The Hartford Bicentennials was a soccer team based out of Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

 that played in the North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

. The team played at Dillon Stadium

Dillon Stadium

-Sports:Founded by football coach John Dillon, Dillon Stadium was the home of two minor league football teams in the 1960s and 70s: the Hartford Charter Oaks, owned by the Brewer family, and the Hartford Knights...

.

After the 1976 season the team moved to New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

 and was renamed the Connecticut Bicentennials. Their home field was the Yale Bowl

Yale Bowl

The Yale Bowl is a football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles west of Yale's main campus. Completed in 1914, the stadium seats 61,446, reduced by renovations from the original capacity of 70,869...

.

The team name took its roots from the fact that the United States was approaching its bicentennial anniversary in 1976 and Connecticut was one of the original British colonies.

The franchise was relocated to Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 for the 1978 season, where they became known as the Oakland Stompers

Oakland Stompers

The Oakland Stompers were a soccer team in the North American Soccer League which played the 1978 season in the NASL. The Stompers played in the Western Division of the American Conference and finished the year with a 12-18 record...

. The Stompers were only in the Bay Area for one season before moving to Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 to become the Edmonton Drillers for the 1979 through 1982 seasons.

1977 Roster

Jim Barron

Jim Barron

Jim Barron is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played over 400 games in the Football League for a number of clubs over a twenty year career.-Career:...

 Greg Downs (footballer)

Greg Downs (footballer)

Gregory Downs is a former professional English footballer. Originally a centre-forward, he switched to left full-back early in his career....

 Geoff Hammond

Geoff Hammond

Geoff Hammond was a professional English Football player defender.In 1970, Hammond began his career with Ipswich Town. He transferred to Manchester City in 1976 for two seasons before moving to Charlton Athletic F.C. for one season before ending his career with the Connecticut Bicentennials of the...

 Tommy Parkin

Tommy Parkin

Tommy Parkin is a retired English professional football defenderParkin spent his youth career with Ipswich Town. In December 1973, he turned professional with Ipswich, but did not see any first team time until January 1978. In 1977, the team sent him on loan to the Connecticut Bicentennials of...

 (1977) Geoff Pike

Geoff Pike

Geoff Pike is an English former footballer midfielder.Pike played his early football in Thurrock and later with Gidea Park Rangers. He joined West Ham United in 1975 and was a member of the side that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup Final. He made his league debut on 6 March 1976 against Birmingham...

 Bruce Stuckey

Bruce Stuckey

Bruce Stuckey is an English former professional footballer who played as a right winger. Active in both England and the United States, Stuckey made over 250 career appearances.-Career:...

 http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/brucestuckey.htm Fred Pereira

Fred Pereira

Fred “Fredy” Pereira is a former Portuguese-American soccer forward who spent three seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned six caps with the U.S. national team in 1977.-High school and college:...

Year-by-year

Year	League	W	L	T	Pts	Regular Season	Playoffs	Avg. Attendance
1975	NASL	6	16	—	61	5th, Northern Division	Did Not Qualify	3,720
1976	NASL	12	12	—	107	4th, Atlantic Conference, Northern Division	Did Not Qualify	3,420
1977	NASL	7	19	—	72	5th, Atlantic Conference, Northern Division	Did Not Qualify	3,902