Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984)

Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were a professional soccer team founded on December 11, 1973. During the 1970s and 1980s they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL).
The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, Ruud Krol and Bruce Grobbelaar, but also British Columbian stars like Bobby and Sam Lenarduzzi, Buzz Parsons, and Bruce Wilson.
In 1979, the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscaster Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the 1979 Soccer Bowl. Saturday, September 8, 1979, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at the Giants Stadium before a crowd of 50,699 (66,843 tickets had been sold for the game).
It was during this short period that soccer interest peaked in Vancouver. The Whitecaps attendance at Empire Stadium grew to an average of 28,000 per game with playoff matches reaching the 32,000 capacity. The team also recorded two tracks, with "White Is the Colour" (a takeoff on Chelsea's "Blue Is the Colour") becoming a hit on local radio during the run-up to their championship win.
After playing at Vancouver's 32,000-seat Empire Stadium for most of their existence, the team moved into the new 60,000-seat BC Place Stadium in 1983.
The team played indoor soccer on and off during their existence. The Pacific Coliseum served as the home field for their 1980–81 and 1983–84 NASL indoor seasons. However, for the 1981–82 indoor season the Whitecaps used the much smaller PNE Agrodome, as the Pacific Coliseum became unavailable.
With the demise of the NASL in 1984 the Whitecaps, along with many other teams in the NASL, were forced to fold.
History
Vancouver was announced as an expansion franchise in the North American Soccer League on December 11, 1973, set to enter the league in 1974 alongside Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Jose. The seven-person ownership group was led by Herb Capozzi and included several businesspeople from the Lower Mainland. The city had previously hosted the Vancouver Royal Canadians, a United Soccer Association team that played for the 1967 season with players from Sunderland A.F.C and in 1968 as the Royals before folding. The team announced their name, the Whitecaps, in February 1974 and signed their first player, former West Bromwich Albion striker and Vancouver native Glen Johnson.
Year-by-year
This is a complete list of seasons for the NASL club. For a season-by-season history including the current MLS franchise, see History of Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For solely MLS results, see List of Vancouver Whitecaps FC seasons.
1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, League Playoffs, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
Indoor
Honours
NASL Championship
1979
Conference titles
1979 National Conference Champions
Division titles
1978 Western Division (National Conference)
1979 Western Division (National Conference)
1981 Northwest Division
1980–81 Northwest Division (indoor)
1983 Western Division
NASL attendance leader
1983 (29,164 per game)
1984 (15,208 per game)
NASL coach of the year
1978 Tony Waiters
1982 Johnny Giles
North American player of the year
1978 Bob Lenarduzzi
1983 Tino Lettieri
NASL playoff MVP
1979 Alan Ball
NASL leading goalkeeper
1978 Phil Parkes (GAA: 0.95, Wins: 23, SO: 10)
1979 Phil Parkes (GAA: 0.96, SO: 7)
1982 Tino Lettieri (GAA: 1.23)
1983 Tino Lettieri (GAA: 0.86, GA: 25, SO: 11)
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members
2003: Bob Lenarduzzi, Arnie Mausser, Bruce Wilson
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members
2014 Dale Mitchell
Indoor All-Star game
1983–84 Reserves: Carl Valentine, Peter Ward, Tino Lettieri
All-Star First Team selections
1977 Bruce Wilson
1979 Phil Parkes
1980 Rudi Krol
1983 David Watson, Frans Thijssen
1984 Frans Thijssen, Peter Ward
All-Star Second Team selections
1977 Buzz Parsons
1978 John Craven, Kevin Hector
1979 Alan Ball, Bob Lenarduzzi
1981 Peter Lorimer, Pierce O'Leary
1983 Tino Lettieri
1983–84 Carl Valentine (indoor)
1984 Bob Lenarduzzi, Fran O'Brien
All-Star honourable mentions
1976 Tommy Ord
1982 Carl Valentine, John Wile
1983 Peter Beardsley, David Cross, Fran O'Brien
1984 Paul Bradshaw, Carl Valentine
Indoor All-Stars
1980–81 Carl Valentine, Gerry Gray, Bruce Grobbelaar
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame members
2000 Sam Lenarduzzi, Luigi Moro, Bruce Wilson
2001 Gerry Gray, Bob Lenarduzzi, Tino Lettieri, Tony Waiters
2002 Dale Mitchell, Mike Sweeney
2003 Ian Bridge, Buzz Parsons, Carl Valentine
2004 Bob Bolitho
2005 Garry Ayre
2006 Brian Robinson, Randy Samuel
2007 Herb Capozzi, Glen Johnson
2008 Bruce Twamley, Les Wilson
2009 Neil Ellett
2011 Victor Kodelja, Soccer Bowl '79 Champions
2014 Chris Bennett
Statistics
Attendance
The record home attendance for a Whitecaps game was on June 20, 1983. 60,342 came to watch the caps take on the Seattle Sounders in the first game at BC Place Stadium. It was also the largest crowd to ever see a club soccer match in Canada until the Montreal Impact surpassed the mark with 60,860 on May 12, 2012.
Average yearly attendance
1974 10,098
1975 7,579
1976 8,656
1977 11,897
1978 15,724
1979 22,962
1980 26,834
1981 23,236
1982 18,251
1983 29,164
1984 15,208
See also
Vancouver Royals
History of Vancouver Whitecaps FC
References
Defunct soccer clubs in Canada
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
Association football clubs established in 1974
Association football clubs disestablished in 1984
Canadian indoor soccer teams
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams based in Canada
1973 establishments in British Columbia
1984 disestablishments in British Columbia