Philadelphia Atoms
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| Full name | Philadelphia Atoms | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Atoms | ||
| Founded | 1973 | ||
| Dissolved | 1976 | ||
| Stadium | Veterans Stadium (1973–75) Franklin Field (1976) Philadelphia, PA |
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| Owner(s) |  Thomas McCloskey |
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| Head Coach | Al Miller |
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| League | NASL | ||
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The Philadelphia Atoms were an American soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1973 to 1976, at Veterans Stadium (1973–75) and Franklin Field (1976). The club's colors were blue and white. The club was succeeded by the Philadelphia Fury in 1978.
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History[edit]
The Atoms were founded by Philadelphia construction mogul Thomas McCloskey in 1973 at the urging of Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Tornado owner Lamar Hunt. Playing a largely American line-up, they won the NASL title in their first year of existence by defeating Hunt’s Dallas club 2–0. After this championship match, Philadelphia goalkeeper and Delaware Valley native Bob Rigby became the first soccer player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The Atoms could not sustain the success of their first season as the club missed the playoffs in each of their remaining three NASL campaigns. Attendance began to flag and, after the 1975 season, the team was sold to a group of Mexican clubs, which included Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Fielding a primarily Mexican side (almost 20 years before Chivas USA would try a similar approach in Major League Soccer), attendance continued to wane and the club folded after the 1976 season.
Although Clive Toye reports in his recent book that the franchise was sold to an ownership group from Montreal, he apparently confuses the fate of the next Philadelphia NASL team for that of the Atoms; the Atoms were, in fact, going to be relocated to San Antonio by their Mexican owners, who planned to replace the San Antonio Thunder franchise (which itself had just relocated to Honolulu to play as Team Hawaii). This plan never came to fruition, and the Philadelphia franchise was placed into receivership by the NASL.
The franchise was removed from receivership two years later when the Philadelphia Fury began their three year run in Philadelphia in 1978.
Year-by-year[edit]
| Year | Record | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 9–8–2 | 1st, Eastern Division | NASL Champions |
| 1974 | 8–11–1 | 3rd, Eastern Division | Did Not Qualify |
| 1975 | 10–12 | 4th, Eastern Division | Did Not Qualify |
| 1976 | 8–16 | 4th, Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference | Did Not Qualify |
Honors[edit]
NASL Championships
- 1973
Division Titles
- 1973 Eastern Division
Coach of the Year
- 1973 Al Miller
Rookie of the Year
- 1975 Chris Bahr
All-Star First Team Selections
- 1973 Chris Dunleavy, Jim Fryatt, Andy Provan
- 1974 Chris Dunleavy
- 1975 Bobby Smith
All-Star Second Team Selections
- 1973 Roy Evans, Bob Rigby, Bobby Smith, Derek Trevis
- 1974 Bob Rigby, Derek Trevis
- 1975 Bob Hope, Tony Want
All-Star Honorable Mentions
- 1973 Barry Barto, George O'Neill
- 1974 Jim Fryatt, Bobby Smith
Notable players[edit]
Bob Rigby (1973–75)
Jim Fryatt (1974–75)- Derek Trevis (1973–75) [1]
Bobby Hope (1976)- Norman Wingert
Head coaches[edit]
- Al Miller (1973–1975)
Yearly Average Attendance[edit]
- 1973 – 11,501
- 1974 – 11,784
- 1975 – 6,848
- 1976 – 5,912
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- A page devoted to the history of the Philadelphia Atoms by American soccer historian Steve Holroyd
- NASL Jerseys: Philadelphia Atoms
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- Association football clubs established in 1973
- Association football clubs disestablished in 1976
- Defunct soccer clubs in the United States
- Defunct sports teams in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- North American Soccer League (1968–84) teams
- Soccer clubs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania soccer teams
- 1973 establishments in Pennsylvania
- 1976 disestablishments in the United States
- 20th-century disestablishments in Pennsylvania
