Miami Toros

Miami Toros (1973-76)
Full name Miami Gatos / Miami Toros
Founded (Previously Washington Darts)
1972 Miami Gatos
1973 Miami Toros
Dissolved 1976
(rebranded Fort Lauderdale Strikers)
Stadium Miami-Dade North Stadium (1972),
Miami Orange Bowl (1973–1975), Tamiami Field (1974, 1976)
Miami, Florida
Chairman John Bilotta (1972-1973)
Joe Robbie (1973-1976)
League NASL

The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division as the Miami Gatos. In 1973, the club rebranded as the Miami Toros. Their home field was at times the Miami Orange Bowl, Tamiami Field and Miami Dade College's North Campus Stadium.[1][2]

After the 1976 season, the team moved to Fort Lauderdale and became known as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and later moved to Minnesota and became known as the Minnesota Strikers.[3]

Prominent players included 1973 league MVP Warren Archibald and 1975 league MVP Steve David both of whom were from Point Fortin, the smallest borough in Trinidad and Tobago.

Beginning in 1975, the Toros had a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Rowdies that grew even fiercer after the Toros moved to Ft. Lauderdale and became the Strikers.[4][5][6]

Miami Gatos (1972)

Year-by-year

Year League W L T Pts Reg. Season Playoffs Attendance
1972 NASL 3 8 3 44 4th, Southern Division Did not qualify 2,112
1973 NASL 8 5 6 88 3rd, Eastern Division Did not qualify 5,479
1974 NASL 9 5 6 107 1st, Eastern Division Won Semifinal (Dallas)
Lost Championship (Los Angeles Aztecs)		 7,340
1975 NASL indoor 2 0 — 4 2nd, Region 3 Did not qualify N/A
1975 NASL 14 8 — 123 2nd, Eastern Division Won Quarterfinal (Boston)
Lost Semifinal (Tampa Bay)		 4,921
1976 NASL indoor 1 1 — 2 3rd, Eastern Regional Did not qualify N/A
1976 NASL 6 18 — 63 4th, Atlantic Conference, Eastern Division Did not qualify 3,070

Honors

NASL Championships[7]

Division Titles

  • 1974 Eastern Division

League MVP

League Scoring Champion

League Goal Scoring Champion

Coach of the Year

  • 1974 John Young

All-Star First Team Selections

All-Star Second Team Selections

All-Star Honorable Mentions

U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame

Former players and management

Head coaches

Owners/GMs

References

  1. ↑ http://football-miami-n-beyond.blogspot.com/2010/10/ft-lauderdale-strikers-history-part-ii.html
  2. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19760702&id=aRgMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WF0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6550,1447487&hl=en
  3. ↑ http://home.comcast.net/~dulyjs/strikers/strikers_history.html
  4. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19750611&id=yj0gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AmcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2129,4457392
  5. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19760726&id=9MNaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dl0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4382,2046161
  6. ↑ http://mytampabayrowdies.blogspot.com/2013/05/rowdies-press-photos-1975-rowdies-vs.html
  7. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20080501104955/http://home.att.net/~nasl/nasl.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.footballzz.co.uk/pessoa.php?id=465982
  9. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19760726&id=9MNaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dl0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4382,2046161
  10. ↑ http://football-miami-n-beyond.blogspot.com/2010/10/ft-lauderdale-strikers-history-part-ii.html

External links

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