Fort Lauderdale Strikers (APSL)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the second team known as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. For other teams named 'Fort Lauderdale Strikers' see Fort Lauderdale StrikersFort Lauderdale StrikersFort Lauderdale Strikers was an American soccer team, a descendant of the Washington Darts, Miami Gatos, and Miami Toros, that played in Fort Lauderdale, Florida....
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The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team established in 1988 as part of the third American Soccer League. In 1990, it moved to the American Professional Soccer League
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
where it spent five seasons before folding in 1994. The Strikers won the 1989 ASL championship.
History
In October 1987, the American Soccer LeagueAmerican Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
announced that it had awarded a franchise to Joe Robbie which would be located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. Robbie, who owned the Minnesota Strikers
Minnesota Strikers
The Minnesota Strikers was an American professional soccer team located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The team played one season in the North American Soccer League and 4 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
of the Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
announced his intentions of resurrecting the name Fort Lauderdale Strikers and hired Wim Suurbier to coach the team. The team played their home games in Lockhart Stadium
Lockhart Stadium
Lockhart Stadium is a stadium located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It is currently used by Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School and Dillard High School for home high school football games, and previously served as the home of the Florida Atlantic...
. In their first season, the Strikers stormed the ASL, finishing with a 14-6 record, best in the league, before falling to the Washington Diplomats
Washington Diplomats (APSL)
The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer team established in 1987 which played in the American Soccer League in 1988 and 1989 and the American Professional Soccer League in 1990.-History:...
in the finals. In 1988, Robbie later sold his share in the team to Noel Lemon. In January 1989, Suurbier resigned as coach to be replaced by Thomas Rongen
Thomas Rongen
Thomas Rongen is a Dutch soccer coach, formerly the head coach of D.C. United, the Sporting Director of Major League Soccer club Chivas USA, and the coach of the American Samoa national association football team...
. In their second season the Strikers did almost as well, finishing the season at 12-8. They went on to defeat the Boston Bolts
Boston Bolts
The Boston Bolts were a short lived U.S. soccer team which came into existence in 1988 as a member of the third American Soccer League . They played in Boston, Massachusetts at Nickerson Field...
for the 1989 championship. This qualified them for the first American national outdoor soccer championship since the collapse of 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:...
in 1984. On September 9, 1989, the Strikers defeated the San Diego Nomads
San Diego Nomads
-History:The Nomads joined the Western Soccer Alliance in 1986. In 1989, the WSA changed its name to the Western Soccer League and in 1990, the team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the WSL merged with the American Soccer League. After winning the WSL championship in...
of the Western Soccer League
Western Soccer League
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alliance...
, 3-1, to win the title. Following that game, the ASL merged with the WSL to form the American Professional Soccer League
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League is a former professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the original North American Soccer League...
. They would play five more years in that league. In January 1991, the Strikers merged with the Orlando Lions
Orlando Lions
The Orlando Lions was an American soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team....
. The combined team retained the Strikers name, uniforms and staff. Soon after Lemons sold the team to Bryan Lockwood.
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | N/A | ASL | 1st, Southern | Final | Did not enter |
| 1989 | N/A | ASL | 2nd, Southern | Champion | Did not enter |
| 1990 | N/A | APSL | 1st, ASL South | Final | Did not enter |
| 1991 | N/A | APSL | 1st, American | Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1992 | N/A | APSL | 4th | Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1993 | N/A | APSL | 6th | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1994 | 2 | APSL | 5th | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
Notable players
This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.Ricardo Alonso
Ricardo Alonso
Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soccer Association, one in the American Soccer League and...
(1989–1990) Osvaldo Ardiles
Osvaldo Ardiles
Osvaldo César Ardiles , often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football coach, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentine national team...
(1989) Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
(1988) Paul Dougherty
Paul Dougherty
Paul Dougherty is an English former professional footballer and football coach who began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England...
(1991) Eric Eichmann
Eric Eichmann
Eric Eichmann is a retired American soccer player. He played professionally in Germany and the United States and later served as an assistant coach with the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer. He also earned twenty-nine caps and scored four goals, for the United States national...
(1988–92) Dale Ervine
Dale Ervine
Dale Ervine is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who spent most of his career playing indoor soccer. He also earned five caps with the U.S. national team between 1985 and 1993.-College:...
(1991) Ray Hudson
Ray Hudson
Ray Hudson , is a retired professional football player and former coach who currently works as an English-language football commentator on Gol TV.-Career:...
(1988–91) Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear is a Scottish-born American former soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.As a player, he began his professional career with Scottish club St...
(1994)
Steve Kinsey (1988–92) Arnie Mausser
Arnie Mausser
Arnold "Arnie" Mausser is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played with 8 different NASL teams from 1975-1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
(1990–1992) Tony Meola
Tony Meola
Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played for the United States national team at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, and from 1996 to 2006 played in Major League Soccer, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors...
(1991) Victor Moreland
Victor Moreland
|Victor "Vic" Moreland is a retired professional footballer from Northern Ireland who began his career in Northern Ireland, spent two seasons in the Football League before moving to the United States...
(1989–91) Steve Pittman
Steve Pittman
Steve Pittman is a retired American soccer defender who spent most of his career in the Scottish leagues. He also played professionally in the United States with Major Indoor Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and Major League Soccer...
(1991) Thomas Rongen
Thomas Rongen
Thomas Rongen is a Dutch soccer coach, formerly the head coach of D.C. United, the Sporting Director of Major League Soccer club Chivas USA, and the coach of the American Samoa national association football team...
(1988) Steve Trittschuh
Steve Trittschuh
Stephen "Steve" Trittschuh is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and Major League Soccer...
(1994)
See Also
- Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977-1983)
- Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1994-1997)
- Miami FusionMiami FusionMiami Fusion F.C. was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1998 to 2001. The club played in Lockhart Stadium, which was a former high school stadium converted into a soccer-specific stadium...
Now defunct MLSMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
team (1997-2001) - Miami FCMiami FCFort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
Division 2 team competing in the NASLNorth American Soccer League (2010)The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...