Los Angeles Wolves
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles Wolves are a former United States
professional soccer
team, owned by Jack Kent Cooke
, that played for two seasons during the 1960s. In 1967 they played in the United Soccer Association
, finishing as champions, and in 1968 they were founding members of the North American Soccer League
.
and Canadian
sports entrepreneurs, led by Jack Kent Cooke
, formed the United Soccer Association
with the intention of organising a professional soccer
league. The USA originally intended to launch its league in the spring of 1968. However a rival league, the National Professional Soccer League
, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to lose ground to its rival, the USA decided to fast track its launch. Without any players of its own, it opted to import whole teams from Europe
and South America
. It was intended that these teams would represent the franchises during the inaugural season, giving them time to build their own squads for the following season. Wolverhampton Wanderers
, who had won promotion to the English First Division
at the end of the 1966-67 season subsequently represented the Los Angeles
franchise. Cooke had originally intended to call the team the Los Angeles Zorros, but when the agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers was made, it was decided to use their nickname of Wolves.
Wolves played in the Western Division alongside San Francisco Golden Gate Gales
, Chicago Mustangs
, Houston Stars
, Vancouver Royal Canadians and Dallas Tornado
. These teams were represented by ADO Den Haag
, Cagliari Calcio
, Bangu AC
, Sunderland
and Dundee United
. Of the twelve teams in the league, Wolves with a team coached by Ronnie Allen
and featuring Derek Dougan
, emerged as one of the strongest sides. After winning the Western Division, a flip of a coin gave them the right to host the championship play-off game against the Eastern Division champions, Washington Whips
, who were represented by Aberdeen
. The match drew 17,824 to Los Angeles Coliseum. Wolves won the championship beating the Whips 6-5 after 36 minutes of extra-time. Four goals were scored within a 4 minute period midway through the second half and each team scored during extra time. The game was decided after Whips defender Ally Shewan
scored an own goal.
to form the North American Soccer League
. As a result Wolves became founding members of the new league. During the inaugural 1968 season Wolves played in the Pacific Division alongside the San Diego Toros
, Oakland Clippers
and Vancouver Royals
. With a team coached by Ray Wood
and featuring Carlos Metidieri
, but no Wolverhampton Wanderers
players, they failed to repeat the success of the previous season. After finishing third in their division, Wolves were one of several NASL franchises that folded after just one season. The idea of importing teams to represent franchises was revived during the 1969 North American Soccer League season and Wolverhampton Wanderers
returned to the United States
, this time representing Kansas City Spurs
, and winning the NASL International Cup.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, owned by Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
, that played for two seasons during the 1960s. In 1967 they played in the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
, finishing as champions, and in 1968 they were founding members of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
.
USA
In 1966 a group of United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sports entrepreneurs, led by Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
, formed the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
with the intention of organising a professional soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
league. The USA originally intended to launch its league in the spring of 1968. However a rival league, the National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to lose ground to its rival, the USA decided to fast track its launch. Without any players of its own, it opted to import whole teams from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It was intended that these teams would represent the franchises during the inaugural season, giving them time to build their own squads for the following season. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, who had won promotion to the English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
at the end of the 1966-67 season subsequently represented the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
franchise. Cooke had originally intended to call the team the Los Angeles Zorros, but when the agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers was made, it was decided to use their nickname of Wolves.
Wolves played in the Western Division alongside San Francisco Golden Gate Gales
San Francisco Golden Gate Gales
The San Francisco Golden Gate Gales was a soccer team based out of San Francisco, California, USA, that played in the United Soccer Association. The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The San Francisco club was actually the ADO Den Haag from The Hague in the Netherlands...
, Chicago Mustangs
Chicago Mustangs
The Chicago Mustangs were an American professional soccer team based out of Chicago, Illinois that was a charter member of the United Soccer Association in 1967. The league was made up of teams imported whole from foreign leagues. The Chicago club was actually Cagliari Calcio from Italy...
, Houston Stars
Houston Stars
The Houston Stars were a soccer team based out of Houston, Texas that played in the United Soccer Association. The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Houston club was actually Bangu Atlético Clube from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
, Vancouver Royal Canadians and Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado were a soccer team based in Dallas that played in the NASL. They played from 1967 to 1981. Their home fields were Cotton Bowl , P.C. Cobb Stadium , Franklin Field , Texas Stadium and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus...
. These teams were represented by ADO Den Haag
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...
, Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
, Bangu AC
Bangu Atlético Clube
Bangu Atlético Clube, or Bangu as they are usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Bangu, Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, founded on April 17, 1904...
, Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
. Of the twelve teams in the league, Wolves with a team coached by Ronnie Allen
Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team...
and featuring Derek Dougan
Derek Dougan
Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
, emerged as one of the strongest sides. After winning the Western Division, a flip of a coin gave them the right to host the championship play-off game against the Eastern Division champions, Washington Whips
Washington Whips
The Washington Whips were a soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the United Soccer Association. The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Washington club was actually Aberdeen F.C...
, who were represented by Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
. The match drew 17,824 to Los Angeles Coliseum. Wolves won the championship beating the Whips 6-5 after 36 minutes of extra-time. Four goals were scored within a 4 minute period midway through the second half and each team scored during extra time. The game was decided after Whips defender Ally Shewan
Ally Shewan
Ally Shewan is a Scottish former football player.He played for Aberdeen from 1961–69 and has been described as a "no-nonsense left-back". He once appeared in a run of 313 consecutive games....
scored an own goal.
NASL
In December 1967 the USA merged with the National Professional Soccer LeagueNational Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
to form the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. As a result Wolves became founding members of the new league. During the inaugural 1968 season Wolves played in the Pacific Division alongside the San Diego Toros
San Diego Toros
San Diego Toros were a soccer team who played in the North American Soccer League, based in San Diego, California. They played their home games at Balboa Stadium, previously the home of the San Diego Chargers....
, Oakland Clippers
Oakland Clippers
The Oakland Clippers were a soccer team based out of Oakland, California that played in the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League . Their home field was Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum....
and Vancouver Royals
Vancouver Royals
Vancouver Royal Canadians were an association football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that played in the United Soccer Association. The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Vancouver club was actually Sunderland A.F.C...
. With a team coached by Ray Wood
Ray Wood
Raymond Ernest "Ray" Wood was a Manchester United goalkeeper who played in the 1956 and 1957 championship-winning teams. Wood was a very fast player, he had the opportunity to be a professional sprinter but chose to play football, and was very agile...
and featuring Carlos Metidieri
Carlos Metidieri
Jose Carlos Metidieri is a retired Brazilian-American soccer forward. He played professionally in Canada and the United States where he was the leading scorer of the North American Soccer League in 1970 and 1971 and named the league's Most Valuable Player - the only player in the league's history...
, but no Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
players, they failed to repeat the success of the previous season. After finishing third in their division, Wolves were one of several NASL franchises that folded after just one season. The idea of importing teams to represent franchises was revived during the 1969 North American Soccer League season and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, this time representing Kansas City Spurs
Kansas City Spurs
The Kansas City Spurs were a soccer team who played in the North American Soccer League, based in Kansas City, Missouri. They played their home games at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, former home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals...
, and winning the NASL International Cup.
Year-by-year
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported... |
USA | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 1st, Western Division | Champions | 7,777 |
| 1968 | NASL | 11 | 8 | 13 | 139 | 3rd, Pacific Division | Did not qualify | 2,441 |
Selected players
 Carlos MetidieriCarlos Metidieri Jose Carlos Metidieri is a retired Brazilian-American soccer forward. He played professionally in Canada and the United States where he was the leading scorer of the North American Soccer League in 1970 and 1971 and named the league's Most Valuable Player - the only player in the league's history... Alun Evans Alun Evans Alun William Evans is an English former footballer who made his name as a centre forward in the Liverpool side rebuilt by Bill Shankly at the start of the 1970s. He was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.-Career:... Ernie Hunt Ernie Hunt Roger Patrick "Ernie" Hunt is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Swindon Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers and Bristol City, and for the Los Angeles Wolves in the United Soccer Association. At international level, he was capped... Peter Knowles Peter Knowles Peter Knowles is an English former football player. He spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he became a popular player scoring around 101 goals in all competitions. He voluntarily ended his football career in 1970 after he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses... Phil Parkes David Wagstaffe David Wagstaffe David Wagstaffe is an English former footballer who played the majority of his career for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a left winger. He was known as 'Waggy' to fans and fellow players.-Manchester City:... Derek Dougan Derek Dougan Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers.... Leif Werneid |