St. Louis Ambush (1992–2000)

Last updated
St. Louis Ambush
StLouisAmbush92.png
Founded1991
Dissolved2000
Ground St. Louis Arena (17,188)
Kiel Center (19,150)
OwnersDr. Abraham Hawatmeh
Dr. Richard Rende
League NPSL
1994-95 NPSL Champions. Stlouisambush1995.jpg
1994–95 NPSL Champions.

The St. Louis Ambush was a professional indoor soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. Before they moved to St. Louis they were known as the Tulsa Ambush.

Contents

History

The Ambush were founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma: the team played one season at Tulsa's Expo Square Pavilion. Vernon Riggs was the general manager. Keith Dial was the managing general partner. Former Tulsa Roughneck and Major Indoor Soccer League player Victor Moreland was signed to be the player/coach.

The Wichita-based ownership group had hoped to buy a Wichita NPSL franchise but moved forward with the team in Tulsa when the Wings remained in the MISL for the 1991–1992 season. When the Wings did join the NPSL for the 1992–93 season after the MISL folded with two other MISL teams (Cleveland and Baltimore) and after searching for Tulsa owners, the team was sold to St. Louis physicians Dr. Abraham Hawatmeh and Dr. Richard Rende in the summer of 1992. Hawatmeh and Rende moved the franchise to St. Louis and played first in the St. Louis Arena, then the Kiel Center.

The Ambush made the playoffs every year that they played in St. Louis, except their final year of 1999–2000. The Ambush won one National Professional Soccer League championship (1994–1995 season), and played in four NPSL Championship series (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999), losing to the Cleveland Crunch twice (in 1994 and 1999), and to the Milwaukee Wave (1998), but defeated the Harrisburg Heat in 1995 for their lone NPSL title.

In 2013, an expansion team in the third Major Indoor Soccer League was named after this franchise. That team became a member of the Major Arena Soccer League after the MISL collapsed.

Year-by-year

YearLeagueRecordReg. seasonPlayoffs
1991–92 NPSL7–335th, NationalDid not qualify
1992–93 NPSL19–214th, NationalLost Semifinals (Kansas City)
1993–94 NPSL25–151st, NationalLost Finals (Cleveland)
1994–95 NPSL30–101st, NationalNPSL Champions
1995–96 NPSL24–163rd, NationalLost Div. Finals (Kansas City)
1996–97 NPSL27–131st, MidwestLost Conf. Finals (Kansas City)
1997–98 NPSL27–131st, MidwestLost Finals (Milwaukee)
1998–99 NPSL21–191st, MidwestLost Finals (Cleveland)
1999–2000 NPSL11–333rd, MidwestDid not qualify

Coaches

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)</span> Indoor soccer league in the United States

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.

The Cleveland Crunch is an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Wings</span> Soccer club

The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979. They played in the Kansas Coliseum, a venue that featured a 200-by-85-foot field and seating for 9,681 fans.

Andrew Chapman is an English-American retired soccer player who saw his greatest success as an indoor player in the United States. He spent six seasons in the American Soccer League, ten in the Major Indoor Soccer League, four in the National Professional Soccer League and two in the Continental Indoor Soccer League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Doran</span>

Daryl Doran is a U.S. indoor soccer player. His 827 games are the most of any player in American professional indoor soccer history. Doran previously coached the St. Louis Ambush in the Major Arena Soccer League from 2013 to 2015.

Dan Donigan is a retired United States soccer forward and former coach who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. Following his playing career he coached at the collegiate level as an assistant coach for Connecticut and Saint Louis, and subsequently as a head coach for Saint Louis and Rutgers.

Ted Eck is an American former soccer player who played for numerous clubs in the United States and Canada over a thirteen-year professional career. He is currently an assistant coach with Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. He also earned thirteen caps with the U.S. national team between 1989 and 1996.

Joey Kirk is a former U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career playing indoor soccer. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team in 1987 and 1988.

Paul Wright is a U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career in the U.S. indoor leagues. He began his career with the San Diego Nomads in the Western Soccer Alliance, led the American Professional Soccer League in scoring in 1994 and played four seasons with the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Kerlin</span> American professional soccer player (born 1962)

Mark Kerlin is a retired U.S. soccer forward who spent most of his career in indoor leagues. He also played one season in the Western Soccer League and two in the American Professional Soccer League.

Terry Woodberry, also spelled as Terry Woodbury, is a former English-American football (soccer) midfielder who spent his entire career playing indoor soccer in the United States. He was also a member of the U.S. Futsal team which took second place at the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Victor "Vic" Moreland is a retired professional footballer from Northern Ireland who began his career in Northern Ireland, spent two seasons in the Football League before moving to the United States. He then played six seasons in the North American Soccer League, seven in the Major Indoor Soccer League as well as several seasons in several lower division indoor and outdoor leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Hundelt</span>

Kevin Hundelt is a retired American soccer player who spent his entire professional career playing in indoor leagues. These include the first Major Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and Continental Indoor Soccer League. He was the 1999 NPSL Defender of the Year and also earned one cap with the United States men's national under-20 soccer team in 1987.

Barry Daniel Wallace was an English football midfielder who played professionally in the Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. After his retirement from playing, Wallace spent the rest of his life coaching youth soccer teams.

Cliff Brown is a former American soccer goalkeeper who is the former head coach of the Newman University soccer team. Brown played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League, Lone Star Soccer Alliance and USISL. He also coached professionally as well as collegiately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Wings (2011–2013)</span> Soccer club

The Wichita Wings were an expansion team for the Major Indoor Soccer League that began play in Hartman Arena, November 2011. The Wichita Wings, in this formation, were a revitalized version of the original Wings franchise that played in the MISL and NPSL for 22 years, before folding in 2001. This incarnation of the Wings shut down after the 2012-13 Major Indoor Soccer League season. They were replaced by a new team called the Wichita B-52s who play in the Professional Arena Soccer League, which later became the Major Arena Soccer League.

The 1991–92 Major Soccer League season was the 14th and final season in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their tenth NASL or MISL title in 11 indoor seasons, and fifth MISL title in a row.

Byron Mitchell is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the USL A-League and National Professional Soccer League.

The 2014–15 St. Louis Ambush season was the second season of the St. Louis Ambush professional indoor soccer club. The Ambush, a Central Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, played their home games at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Dalesandro</span>

Vincent "Sonny" Dalesandro is a retired professional soccer player and current restaurateur. He resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is also co-owner of the Tulsa Athletics of the National Premier Soccer League.

References