Fort Lauderdale/South Florida Sun was a professional U.S. soccer team which played two seasons in the United Soccer League .
43-628: In November of 1983, The Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League , motivated in part by the lack of a suitable arena in the Fort Lauderdale area for the league's winter indoor season, announced that they would be moving to Minnesota. The outdoor version of the Strikers had attracted a relatively robust fan base in the late 1970s and early 80s, and former Miami Toros player Ronnie Sharp headed up
86-506: A fairly well-established fanbase that had enjoyed a championship run just one year prior. Before the team could begin playing in Tulsa, though, the situation for the team and the league changed drastically. Virtually all of the teams in the one-year-old USL had lost money in 1984, and most of them failed to post a performance bond to guarantee their return for 1985. In February a last-ditch set of USL/NASL merger discussions that hoped to bring
129-699: A few weeks the NASL had cancelled its upcoming season and five USL teams (including the Sun's division rivals in Charlotte and Jacksonville) had officially folded, while another had withdrawn to become an independent club. The renamed South Florida Sun were joined by only the Dallas Americans , Tulsa Tornado's (who had moved from Oklahoma City and re-branded), and an expansion team in El Paso/Juarez for
172-487: A financial boost to the USL and a boost in membership to the flagging NASL ended without an agreement. In short order the NASL announced that there would be no 1985 season, and six of the nine USL teams either ended operations or withdrew from the league. Only Dallas and Fort Lauderdale (renamed South Florida) along with an expansion team in El Paso/Juarez joined Tulsa to attempt the USL's 1985 outdoor season . Further compounding
215-525: A group that believed that the city was still a good market for the game. They applied to field an expansion team in the de facto second division American Soccer League in 1984. Despite the league being down to only four active teams, their application was rejected at the league meetings in January of 1984 because ASL by-laws allowed the owner of a "dormant" franchise in Miami to retain territorial control over
258-541: A large drug smuggling operation. In the playoff semifinals, the Sun crushed the Buffalo Storm by scores of 3-0 and 5-1. The championship round against the Houston Dynamos would be much more closely contested. Houston won the first game at home in a shootout. The Sun won Game 2 by a score of 3-0, setting up a decisive Game 3 on September 1st. This game also ended tied after regulation and overtime, but
301-426: A performance bond to guarantee their return for 1985. The first division NASL was also in deep trouble, with only a few of its remaining nine teams willing to commit to another outdoor season. A last-ditch idea to merge the USL and NASL to salvage some form of professional outdoor soccer that summer was discussed, but USL commissioner William Burfeind announced that this merger would not go through on March 5th. Within
344-642: A professional outdoor soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played in the 2nd division United Soccer League during the partially completed 1985 season . The team was created when the owner of the Oklahoma City Stampede , David Fraser, announced that he was moving the franchise to Tulsa and changing their name in December 1984. The previous September, the North American Soccer League 's Tulsa Roughnecks had announced that they were folding, and Fraser may have been hoping to take advantage of
387-422: A three-year contract in mid-June. On June 22nd, with no new teams having joined the league, the Sun began regular season play at home against Dallas. The 3-1 victory would turn out to be the final USL game and the only game in which Neeskens would suit up for South Florida (despite the "three-year contract," he would never receive a paycheck). Before the Sun's next scheduled match on the 26th, creditors foreclosed on
430-632: The North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1977 to 1983. They played their home matches at Lockhart Stadium . Founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts , the team relocated to Florida in 1972. They were known as the Miami Gatos (1972) and the Miami Toros (1973–1976) before moving to nearby Fort Lauderdale . In addition to their time in the NASL outdoor league, the Strikers also played two indoor seasons while in Fort Lauderdale, at
473-461: The USL's 1985 season . To buy time to attract a few more members, the USL decided to re-arrange the schedule by splitting the season into two parts. In the first part of the season, the four teams would compete for the "USL Cup" in a round-robin style tournament capped off by a championship between the top two teams. A "regular season" was to begin in late June. USL Cup play got underway on May 19th, but
SECTION 10
#1732793882134516-670: The United Soccer League . The USL accepted Sharp and Co.'s application for membership, and the rest of the teams in the ASL either also defected to the new league or folded over the next few months. The new Fort Lauderdale club chose the name Sun, and they joined the Tea Men and Charlotte Gold in the Southern Division of the nine team USL. When the Sun built its team for the 1984 season , they were able to secure
559-555: 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. 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 . After one season,
602-633: The West Palm Beach Auditorium for the 1979–80 season and the Hollywood Sportatorium for the 1980–81 season . After the 1983 season, the Strikers moved to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Strikers . Among their players during its time in Fort Lauderdale were football legends George Best and Gerd Müller . Founded in 1963 as the amateur club Washington Britannica and eventually rebranding as
645-482: The 1981 Outdoor season. The 1981 season saw the team's first decline in average attendance since it had moved to Fort Lauderdale with 13,345 fans per game seeing them finish second in the Southern Division with a record of eighteen wins and fourteen losses, rather than the 14,360 who attended each game during the 1980 season. After defeating the Calgary Boomers and Minnesota Kicks in the first two rounds of
688-528: The Soccer Bowl that he would return as head coach for the following outdoor season, van der Hart was fired. Team spokesman stated "personal issues" and "team morale" as the primary reason and that Assistant Bill Nuttall was named caretaker for the reminder of the indoor campaign. German Eckhard Krautzun who had coached the Houston Hurricane during the 1980 season, was named head coach for
731-589: The Southern Division, the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Tulsa Roughnecks . 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 On November 30, 1983, team owner Elizabeth Robbie, Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich , and NASL president Howard Samuels officially announced
774-541: The Sun closed up shop before those games could materialize. Champion USL Invitational Cup Rookie of the Year Top Goalkeeper *USL cup only Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977%E2%80%931983) West Palm Beach Auditorium (indoor 1979–80) West Palm Beach, Florida The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were a professional soccer team based in the Miami metropolitan area . They competed in
817-522: The Sun would win the shootout round this time to clinch the first USL championship. Later in the month, an investors group comprised primarily of local doctors who had sat together at Strikers games purchased the team from the troubled Ronnie Sharp. Though the USL tried to help teams operate within their means through strict salary caps and schedules that heavily featured regional play to reduce travel expenses, virtually all of its teams were losing money during their first season. Several teams failed to post
860-562: The USL Cup, so when the Sun defeated Tulsa 1-0 at Lockhart Stadium on June 15th, they were declared cup winners due to having clinched the best record. As a harbinger of things to come, the acting commissioner was not there nor was an actual trophy presented to them, causing Sun player-coach, Keith Weller , to quip, "There ain't no cup." The Sun did their best to proceed as though it was business as usual, even managing to sign former New York Cosmos and Dutch national team star Johan Neeskens to
903-475: The USL season, leaving the city of Tulsa with two hastily assembled and underfunded clubs competing for the attention of the town's soccer fans. The USL re-arranged its schedule to open with a round-robin format "USL Cup" (each team was to play the other twice) to be followed by a twelve-game regular season. Play began on May 19th, and the Tornado's organization started to collapse almost immediately. Through
SECTION 20
#1732793882134946-410: The area. This rejection would be the catalyst for a seismic change in the second tier of pro soccer, as the owners of the ASL's Jacksonville Tea Men and Dallas Americans would see it as confirmation that the ASL was too hampered by unwieldy league rules and not financially disciplined enough to have much of a future. They broke away to form a more stable, financially sound league that they would call
989-474: The challenges of attracting fans and sponsors in a new town on short notice, the Roughnecks' former general manager, Noel Lemon, announced in January that he had been authorized to revive the Roughnecks for the 1985 NASL season. When the NASL was unable to get enough teams on board and cancelled the 1985 season, the "new" Roughnecks announced a 20-game exhibition schedule that was to start in the same month as
1032-575: The first three games of the USL Cup round, the team only attracted around 500 fans per game, and reports emerged of the owners facing lawsuits related to rent payments at their home field, Skelly Stadium , as well as missing payroll for the coaches and players. The unpaid team refused to take the field for a June 6th home exhibition game or travel to Dallas for a June 8th USL Cup game. Around this time, coach Brian Harvey resigned and several players began to take their leave. New investors led by Jimbo Elrod and Sammie Jo Cole engaged in discussions with
1075-526: The first three rounds of the playoffs. On September 21, 1980, at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC the Strikers lost to the Cosmos 3–0. In mid October, Lemieux was fired from his position as General Manager with Tim Robbie, son of owners Joe and Elizabeth Robbie, taking over the position. Then in late December 1980 with the team 0–6 in the 1980–81 NASL Indoor season and after having announced just after
1118-607: The gate receipts from the match. Team owners soon came to grips with the fact that the organization simply did not have the means to carry on. They officially announced the suspension of operations a few days later, and the players began to disperse back into everyday life. On June 27, 1984 the Sun made their only appearance in the Florida Derby , falling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies , 5–1, in an inter-league friendly. Two more derby matches were planned for in 1985, but
1161-508: The league and locked officials out of their offices. The USL voted to suspend play on June 25th. Following the league’s collapse, the Sun were the only USL club that did not immediately fold. The ownership group, who had just taken over the previous September, scrambled to find a new way forward. They began to tentatively plan exhibition matches against a Haitian Select team, the Minnesota Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies , among others, hoping to earn enough in ticket sales to cover back pay that
1204-463: The league to take over principal ownership, and the Tornado's did travel to Fort Lauderdale (albeit with a "substantially different" roster) to compete in the final game of the Cup round on June 15. However, the 1-0 loss would be their final match. The regular season opener scheduled for June 22 was cancelled due to still unresolved payroll and stadium rent issues, and a few days later creditors foreclosed on
1247-414: The league's future looked bleak. Commissioner William Burfeind resigned just as the games were starting. The teams in Tulsa and Dallas were both having trouble making payroll, and unpaid players in Tulsa refused to participate in one exhibition and one USL Cup game. South Florida finished at the top of the table in round robin play with a 4-2 record. The league abandoned plans for the championship round of
1290-428: The league. This paid dividends, as they played to a 15–9 record, scoring fifty-three goals and giving up only thirty-four. The Sun finished at the top of the Southern Division and just a few standings points behind the Oklahoma City Stampede for the top seed in the playoffs. They would achieve this on-field success despite primary owner Ronnie Sharp's arrest less than a month into the season for alleged participation in
1333-713: The most enduring rivalries in North American soccer, the Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry . The Strikers won their debut match 2–1 at Lockhart Stadium against the St. Louis Stars on April 10, 1977. They finished the 1977 season in first place of the Eastern Division American Conference with a record of nineteen wins and seven losses, tying the league record for most wins in a season. The team drew an average 8,148 fans for
Fort Lauderdale Sun - Misplaced Pages Continue
1376-585: The played The 1979 North American Soccer League season ended with the Strikers in second place of the Eastern Division behind the Rowdies with a record of seventeen wins, thirteen losses and averaging 13,774 attendance per game. The Strikers were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Chicago Sting , losing both games without scoring a goal. The day before the second game, it
1419-577: The players as well as publicity referencing a drinking problem, both issues led to difficulties with the head office. Finishing with a record of eighteen wins and fourteen loses, the team ended the season in second place of the Eastern Division, behind the Tampa Bay Rowdies again. The Strikers advanced to Soccer Bowl '80 against the New York Cosmos after defeating the California Surf , Edmonton Drillers , and San Diego Sockers in
1462-502: The playoffs, the Strikers lost in the Semifinals to the Cosmos. The day after the Strikers were eliminated from contention for Soccer Bowl '81 , the North American Soccer League announced that the team would not participate in the upcoming 1981–82 NASL Indoor season , but would return for 1982 outdoor season. The Strikers ended the 1982 North American Soccer League season with an identical eighteen wins and fourteen losses from
1505-470: The previous season which won them the Southern Division title with another decline in attendance of 12,345 average attendance. After defeating the Montreal Manic in the first round of the playoffs, the Strikers failed to qualify for Soccer Bowl '82 when they lost the semifinals to Seattle Sounders . After two seasons, Krautzun was fired as head coach with former Striker player and head coach of
1548-519: The recently folded Georgia Generals David Chadwick rumored to be interested in the position. His hiring was confirmed a week later. In addition to compiling a record of one win and seven losses in the 1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer , the Strikers played two indoor friendlies during the offseason. The team's attendance continued decline in the 1983 outdoor season and the team recorded their first losing record in an outdoor NASL season with fourteen wins and sixteen losses. Finishing second in
1591-497: The return leg played in Fort Lauderdale, the Strikers lost 3–2 in an overtime shootout. Finishing the 1978 season in third place with a record of sixteen wins and fourteen losses, the Strikers made it to the third round of the playoffs, losing the Conference Championship to the Tampa Bay Rowdies . The team was one of four to participate in the 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational , losing both games
1634-606: The season, a 165% increase over the team's last season as the Toros, and head coach Ron Newman , who had been hired before the team announced its move to Fort Lauderdale, was named NASL coach of the year. In the first match of the Division Championship, the Strikers lost to the Pelé led New York Cosmos 8–3 at Giants Stadium in a match which drew 77,691 fans, a record for a non-exhibition domestic league soccer game. In
1677-423: The services of several former Strikers who had chosen not to go north with the NASL club. Teófilo Cubillas , Jim Tietjens , Ernst-Jean Baptiste, and player-coach Keith Weller all signed with the Sun (though Cubillas would only commit to playing home games), and they were joined by former English international Dave Watson and Scottish international Asa Hartford , giving the Sun one of the most talented rosters in
1720-776: The team was moving and indicated the team had lost around $ 1 million in the last year. In 1984 the team began play as the Minnesota Strikers . The team survived the NASL folding after the 1984 season and competed in the Major Indoor Soccer League for an additional four seasons before going out of business. Regular Season Titles Division titles Coach of the Year U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame All-Star first team selections All-Star second team selections All-Star honorable mentions Tulsa Tornados The Tulsa Tornado's were
1763-469: The team was sold to a group of 25 local business leaders including Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth and renamed the Toros . In December 1976 and after five seasons in Miami, the team announced it was moving to Fort Lauderdale . The team played its first game, an indoor friendly , on February 27, 1977, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies , the first meeting in what was to become one of
Fort Lauderdale Sun - Misplaced Pages Continue
1806-552: Was announced that the team had relieved Ron Newman as head coach and offered him a job in the team management. After Newman declined the front office position, the Strikers hired Bob Lemieux who had been working as an executive for the Detroit Red Wings as the team's General Manager. In December 1979, the Strikers announced that Cor van der Hart had been hired as head coach. During the 1980 NASL Season there were several reports of arguments between van der Hart and
1849-516: Was owed to players and staff. The only one of these matches that would actually be played, though, was a July 4th match against the Topez-Haitian All-Stars in which the soccer game preceded the town's Independence Day fireworks. The Sun rallied to win what was to be their final game, 4–3, before a crowd of 3,529. After the game, the Sun players, who had not received their full paychecks since May 31st, voted on how to equitably share
#133866