1976 Tampa Bay Rowdies season

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Tampa Bay Rowdies
1976 season
Owner Flag of the United States.svg George W. Strawbridge, Jr.
General manager Flag of the United States.svg Beau Rodgers
Head coach Flag of Italy.svg Eddie Firmani
Stadium Tampa Stadium
NASL Division: 1st
Overall: 1st
Playoffs: Conference finals
U.S. Open Cup Did not enter
Top goalscorer Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Derek Smethurst (20 goals)
Highest home attendance42,611
(June 6 v. New York)
Lowest home attendance7,276
(June 23 v. Rochester)
Average home league attendance16,452
←  1975
1977  →

The 1976 season was the original Tampa Bay Rowdies second season of existence, and their second season in the North American Soccer League, the top division of soccer in the United States and Canada at that time. Tampa Bay entered the season as the defending Soccer Bowl champions.

Contents

Overview

The defense of the Rowdies' NASL title began with the club going on a four-match preseason tour of Haiti. After winning the 1976 indoor tournament, the team later played two addition preseason games against the San Antonio Thunder at high schools in the Tampa Bay Area. The mercurial English star, Rodney Marsh was introduced as team captain on April 22, [1] but resigned the post after just eleven days, handing the job to fellow Englishman, Tommy Smith. [2] In the NASL season, the Rowdies finished with a league-best record of 18–6, which placed them first in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference. As regular season champions, they qualified for the playoffs with home field advantage throughout. In an upset, they fell to Toronto Metros-Croatia, 0–2, in the conference finals. Toronto went on to win the Soccer Bowl. For the second consecutive season South African striker, Derek Smethurst was the club leader in scoring with 20 goals, a total which also led the league. [3]

Club

Roster

No.PositionPlayerNation
1 GK Arnie Mausser Flag of the United States.svg  United States
1 GK Bob Stetler Flag of the United States.svg  United States
2 MF Farrukh Quraishi Flag of England.svg  England
3 DF Alex Pringle Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
4 DF Tommy Smith (capt.) Flag of England.svg  England
5 DF Ringo Cantillo Flag of the United States.svg  United States
6 DF Colin Fowles Flag of the United States.svg  United States
7 FW Stewart Scullion Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
8 MF Randy Garber Flag of the United States.svg  United States
9 FW Clyde Best Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda
10 FW Rodney Marsh Flag of England.svg  England
11 FW Doug Wark Flag of the United States.svg  United States
11 MF Dennis Wit Flag of the United States.svg  United States
12 FW Derek Smethurst Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
13 DF Stewart Jump Flag of England.svg  England
14 FW Joey Fink Flag of the United States.svg  United States
15 MF Mark Lindsay Flag of England.svg  England
16 DF John Bluem Flag of the United States.svg  United States
17 FW Eddie Austin Flag of the United States.svg  United States
18 DF Arsène Auguste Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti
19 MF Len Glover Flag of England.svg  England

Management and technical staff

Honors

Seven different Rowdies received nine individual honors following the 1976 NASL season. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Competitions

Preseason friendlies

In January 1976 Tampa Bay made a four match tour of Haiti. The first was a, 1–1, draw on January 13 versus the Haitian National Team before a crowd of 21,000. [8] Two days later another 21,000 witnessed the National Team defeat the Rowdies, 1–0. [9] The third match of the tour was played on January 17, against the club side Racing CH with Tampa Bay dominating, 4–1, as 21,500 looked on. [10] In the final Haitian game, the Rowdies edged Victory SC, 2–1, before 13,000 fans. [11]

In early April Tampa Bay also played back-to-back friendlies with the San Antonio Thunder. The first was a 1–2 defeat, played at Sarasota High School which drew 2,845 fans. [12] The following night as Tarpon Springs High School the teams played to a 0–0 draw before 2,500 onlookers. [13] Tampa Bay finished the preseason with a record of 2–2–2.

Results

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
January 13, 1976 Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg Haiti National Team Stade Sylvio Cator 1–121,000Joe Fink
January 15, 1976 Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg Haiti National Team Stade Sylvio Cator 1–021,000–
January 17, 1976 Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg Racing CH Stade Sylvio Cator 1–421,500Joe Fink (2), Rodney Marsh, Doug Wark
January 19, 1976 Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg Victory SC Stade Sylvio Cator 1–213,000Rodney Marsh, Derek Smethurst
April 9, 1976 Flag of the United States.svg San Antonio Thunder Ihrig Field 1–22,845Clyde Best
April 10, 1976 Flag of the United States.svg San Antonio Thunder Tarpon Springs HS 0–02,500–

North American Soccer League season

The Rowdies finished the regular season with 154 points, positioning them in 1st place in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference, and first overall out of 20 NASL teams. After a solid 8–4 start to the season, Tampa Bay finished even stronger with a 10–2 record the rest of the way for a league-best record of 18–6. They earned two more victories than their nearest foe. They scored 58 goals, which was second in the league, while their 30 goals-against tied them with three other clubs as the fewest. As regular season champions, Tampa Bay also earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The club averaged 16,452 fans per game in the regular season, with three matches surpassing 15,000, one reaching 32,000, and still another topping 42,000.

Regular-season standings

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

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

 -League Premiers (most points).  -Other playoff teams.
Eastern DivisionWLGFGABPPtsHomeRoad
Tampa Bay Rowdies18658304615412-06-6
New York Cosmos 1686534521489-37-5
Washington Diplomats 141046384212610-24-8
Philadelphia Atoms 816324932806-62-10
Miami Toros 618295827634-82-10

Regular season results

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
April 24, 1976 Chicago Sting H2–132,611Rodney Marsh, Derek Smethurst
April 30, 1976 Boston Minutemen H1–011,417Joey Fink
May 2, 1976 Washington Diplomats A2–08,238–
May 7, 1976 Chicago Sting A0–12,865Derek Smethurst
May 14, 1976 Seattle Sounders H3–210,342Rodney Marsh (2), Scullion
May 16, 1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia A2–03,890–
May 19, 1976 Hartford Bicentennials H5–27,692Derek Smethurst (3), Clyde Best, Rodnet Marsh
June 6, 1976 New York Cosmos H5–142,611Derek Smethurst (3), Clyde Best, Stewart Scullion
June 8, 1976 Philadelphia Atoms A2–14,241Stewart Scullion
June 12, 1976 San Antonio Thunder H0–0 (SO, 5–4)11,158–
June 18, 1976 San Diego Jaws A0–28,246Mark Lindsay, Stewart Scullion
June 19, 1976 Los Angeles Aztecs A2–1 (OT)9,354Derek Smethurst
June 23, 1976 Rochester Lancers H2–07,276Rodney Marsh (2)
July 2, 1976 Miami Toros A1–23,500 (est.)Derek Smethurst (2)
July 10, 1976 Washington Diplomats H1–018,233Stewart Scullion
July 14, 1976 New York Cosmos A5–427,892Clyde Best (3), Derek Smethurst
July 17, 1976 Toronto Metros-Croatia H4–112,869Mark Lindsay, Rodney Marsh, Derek Smethurst, own goal
July 21, 1976 Philadelphia Atoms H2–1 (OT)10,262Clyde Best, Derek Smethurst
July 24, 1976 Miami Toros H4–115,951Stewart Scullion (3), Derek Smethurst
July 30, 1976 Hartford Bicentennials A0–73,800Derek Smethurst (4), Clyde Best, Stewart Jump, Mark Lindsay
August 1, 1976 Boston Minutemen A2–4981Clyde Best (2), Rodney Marsh, Derek Smethurst
August 7, 1976 Minnesota Kicks H2–117,007Stewart Scullion, Rodney Marsh
August 11, 1976 Rochester Lancers A2–16,797Len Glover
August 14, 1976 Portland Timbers A2–3 (OT)17,199Stewart Scullion, Mark Lindsay, Derek Smethurst

NASL playoffs

Tampa Bay's two home playoff matches drew more than 36,000 and 28,000 respectively.

Playoff results

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
August 20, 1976 New York Cosmos H3–136,863Derek Smethurst, Stewart Scullion, Rodney Marsh
August 24, 1977 Toronto Metros-Croatia H0–228,046–

Playoff bracket

First roundDivision ChampionshipsConference Championships Soccer Bowl '76
            
E2 New York Cosmos 2
E3 Washington Diplomats 0
E1 Tampa Bay Rowdies3
E2 New York Cosmos 1
E1 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia2
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia 2
N3 Rochester Lancers 1
N1 Chicago Sting 2(1)
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia2(3)
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia3
W1 Minnesota Kicks 0
S2 Dallas Tornado 2
S3 Los Angeles Aztecs 0
S1 San Jose Earthquakes 2
S2 Dallas Tornado 0
S1 San Jose Earthquakes 1
W1 Minnesota Kicks3
W2 Seattle Sounders 1
W3 Vancouver Whitecaps 0
W1 Minnesota Kicks 3
W2 Seattle Sounders 0

Statistics

Season scoring

GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points [3]

PlayerGPGAPts
Derek Smethurst 2420545
Rodney Marsh 2111931
Stewart Scullion 24101030
Clyde Best 199624
Mark Lindsay 214412
Len Glover 14157
Joey Fink 9113
Ringo Cantillo 21033
Dennis Wit 7033
Stewart Jump 17102
Alex Pringle 22011
Randy Garber 5011
Arnie Mausser 24000
Arsène Auguste 17000
Tommy Smith 17000
Farrukh Quraishi 15000
John Bluem 13000
Doug Wark 4000
Eddie Austin 4000
Bob Stetler 4000
Colin Fowles 0000

Season goalkeeping

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses [3]

PlayerGPMinSvsGAGAAWL
Arnie Mausser 242011201281.17186
Bob Stetler 443324.1900

Playoff scoring

GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points [3]

PlayerGPGAPts
Rodney Marsh 2113
Derek Smethurst 2102
Stewart Scullion 2102
Alex Pringle 2011
Clyde Best 2000
Mark Lindsay 2000
Len Glover 2000
Joey Fink 2000
Ringo Cantillo 2000
Stewart Jump 2000
Arnie Mausser 2000
Tommy Smith 2000
Eddie Austin 1000
Dennis Wit 1000

Playoff goalkeeping

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses [3]

PlayerGPMinSvsGAGAAWL
Arnie Mausser 21801731.5011

Player movement

In

No.Pos.PlayerTransferred fromFee/notesDateSource
14FW Flag of the United States.svg Joey Fink Flag of the United States.svg New York Cosmos purchasedNovember 18, 1975 [14]
1GK Flag of the United States.svg Arnie Mausser Flag of the United States.svg Hartford Bicentennials purchasedNovember 25, 1975 [15]
10FW Flag of England.svg Rodney Marsh Flag of England.svg Manchester City $100,000 transfer feeJanuary 11, 1976 [16]
6DF Flag of the United States.svg Colin Fowles Flag of the United States.svg LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds amateur draftJanuary 14, 1976 [17]
4DF Flag of England.svg Tommy Smith Flag of England.svg Liverpool on loanFebruary 24, 1976 [18]
5DF Flag of the United States.svg Ringo Cantillo Flag of the United States.svg New York Inter-Giuliana SC on loanApril 20, 1976 [19]
19MF Flag of England.svg Len Glover Flag of England.svg Leicester City on loanApril 22, 1976 [20] [21]
11MF Flag of the United States.svg Dennis Wit Flag of the United States.svg San Diego Jaws player tradeJuly 12, 1976 [22]

Out

No.Pos.PlayerTransferred toFee/notesDateSource
1GK Flag of England.svg Paul Hammond Flag of England.svg Crystal Palace returned from loanAugust 28, 1975 [23]
14FW Flag of England.svg John Sissons Flag of England.svg Chelsea returned from loanAugust 28, 1975 [24]
4MF Flag of Scotland.svg John Boyle nonereleasedSeptember 13, 1975 [25]
6DF Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Mike Connell nonecompulsory military serviceDecember 17, 1975 [26] [27]
1GK Flag of Scotland.svg Mike Hewitt Flag of the United States.svg San Jose Earthquakes sold contractFebruary 20, 1976 [28]
7MF Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Bernard Hartze Flag of the United States.svg Tacoma Tides on loanApril 7, 1976 [29]
5DF Flag of England.svg Malcolm Linton Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles Aztecs sold contractApril 14, 1976 [30]
8MF Flag of the United States.svg Randy Garber Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles Aztecs traded for draft pickMay 17, 1976 [31]
10FW Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Engerth Flag of the United States.svg Philadelphia Atoms traded for draft pickJune 10, 1976 [32]
11FW Flag of the United States.svg Doug Wark Flag of the United States.svg San Diego Jaws player tradeJuly 12, 1976 [33]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Marsh to captain". Bradenton Herald. April 22, 1976. p. D-2. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ Martz, Ron (May 24, 1976). "Wanted: a rowdy Rowdie to unite team". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rowdies statistics". St. Petersburg Times. August 18, 1976. p. 2-C. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  4. ↑ Henderson, Jim (August 28, 1976). "Mausser Top American In NASL Voting". Tampa Tribune. p. 3-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Jim (August 24, 1976). "Firmani Named Top NASL Coach". Tampa Tribune. p. 4-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Blankenship, Ken (August 16, 1976). "Smethurst gets raw deal..." St. Petersburg Times. p. 7C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  7. ↑ Mudry, Richard (August 16, 1976). "Six Rowdies picked on NASL star teams". Tampa Times. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rowdies tie in Haiti exhibition". The Tampa Times. January 14, 1976. p. 3-C. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hatians nip Rowdies 1–0". St. Petersburg Times. January 16, 1976. p. 6C. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Rowdies Win 4–1". Tampa Tribune. January 18, 1976. p. 3D. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Rowdies end trip with 2–1 victory". St. Petersburg Times. January 20, 1976. p. 3C. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ Ledman, Gary (April 10, 1976). "Thunder storms by Rowdies". Bradenton Herald. p. B-6. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ Ford, Tom (April 11, 1976). "Rowdies Scoreless But Manage A Tie". Tampa Tribune. p. 7D. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Rowdies buy Cosmos' striker". St. Petersburg Times. November 19, 1975. p. 2C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Rowdies buy goalkeeper". Fort Lauderdale News. November 26, 1975. p. 5D. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Marsh Sign With Rowdies". Tampa Tribune. January 12, 1976. p. 1C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Brown's Ralbovsky First in NASL Draft". Ithaca Journal. January 15, 1976. p. 18. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Fiery Tommy Smith gives NASL Rowdies new field general". St. Petersburg Times. February 25, 1976. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Rowdies Get Ringo Back On Loan". Tampa Tribune. April 21, 1976. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Rowdies roster". St. Petersburg Times. April 23, 1976. p. 9C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Rowdies expect Boston's defense to 'pack it in'". St. Petersburg Times. April 29, 1976. p. 8C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Rowdies obtain Wit for Wark". The Tampa Times. July 12, 1976. p. 3-C. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ↑ Mudry, Richard (August 28, 1975). "Six English loan players to leave Rowdies today". The Tampa Times. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  24. ↑ Henderson, Jim (August 28, 1975). "Loaners Head Home". Tampa Tribune. p. 9-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Rowdies release Boyle". St. Petersburg Times. September 14, 1975. p. 6C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  26. ↑ Henderson, Jim (December 18, 1975). "Rowdies "Kick Off" Soccer Year Sunday". Tampa Tribune. p. 6C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  27. ↑ Blankenship, Ken (February 21, 1976). "Rowdies buy midfielder Lindsay". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  28. ↑ Henderson, Jim (February 21, 1976). "Rowdies To Sign Lindsay Today; Hewitt Leaves". Tampa Tribune. p. 6C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  29. ↑ Mudry, Richard (April 8, 1976). "Scullion's second great hope:". Tampa Times. p. 6-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  30. ↑ Mudry, Richard (April 15, 1976). "Rowdies Sell Linton To Aztecs". Tampa Tribune. p. 8-D. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  31. ↑ Blankenship, Ken (May 18, 1976). "Rowdies ship American Garber to Los Angeles". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Thursday's Events". Ft. Myers News-Press. June 11, 1976. p. 2C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  33. ↑ Henderson, Jim (July 13, 1976). "Rowdies' Winger Wark Traded For Jaw Winger Wit". Tampa Tribune. p. 5-C. Retrieved May 24, 2021.