THE UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL 1977-1983
FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS WEBSITE

This site is dedicated to my favorite extinct professional soccer club and its seven year existence in the North American Soccer League. Included are all-time rosters, records, and a history of Broward County's first major league professional sports franchise.

For you kids who think the Major League Soccer is the first big-time soccer league in the U.S., a brief history lesson. The North American Soccer League was born in 1968, long before you were. The league grew from a low of five teams in 1969 to 24 teams by the end of the 1970's. International superstars such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff and others played in stadiums from Boston to L.A. to Vancouver to Miami. However, the league collapsed after the 1984 season, crippled by high salaries, bloated by over-expansion and eventually dying from fan apathy, a lesson hopefully MLS has learned.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers never took the league title that rivals such as Tampa Bay and New York won, but with four appearances in the league semi-finals and an appearance in the league final in 1980, the club that never missed a playoff appearance in its seven-year history at Lockhart Stadium is an important a part of U.S. professional soccer history.