1987–88 (MISL) KSNE-1280 AM
Television
- 1984 (NASL) KITN 29
See also
- Washington Darts 1970–71
- Miami Gatos1972
- Miami Toros 1973–76
- Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1977–83
- 1984 Minnesota Strikers season
- Minnesota Kicks
- Minnesota Thunder
- Minnesota United FC
References
- ^ "Soccer loop will expand to 8 teams". Eugene Register-Guard. November 13, 1969. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ISBN 9781461716129. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Washington Darts Sold; Team Moved to Miami". The New York Times. October 31, 1971. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Gatos In Miami". St. Petersburg Times. UPI. February 16, 1972. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Team Sold". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 12, 1972. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ Chick, Bob (May 18, 1973). "Miami Opening Gates to Toros". The Evening Independent. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Miami Toros Moving to Fort Lauderdale". Schenectady Gazette. AP. December 23, 1976. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "NASL's Strikers Ready To Leave Ft. Lauderdale". Daytona Beach Sunday News. AP. October 27, 1983. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Strikers shift to Minnesota". The Bryan Times. The Bryan Times. UPI. December 1, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Miranda, Randy (May 6, 1984). "Rowdies drop heartbreaker in outdoor season opener". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland Ledger. p. 1C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Strikers nip Sting, 3-2". Lakeland Ledger. Minneapolis: Lakeland Ledger. AP. May 13, 1984. p. 1C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "NASL". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg Times. May 24, 1984. p. 2C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Litterer, David. "North American Soccer League". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Soccer North American Soccer League". Ludington Daily News. Ludington Daily News. September 26, 1984. p. 10. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "4 NASL teams join MISL for indoor season". The Deseret News. East Rutherford: The Deseret News. AP. p. 8G. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Litterer, David. "Major Indoor Soccer League I". RSSSF. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Soccer". The Ledger. Lakeland Ledger. May 14, 1985. p. 5D. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Sockers Win, 7-0, to Gain MISL Final". Los Angeles Times. San Diego. AP. May 15, 1985. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "MISL playoffs". Reading Eagle. May 5, 1986. p. 25. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Force's playoff bid ended by Strikers". The Vindicator. Bloomington, Minn: The Vindicator. UPI. May 5, 1986. p. 18. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Sockers beat injuries to keep MISL dynasty alive". The Mohave Daily Miner. San Diego: Mohave Daily Miner. May 27, 1986. p. A10. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Comets top Sockers; Force Beat Strikers". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Kansas City: Herald-Journal. May 11, 1987. p. D6. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Indoor playoffs intensify". Rome News-Tribune. Rome News-Tribune. AP. May 1, 1988. p. 10B. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "BLAST TO RETAIN COACH DESPITE LOSING RECORD". Washington Post. May 6, 1988. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Soccer". The Times-News. p. 14. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Nadel, Mike (June 23, 1988). "Strikers Fold, Blame Huge Losses". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady Gazette. p. 34. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ McKenna, Charley (May 24, 1984). "Strikers get scrubbing by Ajax visitors". Minneapolis Star and Tribune. p. 2D. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Killeen, Mike (June 14, 1984). "Triumphant Strikers defend NASL". St. Cloud Times. p. 2D. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.