Philadelphia Spartans

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Philadelphia Spartans
Philadelphia Spartans Logo
Full namePhiladelphia Spartans
Nickname(s)Spartans
Founded1967
Dissolved1968
StadiumTemple Stadium
Capacity34,200
OwnerArt Rooney
LeagueNational Professional Soccer League

The Philadelphia Spartans were a

North American Soccer League
.

History

In 1966, several groups of entrepreneurs were exploring the idea of forming a professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Two of these groups merged to form the

Rubén Navarro as player-coach for the remainder of the season.[4] With Navarro in charge, the team went on to win six of its final eight games of the season.[5] The team finished the season in second place of the Eastern Division, missing first on goal difference to the Baltimore Bays, with a record of fourteen wins, nine loses and nine draws and an average attendance of 5,261.[6] Rubén Navarro was voted outstanding player for the season.[5]

Following the 1967 season, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association (USA) to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). Spartans owners requested a one year leave before joining the new league, but this was denied. Having incurred losses of $500,000, club president John Rooney announced the team was discontinuing operations.

Ruben Navarro, John Best, and Peter Short—were signed by the Cleveland Stokers for the 1968 NASL season.[9]

Year-by-year

Year League W L T Pts Reg. Season Playoffs
1967 NPSL 14 9 9 157 2nd, Eastern Division did not qualify

ASL

The second Philadelphia Spartans was an American soccer club based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was a member of the

American Soccer League
.

Year-by-year

Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup
1969 2 ASL 2nd, Southern did not qualify did not enter
1970 2nd No playoff
1971 3rd No playoff
1972 1st, Southern Conference Finals
1973 4th, Mid-Atlantic did not qualify

See also

References

  1. ^ Eck, Frank (November 5, 1966). "Big Hassle Looms in American Soccer". The Day. The Day. p. 17. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Szep Set to Coach Philadelphia Boots". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady Gazette. AP. January 30, 1977. p. 25.
  3. ^ "Spartans' Coach Quits After Signing Dispute". Spartanburg Herald. Herald-Journal. AP. July 31, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  4. ^ "Soccer Team Names Defensive Ace To Be Coach For Rest of Season". Observer-Reporter. Philadelphia: Observer-Reporter. AP. August 1, 1967. p. 6B. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Philly Booter Rated The Best". Observer-Reporter. New York: Observer-Reporter. AP. September 2, 1967. p. B7. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Litterer, David. "North American Soccer League". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Philadelphia leaves scene". The Vancouver Sun. AP. January 6, 1968. p. 23. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "Save Soccer in Philly Drive on". The Press-Courier. Philadelphia: The Press-Courier. AP. January 8, 1967. p. 12. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  9. ^ "Stokers Acquire 10 From Philadelphia". Youngstown Vindicator. Cleveland. AP. February 10, 1968. p. 21. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

External links

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