1977 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season

Fort Lauderdale Strikers
1977 season
Owner	Elizabeth Robbie
General manager	Krikor Yepremian
Manager	Ron Newman
Stadium	Lockhart Stadium
NASL	Eastern Division: First place; Regular season: Champions
Top goalscorer	League: ; George Nanchoff (8) ; All: ; Maurice Whittle (9)
Average home league attendance	8,148
Home colors	Away colors
	← 1976 Toros 1978 Strikers →

The 1977 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season was the first season of the new team, and the club's eleventh season in professional soccer. It is also the first ever incarnation of the club's new name. Previously they were known as the Miami Toros. The 1977 squad won the North American Soccer League's Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference, and was the top team in regular season with 19 victories for 161 points.

Background

First ever match

The Strikers first-ever game was a preseason indoor match played on February 27, 1977 at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.^[2] Though only an exhibition, this was the first meeting in what was to become one of the most enduring rivalries in North American soccer, the Florida Derby. It would also set the tone for many years of indoor frustration for the Strikers as they fell, 9–8, to the hosts.^[3]^[4]

Match report

February 27, 1977 1	Tampa Bay Rowdies	9–8	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	St. Petersburg, Florida
8:00 p.m. (EST)	Lindsay 4:21' (Wegerle) Smethurst 33:13' Smethurst 34:04' (Alston) Quraishi 41:34' (Smethurst) Smethurst 41:57' (Wegerle) Wegerle 48:29' Smethurst 49:30' (Wegerle) Wegerle 50:41' Alston 51:47' (Smethurst)	Report	Mulroy 12:07' (Nanchoff, Sharp) Sharp 12:27' Nanchoff 26:40' (Chadwick) Ceballos 44:20' (Sharp) Chadwick 47:40' (Hamlyn, Sharp) Sharp 50:41' Sharp 58:04' Hamlyn 59:57'	Stadium: Bayfront Center Attendance: 5,016 Referee: Sam Hornich

Review

Competitions

Friendlies

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
February 27, 1977	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Bayfront Center	9–8	5,016 (indoor)	Sharp (3), Mulroy, Nanchoff, Ceballos, Chadwick, Hamlyn
March 5, 1977	Rollins College Tars	Sandspur Bowl	1–6
March 12, 1977	Washington Diplomats	Wilde Lake High School	3–2	1,093	Sergio Ceballos (2)
March 13, 1977	Washington Diplomats	City Stadium	3–4		David Chadwick, Fred Pereira, Sergio Ceballos, Curtis Leeper
March 26, 1977	Miami Dade South	MDC South Campus
March 27, 1977	FIU Sunblazers	FIU Soccer Stadium	0–5	1,100
April 6, 1977	Rochester Lancers	Lockhart Stadium	2–0		Bobby Bell, Tony Whelan
June 10, 1977	S.S. Lazio	Lockhart Stadium	1–4	3,500	Norman Piper
October 2, 1977	Business Machines, Inc.	Leonard High School	2–3	500	Tony Whelan, David Proctor, Mike Fazee

NASL regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, BP = Bonus Points, Pts= point system

6 points for a win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game.

Atlantic Conference

Eastern Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	19	7	49	29	47	161	11–2	8–5
Cosmos	15	11	60	39	50	140	10–3	5–8
Tampa Bay Rowdies	14	12	55	45	47	131	11–2	3–10
Washington Diplomats	10	16	32	49	32	92	6–7	4–9

Northern Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Toronto Metros-Croatia	13	13	42	38	37	115	8–5	5–8
St. Louis Stars	12	14	33	35	32	104	7–6	5–8
Rochester Lancers	11	15	34	41	33	99	10–3	1–12
Chicago Sting	10	16	31	43	28	88	4–9	6–7
Connecticut Bicentennials	7	19	34	65	30	72	4–9	3–10

Results summaries

Results by round

Match reports

NASL Playoffs

Divisional Championships

Higher seed		Lower seed	Game 1	Game 2	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	–	Cosmos	3–8	2–3 (SO, 0–3)	August 14 • Giants Stadium • 77,691 August 17 • Lockhart Stadium 14,152

Bracket

First Round

Division Championships

Conference Championships

Soccer Bowl '77

E2

Cosmos

3

E3

Tampa Bay Rowdies

0

E1

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

0

E2

Cosmos

2

E2

Cosmos

2

N3

Rochester Lancers

0

N2

St. Louis Stars

0(2)

N3

Rochester Lancers

0(4)

N1

Toronto Metros-Croatia

0

N3

Rochester Lancers

2

E2

Cosmos

2

W3

Seattle Sounders

1

S2

Los Angeles Aztecs

2

S3

San Jose Earthquakes

1

S1

Dallas Tornado

0

S2

Los Angeles Aztecs

2

S2

Los Angeles Aztecs

0

W3

Seattle Sounders

2

W2

Vancouver Whitecaps

0

W3

Seattle Sounders

2

W1

Minnesota Kicks

0

W3

Seattle Sounders

2

Match reports

Statistics

Transfers

References

^ "13 Jan 1977, Page 58 – Fort Lauderdale News at". Newspapers.com. January 13, 1977. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
^ "Rowdies Vs. Strikers In Exhibition Tonight". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 27, 1977. p. 3-D. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
^ Meyer, John (February 28, 1977). "Rowdies: Bombs Away!". Evening Independent. p. 1-C. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
^ Blankenship, Ken (February 28, 1977). "Smethurst-led Rowdies clip Strikers 9–8". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved September 19, 2016.

[1] "13 Jan 1977, Page 58 – Fort Lauderdale News at". Newspapers.com. January 13, 1977. Retrieved June 5, 2022.

[2] "Rowdies Vs. Strikers In Exhibition Tonight". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 27, 1977. p. 3-D. Retrieved September 19, 2016.

[3] Meyer, John (February 28, 1977). "Rowdies: Bombs Away!". Evening Independent. p. 1-C. Retrieved September 19, 2016.

[4] Blankenship, Ken (February 28, 1977). "Smethurst-led Rowdies clip Strikers 9–8". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved September 19, 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
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Seasons	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Soccer Bowls	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Predecessors	USA 1967 Final NPSL 1967 Final
Indoor seasons	1971 1975 1976 1978 1979 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1983 1983–84
Conferences	1968 East West 1976–1977 Atlantic Pacific 1978–1980 American National
Related	Soccer Bowl broadcasters NASL Indoor Championship
Clubs	Atlanta Apollos Atlanta Chiefs Baltimore Bays Baltimore Comets Boston Beacons Boston Minutemen Boston Shamrock Rovers† Calgary Boomers California Surf Chicago Mustangs Chicago Spurs² Chicago Sting Cleveland Stokers Caribous of Colorado Connecticut Bicentennials Dallas Tornado Denver Dynamos Detroit Cougars Detroit Express Edmonton Drillers Fort Lauderdale Strikers Golden Bay Earthquakes Hartford Bicentennials Houston Hurricane Houston Stars Jacksonville Tea Men Kansas City Spurs Las Vegas Quicksilvers Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Wolves Memphis Rogues Miami Gatos Miami Toros Minnesota Kicks Minnesota Strikers Montreal Manic Montreal Olympique New England Tea Men New York Cosmos New York Generals New York Skyliners¹ Oakland Clippers Oakland Stompers Philadelphia Spartans² Philadelphia Atoms Philadelphia Fury Pittsburgh Phantoms² Portland Timbers Rochester Lancers San Antonio Thunder San Diego Jaws San Diego Sockers San Diego Toros San Francisco Golden Gate Gales¹ San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders St. Louis Stars Tampa Bay Rowdies Team America Team Hawaii Toronto Blizzard Toronto City¹ Toronto Metros Toronto Metros-Croatia Tulsa Roughnecks Vancouver Royals Vancouver Whitecaps Washington Darts Washington Diplomats Washington Whips
¹ United Soccer Association team that did not join NASL upon merger with NPSL. ² National Professional Soccer League team that did not join NASL upon merger with USA.

Background

First ever match

Match report

Review

Competitions

Friendlies

NASL regular season

Atlantic Conference

Results summaries

Results by round

Match reports

NASL Playoffs

Divisional Championships

Bracket

Match reports

Statistics

Transfers

See also

References