Minnesota Strikers

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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 the Met Center and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 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 Washington Darts, the team joined the North American Soccer League in 1970 after playing three seasons in the American Soccer League and winning two consecutive ASL championships.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After the 1970 season, the team was sold to John Bilotta, former part owner of the Rochester Lancers, and Arthur Bant a hotel owner, who relocated and rebranded as the team as the Miami Gatos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After one season, the team was sold to a group of 25 local business leaders<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth and renamed the Toros.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 1976 and after five seasons in Miami, the team announced it was moving to Fort Lauderdale.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following the conclusion of the 1983 outdoor season season long rumors that the team was looking to move were confirmed when General Manager Tim Robbie met with officials in Minneapolis<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 30, 1983, team owner Elizabeth Robbie, Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich, and NASL president Howard Samuels officially announced the team was moving and indicated the team had lost around $1 million in the last year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Strikers played their first game on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, their former cross-state rivals in the Florida Derby, winning a game decided by a shootout.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team played its first home game at Metrodome on May 12, 1984, defeating the Chicago Sting 3-2.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Strikers ended the season with a record of fourteen wins and ten losses, tied for best record in the league. However, NASL rules awarded six points for a win, four for a shootout win, and one point for each goal scored during regulation up to three per game. This resulted in four other teams earning more than the 115 points the Strikers had for the season. This put the Strikers in third place of the Western Division and missing the playoffs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NASL">Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to Soccer Bowl '84, the team announced head coach David Chadwick, who had moved with the team from Fort Lauderdale, would not return and hired Alan Merrick as his replacement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Major Indoor Soccer League 1984 - 1988

On August 28, 1984, along with three other NASL team, the Strikers joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 1984–85 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Finishing the season with a record of twenty-four wins and twenty-four losses, the Strikers qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard.<ref name="MISL">Template:Cite web</ref> After defeating the Wichita Wings two games to one in the Wildcard Series, the Strikers beat the Las Vegas Americans in the Quarterfinals three games to one. The May 12, 1984, game four of the Semifinals against the San Diego Sockers ended in a tie and was won by the Sockers in a shootout, resulting in a three game to one series victory for San Diego. However, the Strikers protested that Sockers player Jacques LaDouceur who scored a goal during the shootout was ineligible. The next day, MISL Commissioner Francis Dale ruled in the Strikers favor and awarded the game to Minnesota, resulting in a two games all series tie.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the fifth game of the series, San Diego defeated the Strikers seven goals to none.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Strikers finished the 1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season with a record of twenty-six wins and twenty-two losses and second place in the Eastern Division.<ref name="MISL"/> Minnesota defeated the Dallas Sidekicks in the first round of the playoffs three games to one<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Cleveland Force in the Division Finals, also three game to one, to earn a spot in the Championship Series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After trailing the best of seven series against the Sockers three games to one, the Strikers were able to tie the series at three games a piece. However, San Diego was able to capture their fifth straight indoor title with a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on May 27, 1986.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Strikers finished the 1986–87 season with a record of twenty six wins and twenty six losses, in fourth place of the Eastern Division and qualifying for the playoffs.<ref name="MISL"/> Meeting Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, the Force defeated the Strikers three games to two.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="MISL"/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Strikers went on to defeat the Blast three games to one in the series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Facing the Cleveland Force in the Division Finals, the Strikers lost the series four games to one.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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 Template:Flagicon AFC Ajax 4–2 Template:Flagicon Minnesota Strikers Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota 6,079<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
June 13, 1984 Template:Flagicon Glasgow Rangers 2–5 Template:Flagicon Minnesota Strikers Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota 6,866<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Honors

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-breakChampionships

Division titles

U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame

MISL All-Star Game participants

Template:Col-break 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

Template:Col-end

1984 (NASL)

Ricardo Alonso Template:Flagicon, John Bain Template:Flagicon, Bob Bolitho Template:Flagicon, Ben Collins Template:Flagicon, Bill Crook Template:Flagicon, Peter Daniel Template:Flagicon, Gary Etherington Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Ken Fogarty Template:Flagicon, Jan Goossens Template:Flagicon, Ray Hudson Template:Flagicon, Godfrey Ingram Template:Flagicon, Mike Jeffries Template:Flagicon, Brian Kidd Template:Flagicon, Tino Lettieri Template:Flagicon, Terry Leiendecker Template:Flagicon, Dwight Lodeweges Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, John McGrane Template:Flagicon, Robert Meschbach Template:Flagicon, Bruce Miller Template:Flagicon, Paul Price Template:Flagicon, Thomas Rongen Template:Flagicon, Craig Scarpelli Template:Flagicon, Carl Strong Template:Flagicon, Barry Wallace Template:Flagicon, Alan Willey Template:Flagicon

1984–85 (MISL)

Ricardo Alonso Template:Flagicon, John Bain Template:Flagicon, Ben Collins Template:Flagicon, Bill Crook Template:Flagicon, Chris Dangerfield Template:Flagicon, Drago Dumbović Template:Flagicon, Gary Etherington Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Ken Fogarty Template:Flagicon, Jan Goossens Template:Flagicon, Ray Hudson Template:Flagicon, Mike Jeffries Template:Flagicon, Matt Kennedy Template:Flagicon, Tino Lettieri Template:Flagicon, Steve Litt Template:Flagicon, Dwight Lodeweges Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, John McGrane Template:Flagicon, Bruce Miller Template:Flagicon, Thomas Rongen Template:Flagicon, Craig Scarpelli Template:Flagicon, Gregg Thompson Template:Flagicon, Thompson Usiyan Template:Flagicon, Barry Wallace Template:Flagicon, Alan Willey Template:Flagicon

1985–86 (MISL)

Tony Bono Template:Flagicon, David Byrne Template:Flagicon, Dan Canter Template:Flagicon, Stan Cummins Template:Flagicon, Chris Dangerfield Template:Flagicon, Drago Dumbović Template:Flagicon, Gary Etherington Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Ken Fogarty Template:Flagicon, Jan Goossens Template:Flagicon, Ray Hudson Template:Flagicon, Bill Irwin Template:Flagicon, Mike Jeffries Template:Flagicon, Matt Kennedy Template:Flagicon, Tasso Koutsoukos Template:Flagicon, Tino Lettieri Template:Flagicon, Dwight Lodeweges Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Bruce Miller Template:Flagicon, Kazbek Tambi Template:Flagicon, Gregg Thompson Template:Flagicon, Thompson Usiyan Template:Flagicon, Alan Willey Template:Flagicon

1986–87 (MISL)

Tony Bono Template:Flagicon, David Byrne Template:Flagicon, Dan Canter Template:Flagicon, Stan Cummins Template:Flagicon, Chris Dangerfield Template:Flagicon, Enzo Di Pede Template:Flagicon, Helmut Dudek Template:Flagicon, Gary Etherington Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Ken Fogarty Template:Flagicon, Ray Hudson Template:Flagicon, Greg Ion Template:Flagicon, Mike Jeffries Template:Flagicon, Matt Kennedy Template:Flagicon, Steve Kinsey Template:Flagicon, Tasso Koutsoukos Template:Flagicon, Tino Lettieri Template:Flagicon, Dwight Lodeweges Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Hector Marinaro Template:Flagicon, John O'Hara Template:Flagicon, Gregg Thompson Template:Flagicon, Thompson Usiyan Template:Flagicon, Alan Willey Template:Flagicon; 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 Template:Flagicon, Tony Bono Template:Flagicon, Alex Bunbury Template:Flagicon, David Byrne Template:Flagicon, Stan Cummins Template:Flagicon, Chris Dangerfield Template:Flagicon, Gary Etherington Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, George Gelnovatch Template:Flagicon, Tom Gleason Template:Flagicon, Tim Harris Template:Flagicon, Ray Hudson Template:Flagicon, Steve Kinsey Template:Flagicon, Tino Lettieri Template:Flagicon, Dwight Lodeweges Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon, Hector Marinaro Template:Flagicon, John O'Hara Template:Flagicon, Neill Roberts Template:Flagicon, Troy Snyder Template:Flagicon, Mike Sweeney Template:Flagicon, Gregg Thompson Template:Flagicon, Alan Willey Template:Flagicon; Elizabeth Robbie, President; Chris Wright, General Manager, Tim Robbie, Executive Vice President; Alan Merrick, Head Coach; Bruce Miller, Assistant Coach.

NASL coach

Coach (MISL)

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

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Ccat Template:Fort Lauderdale Strikers Template:North American Soccer League (1966–85)

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