Minnesota Strikers

The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and played their outdoor home games at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the Met Center for indoor games. Founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts and playing in Miami as the Gatos and the Toros before playing seven season as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers the team left Florida following the 1983 North American Soccer League season. After the 1987–88 season and playing four seasons in the MISL the team ceased operations.

Minnesota Strikers

Full name	Minnesota Strikers
Nickname(s)	Strikers
Founded	1984 (Previously Fort Lauderdale Strikers)
Dissolved	1988 (rebranded to Fort Lauderdale Strikers)
Stadium	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Met Center
Capacity	62,000 15,000
Coach	David Chadwick 1984 NASL Alan Merrick1984–88 MISL
League	North American Soccer League Major Indoor Soccer League
Home colors Away colors

History

Origins and 1984 NASL season

Founded in 1963 as the amateur club Washington Britannica and eventually rebranding as the Washington Darts, the team joined the North American Soccer League in 1970 after playing three seasons in the American Soccer League and winning two consecutive ASL championships.^[1][2] After the 1970 season, the team was sold to John Bilotta, former part owner of the Rochester Lancers, and Arthur Bant a hotel owner, who relocated and rebranded as the team as the Miami Gatos.^[3][4] After one season, the team was sold to a group of 25 local business leaders^[5] including Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth and renamed the Toros.^[6] In December 1976 and after five seasons in Miami, the team announced it was moving to Fort Lauderdale.^[7] Following the conclusion of the 1983 outdoor season season long rumors that the team was looking to move were confirmed when General Manager Tim Robbie met with officials in Minneapolis^[8] On November 30, 1983, team owner Elizabeth Robbie, Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich, and NASL president Howard Samuels officially announced the team was moving and indicated the team had lost around $1 million in the last year.^[9]

The Strikers played their first game on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, their former cross-state rivals in the Florida Derby, winning a game decided by a shootout.^[10] The team played its first home game at Metrodome on May 12, 1984, defeating the Chicago Sting 3-2.^[11] The Strikers ended the season with a record of fourteen wins and ten losses, tied for best record in the league. However, NASL rules awarded six points for a win, four for a shootout win, and one point for each goal scored during regulation up to three per game. This resulted in four other teams earning more than the 115 points the Strikers had for the season. This put the Strikers in third place of the Western Division and missing the playoffs.^[12][13] Prior to Soccer Bowl '84, the team announced head coach David Chadwick, who had moved with the team from Fort Lauderdale, would not return and hired Alan Merrick as his replacement.^[14]

Major Indoor Soccer League 1984 - 1988

On August 28, 1984, along with three other NASL team, the Strikers joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 1984–85 season.^[15] Finishing the season with a record of twenty-four wins and twenty-four losses, the Strikers qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard.^[16] After defeating the Wichita Wings two games to one in the Wildcard Series, the Strikers beat the Las Vegas Americans in the Quarterfinals three games to one. The May 12, 1984, game four of the Semifinals against the San Diego Sockers ended in a tie and was won by the Sockers in a shootout, resulting in a three game to one series victory for San Diego. However, the Strikers protested that Sockers player Jacques LaDouceur who scored a goal during the shootout was ineligible. The next day, MISL Commissioner Francis Dale ruled in the Strikers favor and awarded the game to Minnesota, resulting in a two games all series tie.^[17] In the fifth game of the series, San Diego defeated the Strikers seven goals to none.^[18] The Strikers finished the 1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season with a record of twenty-sex wins and twenty-two losses and second place in the Eastern Division.^[16] Minnesota defeated the Dallas Sidekicks in the first round of the playoffs three games to one^[19] and the Cleveland Force in the Division Finals, also three game to one, to earn a spot in the Championship Series.^[20] After trailing the best of seven series against the Sockers three games to one, the Strikers were able to tie the series at three games a piece. However, San Diego was able to capture their fifth straight indoor title with a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on May 27, 1986.^[21] The Strikers finished the 1986–87 season with a record of twenty six wins and twenty six losses, in fourth place of the Eastern Division and qualifying for the playoffs.^[16] Meeting Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, the Force defeated the Strikers three games to two.^[22]

The team's final season was the 1987–88 Major Indoor Soccer League season. The Strikers finished in first place of the Eastern Division with a record of thirty-one wins and twenty-five losses.^[16] A fight broke out with less than two minutes remaining in the second game of the Division Semifinals against the Baltimore Blast which resulted in players from both teams being ejected.^[23] The Strikers went on to defeat the Blast three games to one in the series.^[24] Facing the Cleveland Force in the Division Finals, the Strikers lost the series four games to one.^[25] On June 22, 1988, Executive Vice President Tim Robbie announced that his family had been looking to sell the team for two years but had not been able to find a buyer and therefore, owners Joe and Elizabeth Robbie had decided to terminate the franchise rather than post a $400,000 letter of credit with the league.^[26]

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup	Avg. Attend.
1984	1	NASL	3rd, Western	Did not qualify	Did not enter	14,262
1984–85	N/A	MISL	4th, Eastern	Semifinals	N/A	4,809
1985–86	N/A	MISL	2nd, Eastern	Runners-up	N/A	6,503
1986–87	N/A	MISL	4th, Eastern	Division Semifinals	N/A	6,977
1987–88	N/A	MISL	1st, Eastern	Division Finals	N/A	5,930

International Friendlies

Date	Visitor	Score	Host	Venue	Location	Attendance
May 23, 1984	AFC Ajax	4–2	Minnesota Strikers	Metrodome	Minneapolis, Minnesota	6,079^[27]
June 13, 1984	Glasgow Rangers	2–5	Minnesota Strikers	Metrodome	Minneapolis, Minnesota	6,866^[28]

Honors

Championships 1985–86 -runners up Division Titles 1987–88 Eastern Division U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame 2003 Joe and Elizabeth Robbie, Alan Willey Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame 2001 Tino Lettieri 2002 Mike Sweeney 2004 Bob Bolitho 2008 John McGrane Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame 2019 Hector Marinaro^[29] MISL All-Star Game participants 1987 Gary Etherington, Tino Lettieri, Thompson Usiyan 1988 David Byrne, Steve Kinsey, Hector Marinaro

Newcomer of the Year 1986–87 Steve Kinsey League Leading Goal Scorer 1987–88 Hector Marinaro (58 goals) League Leading Goaltender 1986–87 Tino Lettieri (GAA: 3.38) All-League First Team Selections 1984 Ray Hudson All-League Second Team Selections 1984 Dwight Lodeweges & Alan Willey 1986–87 Tino Lettieri All-League Honorable Mentions 1984 Barry Wallace

1984 (NASL)

Ricardo Alonso  , John Bain  , Bob Bolitho  , Ben Collins  , Bill Crook  , Peter Daniel  , Gary Etherington   , Ken Fogarty  , Jan Goossens  , Ray Hudson  , Godfrey Ingram  , Mike Jeffries  , Brian Kidd  , Tino Lettieri  , Terry Leiendecker  , Dwight Lodeweges   , John McGrane  , Robert Meschbach  , Bruce Miller  , Paul Price  , Thomas Rongen  , Craig Scarpelli  , Carl Strong  , Barry Wallace  , Alan Willey  

1984–85 (MISL)

Ricardo Alonso  , John Bain  , Ben Collins  , Bill Crook  , Chris Dangerfield  , Drago Dumbović  , Gary Etherington   , Ken Fogarty  , Jan Goossens  , Ray Hudson  , Mike Jeffries  , Matt Kennedy  , Tino Lettieri  , Steve Litt  , Dwight Lodeweges   , John McGrane  , Bruce Miller  , Thomas Rongen  , Craig Scarpelli  , Gregg Thompson  , Thompson Usiyan  , Barry Wallace  , Alan Willey  

1985–86 (MISL)

Tony Bono  , David Byrne  , Dan Canter  , Stan Cummins  , Chris Dangerfield  , Drago Dumbović  , Gary Etherington   , Ken Fogarty  , Jan Goossens  , Ray Hudson  , Bill Irwin  , Mike Jeffries  , Matt Kennedy  , Tasso Koutsoukos  , Tino Lettieri  , Dwight Lodeweges   , Bruce Miller  , Kazbek Tambi  , Gregg Thompson  , Thompson Usiyan  , Alan Willey  

1986–87 (MISL)

Tony Bono  , David Byrne  , Dan Canter  , Stan Cummins  , Chris Dangerfield  , Enzo Di Pede  , Helmut Dudek  , Gary Etherington   , Ken Fogarty  , Ray Hudson  , Greg Ion  , Mike Jeffries  , Matt Kennedy  , Steve Kinsey  , Tasso Koutsoukos  , Tino Lettieri  , Dwight Lodeweges   , Hector Marinaro  , John O'Hara  , Gregg Thompson  , Thompson Usiyan  , Alan Willey  ; Elizabeth Robbie, President; Chris Wright, General Manager, Tim Robbie, Executive Vice President; Alan Merrick, Head Coach; Bruce Miller, Assistant Coach.

1987-88 (MISL)

Jerry Adzic  , Tony Bono  , Alex Bunbury  , David Byrne  , Stan Cummins  , Chris Dangerfield  , Gary Etherington   , George Gelnovatch  , Tom Gleason  , Tim Harris  , Ray Hudson  , Steve Kinsey  , Tino Lettieri  , Dwight Lodeweges   , Hector Marinaro  , John O'Hara  , Neill Roberts  , Troy Snyder  , Mike Sweeney  , Gregg Thompson  , Alan Willey  ; Elizabeth Robbie, President; Chris Wright, General Manager, Tim Robbie, Executive Vice President; Alan Merrick, Head Coach; Bruce Miller, Assistant Coach.

NASL coach

• David Chadwick 1984

Coach (MISL)

• Alan Merrick (1984–88)

Strikers NASL Draft

1984

Round	Player	School
1	Greg Kennedy	Indiana
2	Ronil Dufrene	Florida International
3	David McDaniel	Duke

Strikers MISL Drafts

1985

Round	Player	School
1	Paul DiBernardo	Indiana University
2	Peter Sawkins	Yale University
3	Tony Bono	Drexel University
4	Bruce Bellinger	Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

1986

Round	Player	School
2	Peter Smith	University of Tampa
3	Paul Schojan	Rochester Institute of Technology
4	Andy Pantason	University of Connecticut
4	Tony Scheuerman	Stillwater High School

1987

Round	Player	School
1	Brent Goulet	Warner Pacific University
3	George Gelnovatch	University of Virginia
4	Troy Snyder	Penn State University

Media

Radio

• 1984 (NASL) KRSI-950 AM
• 1984–85 (MISL) WWTC-1280 AM
• 1987–88 (MISL) KSNE-1280 AM

Television

• 1984 (NASL) KITN 29

See also

• Washington Darts 1970–71
• Miami Gatos 1972
• Miami Toros 1973–76
• Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1977–83
• 1984 Minnesota Strikers season
• Minnesota Kicks
• Minnesota Thunder
• Minnesota United FC

References

1. "Soccer loop will expand to 8 teams". Eugene Register-Guard. November 13, 1969. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
2. Jose, Colin (1998). The American Soccer League: The Golden Years of American Soccer 1921-1931. United States: Scarecrow Press. p. 313. ISBN 9781461716129. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
3. "Washington Darts Sold; Team Moved to Miami". The New York Times. October 31, 1971. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
4. "Gatos In Miami". St. Petersburg Times. UPI. February 16, 1972. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
5. "Team Sold". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 12, 1972. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
6. Chick, Bob (May 18, 1973). "Miami Opening Gates to Toros". The Evening Independent. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
7. "Miami Toros Moving to Fort Lauderdale". Schenectady Gazette. AP. December 23, 1976. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
8. "NASL's Strikers Ready To Leave Ft. Lauderdale". Daytona Beach Sunday News. AP. October 27, 1983. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
9. "Strikers shift to Minnesota". The Bryan Times. The Bryan Times. UPI. December 1, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
10. Miranda, Randy (May 6, 1984). "Rowdies drop heartbreaker in outdoor season opener". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland Ledger. p. 1C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
11. "Strikers nip Sting, 3-2". Lakeland Ledger. Minneapolis: Lakeland Ledger. AP. May 13, 1984. p. 1C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
12. "NASL". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg Times. May 24, 1984. p. 2C. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
13. Litterer, David. "North American Soccer League". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
14. "Soccer North American Soccer League". Ludington Daily News. Ludington Daily News. September 26, 1984. p. 10. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
15. "4 NASL teams join MISL for indoor season". The Deseret News. East Rutherford: The Deseret News. AP. p. 8G. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
16. Litterer, David. "Major Indoor Soccer League I". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
17. "Soccer". The Ledger. Lakeland Ledger. May 14, 1985. p. 5D. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
18. "Sockers Win, 7-0, to Gain MISL Final". Los Angeles Times. San Diego. AP. May 15, 1985. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
19. "MISL playoffs". Reading Eagle. May 5, 1986. p. 25. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
20. "Force's playoff bid ended by Strikers". The Vindicator. Bloomington, Minn: The Vindicator. UPI. May 5, 1986. p. 18. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
21. "Sockers beat injuries to keep MISL dynasty alive". The Mohave Daily Miner. San Diego: Mohave Daily Miner. May 27, 1986. p. A10. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
22. "Comets top Sockers; Force Beat Strikers". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Kansas City: Herald-Journal. May 11, 1987. p. D6. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
23. "Indoor playoffs intensify". Rome News-Tribune. Rome News-Tribune. AP. May 1, 1988. p. 10B. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
24. "BLAST TO RETAIN COACH DESPITE LOSING RECORD". Washington Post. May 6, 1988. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
25. "Soccer". The Times-News. p. 14. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
26. Nadel, Mike (June 23, 1988). "Strikers Fold, Blame Huge Losses". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady Gazette. p. 34. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
27. McKenna, Charley (May 24, 1984). "Strikers get scrubbing by Ajax visitors". Minneapolis Star and Tribune. p. 2D. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
28. Killeen, Mike (June 14, 1984). "Triumphant Strikers defend NASL". St. Cloud Times. p. 2D. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
29. "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.