Cleveland Stokers
 | |||
| Full name | Cleveland Stokers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Dissolved | 1969 | ||
| Stadium | Cleveland Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 78,000 | ||
| Chairman | Vernon Stouffer Gabe Paul Howard Metzenbaum Alva "Ted" Bonda | ||
| League | USA(1967) NASL(1968) | ||
|
| |||
TheCleveland Stokerswere asoccerteam based inCleveland, Ohiothat played in theUnited Soccer Associationduring 1967 and theNorth American Soccer Leaguein 1968. Their home field wasCleveland Stadium.
History
[edit]United Soccer Association
[edit]In 1966 a group of United States and Canadian sports entrepreneurs, led byJack Kent Cooke,formed theUnited Soccer Associationwith the intention of organizing a professionalsoccerleague. The USA originally intended to launch its league in the spring of 1968. However a rival league, theNational Professional Soccer League,announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to lose ground to its rival, the USA decided to fast track its launch. Without any players of its own, it opted to import whole teams from Europe and South America. It was intended that these teams would represent the franchises during the inaugural season, giving them time to build their own squads for the following season.Stoke City,who played in theFootball League First Divisionsubsequently represented theCleveland, Ohiofranchise.[1]
The traveling Stoke party included the likes ofGordon Banks,Peter Dobing,George Eastham,Maurice SettersandRoy Vernonas well as managerTony Waddington.[1]The team started well going undefeated in their first seven matches defeatingWashington Whips2–1,Boston Rovers1–0,San Francisco Golden Gate GalesandDallas Tornadoboth 4–1.[1]They then suffered back to back 2–1 defeats toNew York SkylinersandHouston Starsbefore a 2–0 win overToronto Cityput them back on track for a play-off place.[1]However a goalless draw withDetroit Cougarsand a 3–1 defeat in the final match againstVancouver Royalssaw the Stokers miss out on a play-off spot by a single point.[1]
NASL
[edit]Following the 1967 season, the USA merged with theNational Professional Soccer Leagueto form theNorth American Soccer Leaguewith the teams from the former USA having to create their rosters from scratch. The franchise was originally acquired byCleveland Indiansbaseball club principal ownerVernon Stoufferand club presidentGabe Paulin August 1966. They sold the Stokers to a group led by Cleveland attorneyHoward Metzenbaumand business partner,Alva "Ted" Bonda,the first week of January 1968.
In assembling a team of their own, the new owners acquired the bulk of the starting line-up from the 1967 NPSLPhiladelphia Spartansfranchise, which would not participate in the NASL in 1968. The new Stokers won their division and fully intended on continuing operation. However, a difference in business philosophy with the five surviving NASL franchises saw the Stokers stay dormant in 1969. They did host an exhibition featuring a number of Stokers and NASL "all-stars" versus a West German opponent, which drew well, and fostered some hope, but Metzenbaum and Bonda remained unhappy with the NASL budgetary restraints, and announced the end of the Stokers in November 1969. The 1968 Stokers won their division after a tight race with the talentedChicago Mustangs.
In the conference championships, they were defeated in sudden-death overtime by the eventual championAtlanta Chiefs.But the highlight of the club's existence occurred on July 10, 1968, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, when they hosted and defeated the soccer world's top-ranked professional team,Santosof Brazil, featuringPelé.KeeperPaul Shardlowpreserved the 2–1 upset by saving a penalty kick. Unfortunately, Shardlow, leased fromStoke City,collapsed and died of a heart attack whilst training in England in October 1968, after the completion of the Stokers' season.
Those who represented the Stokers so well in the field during 1968 includedRubén Navarro,a world-class defender who made numerous national-team appearances with Argentina, his native land - where his name and play remain legendary - andEnrique Mateos,a veteran goal scorer from Spain - part of the powerfulReal Madriddynasty of the late 1950s. Stoker performers familiar to modern-day North American fans includeJohn Best(laterSeattlecoach andVancouverGM), andRoy Turner(laterDallas Tornadoiron-man and then long-time coach of the indoorWichita Wings).Peter ShortandHank Liotartalso enjoyed long U.S. soccer careers following their season in Cleveland.
Stokers' head coachNorman Lowreturned to England and did scouting. He later briefly scouted for the ASLCleveland Cobras.Metzenbaum embarked on a high-profile political career, while Bonda became a prominent Cleveland figure in education, business, and sports.
Year-by-year
[edit]| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Regular season | Playoffs | Avg. attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | USA | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 2nd, Eastern Division | Did not qualify | 6,567 |
| 1968 | NASL | 14 | 7 | 11 | 175 | 1st, Lakes Division | Lost Playoff (Atlanta) | 4,305 |
Honors
[edit]Division titles
- 1968:NASL Lakes Division
First team All-Star Selections
- 1967:Peter Dobing,George Eastham,Roy Vernon
- 1968:Rubén Navarro
Second team All-Star Selections
- 1967:Gordon Banks,Eric Skeels,John Moore
- 1968:Enrique Mateos
Hall of Fame members
- Indoor Soccer:Roy Turner[2]
References
[edit]- ^abcde"The Stokers Summer".Oatcake wordpress.July 20, 2012.RetrievedMarch 17,2015.
- ^"Hall of Famers".indoorsoccerhall.September 1, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 16,2021.
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
- Soccer clubs in Cleveland
- United Soccer Association franchises
- Stoke City F.C.
- 1967 establishments in Ohio
- 1968 disestablishments in Ohio
- Soccer clubs in Ohio
- Defunct soccer clubs in Ohio
- Association football clubs established in 1967
- Association football clubs disestablished in 1968