American Soccer League (1988–89)

Last updated

American Soccer League
Founded1988
Folded1989
CountryUnited States
Promotion toNone
Relegation toNone

The American Soccer League has been a name used by four different professional soccer sports league in the United States. In 1988, the third American Soccer League was created as an East Coast counterpart to the West Coast-based Western Soccer Alliance. The third iteration of the ASL lasted only two seasons, merging with the WSA in 1990 to form the American Professional Soccer League.

Contents

History

The league comprised ten teams on the East Coast in an attempt to support professional outdoor soccer in the wake of the North American Soccer League's collapse in 1984. [1] During its second season, the league champion Fort Lauderdale Strikers played the San Diego Nomads, champions of the Western Soccer Alliance in the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship. [2] On February 22, 1990, the ASL and WSA announced that they would merge to form the American Professional Soccer League. The inaugural season would be modeled based on Major League Baseball, with separate schedules and the winners of each league playing a championship game. The new league would satisfy a requirement from FIFA to establish and maintain a professional league ahead of the 1994 World Cup, to be hosted by the United States. [3]

Teams

Champions

SeasonWinnerRunners-upTop scorer
1988 Washington Diplomats Fort Lauderdale Strikers Jorge Acosta
1989 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Boston Bolts Ricardo Alonso
Mirko Castillo
ASL/WSL Championship
YearWinnerScoreRunners-upVenueLocationAttendance
1989 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3–1 San Diego Nomads Spartan Stadium San Jose, California 8,632

Related Research Articles

Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alliance. In 1989, it existed for a single year as the Western Soccer League before merging with the American Soccer League to form the American Professional Soccer League in 1990.

San Francisco Bay Blackhawks were a professional soccer team which came into existence in 1989 as a team in the Western Soccer League (WSL). The Blackhawks spent time in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) and the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL). In 1993, the team competed in USISL as the San Jose Hawks, but left organized competition at the end of the season.

Nomads Soccer Club is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club.

Football Club Seattle Storm, also known as the F.C. Seattle Storm, was an American soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. F.C. Seattle was a "super club" created to provide Seattle players an opportunity to play at a higher level than the local recreational and semi-pro leagues. In addition to playing exhibition matches against top international teams, F.C. Seattle was a member of the short lived Western Soccer Alliance, was a founding member of the American Professional Soccer League and later spent three seasons in the Pacific Coast Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Timbers (1985–1990)</span> Soccer team

Portland Timbers, previously known as F.C. Portland, came into existence in 1985 as an independent U.S. soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. In 1989, the team adopted the name Portland Timbers. Portland was composed of both professional and amateur players. The amateur players largely came from local Portland amateur leagues. It played its games in Portland's Civic Stadium.

Chance Fry is a retired U.S. soccer forward who began his career straight out of high school with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League. With the collapse of the NASL, he moved to indoor soccer as well as U.S. minor leagues. Since retiring from playing, Fry has become a college soccer coach. He also earned five caps with the U.S. national team in 1984 and was the 1990 American Professional Soccer League leading goal scorer.

Michael Brady is a retired soccer player who is an assistant coach for the Duke University men's soccer team. He previously coached the American University women's soccer team. He played professionally, both indoors and out, in the United States. He also earned three caps with the U.S. national team in 1984 and 1985.

Wade Webber is an American soccer coach and former player who spent most of his career with clubs in the Pacific Northwest. However, he did see three years in Major League Soccer with the Dallas Burn and Miami Fusion before suffering a career ending knee injury. He is currently head coach of MLS Next Pro club Tacoma Defiance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Bolts (1988–1990)</span> Soccer club

The Boston Bolts were a short lived U.S. soccer team which came into existence in 1988 as a member of the third American Soccer League (ASL). They played in Boston, Massachusetts at Nickerson Field. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team established in 1988 as part of the third American Soccer League. In 1990, it moved to the American Professional Soccer League where it spent five seasons before folding in 1994. The Strikers won the 1989 ASL championship, as well as the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship.

The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer team established in 1987 which played in the American Soccer League in 1988 and 1989 and the American Professional Soccer League in 1990.

Dale Ervine is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who spent most of his career playing indoor soccer. He also earned five caps with the U.S. national team between 1985 and 1993.

Lucas Martin is a retired American soccer forward. Martin played three seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and one in the American Professional Soccer League. He also earned two caps with the U.S. national team. He is now the co-owner and head chef of K&L Bistro in Sebastopol, California.

Tommy Reasoner is a retired U.S. soccer player who spent one season in Major League Soccer, two in the Western Soccer Alliance, four in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. He was also part of the U.S. team at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.

The 1988 American Soccer League was the first season of the third American Soccer League which took place during the summer of 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Professional Soccer League</span> Defunct soccer league in North America

The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It was the first outdoor soccer league to feature teams from throughout the United States since the demise of the North American Soccer League in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-League (1995–2004)</span> Former soccer league

The A-League was a professional men's soccer league which featured teams from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1996 as the USISL Select League, the competition merged with the American Professional Soccer League in 1997 to become the USISL A-League. In 2005, it was re-branded to the USL First Division.

Bobby Bruch is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the Western Soccer Alliance, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League. He has coached at the youth, college and professional levels.

The 1989 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season was the second season of the team in the new American Soccer League. It was the club's twenty-third season in professional soccer. The team finished in second place in the Southern Division, and made it through the playoffs and into the ASL Championship. They became the 1989 Champions. They also won the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship which pitted the ASL Champions against the Western Soccer League Champions in a unification match to determine a national champion. Following the season, the American Soccer League merged with the WSL to form the American Professional Soccer League in 1990. The team would be absorbed into the new league and continue to play there.

References

  1. Lazzarino, Chris (April 15, 1988). "Soccer's goal—survival with a profit". South Florida Sun Sentinel . p. 1C. Retrieved May 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Ferman, Gary (September 8, 1989). "Soccer contrasts collide on field". The Miami Herald . p. 7D. Retrieved May 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Richardson, Kenneth (February 23, 1990). "Seattle part of new soccer merger". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . p. G4.