| Full name | South Florida Sun | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 | |||
| Dissolved | July 1985 | |||
| Stadium | Lockhart Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 19,020 | |||
| Owner | Ronnie Sharp | |||
| Chairman | Jeff Sarkin (General Manager) | |||
| Head Coach | Keith Weller | |||
| League | United Soccer League (1984–1985) | |||
| Champions | ||||
Fort Lauderdale/South Florida Sun was a professional U.S. soccer team which played two seasons in the United Soccer League.
In November of 1983, The Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League, motivated in part by the lack of a suitable arena in the Fort Lauderdale area for the league's winter indoor season, announced that they would be moving to Minnesota. [1] The outdoor version of the Strikers had attracted a relatively robust fan base in the late 1970s and early 80s, and former Miami Toros player Ronnie Sharp headed up a group that believed that the city was still a good market for the game. They applied to field an expansion team in the de facto second division American Soccer League in 1984. Despite the league being down to only four active teams, their application was rejected at the league meetings in January of 1984 because ASL by-laws allowed the owner of a "dormant" franchise in Miami to retain territorial control over the area. This rejection would be the catalyst for a seismic change in the second tier of pro soccer, as the owners of the ASL's Jacksonville Tea Men and Dallas Americans would see it as confirmation that the ASL was too hampered by unwieldy league rules and not financially disciplined enough to have much of a future. They broke away to form a more stable, financially sound league that they would call the United Soccer League. The USL accepted Sharp and Co.'s application for membership, and the rest of the teams in the ASL either also defected to the new league or folded over the next few months. The new Fort Lauderdale club chose the name Sun, and they joined the Tea Men and Charlotte Gold in the Southern Division of the nine team USL. [2]
When the Sun built its team for the 1984 season, they were able to secure the services of several former Strikers who had chosen not to go north with the NASL club. Teófilo Cubillas, Jim Tietjens, Ernst-Jean Baptiste, and player-coach Keith Weller all signed with the Sun (though Cubillas would only commit to playing home games), and they were joined by former English international Dave Watson and Scottish international Asa Hartford, giving the Sun one of the most talented rosters in the league. [3] This paid dividends, as they played to a 15–9 record, scoring fifty-three goals and giving up only thirty-four. The Sun finished at the top of the Southern Division and just a few standings points behind the Oklahoma City Stampede for the top seed in the playoffs. They would achieve this on-field success despite primary owner Ronnie Sharp's arrest less than a month into the season for alleged participation in a large drug smuggling operation. [3]
In the playoff semifinals, the Sun crushed the Buffalo Storm by scores of 3-0 and 5-1. The championship round against the Houston Dynamos would be much more closely contested. Houston won the first game at home in a shootout. The Sun won Game 2 by a score of 3-0, setting up a decisive Game 3 on September 1st. This game also ended tied after regulation and overtime, but the Sun would win the shootout round this time to clinch the first USL championship. [4] Later in the month, an investors group comprised primarily of local doctors who had sat together at Strikers games purchased the team from the troubled Ronnie Sharp. [5]
Though the USL tried very hard to control costs through strict salary caps and schedules that heavily featured regional play to reduce travel expenses, virtually all of its teams were losing money during their first season. Several teams failed to post a performance bond to guarantee their return for 1985. [6] The first division NASL was also in deep trouble, with only a few of its remaining nine teams willing to commit to another outdoor season. A last-ditch idea to merge the USL and NASL to salvage some form of professional outdoor soccer that summer was discussed, but USL commissioner William Burfeind announced that this merger would not go through on March 5th. Within a few weeks the NASL had cancelled its upcoming season and five USL teams (including the Sun's division rivals in Charlotte and Jacksonville) had officially folded, while another had withdrawn to become an independent club. [2]
The renamed South Florida Sun were joined by only the Dallas Americans, Tulsa Tornado's (who had moved from Oklahoma City and re-branded), and an expansion team in El Paso/Juarez for the USL's 1985 season. To buy time to try and attract a few more members, the USL decided to re-arrange the schedule by splitting the season into two parts. In the first part of the season, the four teams would compete for the "USL Cup" in a round-robin style tournament capped off by a championship between the top two teams. The "regular season" (hopefully with new members) was scheduled to begin a week later. Play got underway on May 19th, but the league's future looked bleak. League commissioner Burfeind resigned just as the games were starting. The teams in Tulsa and Dallas were both having trouble making payroll, and unpaid players in Tulsa refused to participate in one exhibition and one USL Cup game. South Florida finished at the top of the table in round robin play with a 4-2 record. The league abandoned plans for the championship round of the USL Cup, so when the Sun defeated Tulsa 1-0 at Lockhart Stadium on June 15th, they were declared cup winners due to having clinched the best record. As a harbinger of things to come, the acting commissioner was not there nor was an actual trophy presented to them, causing Sun player-coach, Keith Weller, to quip, "There ain't no cup." [7] [2] The Sun did their best to proceed as though it was business as usual, even managing to sign former New York Cosmos and Dutch national team star Johan Neeskens to a three-year contract in mid-June. On June 22nd, with no new teams having joined the league, the Sun began regular season play at home against Dallas. The 3-1 victory would turn out to be the final USL game and the only game in which Neeskens would suit up for South Florida (despite the "three-year contract," he would never receive a paycheck). [3] [8] Before the Sun's next scheduled match on the 26th, creditors foreclosed on the league and locked officials out of their offices. The USL voted to suspend play on June 25th. [9]
Following the league’s collapse, the Sun were the only USL club that did not immediately fold. The ownership group, who had just taken over the previous September, scrambled to find a new way forward. They began to tentatively plan exhibition matches against a Haitian Select team, the Minnesota Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies, among others, hoping to earn enough in ticket sales to cover back pay that was owed to players and staff. The only one of these matches that would actually be played, though, was a July 4th match against the Topez-Haitian All-Stars in which the soccer game preceded the town's Independence Day fireworks. [10] The Sun rallied to win what was to be their final game, 4–3, before a crowd of 3,529. After the game, the Sun players voted on how to equitably share the gate receipts from the match. Team owners soon came to grips with the fact that the organization simply did not have the means to carry on. They officially announced the suspension of operations a few days later, and the players began to disperse back into everyday life. [11] [12] [13] [5]
On June 27, 1984 the Sun made their only appearance in the Florida Derby, falling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 5–1, in an inter-league friendly. [14] Two more derby matches were planned for in 1985, but the Sun closed up shop before those games could materialize.
Champion
USL Invitational Cup
Rookie of the Year
Top Goalkeeper
| Year | Team Name | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | League Cup | National Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Fort Lauderdale Sun | 2 | USL | 1st, Southern (15–9) | Champions | none | Did not enter |
| 1985 | South Florida Sun | 2 | USL | 1st (1–0) | none | Champions (4–2) | Did not enter |
| Place | 1985 League Cup | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | % | Avg. Att. [15] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Florida Sun | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | .667 | 2,195 |
| 2 | Dallas Americans | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | .500 | 2,400 |
| 3 | Tulsa Tornados | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 500 |
| 4 | El Paso/Juarez Gamecocks | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | .333 | 1,430 |
| USL Rank | Scorer | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2(tied) | Hassan Nazari | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Wolfgang Rausch | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | Tom Fazekas | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| USL Rank | Player | GP | W–L | Min | SH | SV | SO | GA | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jim Tietjens | 6 | 4–2 | 540 | 75 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 1.33 |
*USL cup only
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The NASL laid the foundations for soccer in the United States that helped lead to the country hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and setting up Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were a professional soccer team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1977 to 1983. They played their home matches at Lockhart Stadium.
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in 1984 and 85.
The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four years in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League in 1983 and United Soccer League in 1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida founded in 2006, that last played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid in 2016. The majority of their home games were played in Lockhart Stadium. The Strikers were named after the original Strikers, who played in the old North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983.
The Carolina Lightnin' was a professional American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League from 1981-83. After the Lightnin' folded, much of the front office staff and some of the players joined a new club called the Charlotte Gold that played in the United Soccer League in 1984. Both the Lightnin' and the Gold played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Dallas Americans was an American professional soccer club based in Dallas, Texas. The team played in the American Soccer League in 1983 and the United Soccer League in 1984 and 1985. Both leagues unofficially served as the second division of professional American soccer at the time. The team's home games were played at John Clark Stadium in Plano, Texas.
The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983. The club was re-organized and re-branded in 1984 as the Oklahoma City Stampede and again in 1985 as the Tulsa Tornado's to play in the short-lived United Soccer League. The second Oklahoma City Slickers competed in the USISL from 1993 to 1996. Home games were played at historical Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The Rochester Flash was an American soccer club based in Rochester, New York, that was a member of the American Soccer League from 1981-82 and of the United Soccer League in 1984.
Mike Connell is a former professional footballer who spent most of his career as a defender. He played professionally in his native South Africa as well as in the North American Soccer League (NASL), mostly with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Keith Weller was an English footballer who played as a midfielder or striker. He is considered to be one of Leicester City's greatest-ever players.
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.
Mark Schwartz is a retired American soccer forward who played in the United Soccer League and the third American Soccer League. He was the 1984 USL Rookie of the Year.
Buffalo Storm were an American professional soccer team. They played for one season (1984) in the United Soccer League, with home games at All-High Stadium.
The Tulsa Tornado's were a professional outdoor soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played in the 2nd division United Soccer League during the partially completed 1985 season.
The 1984 USL season was the United Soccer League's first and only full season.
The 1985 USL season was the United Soccer League's second and final season. The season was abruptly canceled after the pre-season League Cup and one regular season game.
The Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry, also known as the Florida Derby, refers to the suspended soccer rivalry that most recently involved the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, both of whom played in the North American Soccer League through the 2016 season. Over the years the rivalry has spanned more than one hundred matches across eight soccer leagues and several tournaments, and involved nine different teams from the two regions of Florida. At times it has involved players, coaches, management and fans. Even the press has fanned the rivalry's flames at times. From 2010 through 2014, the winner of the regular season series automatically won the Coastal Cup as well. The status of the rivalry beyond 2016 remains unclear because the Rowdies have since joined the United Soccer League, while the Strikers ongoing ownership and legal battles of 2016 and 2017 have left them defunct.
The 1983 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season was the team's third season of indoor soccer in the North American Soccer League.
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the USL Championship (USL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy was originally awarded to the best team in regular season play among Florida-based franchises. Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies have no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did not field a team in 2017 and were later dissolved. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL for the USL. With Miami FC joining the USL, the competition restarted in 2020.
