NASL Star Player Biographies
by Dave Litterer (spectrum@sover.net)
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Below are all the top players to play for the North American Soccer League
between 1967 and 1984. Many top stars played for the league, as well as
other solid, if less world-famous individuals. An asterisk (*) indicates
players with World Cup experience, and a karat (^) indicates players with
International Caps to their credit. NASL stats include games played and
goals scored.
Thanks to Tim Hanley, Steve Ferra, Majeed Panahi, Hunter Sheriden, Roger
Allaway, Brian Whitney, Jack Scott Kay, S. Yudewitz, Colin Jose, Dave
Bailey, Ken Gilbert, Mark Coker, R. Scott Placek, Julio Bovi Diogo,
"Subcomandante Manuel", Peter Bockman, Vasquez Niera, Joe Prosser, and many
others.
Special thanks to Ian King for the NASL Stats, Garry Archer for many
extensive commentaries and Jean-Michael Cazal and Ian King for Caps info!
Also many thanks to Grant(beran@mnet.ne.jp) for numerous miscellaneous but
important corrections!
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Star Player Biographies, A-H
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IRVING, David (England), Forward. Born 10/9/51.
Season Playoffs
GP G A Pt GP G A Pt
1977 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 14 3 1 17 2 1 0 2
1978 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 28 16 5 37 5 5 0 10
1979 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 24 8 9 25 2 0 0 0
1980 Ft. Luaderdale Strikers 6 0 0 0 - - - --
1980 Tulsa Roughnecks 7 3 4 10 - - - --
1980 Atlanta Chiefs 11 2 2 6 - - - --
1981 San Jose Earthquakes 15 2 4 8 - - - --
----------------------------------------------
*JANSEN, WIM (Neth.). Defensive Midfielder. World Cup, 1974, 78.
65 Caps. Born 10/28/1946.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Washington Diplomats 27 0 8 8 2 0 0 0
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^JOHNSON, WEE WILLIE (Scotland). Forward. Scotland Nat. Team 1978.
Born 12/19/1948.
Played for West Bromwich Albion in the 1970s. Failed a drug test in the 1978
World Cup and was sent home in disgrace. He plead innocence, saying he was
taking medicine for his cold.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Vancouver Whitecaps 27 1 12 14 7 2 0 4
1980 Vancouver Whitecaps 14 2 2 6 - - - -
1982 Vancouver Whitecaps 18 0 5 5 - - - -
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KERI, MIHALJ (Yugo.). Defender. Red Star Belgrade. Nat. Team.
Born 1/15/1951
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Los Angeles Aztecs 30 1 3 5 4 0 0 0
1980 Los Angeles Aztecs 31 2 3 6 8 0 1 1
1981 Los Angeles Aztecs 31 3 3 9 3 0 1 1
1982 Jackosnville Tea Men 13 0 1 1 - - - -
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 9 0 0 0 - - - -
1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes 30 0 2 2 5 0 1 1
1984 Golden Bay Earthquakes 18 0 1 1 - - - -
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^KIDD, BRIAN (England). Striker. Everton, Arsenal, Manchester United. National team caps. Born 5/29/1949.
Currently assistant to manager Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1981 Atlanta Chiefs 27 22 8 52 2 1 0 2
1982 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 23 15 6 36 5 1 1 3
1983 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 21 18 3 39 2 0 1 1
1984 Minnesota Strikers 13 8 3 19 - - - -
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KOZIC, REFIK "Kokie" (Yugo.). Defender. Purchased by Cosmos, but
did not play. Born 12/25/1951.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Tampa Bay Rowdies 32 2 2 6 4 0 1 1
1981 Tampa Bay Rowdies 31 4 0 8 5 1 0 2
1982 Tampa Bay Rowdies 25 0 2 2 - - - -
1983 Tampa Bay Rowdies 16 1 1 3 - - - -
1984 Tampa Bay Rowdies 21 0 0 0 - - - -
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*KREMERS, HELMUT (Germany). Left Back. 8 Caps. World Cup 1974.
Born 3/24/1949.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1981 Calgary Boomers 31 3 9 15 1 0 0 0
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^KRISTENSEN, JORGEN. Forward. 19 Caps. Born 2/12/1946.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1968 Detroit Cougars 27 9 1 19 - - - -
1978 Chicago Sting 19 5 15 25 - - - -
1979 Chicago Sting 30 4 22 30 3 0 1 1
1980 Chicago Sting 15 3 5 11 - - - -
1980 Tulsa Roughnecks 11 1 10 12 2 0 0 0
1981 Calgary Boomers 28 3 20 26 2 0 0 0
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*KROL, RUDI (Ruud) (Neth.) Defender. AS Napilo, Cannes,
Nice. Now coach. 83 Caps. World Cup, 1974, 78, 82. Played for
Ajax with Johan Cruyff in the 1970s. Born 3/23/1949.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Vancouver Whitecaps 14 0 5 5 2 0 1 1
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*LENARDUZZI, Bobby (Canada). Defender, midfielder, striker. World Cup '86.
47 caps. Born 5/1/1955.
One of the best players ever produced in Canada, Bob Lenarduzzi played in
more NASL games than any other player, and lso held the longest tenure ever
with a single team - appearing in 312 games over 11 seasons. He made his
debut with the Vancouver Whitecaps first game on May 5, 1974. During his
long tenure he played every position, even including goalkeeper. His best
season was 1978 when, as a midfielder, he scored 10 goals and 17 assists.
The following season, he moved to left back and helped the Whitecaps win
Soccer Bowl 1979.
Before his NASL debut, Lenarduzzi had left Vancouver at the age of 15 to
become an apprentice with Reading. He eventually appeared in 67 games and
scored two goals. His first international was against Poland in 1973 in a
game at toronto. he also played for the 1984 Canadian olympic team, and
earned his 47th and final cap in World Cup 1986. His older brother Sam
Lenarduzzi also played for Vancouver and Canada. In 1987, he became player-
coach of the Vancouver 86ers in the Canadian Soccer League, leading them to
the CSL championship in 1988.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1974 Vancouver Whitecaps 19 2 0 4 -- -- -- --
1975 Vancouver Whitecaps 20 3 3 9 -- -- -- --
1976 Vancouver Whitecaps 21 2 2 6 -- -- -- --
1977 Vancouver Whitecaps 26 0 4 4 1 0 0 0
1978 Vancouver Whitecaps 29 10 17 37 3 1 2 4
1979 Vancouver Whitecaps 28 3 3 9 7 0 2 2
1980 Vancouver Whitecaps 30 2 7 11 2 0 1 1
1981 Vancouver Whitecaps 32 5 9 19 2 0 0 0
1982 Vancouver Whitecaps 31 1 3 5 3 0 0 0
1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 28 2 5 9 3 0 2 2
1984 Vancouver Whitecaps 24 1 4 6 3 1 0 2
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LEY, GEORGE (Engl.). Defender. Portsmouth (England). Marked Pele
in Pele's first game. Born 4/1/1946.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1974 Dallas Tornado 10 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
1975 Dallas Tornado 18 4 5 13 - - - -
1976 Dallas Tornado 22 2 4 8 2 0 0 0
1977 Dallas Tornado 22 2 5 9 2 0 0 0
1978 Dallas Tornado 29 0 3 3 - - - -
1979 Dallas Tornado 22 0 6 6 1 0 0 0
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*LORIMER, PETER (Scot.) Striker. Leeds United (early 70's).
National team Caps, 1974 World Cup. Born 12/4/1946.
Was part of the team that set a record for conssectutive passes in a
league match (52). 1972 FA Cup Final. Also one of the hardest shots
in football, recored at well over 90 mph at the 1974 World Cup.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Toronto Blizzard 29 9 13 31 2 0 0 0
1980 Toronto Blizzard 18 2 5 9 - - - -
1981 Vancouver Whitecaps 27 8 17 33 1 0 0 0
1982 Vancouver Whitecaps 28 10 10 30 3 1 0 2
1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 25 4 10 18 3 0 2 2
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^MARINHO (Francisco Das Chagas Marinho) (Brazil) Left Back. Sao Paulo,
Botafogo, Flumenese. 28 Caps. Born 2/8/1952.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 New York Cosmos 24 8 8 24 6 1 2 4
1980 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 19 3 5 11 4 0 0 0
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MARSH, RODNEY (Engl.) Forward, then Midfielder. Queens Park Rangers,
Manchester City 1976-1978. 9 Caps for England. Born Oct. 11, 1944.
Rodney Marsh brought instant recognition to the Tampa Bay rowdies when he was
signed in 1976.
Marsh began his pro career at Fulham, and began a long stint with Queens
Park Rangers in 1965. In 1967, he led the Rangers to the First Division
League Cup, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at Wembley Stadium. He
remained a mainstay with the Rangers for eight seasons, 1965-1972, playing
211 games and earning 106 goals, during which time he was arguably the
best Midfielder in England during those years. He transferred to Manchester
City in 1972, appearing in 118 games and scoring 36 goals.
He was signed by Tampa Bay in 1976, scoring 11 goals in 31 games, and
returning to Fulham for 1976-77. He returned to the Rwodies for good in
1977, and played four seasons in all for the Rowdies, scoring 48 goals in
94 games over the four seasons. He appeared in Soccer Bowl '79 (having
missed Soccer Bowl '78 due to a leg infection). He was also named to two
NASL All-Star teams.
He retired after 1979, and coached the New york United and Carolina
Lightnin' teams in the ASL, before returning to the Rowdies to coach their
final year in 1984.
Marsh made 9 appearances for the English National team
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Tampa Bay Rowdies 21 11 9 31 2 1 1 3
1977 Tampa Bay Rowdies 24 8 11 27 1 0 0 0
1978 Tampa Bay Rowdies 26 18 16 52 5 3 3 9
1979 Tampa Bay Rowdies 23 11 14 36 8 1 3 5
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*MASNIK, JUAN (Uruguay) Central Defender. 24 Caps. World Cup 1974.
Born 3/2/1943.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 New York Cosmos 6 0 0 0 - - - -
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^MAUSSER, Arnie (U.S.). Goalkeeper. Played for numerous NASL teams. 34
caps. Born 2/28/1954.
Arguably the finest goalkeeper the U.S. ever produced, Arnie had a long
career with 8 different NASL teams. He was a big man with a very
unrthodox technique: A very effective distributor of the ball, he threw
right handed but kicked left. He earned 35 shutouts during his ten years
with the NASL, and his stellar performances earned him the starting
goalkeeper position for the national team with which he earned 34 caps
between 1975 and 1986. He was selected to the NASL first all-star team in
1976. Mausser also played with the Rhode Island Oceaneers of the ASL before
joining the NASL in 1975.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 Hartford Bicentennials 22 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1976 Tampa Bay Rowdies 24 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
1977 Vancouver Whitecaps 26 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1978 Colorado Caribous 28 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1979 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 29 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1980 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 8 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
New England Tea Men 2 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1981 Jacksonville Tea Men 31 0 0 0 5 0 1 1
1982 Jacksonville Tea Men 19 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1983 Team America 12 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1984 Tampa Bay Rowdies 23 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
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*MCPARLAND, PETER (N. Ireland). Forward. World Cup 1958. B. 4/25/1934.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1967 Atlanta Chiefs 25 6 5 17 - - - -
1968 Atlanta Chiefs 29 7 3 17 4 2 0 4
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^MCALISTER, JIM (USA) Defender. Went straight from JFK High school
to Seattle in 1976. 6 caps. NASL Rookie of the year.
Born Bronx, USA 5/4/57.
One of the early US success stories, Jim McAlister had a long successful
career with the NASL when most US players were benchwarmers put out only
to meet the NASL American quotas. McAlister went from high school
straight to the Seattle Sounders in 1976 and found a regular spot on their
defending lines, making it to the Soccer Bowl '77 against Pele and the
Cosmos. He also had 6 caps for the US national team.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Seattle Sounders 2 0 0 0 -------------
1977 Seattle Sounders 22 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
1978 Seattle Sounders 29 1 1 3 1 0 0 0
1979 Seattle Sounders 19 1 1 3 0 0 0 0
1980 Toronto Metros-Croatia 8 0 0 0 -------------
1981 San Jose Earthquakes 30 0 2 2 -------------
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 27 0 2 2 -------------
1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes 3 0 1 1 4 0 0 0
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MCBRIDE, Pat (U.S.). Midfielder. Born 11/13/1943.
One of the pioneering successful American players, Pat McBride was an original member of the NASL, playing for the St. Louis stars in their initial 1967 season in the National Professional Soccer League.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1967 St. Louis Stars 21 1 1 3 -- -- -- --
1968 St. Louis Stars 27 2 0 4 -- -- -- --
1969 St. Louis Stars (unknown)
1970 St. Louis Stars 23 9 1 19 -- -- -- --
1971 St. Louis Stars 22 7 4 18 -- -- -- --
1972 St. Louis Stars 14 1 4 6 2 0 1 1
1973 St. Louis Stars 19 2 3 7 -- -- -- --
1974 St. Louis Stars 20 4 3 11 -- -- -- --
1975 St. Louis Stars 15 1 3 5 2 0 0 0
1976 St. Louis Stars 21 2 2 6 -- -- -- --
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^MESSING, SHEP (USA) Goalkeeper. New York Arrows (MISL, 1980-1985). 10 caps (US-B team). Born 10/9/1949.
One of the most successful American goalkeepers in the NASL, Shep Messing
was the league leader during his 1975 stint with the Boston Minutemen.
Messing had made his Cosmos Debut on 5/20/73 in an exhibition against Finn
Harps (Ireland). He made his mark with the Minutemen, bagging six
shutouts. He returned to the Cosmos in 1977, to play alongside Pele,
Beckenbauer and others to help lead the team to victory in Soccer Bowl
1977. He moved to the oakland Stompers in 1978, and Rochester Lancers in
'79 to great acclaim, before moving returning to the Big Apple in the
major indoor Soccer League. Messing had considerable success before his
NASL career, first starring for Harvard University, and then in the 1971
Pan-American Games and the 1972 Olympics. He closed his career with six
outstanding years with the New york Arrows of the Major Indoor Soccer
League. Messing also wrote an acclaimed book, "The Education of an
American Soccer Player". Interestingly enough, despite his success,
Messing never played for the full US National team, although (?) he did
get 10 caps for the B-team.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 New York Cosmos 1 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1974 New York Cosmos 8 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1975 Boston Minutemen 18 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1976 Boston Minutemen 9 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
New York Cosmos 10 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
1977 New York Cosmos 20 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
1978 Oakland Stompers 25 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1979 Rochester Lancers 29 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
^MITCHELL, DALE (Canada). Forward. Born 4/21/1958.
One of the finest North American strikers to ever play in the NASL.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1977 Vancouver Whitecaps 1 0 0 0 - - - -
1978 Vancouver Whitecaps 4 0 0 0 - - - -
1979 Portland Timbers 12 5 2 12 - - - -
1980 Portland Timbers 28 9 9 27 - - - -
1981 Portland Timbers 31 11 2 24 3 0 0 0
1982 Portland Timbers 30 10 11 31 - - - -
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MITIC, ILIJA (Yugo.) Forward/Midfielder. Born 7/19/1940 Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
One of the most prolific scorers in the NASL, Mitic, who was 3rd in 1968,
earned four First All-Star team selections (as forward 1968-69, and
midfielder in 1973-74). Mitic starred for Partizan Belgrade of
yugoslavia, which won the Yugoslavian championship of 1960-61. He earned
2 caps for the U-23 team, and played 8 for the National Youth team. He
played later for OFK Belgrade before being signed by Oakland Clippers in
1967, where he helped the Clippers win the first (and only) NPSL
championship. He was 3rd in scoring in the NASL in 1978. After the
clippers folded, he moved to Dallas Tornado where he played until 1975.
He finished his career with 3.5 seasons in San Jose where he continued to
be a top goalscorer, even as a midfielder. He finished his NASL career
with 101 goals in 166 games. Mitic finished his career 7th on the NASL's
all-time scoring list and 6th in all-time goals.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1967 Oakland Clippers (NPSL) 19 13 3 29 2 0 1 1
1968 Oakland Clippers 28 18 12 48 -- -- -- --
1969 Dallas Tornado 12 11 4 26 -- -- -- --
1973 Dallas Tornado 18 12 1 25 2 0 0 0
1974 Dallas Tornado 19 10 1 21 2 1 0 2
1975 Dallas Tornado 3 2 0 4 -- -- -- --
San Jose Earthquakes 16 13 3 29 -- -- -- --
1976 San Jose Earthquakes 24 14 9 37 2 3 0 6
1977 San Jose Earthquakes 11 3 1 7 1 1 0 2
1978 San Jose Earthquakes 16 5 3 13 -- -- -- --
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*MOORE, BOBBY (Engl.) West Ham United, Fulham. World Cup 1966
(Team Captain). Central Defender. Born 12/4/41. Inaugural member
of the International Soccer Hall of Fame.
Bobby Moore won the then record of 108 caps for England during the 1960s
and 1970s. Highly respected player by all of his peers, worldwide. Most
folks forget, but Bobby Moore also played _against_ England once. It was
for Team America, of all teams, in the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial tournament
that also included Italy and Brasil. England won 3-0. Bobby spent much
of his career with West Ham United, ending it with Fulham. Bobby Moore
died of cancer in February 1993, aged 51. Had a role in 1980's Stallone
movie ("Escape to Victory" - released in US as "Victory".
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 San Antonio Thunder 24 1 0 2 - - - -
1978 Seattle Sounders 7 0 1 1 - - - -
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MOYERS, Steve (U.S.). Forward. Born 9/23/1956.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1977 St. Louis Stars 3 1 1 3 -- -- -- --
1978 California Surf 26 7 4 18 1 0 0 0
1979 California Surf 16 4 3 11 2 1 0 2
1980 California Surf 26 13 3 29 3 1 1 3
1981 California Surf 29 11 6 28 -- -- -- --
1982 New York Cosmos 28 13 9 35 -- -- -- --
1983 New York Cosmos 30 15 11 41 1 0 0 0
1984 New York Cosmos 8 1 0 2 -- -- -- --
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*MULLER, GERD (Gerhard) (Germany) Striker. Bayern Munich.
62 Caps. World Cup 70,74,78 (Top scorer in 1974). Born 3/11/45.
Inaugural member of the International Soccer Hall of Fame.
One of the first of the wave of international stars to join the NASL after
Pele's tumultous final season had brought NASL into the national
consciousness, Gerd was one of the top European stars of the 70's.
Longtime forward for Bayern Munich in West Germany, Muller had capped 62
times, and played in the 1970, 74, and 78 world cups (top scorer in 1974).
One of the most dangerous goalscorers in the world in the 18-yard box.
With his massive tree-trunk thighs, was known affectionately as "Der
Bomber".
Muller joined the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in 1979, Muller finished 3rd in
scoring that year. In 1980, he helped take the Strikers to the Soccer
Bowl at RFK Stadium where they lost 0-3 to the Cosmos. By 1981, Muller
played more of a substitution role, missing the last few games and the
entire playoffs. Although his NASL career was brief, his contributions
were significant, and his international stature brought prestige to the
Strikers during his time with the team.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 25 19 17 55 2 0 0 0
1980 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 29 14 8 36 7 2 4 8
1981 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 17 5 2 12 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
*NEESKENS, JOHAN (Neth.) Midfielder. Ajax, Barcelona, Swiss league.
49 Caps. World Cup 1974,78. Currently Dutch National Team assistant
coach. Born 9/15/1951.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 New York Cosmos 13 4 7 15 5 2 1 5
1980 New York Cosmos 17 4 10 18 1 0 0 0
1981 New York Cosmos 6 2 0 4 5 1 1 3
1982 New York Cosmos 17 0 3 3 1 0 0 0
1983 New York Cosmos 23 2 7 11 1 0 0 0
1984 New York Cosmos 18 5 1 11 - - - -
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^NICHOLL, JIMMY (N. Ireland/Canada) Midfielder. Manchester United.
Had a great goal for N. Ireland in Spain. born 12/28/1956.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1982 Toronto Blizzard 16 3 3 9 3 0 0 0
1983 Toronto Blizzard 28 7 6 20 6 0 0 0
1984 Toronto Blizzard 21 1 5 7 3 0 1 1
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^NORDQVIST, BJORN (Sweden). Defender. Minnesota Kicks. 115 Caps.
Born 10/6/1942.
One of the all-time appearance leaders for the Swedish national team.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Minnesota Kicks 30 1 3 5 2 0 0 0
1980 Minnesota Kicks 31 0 6 6 2 0 0 0
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NTSOELENGE, PATRICK (ACE) (South Africa) Midfielder. All NASL 1st team, 1979.
Born 2/26/1956.
Ace Ntsoelenge had one of the longest careers of any NASL player -
extending 12 seasons - from 1973 until the league's demise. He was one of
the biggest stars ever to come from South Africa. His years with
minnesota were highly successful, and he played in Soccer Bowls 76 and
84.. Although he was mainly a midfielder, he has strong offensive powerrs
and often pushed forward to score more goals than even many of the
strikers on his team. For much of his career he returned home regularly
to play for the Kaizer Chiefs of Johannesburg, one of the legendary South
African clubs, during the NASL off-season. Ace was 8th on the all-time
NASL goals scored list, and 5th on all-time assists and points scored
lists Ace was tied with Art Welch, Bobby Lenarduzzi, and LeRoy DeLeon for
most seasons played in the NASL - 11 seasons.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 Miami Toros 9 3 2 8
1975 Denver Dynamo 21 10 5 25
1976 Minnesota Kicks 22 6 4 16 3 1 0 2
1977 Minnesota Kicks 21 3 5 11 2 0 0 0
1978 Minnesota Kicks 29 9 8 26 4 1 0 2
1979 Minnesota Kicks 29 8 11 27 2 1 0 2
1980 Minnesota Kicks 32 13 17 43 2 0 0 0
1981 Minnesota Kicks 22 12 7 31 1 0 0 0
1982 Toronto Blizzard 32 14 12 40 3 1 2 4
1983 Toronto Blizzard 6 1 3 5 6 2 1 5
1984 Toronto Blizzard 21 8 8 24 4 1 3 5
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*OSCAR (BERNARDI, JOSE OSCAR) (Brazil). 60 Caps. Sao Paulo, A. A. Ponte Preta.
1978, 1982 World Cups. Born 6/20/1954.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 New York Cosmos 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
^OSGOOD, PETER. (Engl.) forward. 4 Caps. Born 2/20/1947.
Played for Chelsea in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 Philadelphia Fury 22 1 8 10 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^PARKES, PHIL (Engl.) Goalkeeper. Queens Park Rangers, West Ham GK. 1 Cap. Born 7/14/1947.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Vancouver Whitecaps 20 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1978 Vancouver Whitecaps 29 0 1 1 3 0 0 0
1979 Vancouver Whitecaps 29 0 1 1 7 0 0 0
1980 Chicago Sting 30 0 2 2 3 0 0 0
1981 Chicago Sting 10 0 0 0 - - - -
1981 San Jose Earthquakes 10 0 0 0 - - - -
1983 Toronto Blizzard 1 0 0 0 - - - -
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PELE* (Edson Arantes do Nascimento, "The Black Pearl") (Brazil) Striker,
then Playmaker. Santos. 93 Caps, 97 goals between 1957 and 1971.
World Cup 1958, 62,66,70. Born Tres Coracoes 10/23/40.
Inaugural member of the International Soccer Hall of Fame.
Widely considered the best player ever to play the game. Pele's impact on
the sport cannot be overestimated. His incredible scoring feat of 1,280
goals is second only to Artur Friedenrach's 1,329, but Pele's
accomplishments are augmented by his success in international competition,
where he capped 93 times and became the only player to play on THREE world
cup championship teams (1958, 1970 and 1974). With 1,324 games played he
scored an unbelievable 0.939 goals per game.
Interestingly enough, despite Pele's unprecedented scoring, he does not
appear in the International Association of Football Statistician's recent
list of all-time goal scorers for 1st division pro soccer, as almost his entire
career was played before the Brazilian League system was awarded 1st division
status in 1969.
Pele exploded onto the world scene in 1958 at the age of 17 scoring six
goals in the World Cup, of which two were against Sweden in the final.
He played for Santos from 1956-1974, shattering every record for that
team, as well as a significant number of Brazilian league records. Pele
lead Santos to six Brazilian championships during his tenure.
His awards are too numerous to mention, but his 19 selections by the
Professional Footballers' Association, 125 goals in 1959, three world cup
championship teams, 1965 declaration as a National Treasure by Brazil, and
1980 Sportsman of the Century awards stand out.
Little wonder that the world was stunned when he came out of retirement to
play for the New York cosmos during the 1975 season. His signing at an
unprecedented salary (estimated to be a total of $7,000,000 for six years;
three as player, and three as "ambassador of the game) brought instant
recognition to the NASL and gave the league a genuine chance to establish
itself as a major sports league in the USA and gave the sport its best
chance of establishing itself in the country. Fans nationwide took
notice; to this dat many older MLS fans who became fans during the NASL
days can point to his signing as what attracted their attention.
When one considers the revolution in US soccer that resulted from the
attention paid to pele's signing it is amazing to remember how short his
tenure was - less than 2 1/2 seasons, where he scored 39 goals in 64
games, winning recognition as 1976 NASL MVP and leading the Cosmos to
victory in Soccer Bowl '77. After his retirement in 1977, Pele played for
both sides in an emotional exhibition game between Cosmos and Santos
played to a thundering sellout crowd of 76,000 in a ferocious downpour at
Giants Nstadium before a national network TV audience. A perfect end to
an incredible career.
Since then Pele has served as a virtual soccer goodwill ambassador to the
world, did extensive commentary in the 1994 world cup. Since 199(5?) has
been Brazilian's Minister of Sports where 1997, he successfully passed
legislation to extensively reform the anachronistic structure of
Brazilian's league system, taking undue influence and power away from the
club owners who had arguably been holding back success for the domestic
leagues.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 New York Cosmos 9 5 4 14 --------------
1976 New York Cosmos 22 13 18 44 2 2 1 5
1977 New York Cosmos 25 13 3 29 6 4 4 12
Club Appearances:
Club Years Appearances Goals
Bauru Atletico Clube 1953-56
Santos FC 1956-74 1,114 1,088
New York Cosmos 1975-77 105 55
Brasil Army Team 1959 10 14
6-time Brasilian National Champions (Santos)
1977 NASL Champions (Cosmos)
Sao Paulo selections, Santos/Vasco da Gama selections and Professional
Footballers Association selections; 19 appearances, 18 goals.
1,324 professional games
1,282 professional goals
0.939 goals per game average
1959 - scores 125 goals
1962 - Santos wins World Club Championship, Pele scores all 5 goals
1963 - Santos repeats as World Club Champions
1964 - scores 8 goals in a single game
1969 - scores 1000th career goal before a crowd of 90,000
1976 - Most Valuable Player of NASL
Scores 3 goals a game 93 times
Scores 4 goals a game 31 times
Scores 5 goals a game 6 times
1965 - Declared a "National Treasure" by the Brasilian Government
1978 - International Peace Award
1980 - Sportsman Of The Century
----------------------------------------------
PETERSON, MARK (USA). Forward. Seattle Sounders. Rookie of the year, 1980.
Born 4/19/1960.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Seattle Sounders 29 14 2 30 5 4 1 9
1981 Seattle Sounders 18 4 3 11 3 1 0 2
1982 Seattle Sounders 31 17 5 39 7 2 1 5
1983 Seattle Sounders 21 13 4 30 - - - -
1983 Team America 7 1 1 3 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^RENSENBRINK, ROB (Neth.). Left Winger. 46 Caps. Born 7/3/1947.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Portland Timbers 18 6 1 13 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^RESSEL, PETER. (Neth.). Forward. 3 Caps. Born 12/4/1945.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 San Jose Earthquakes 28 8 7 23 - - - -
1979 Chicago Sting 28 10 18 38 4 0 1 1
1980 Chicago Sting 31 8 16 32 3 1 0 2
----------------------------------------------
RIOCH, BRUCE (Scotland/Engl.). Defender. Born 9/6/1947.
Played most of his career for Aston Villa, then Derby County, where he won
a League Championship medal and Charity Shield medal in 1975 Later
managed Arsenal (95-96) and Millwall. Signed Kasey Keller there.
Went to Everton from Derby. Played from the midfield, but scored many
goals. Was well-known for his rocket shots and well-placed free kicks.
Managed Bolton Wanderers with Colin Todd before moving onto Arsenal.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Seattle Sounders 30 4 1 9 5 0 2 2
1981 Seattle Sounders 14 1 1 3 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^RIGBY, BOB (USA). Goalkeeper. 7 caps. Born 7/3/1951.
One of many successful American goalkeepers, the one position at which the
USA did well in producing good players. Rigby was probably the best US
goalkeeper ever produced up to that time. His twelve seasons in the NASL
was one of the longest NASL careers ever. Rigby led the Philadelphia
Atoms to the NASL championship in his first, year, 1973, when he enjoyed a
league-leading 0.62 goals against average. From that point on, he moved
to several teams over his long career, including moving with the
Philadelphia Franchise up to Montreal. Rigby was named to two Second All-
Star teams, and was an All-American at East Stroudsburg State College.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 Philadelphia Atoms 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
1974 Philadelphia Atoms 20 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1975 Philadelphia Atoms 21 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1976 New York Cosmos 13 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1977 Los Angeles Aztecs 19 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1978 Los Angeles Aztecs 25 0 0 0 5 0 0 0
1979 Los Angeles Aztecs 18 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
Philadelphia Fury 10 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
1980 Philadelphia Fury 27 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1981 Montreal Manic 32 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
1982 Montreal Manic 15 0 1 1 -- -- -- --
1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes 1 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1984 Golden Bay Earthquakes 3 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
*RIJSBERGEN, WIM (Neth.) Defender. Feynoord (Belgian League) 28 Caps.
World Cup 1978. Now a coach. Born 1/18/1952.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 New York Cosmos 25 0 2 2 5 0 1 1
1980 New York Cosmos 21 0 3 3 5 0 1 1
1981 New York Cosmos 26 2 8 12 4 1 0 2
1982 New York Cosmos 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 1
1983 New York Cosmos 11 0 1 1 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
ROBERTSON, JIMMY (England). Forwrad. English 1st Division. Born 12/17/1944.
Had the distinction of scoring two goals in an FA Cup final,
unfortunately, one for each side, which led to a replay)
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Seattle Sounders 12 1 4 6 - - - -
1977 Seattle Sounders 17 2 3 7 6 1 3 5
----------------------------------------------
*ROMERO, JULIO CESAR (Paragray). Midfielder. 35 Caps. 1986 World Cup.
Born 8/28/1960.
One of the best players in Paraguayan history. Finished his career
with Deportes La Serena (Chile) in 1995.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 New York Cosmos 32 14 19 47 7 2 7 11
1981 New York Cosmos 21 4 13 21 4 2 5 9
1982 New York Cosmos 21 6 4 16 3 0 2 2
----------------------------------------------
^ROTE JR., KYLE (USA). Forward. 6 caps. born 12/25/1950.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 Dallas Tornado 18 10 10 30 2 1 0 2
1974 Dallas Tornado 18 7 2 16 2 0 1 1
1975 Dallas Tornado 21 5 6 16 - - - -
1976 Dallas Tornado 19 3 3 9 2 0 0 0
1977 Dallas Tornado 24 11 6 28 1 0 0 0
1978 Dallas Tornado 21 6 7 19 - - - -
1979 Houston Hurricane 21 1 4 6 2 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
^ROTH, WERNER (USA). Defender. 16 caps. Born in Yugoslavia, 4/4/48.
Werner was born in Yugoslavia but grew up in Brooklyn. He studied at
the Pratt Institute and played for the German-Hungarians in the German
American League before signing for the Cosmos in 1972. After his playing
career with the Cosmos he stayed on as a coach.
Werner Roth was a long-time stalwart defender for the New york Cosmos, one
of the first international stars to sign with the league. He joined back
in 1972 when the NASL was not very well known even among Soccer fans.
They played in Hofstra Stadium averaging c. 6,000 fans per game, on the
infamous "polyturf" - hardest playing surface known to Man.
Roth played six more seasons (his final season was cut short to a single
game), always consistent, and reliable, and playing on the Cosmos
championship teams in 1972, 1977 and 1978. He played on the Cosmos 1977
Also starred with Sylvester Stallone and Bobby Moore in the movie
"Victory" (or "Escape to Victory"). He was the captain of the German team
and took the penalty against Stallone at the end of that match (the one
Sly saved!). Born in Yugoslavia, where he earned 16 caps, Roth later took
US citizenship.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1972 New York Cosmos 11 0 2 2 2 0 0 0
1973 New York Cosmos 16 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1974 New York Cosmos 15 0 0 0 --------------
1975 New York Cosmos 22 0 0 0 --------------
1976 New York Cosmos 12 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
1977 New York Cosmos 23 1 1 3 6 0 1 1
1978 New York Cosmos 25 1 2 4 6 0 1 1
1979 New York Cosmos 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
^ROY, WILLY (USA). 20 caps. Long-time NASL coach. Born 2/8/1943.
Willy Roy was a pioneering successful American player. He made a major
splash in the first year of the league, playing for the Chicago Spurs of
the NPSL in 1967. He scored 17 goals in 27 games, and attracted
substantial notice because, although he was German-born much of his succer
development took place in the USA. He also earned 20 caps playing for the
National team between 1965 and 1973, scoring 8 goals. Although his later
years were not as successful; he slumped in 1968, was out of the league
for two years but returned for a steady three seasons with the St. Louis
Stars. after another respite, he returned for a final season with the
Chicago sting in 1975. he had a successful coaching career with the
Chicago Sting from (c. 1979-1984). During his stint, the Sting won Soccer
Bowl 1981 over the Cosmos, and the 1984 NASL Championship series over
Toronto Blizzard.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1967 Chicago Spurs (NPSL) 27 17 5 39 -- -- -- --
1968 Kansas City Spurs 15 6 4 16 -- -- -- --
1971 St. Louis Stars 13 4 11 19 -- -- -- --
1972 St. Louis Stars 11 7 2 16 2 0 0 0
1973 St. Louis Stars 19 7 3 17 -- -- -- --
1975 Chicago Sting 14 0 3 3 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
^SANCHEZ, HUGO (Mex.). Forward. Real Madrid, Rayo Vallecano (Spain),
Atlante (Mexico), Dallas Burn (MLS) 1996.
57 Caps. World Cup, 1978, 82, 86. Born 7/11/1958.
A huge success with San Diego in his brief stay. Famous striker of
Real Madrid. He was "Pichichi" (Topscorer) of the Spanish league in many times.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 San Diego Sockers 10 6 5 17 7 6 3 15
1980 San Diego Sockers 9 7 4 18 6 7 2 16
1996 Dallas Burn (MLS) ??
----------------------------------------------
SEGOTA, BRANKO (Yugo.) Striker. Real Madrid. Born 6/8/1961.
Broke into the league at age 18 with an amazing performance, remained one of the
better goalscorers until the league's demise. Scored an incredible 11 goals during
the 1981 playoffs.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Rochester Lancers 13 14 4 32 - - - -
1980 Rochester Lancers 26 11 6 28 - - - -
1981 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 25 5 6 16 6 11 1 23
1982 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 29 12 13 37 5 1 2 4
1983 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 30 13 9 35 2 0 0 0
1984 Golden Bay Earthquakes 24 18 11 47 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
*SIMOES, ANTONIO (Portugal) Midfielder. All-Star in 1976. 46 Caps.
World Cup 1966. Born 12/14/1943.
Was captain of Portugese National team when Eusebio starred on it.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 Boston Minutemen 17 4 9 17 1 0 0 0
1976 Boston Minutemen 10 1 2 4 - - - -
1976 San Jose Earthquakes 10 0 4 4 2 0 0 0
1977 San Jose Earthquakes 23 0 7 7 1 0 0 0
1979 Dallas Tornado 6 1 1 3 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
SMETHURST, Derek (S. Africa). Striker. Born 10/24/1947. Chelsea FC.
One of the greatest players to come out of the South African scene and one
of the most prolific and deadliest goalscorers in NASL history, this man
scored more goals in 4 yrs than many top players did in a decade.
He is still the only South African to date to win a European Championship
(with Chelsea 70-71). Smethurst like some others fell into that category
of time when FIFA - and apartheid sanctions fell on South Africa and so
missed out on a whole international world cup situation.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 Tampa Bay Rowdies 22 18 3 39 3 1 1 3
1976 Tampa Bay Rowdies 24 20 5 45 2 1 0 2
1977 Tampa Bay Rowdies 21 19 4 42 1 0 0 0
1978 Tampa Bay Rowdies 4 0 1 1 - - - -
1989 San Diego Sockers 17 2 2 6 2 0 2 2
1979 Seattle Sounders 22 13 2 28 - - - -
1980 Seattle Sounders 8 1 3 5 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
SMITH, Bobby (USA). Defender. 19 caps. Born 3/29/1951.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 Philadelphia Atoms 19 0 0 0 2 0 1 1
1974 Philadelphia Atoms 20 1 4 6 -- -- -- --
1975 Philadelphia Atoms 21 2 1 5 -- -- -- --
1976 New York Cosmos 22 0 2 2 2 0 0 0
1977 New York Cosmos 10 1 0 2 4 0 1 1
1978 New York Cosmos 9 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1979 New York Cosmos 10 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1980 Philadelphia Fury 22 0 0 0 -- -- -- --
1981 Montreal Manic 24 0 2 2 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
SONO, JOMO (South Africa). Forward. Born 6/28/1955.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1977 New York Cosmos 12 1 0 2 4 0 0 0
1978 Colorado Caribous 30 8 5 21 - - - -
1979 Atlanta Chiefs 29 5 12 22 - - - -
1980 Toronto Blizzard 31 14 7 35 - - - -
1981 Toronto Blizzard 21 8 6 22 - - - -
1982 Toronto Blizzard 5 0 3 3 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^SOUNESS, GRAEME (Scotland). Midfielder. Liverpool (England 1st).
Born 5/6/1953.
Later managed Liverpool and in Turkey. Started out at Middlesbrough
before signing with Liverpool where he had tremendous success in the 1970s
and 1980s. coached Soton (Southampton) in 96-97. Now coach at Torino of
the Serie B. Also played at Glasgow Rangers.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1972 Montreal Olympic 10 2 2 6 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^STEFFENHAGEN, ARNO. Defensive Midfielder. 1 Cap. Born 9/24/1947.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 Chicago Sting 12 13 3 29 1 0 0 0
1979 Chicago Sting 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1980 Chicago Sting 28 15 15 45 3 2 1 4
1981 Chicago Sting 28 17 10 44 9 3 2 8
1982 Chicago Sting 28 13 6 22 - - - -
1983 Toronto Blizzard 14 0 7 7 - - - -
1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 8 2 2 6 2 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
SUHNHOLZ, WOLFGANG (Germany). Midfielder. Bayern Munich. B. 10/14/1946.
Was a Soccer Bowl MVP.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Boston Minutemen 12 1 3 5 - - - -
1976 Vancouver Whitecaps 2 0 0 0 - - - -
1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia 4 0 1 1 4 0 0 0
1977 Las Vegas Quicksilver 20 4 1 9 - - - -
1978 Los Angeles Aztecs 14 5 1 11 - - - -
1978 California Surf 6 0 1 1 1 1 0 2
1979 California Surf 26 2 10 14 1 0 1 1
1980 California Surf 6 1 0 2 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
*SUURBIER, WILLEM (WIM)(Neth.). Defender. Ajax, Bastia. 60 Caps.
World Cup 1974, 78 Born 1/16/1945. Now TV commentator.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Los Angeles Aztecs 24 1 0 2 4 0 0 0
1980 Los Angeles Aztecs 32 2 5 9 8 0 1 1
1981 Los Angeles Aztecs 17 0 1 1 2 0 1 1
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 23 0 5 5 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^TALBOT, BRIAN (Engl.) Midfielder. Arsenal, Ipswich town. Born 7/21/1953.
Won the 1979 and 1980 FA Cup final, 80 Cup winners cup final.
May be the only player to win FA cup final winners medals in
consecutive years with different teams. Played at Arsenal until
the early-80s' where he was a crowd favourite for his
non-stop style in midfield for every minute of every game.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1971 Toronto Metros 10 2 1 5 - - - -
1972 Toronto Metros 10 2 2 6 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^TERLECKI, STAN (Poland). Left Winger. 28 Caps. Born 11/13/1955.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes 27 11 14 36 5 5 1 11
1984 New York Cosmos 17 4 4 12 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^THIJSSEN, FRANS (Neth.). Midfielder. Ipswich Town, Arnhem. 14 Caps.
Born 1/23/1952. Now coach/manager.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 21 2 5 9 3 2 0 4
1984 Vancouver Whitecaps 24 7 7 21 3 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
^TODD, COLIN (Engl.) Defender. Derby County. 27 Caps. Born 12/12/1948.
Colin Todd started out at Sunderland. He was bought by Brian Clough for
Derby County and consequently played throughout Derby's glory years (two
League Championships, one Charity Shield, European Cup Semi-Finalists) in
the 1970s. Was a brilliant defender and reader of the game. Had short
spells at other clubs, including Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough
again. Is currently the manager of Premiership side Bolton Wanderers.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1984 Vancouver Whitecaps 8 0 1 1 3 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
*TROST, Al (U.S.). Midfielder. St. Louis Stars (1973-77), California
Surf (1978), Seattle Sounders (1979). 14 full caps, 17 amateur caps.
Born 2/7/1949.
One of the best midfielders ever produced by the United States at the
time, Al was a key member of the St. louis stars for much of the 1970's.
Trost was a two-time winner of the Robert R. Hermann Trophy as the
Collegiate Player of the Year while playing for St. Louis University. He
played for the US in the 1972 Olympics before signing with the St. Louis
stars, and (check: ) subsequently captained the 1976 US team (Played in
olympics?). His finest season in the NASL was 1976 when he scored 12
goals in 24 games. Trost was named to three NASL All-Star teams.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1973 St. Louis Stars 17 1 2 4 -- -- -- --
1974 St. Louis Stars 19 5 4 14 -- -- -- --
1975 St. Louis Stars 22 6 2 14 -- -- -- --
1976 St. Louis Stars 24 12 3 27 -- -- -- --
1977 St. Louis Stars 26 3 8 14 -- -- -- --
1978 California Surf 28 10 3 23 1 0 0 0
1979 Seattle Sounders 11 1 2 4 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
TUEART, DENNIS. (Engl.) Forward. Sunderland, Manchester City. 6 Caps.
Born 11/27/1949.
A brilliant and innovative winger. A Manchester city veteran,
Played for Cosmos 1978-79 before returning to Manchester city in 1980.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 New York Cosmos 20 10 12 32 6 6 5 17
1979 New York Cosmos 27 16 16 48 6 1 3 5
----------------------------------------------
^VAN BEVEREN, JAN (Neth.) Goalkeeper. PSV Eindhoven. 32 Caps.
Born 3/5/1948.
Major rival of Johan Cruyff. Best GK In Netherlands and NASL history.
In 1997, part owner of USISL D-3 Pro League Florida Strikers.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 16 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
1981 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 32 0 1 1 6 0 0 0
1982 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 32 0 2 2 6 0 0 0
1983 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 30 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
*VAN DER ELST, FRANCOIS (Belgium). Forward. Born 12/7/1954.
Long-time International star -- played in two World Cups.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 New York Cosmos 13 6 5 17 6 1 4 6
1981 New York Cosmos 30 6 14 26 3 1 1 3
----------------------------------------------
^VAN DER PECK, Perry (U.S.). Midfielder. Has caps for US National team.
Born 5/11/1959.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1979 Tampa Bay Rowdies 16 0 3 3 3 0 1 1
1980 Tampa Bay Rowdies 32 2 6 10 4 1 3 5
1981 Tampa Bay Rowdies 6 2 1 5 -- -- -- --
1982 Tampa Bay Rowdies 9 1 0 2 -- -- -- --
1983 Team America 28 1 3 5 -- -- -- --
1984 Tampa Bay Rowdies 24 5 2 12 -- -- -- --
----------------------------------------------
VEEE, Julie (Hungary/U.S.). Midfielder. Los Angeles Aztecs (1975), San
Jose Earthquakes (1976), San Diego Sockers (1978-1982). Born 2/22/1950.
One of the more prolific midfielders to play in the NASL, Veee was a
consummate playmaker, and scored a substantial number of assists. Veee
was the 12th all-time assists leader for the NASL. He went on to a long
and successful indoor career in the Major indoor Soccer League.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 Los Angeles Aztecs 19 6 5 17 1 0 1 1
1976 San Jose Earthquakes 11 0 6 6 2 0 1 1
1978 San Diego Sockers 27 3 17 27 1 0 0 0
1979 San Diego Sockers 27 10 8 28 7 0 4 4
1980 San Diego Sockers 28 2 8 12 6 2 5 9
1981 San Diego Sockers 27 3 12 18 9 2 4 8
1982 San Diego Sockers 27 6 16 28 5 1 3 5
----------------------------------------------
^VELAZQUEZ, JOSE (Peru). Defensive Midfielder. Also played for Deportes
Iquique (Chilean League) in 1988. 82 Caps. Born 6/4/1952.
Great Peruvian player. One of Peru's top cap earners.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1980 Toronto Blizzard 11 2 2 6 - - - -
1981 Toronto Blizzard 17 0 6 6 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
WARD, PETER. Forward. Brighton, Hove Albion. Born 7/27/1955.
NASL MVP in 1982. Peter Ward was a brilliant goalscorer for
Non-League Burton Albion in the early 1970s. He would eventually
sign for Brighton and Hove Albion. Now owns an English pub in
Tampa Bay area.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1982 Seattle Sounders 32 18 12 48 7 3 4 10
1983 Seattle Sounders 30 13 8 34 - - - -
1984 Vancouver Whitecaps 24 16 10 42 2 0 1 1
----------------------------------------------
^WATSON, DAVID (England). Defender. Sunderland, Manchester City.
65 Caps. Born 10/5/1946.
He also played for Werder Bremen in Germany before returning to
England for brief spells at Southampton and Stoke City. He was a hard-
working central defender. He basically won the role after Roy McFarland's
playing career was disrupted by an Achilles Tendon injury.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 26 3 3 9 3 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------
^WEGERLE, STEVE (South Africa) Forward. Queens Park Rangers & Coventry City.
Born 5/15/1953. Played alongside brother Roy in 1984.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1977 Tampa Bay Rowdies 26 5 11 21 1 0 0 0
1978 Tampa Bay Rowdies 26 7 12 26 6 2 1 5
1979 Tampa Bay Rowdies 29 3 21 27 8 3 2 8
1980 Tampa Bay Rowdies 29 9 15 33 3 1 4 6
1981 Tampa Bay Rowdies 10 2 2 6 - - - -
1981 New York Cosmos 8 0 4 4 6 2 2 6
1982 New York Cosmos 26 3 5 11 5 0 1 1
1983 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 19 0 4 4 - - - -
1984 Tampa Bay Rowdies 23 3 14 20 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
*WEGERLE, ROY (S. Africa/USA). Forward. Colorado Rapids (MLS) 1996; D.C. United (MLS) 1997.
41 caps and 7 goals. Born 3/19/1964.
NASL Rookie of the year 1984. Had long successful career in England. Numerous caps
for the USA, member through 1998. One of three players to play in both the NASL and MLS.
World Cup '94 and '98. Roy was one of the last major players to debut in the NASL.
After this he played for many years in England for Coventry City, Blackburn Rovers,
Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea, and Luton Town. He also played for the Tacoma Stars of the
Major Indoor Soccer League.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1984 Tampa Bay Rowdies 21 9 17 25 -- -- -- --
1996 Colorado Rapids (MLS) 22 2 7 11
1997 D. C. United (MLS) 17 3 3 9
----------------------------------------------
^WELLER, KEITH (Engl.) Midfielder. Ft. Lauderdale, Leicester City.
4 Caps. Born 6/11/1946.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1978 New England Tea Men 24 5 8 18 1 0 0 0
1979 New England Tea Men 30 9 10 28 - - - -
1980 New England Tea Men 18 4 4 12 - - - -
1980 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 6 1 0 2 4 0 1 1
1981 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 28 3 4 10 6 1 5 7
1982 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 18 1 3 5 3 0 1 1
1983 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 12 1 2 4 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
WILLEY, Alan (Eng.). Forward. Middlesborough et al. Born 10/18/1956.
One of the NASL's top goalscorers, Allen Willey came to the States on a loan
from Middlesbrough, but stayed on for nine seasons. Willey joined
Middlesbrough as an apprentice and made his debut against Mancester City on
September 21, 1974. Between 1974 and 1977, he played in 50 games, mostly as
a substitute and scored 7 goals.
In the NASL, Willey had a fantastic scoring career, becoming the 3rd alltime
points scorer, with 129 goals 48 assists and 306 points in 238 games. He was
4th in scoring for 1976, 7th in 1977, and 8th in 1978. He played in the NASL
Championship game in 1976, and in 1978 scored 5 goals in a playoff game
against in a 9-2 victory against the Cosmos.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1976 Minnesota Kicks 23 16 7 39 2 0 0 0
1977 Minnesota Kicks 20 14 1 29 2 0 0 0
1978 Minnesota Kicks 30 21 3 45 4 7 0 14
1979 Minnesota Kicks 29 21 7 49 2 0 0 0
1980 Minnesota Kicks 26 7 5 19 2 0 0 0
1981 Minnesota Kicks 6 1 0 2 - - - -
Montreal Manic 21 6 2 14 6 3 4 10
1982 Montreal Manic 29 15 7 37 3 2 0 4
1983 Montreal Manic 30 13 12 38 5 1 1 3
1984 Minnesota Strikers 24 15 4 34 - - - -
----------------------------------------------
^WITHE, PETER (Engl.) Center-Forward. Aston Villa. Born 8/30/1951.
A big bruiser. 11 Caps.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1975 Portland Timbers 22 16 6 38 3 1 1 3
----------------------------------------------
^WORTHINGTON, FRANK (Engl.) Striker. Leeds U., Southampton,
Birmingham City. 8 Caps. Born 12/23/1948.
A brilliantly gifted striker with immense skills. Played for Bolton
Wanderers, but his best spell was with Leicester City in the 1970s. Won 8
caps for England.
(courtesy Garry Archer): Best goal I ever saw him score, was receiving
the ball with his back to goal and several defenders all behind him. He
flicked the ball over his head, over their heads, turned, dashed between
them and as the ball came down he volleyed the ball past the goalie from
12 yards out. Who says the Brasilians have it all? :-)
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1979 Philadelphia Fury 21 10 7 27 4 1 3 5
1981 Tampa Bay Rowdies 26 11 16 38 5 1 3 5
----------------------------------------------
^ZUNGUL, STEVE (Slavisa) (Yugo.) Forward. 14 Caps. Born 7/28/1954.
Had long spectacular indoor career with New York Arrows (MISL) 1983-84,
and San Diego Sockers (MISL) 1985-1991. One of the top indoor players
of all time. Named to MISL all-decade team, c. 1988.
Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts GP G A Pts
1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes 22 16 15 47 5 3 2 8
1984 Golden Bay Earthquakes 24 20 10 50 - - - -
----------------------------------------------