1968 Vancouver Royals season
The 1968 Vancouver Royal Canadians season was the second season in the history of the Vancouver Royal Canadians soccer club. The club played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| 1968 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | George Fleharty | ||
| Manager | Ferenc Puskás | ||
| Stadium | Empire Stadium | ||
| North American Soccer League | 4th, Pacific Division 12th Overall | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: All: Henry Klein | ||
| Highest home attendance | 10,866 (Aug. 10 vs. Los Angeles) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,123 (Apr. 10 vs. Baltimore) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 6,197 | ||
|
| |||
Following the 1967 season, the USA and the FIFA-blacklisted National Professional Soccer League merged to form the North American Soccer League.[1][2] The merger meant that teams from the predecessor leagues competing against each other in the same markets needed to be moved, combined, or folded. As part of this process, George Fleharty bought the Vancouver Royal Canadians from E.G. Eakins and folded his NPSL team, the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales.[1] The new owner shortened the name to Vancouver Royals and chose player-coach Ferenc Puskás over future England manager Bobby Robson, the previous owner's new manager for the Vancouver Royals; he resigned when offered the demotion to assistant manager.[2] The 1968 Vancouver Royals' roster was put together without the preparation or advantage of importing an entire team.[3] A significant amount of the team was recruited by Bobby Robson including two brothers from Hong Kong playing in England. Ferenc Puskás also brought in several Europeans, a few players with connections to the Golden Gate Gaels, as well as at least two local players from local leagues. A few foreign players settled in Vancouver after their playing careers including Peter Dinsdale.[4] The Vancouver Royals had the third highest average attendance in the league at 6,197. The club folded after the 1968 season as the NASL contracted from seventeen clubs to five for the 1969 NASL season. The five remaining teams were located roughly in the US Midwest with one team on the east coast.
Coaches
Players
| Num | Name | Pos | Height | Weight | Apps | G | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Varnavas  | G | 183 | 77 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Bobby Cram  | D | 180 | 78 | 32 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Gerrit Lagendijk  | D | 173 | 73 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Antonio Collar  | M | 180 | 76 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Tomas Krivitz  | D | 175 | 77 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Peter Dinsdale | D | 180 | 80 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Lajos Vicek .svg.png.webp){kind=small} | F | 170 | 67 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Janos Hanek | F | 173 | 74 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | John Green | F | 175 | 68 | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | Cheung Chi Doy .svg.png.webp){kind=small} | F | 173 | 71 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | Kirk Apostolidis  | F | 178 | 77 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Leif Claesson  | F | 183 | 79 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | Cheung Chi Wai | F | 170 | 69 | 32 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Mirko Casic | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 13 | Atilla Sandor  | F | 170 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Brian "Pat" O'Connell | F | 173 | 72 | 27 | 6 | 0 |
| 15 | Henry Hill | D | 175 | 75 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Gyorgy Liptak | D | 178 | 83 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Jose Arranz | F | 175 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Ike MacKay .svg.png.webp){kind=small} | F | 183 | 79 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Joaquin Rey | M | 178 | 72 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 19 | Jean-Pierre Chaillat | F | 165 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Gary DeLong  | G | 178 | 71 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Henry Klein  | F | 180 | 79 | 26 | 20 | 4 |
| Ken Pears | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Reg Stratton | F | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Num = Number, Pos = Position, Height in cm, Weight in kg, Apps = Appearances, G = Goals, A = Assists
Results
Standings
| Pacific Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Toros | 18 | 8 | 6 | 65 | 38 | 186 |
| Oakland Clippers | 18 | 8 | 6 | 71 | 38 | 185 |
| Los Angeles Wolves | 11 | 13 | 8 | 55 | 52 | 139 |
| Vancouver Royals | 12 | 15 | 5 | 51 | 60 | 136 |
Results by round
Match results
| April 7, 1968 1 | Vancouver Royals | 4–1 | Toronto Falcons | Vancouver, British Columbia |
Lajos Vicek  Janos Hanek John Green (footballer) |
Report | López |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,620 |
| April 10, 1968 2 | Vancouver Royals | 2–1 | Baltimore Bays | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein Cheung Chi Doy |
Report | Uriel |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 3,123 |
| April 14, 1968 3 | Vancouver Royals | 3–1 | New York Generals | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein Jonas Hanek |
Report | Perau |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 6,342 |
| April 16, 1968 4 | St. Louis Stars | 2–1 | Vancouver Royals | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Pogrzeba Frankiewicz |
Report | Bobby Cram |
Stadium: Busch Memorial Stadium Attendance: 3,188 |
| April 20, 1968 5 | Detroit Cougars | 2–1 | Vancouver Royals | Detroit, Michigan |
| Kerr |
Report | Henry Klein |
Stadium: Tiger Stadium Attendance: 2,700 |
| April 28, 1968 6 | Vancouver Royals | 1–0 | Atlanta Chiefs | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Joaquin Rey |
Report | Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 6,780 |
| May 5, 1968 7 | Vancouver Royals | 1–1 | Chicago Mustangs | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Johnny Green |
Report | Stojovic |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,780 |
| May 8, 1968 8 | San Diego Toros | 5–1 | Vancouver Royals | San Diego, California |
| Fernández Baeza Vavá |
Report | Brian O'Connell |
Stadium: Balboa Stadium Attendance: 6,614 |
| May 12, 1968 9 | Vancouver Royals | 0–1 | Oakland Clippers | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Report | Mitic |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,672 |
| May 19, 1968 10 | Vancouver Royals | 2–2 | Kansas City Spurs | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Brian O'Connell |
Report | Barber |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 4,831 |
| May 22, 1968 11 | Los Angeles Wolves | 0–1 | Vancouver Royals | Los Angeles, California |
| Report | Henry Klein |
Stadium: Rose Bowl Attendance: 3,834 |
| June 2, 1968 12 | Kansas City Spurs | 2–1 | Vancouver Royals | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Glock Roy |
Report | Cheung Chi Doy |
Stadium: Kansas City Municipal Stadium Attendance: 6,453 |
| June 5, 1968 13 | St. Louis Stars | 0–0 | Vancouver Royals | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Report | Stadium: Busch Memorial Stadium, Attendance: 5,902 |
| June 8, 1968 14 | Vancouver Royals | 1–3 | San Diego Toros | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Lajos Vicek |
Report | Fernández |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,118 |
| June 15, 1968 15 | Vancouver Royals | 2–2 | Oakland Clippers | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Cheung Chi Wai Leif Claesson |
Report | Davidovic Marin |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 6,027 |
| June 22, 1968 16 | Vancouver Royals | 1–3 | St. Louis Stars | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Brian O'Connell |
Report | Pogrzeba Wrenger Frankiewicz |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 7,352 |
| June 26, 1968 17 | Vancouver Royals | 2–0 | Kansas City Spurs | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Ike Mackay Henry Klein |
Report | Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 4,100 |
| June 29, 1968 18 | Vancouver Royals | 1–0 | Los Angeles Wolves | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein |
Report | Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,583 |
| July 4, 1968 19 | Oakland Clippers | 4–0 | Vancouver Royals | Oakland, California |
| Hoftvedt Mitic Davidovic Milosevic |
Report | Stadium: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Attendance: 3,353 |
| July 9, 1968 20 | Vancouver Royals | 3–1 | Dallas Tornado | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein Ike Mackay |
Report | Renshaw |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 5,832 |
| July 12, 1968 21 | Boston Beacons | 3–2 | Vancouver Royals | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Mulligan Dyreborg Sosa |
Report | Henry Klein |
Stadium: Fenway park Attendance: 2,800 |
| July 17, 1968 22 | Cleveland Stokers | 1–2 | Vancouver Royals | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Mateos |
Report | Joaquin Rey Brian O'Connell |
Stadium: Cleveland Stadium Attendance: 3,541 |
| July 19, 1968 23 | Toronto Falcons | 4–3 | Vancouver Royals | Toronto, Ontario |
| Daucik López DeBrito |
Report | Henry Klein Leif Claesson |
Stadium: Varsity Stadium Attendance: 5,171 |
| July 27, 1968 24 | Vancouver Royals | 1–2 | San Diego Toros | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein |
Report | Tomic Meszaros |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 8,824 |
| August 3, 1968 25 | Vancouver Royals | 2–1 | Houston Stars | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Johnny Green Joaquin Rey |
Report | Szalay |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 7,307 |
| August 7, 1968 26 | Oakland Clippers | 6–1 | Vancouver Royals | Oakland, California |
| Saccone Mitic Milosevic |
Report | Henry Klein |
Stadium: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Attendance: 3,212 |
| August 10, 1968 27 | Vancouver Royals | 4–1 | Los Angeles Wolves | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Johnny Green Joaquin Rey Henry Klein |
Report | Walker |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 10,866 |
| August 15, 1968 28 | Vancouver Royals | 3–5 | Washington Whips | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Henry Klein Brian O'Connell Leif Claesson |
Report | Heineman D'Oliveira Siega Hansen |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 4,572 |
| August 19, 1968 29 | San Diego Toros | 2–0 | Vancouver Royals | San Diego, California |
| Fernández |
Report | Stadium: Balboa Stadium Attendance: 6,322 |
| August 30, 1968 30 | Dallas Tornado | 0–3 | Vancouver Royals | Dallas, Texas |
| Report | Bobby Cram Cheung Chi Wai Gerrit Lagendijk |
Stadium: Cotton Bowl Attendance: 1,711 |
| September 1, 1968 31 | Los Angeles Wolves | 2–0 | Vancouver Royals | Los Angeles, California |
| Ford Houliston |
Report | Stadium: Rose Bowl Attendance: 1,300 |
| September 7, 1968 32 | Houston Stars | 2–2 | Vancouver Royals | Houston, Texas |
| Juracy Merayo |
Report | Henry Klein |
Stadium: Astrodome Attendance: 2,776 |
See also
External links
References
- Litterer, Dave. "North American Soccer League I (NASL) 1967-1984". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- Severino, Carlos. "North American Soccer League 1968". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- Associated Press (December 14, 1967). "20 cities picked for soccer loop". The New York Times. p. 80.
- Litterer, David (January 31, 2010). "The Year in American Soccer - 1968". American Soccer Archives. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- Crossley, Andy (2013). "1967-1968 Vancouver Royal Canadians / Vancouver Royals". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- Morrison, Dave. "Vancouver Royals". Retrieved February 6, 2014.
