I am currently reading a very good book.
Playing for Uncle Sam.
Amazing just how many British players played over in the NASL during it's heyday. Lots of Charlton players mentioned including Flanagan, Peacock & Len Glover.
Any of the older generation recall these days - when players played 12 months of the year & the Tampa Bay Rowdies, New England Teamen & Seattle Sounders reigned supreme. The NASL was phenomenally succesful during the era of Pele, George Best, Rodney Marsh, Beckenbauer etc etc
Amazing that in the initial years - whole teams would go over & play under the banner of a North American team ie. Wolves became the Los Angeles Wolves in 1967!
Comments
http://www.soccer365.com/us_news/story_181107203412.php (i would link it but the option has gone for some reason)
Also Vancouver used to have Peter Beardsley (who was at a whitecaps game earlier this year) and the late Alan Ball playing for them and they won the league in 1979. Vancouver used to get crowds averaging 30-40,000 for these games and the most they got was 60,000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calum_Best
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Mandari%C4%87
many theories why the old nasl folded, many saying that the older players slowed the game down and kept it from being a fast-paced 'n.american' style of play. while there were very big crowds in the early days, the slow playing style kept people away in the end.
any thoughts from those who grew up in those days? do you think the current league might be making similar mistakes with the new signings of european stars who are past their best?
Toronto had a poor season, but I think within a season or two they will become a major force. I expect to see a fair few European players coming over in the spring/summer.
They had some good players of mixed age including, Peter Lorimar, Alan Taylor, Peter Beardsley (very young), Bruce Grobbelaar. I thnk I remember either Johnny Gile or Alan Ball playing.
Got to see the Rowdies, Fort Laurderdal Strikers, San Jose Earthquakes. I remember my Uncle telling me at the time that the standard was poor. Having just seen the 1982 world cup, it was a bit of a let down. Highlight of that summer was a road trip to Seattle to the old Kingdome with a group of Whitecap fans to see Peter Lorimar score from a great free-kick to win the game in overtime.
We then suffered some serious verbal abuse from the Yank's on the way out.
I see they say this is not against FIFA rules but surely that is not right. W hats stopping a team like Chelsea or Man U setting up a team on every continent?[/quote]
Franchise football and a teams name as a brand - sounds horrendous. It's probably already started though, just imagine if Man Utd set up a team in the J league or Arsenal set up a team in South Africa (massive support from Africa for Arsenal) etc etc. You know that they would make money out of it - sad though.
Toronto had a poor season, but I think within a season or two they will become a major force. I expect to see a fair few European players coming over in the spring/summer.[/quote]
Seattle have a team guaranteed for 2009 Oakster - Apparently Vancouver were within a shout but still can't get their arse in gear sorting out a new stadium.
Reamsofverse who posts on here, Dad (Eddie May) played for Chicago Sting (I got a big article to write one day)in the NASL. It sure would have been a great few years to live here, wouldn't it - oh for the media coverage the game got in those days. Of course it was always set up to fail - going against FIFA rules and the huge, huge salaries paid to ageing superstars. And Oakster is right again in that the MLS have been very careful not to go the same route again - Beckham and Cuauhtémoc Blanco aside. Although Becks headline 'salary' is mostly made up from endorsements and kit sales and sponsorship.
Other cities lined up to add teams to the MLS in the next few years are Phiadelphia, Portland and St Louis.We will see more European players come to the MLS but they will not be major names - doesn't Toronto have a couple of Brits Oakster?
I remember well when Powell, Peacock and Flanagan went to the US, mid-season if I believe. Was very strange but I am sure for them a little moneyspinner and knowing Paddy, a real laugh too. Laurie Abrahams was probably the most successful ex-Addick in the NASL - 11th alltime NASL goalscorer with 76 goals - bet you didn't know that?