That year turned into a wild ride for pro soccer, because two leagues toiled to grab sports fans’ attention and dollars. Robert Hermann, for whom the MAC Hermann Trophy is named, was league president. The teams were: Atlanta Chiefs, Baltimore Bays, Chicago Spurs, Los Angeles Toros, New York Generals, Oakland Clippers, Philadelphia Spartans, Pittsburgh Phantoms, St Louis Stars, and Toronto Falcons. The 10 NPSL clubs primarily were owned by football, baseball and hockey teams and played at baseball or football stadiums. Then, people with deep pockets caught soccer fever while watching the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany, which was televised in the US.
Bill Cox popularized the game in New York City with his International Soccer League. Amateur and semi-pro leagues, stocked mostly with ethnic-backed teams and players, had been around for decades. Soccer wasn’t totally foreign to this country. Ten owners decided to test what would become choppy waters. Some 45,210 spectators attended five games, equivalent to a decent crowd for the modern day Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.
Unlike today’s game, fans did not exactly swarm to the stadiums. Fifty years ago on Sunday, on 16 April 1967, professional soccer took its first bold steps in the US as the National Professional Soccer League made its debut.
