| Full name | Los Angeles Wolves | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Wolves | ||
| Founded | 1966 | ||
| Dissolved | 1968 | ||
| Stadium | Los Angeles Coliseum Rose Bowl | ||
| Chairman | Jack Kent Cooke | ||
| Head coach | Ronnie Allen (1967) Ray Wood (1968) | ||
The Los Angeles Wolves were an American professional soccer team that played for two seasons. In 1967 they played in the United Soccer Association, finishing as champions, and in 1968 they were founding members of the North American Soccer League.
In 1966 a group of American and Canadian sports Entrepreneurs, led by Jack Kent Cooke, formed the United Soccer Association with the intention of organizing a professional soccer league. The USA originally intended to launch its league in the spring of 1968. However a rival league, the National Professional Soccer League, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to lose ground to its rival, the USA decided to fast track its launch. Without any players of its own, it opted to import whole teams from Europe and South America. It was intended that these teams would represent the franchises during the inaugural season, giving them time to build their own squads for the following season. Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had won promotion to the English First Division at the end of the 1966–67 season subsequently represented the Los Angeles franchise. Cooke had originally intended to call the team the Los Angeles Zorros, but when the agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers was made, it was decided to use their nickname of Wolves.
Wolves played in the Western Division alongside San Francisco Golden Gate Gales, Chicago Mustangs, Houston Stars, Vancouver Royal Canadians and Dallas Tornado. These teams were represented by ADO Den Haag, Cagliari Calcio, Bangu AC, Sunderland and Dundee United. Of the twelve teams in the league, Wolves with a team coached by Ronnie Allen and featuring Derek Dougan, emerged as one of the strongest sides. After winning the Western Division, a flip of a coin gave them the right to host the championship play-off game against the Eastern Division champions, Washington Whips, who were represented by Aberdeen. The match drew 17,824 to Los Angeles Coliseum. Wolves won the championship beating the Whips 6–5 after 36 minutes of extra-time. Four goals were scored within a 4-minute period midway through the second half and each team scored during extra time. The game was decided after Whips defender Ally Shewan scored an own goal. [1]
In December 1967 the USA merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. As a result, Wolves became founding members of the new league. During the inaugural 1968 season Wolves played in the Pacific Division alongside the San Diego Toros, Oakland Clippers and Vancouver Royals. With a team coached by Ray Wood and featuring Carlos Metidieri, but no Wolverhampton Wanderers players, they failed to repeat the success of the previous season. After finishing third in their division, Wolves were one of several NASL franchises that folded after just one season. The idea of importing teams to represent franchises was revived during the 1969 North American Soccer League season and Wolverhampton Wanderers returned to the United States, this time representing Kansas City Spurs, and winning the NASL International Cup.
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. season | Playoffs | Avg. attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | USA | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 1st, Western Division | Champions | 7,777 |
| 1968 | NASL | 11 | 8 | 13 | 139 | 3rd, Pacific Division | did not qualify | 2,441 |
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In 2014, the Wolves name was resurrected by a United Premier Soccer League team called the LA Wolves FC. [3] [4]
In 2023, the LA Wolves story was brought alive via a collaboration between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Munidal (part of the FootballCo group). The trailer of the film was released on 14 July 2023 to commemorate 56 years since the final. The final film was released in November 2023 and available on TNT in the UK, across the Discovery network in Europe and on NBC in the USA. It was also made available on the club’s official Wolves YouTube channel. The film was subsequently shortlisted for the Kicking & Screening Film festival in New York City in March 2024 and was also a finalist in the 2024 New York Festivals TV & Film awards.
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 the set-up of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
The United Soccer Association (USA) was a professional soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. Every team in the league was actually an imported European or South America club, that was then outfitted with a "local" name. Dick Walsh served as the commissioner.
The Cleveland Stokers were a soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio that played in the United Soccer Association during 1967 and the North American Soccer League in 1968. Their home field was Cleveland Stadium.
The Houston Stars were an American professional soccer team based out of Houston, Texas. The Stars were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and when the USA and rival National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Stars played its home matches at the Astrodome. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 NASL season.
The Kansas City Spurs were an American professional soccer team who played in the North American Soccer League, based in Kansas City, Missouri. They played their home games at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, former home of the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Athletics, and Kansas City Royals. The club was previously known as the Chicago Spurs of the National Professional Soccer League but were relocated to Kansas City following the merger of the NPSL and the United Soccer Association to form the NASL in 1967. The Spurs won the NASL Championship in 1969 but were dissolved shortly after the 1970 NASL season. The club's colors were red and white.
The Baltimore Bays were a professional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1967 as one of the ten charter members of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). When the NPSL and the rival United Soccer Association (USA) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Bays played its home matches at Memorial Stadium during its first two seasons and moved to Kirk Field, a high school football stadium, in 1969. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1969 NASL season.
The Detroit Cougars were an American professional soccer team based out of Detroit, Michigan that was a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967. When the USA and rival National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Cougars played its home matches at the University of Detroit Stadium for the 1967 USA season and at Tiger Stadium for the 1968 NASL season, except when scheduling conflicts with the Detroit Tigers forced the team to play at the University of Detroit Stadium. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 NASL season.
The San Diego Toros were a professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. Founded in 1967 as the Los Angeles Toros, the team was one of the ten charter members of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). When the NPSL and the rival United Soccer Association (USA) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team was relocated to San Diego as a member of the new league. While in Los Angeles, the Toros played its home matches at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and at Balboa Stadium when it moved to San Diego. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 NASL season.
The Vancouver Royals were a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1967 as the Vancouver Royal Canadians, they were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA), and when the USA and rival National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team, rebranded as the Royals, moved to the new league. The Royals played its home matches at the Empire Stadium. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 NASL season.
The Washington Whips were a soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the United Soccer Association (USA). The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Washington Whips were the Aberdeen F.C. from Scotland. The name was chosen as the outcome of a newspaper contest.
Roger Patrick "Ernie" Hunt was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Swindon Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers and Bristol City, and for the Los Angeles Wolves in the United Soccer Association. At international level, he was capped three times for the England under-23 team. He was known as "Ernie" – a contraction of Ernest, his father's name – to avoid confusion with Liverpool and England striker Roger Hunt. In 1971 he was the winner of the inaugural BBC Goal of the Season award.
The New York Skyliners were a soccer team based in the Bronx borough of New York City. The club were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and played their home games as Yankee Stadium.
David Wagstaffe was an English professional footballer who played as a left winger. Wagstaffe made over 500 league appearances throughout his career, which saw him represent Manchester City, Wolves, Blackburn and Blackpool in England and briefly the Los Angeles Wolves in the United States.
Boston Shamrock Rovers were an American soccer team that competed in the United Soccer Association (USA) league in 1967. The team was based in Lynn, Massachusetts and played their home games at the Manning Bowl. The team folded when the USA merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League.
Philip Parkes is an English former professional football goalkeeper. He was Wolverhampton Wanderers' first-choice keeper for much of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Francis Michael "Frank" Munro was a Scottish international footballer who played as a centre back.
The 1968 North American Soccer League season was the 56th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, and the 1st with a national first-division league with the inaugural season of the NASL.
The USA Final 1967 was the United Soccer Association's first, and only, postseason championship game. The Los Angeles Wolves (composed of players from England's Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated the Washington Whips, 6 to 5, in a sudden-death overtime after 90 minutes of regular play and 30 minutes of extra time, with the win coming from an own goal credited against Washington's Ally Shewan. The title game, a single-game match, took place on July 14, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before a crowd of only 17,482 people. The game was described as "the greatest final ever played in American soil".
The 1968 Vancouver Royal Canadians season was the second season in the history of the Vancouver Royal Canadians soccer club. The club played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Soccer has enjoyed longstanding popularity in Los Angeles. As of 2023, Los Angeles County has three top-level professional teams. The LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC play in Major League Soccer, and Angel City FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League. The Greater Los Angeles area is also home to one 2nd division professional team, Orange County SC, of the USL Championship, and four 3rd division professional teams, LAFC2 and LA Galaxy II, of MLS Next Pro, and Los Angeles Force and California United Strikers FC of the National Independent Soccer Association. There are also many semi-professional clubs and leagues including the United Premier Soccer League, SoCal Premier League and National Premier Soccer League, among others. In 2019, two more professional teams, Cal FC and California United Strikers FC joined a new, unsanctioned, professional league called the NPSL Founders Cup They both later left, with Cal FC joining the United Premier Soccer League.
