Minnesota Kicks
Encyclopedia
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium
in Bloomington, Minnesota
from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado
as the Denver Dynamos
. A group of ten investors from Minnesota, led by Jack Crocker, bought the Denver team on November 25, 1975 and relocated to Minnesota. The name "Kicks" was selected by a name-the-team contest and announced on January 28, 1976. Freddie Goodwin
was named the first coach on February 19, 1976.
Stars for the Kicks included US Soccer Hall of Fame
rs Patrick (Ace) Ntsoelengoe
and Alan Willey
, the league's fifth and third league all-time leading scorers respectively. Ron Futcher
, who along with Willey played all six Kicks seasons, went on to become the league's fourth all-time leading scorer.
The team began the 1976 season slowly, however by the end of its first season the team had won its division and had played host to the largest NASL crowd to date. The 1976 finished with a loss to the Toronto Metros-Croatia in the Soccer Bowl
. The Kicks became the first team in the NASL to win 4 straight division titles (1976–79). The team reached the playoffs each of its six seasons, but usually lost in the early rounds. Goodwin served also as team president starting in August 1976. After the 1978 season, he step down as coach. Roy McCrohan
was named coach December 1978. He coach the team for the 1979 season. After nine games into 1980 season, he was removed and Goodwin again became coach. The original ownership group sold the team on November 12, 1980 to a group led by Ralph Sweet of England. Sweet replaced Goodwin as coach early in 1981 season. Goodwin remain president of the team until June 1981.
The team's last regular season game was a home win at Met Stadium 2-1 over the Dallas Tornado
on August 19, 1981. The team's last game at the Met was a 1-0 shootout playoff victory against the Tulsa Roughnecks
on August 26, 1981. The team's last game was a 3-0 home playoff loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on September 6, 1981. The game was moved to the University of Minnesota
's Memorial Stadium
due to a schedule conflict with the Minnesota Twins
. The Kicks folded in November 1981. The team had planned to move to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
for 1982 season.
The Minnesota Kicks are remembered for the tailgating in the Metropolitan Stadium
parking lot. It became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1970s, with thousands of fans arriving early to socialize and consume beverages.
(1977–78) http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/mikebailey.htm Geoff Barnett
(1976–79) Tony Betts
(1979) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#B Ron Webster
(1976–1981?) Steve Carter (1981) Stan Cummins
(1977) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#C Ron Futcher
(1976–81) 129 apps 73 goals Charlie George
(1978) Ian Hamilton (1978–81) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#H Steve Heighway
(1981) Tino Lettieri
(1977–81) Stewart Jump
(1980–81) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#J Patrick (Ace) Ntsoelengoe
(1976–81) Alan West
(1976–79) Alan Willey
(1976–1981) Frank Spraggon (1976) Steve Litt
(1976–81) David Stride
(1981) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#S Tim Twellman
(1977–81) Jeff Solem
(1976) Mike Flater
(1976-7) Tony Pesznecker
(1980–81)
).
1979 Willie Morgan, Gary Vogel, Tony Want, Alan Merrick, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Alan West, Chico Hamilton, Volkmar Gross, Mark Moran, Geoff Barnett, Bjorn Nordqvist (Captain), Alan Willey, Tino Lettieri, Ricardo Alonso, Steve Litt, Greg Villa, Brian Zins, Ron Futcher, Mike McLenaghan, Tim Twellman. Roy McCrohan (Head Coach), Gary Smith (Head Trainer), Jim Mulcahy (Ass't Trainer), Dr. James Priest (Team Physician), Freddie Goodwin (President).
Frank Buetel was the original play-by-play announcer (1976-79), followed by Al Shaver in 1980 and Doug McLeod in 1981.
KSTP's original announcers were Kicks' public address announcer Rod Trongard
and Tom Ryther. When Ryther left KSTP in March 1978, Bob Bruce replaced him. Ralph Jon Fritz called Kicks' games on WCCO.
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
in Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
as the Denver Dynamos
Denver Dynamos
The Denver Dynamos were a soccer team based out of Denver that played in the NASL from 1974 to 1975.Their home field was Mile High Stadium. After the 1975 season, they moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Kicks.-Year-by-year:...
. A group of ten investors from Minnesota, led by Jack Crocker, bought the Denver team on November 25, 1975 and relocated to Minnesota. The name "Kicks" was selected by a name-the-team contest and announced on January 28, 1976. Freddie Goodwin
Freddie Goodwin
Freddie Goodwin is a former English professional football player and manager.-Career:A half back, Goodwin was signed as a trainee from Cheshire Schoolboys by Manchester United on 1 October 1953 as one of the Busby Babes. He made his senior debut for the club on 20 November 1954 against Arsenal...
was named the first coach on February 19, 1976.
Stars for the Kicks included US Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
rs Patrick (Ace) Ntsoelengoe
Patrick Ntsoelengoe
Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe was one of the most talented soccer players ever from South Africa, he played 11 seasons in the North American Soccer League, beginning in 1973 with the Miami Toros...
and Alan Willey
Alan Willey
Alan Willey was a soccer player originally from England who spent most of his playing career in the United States...
, the league's fifth and third league all-time leading scorers respectively. Ron Futcher
Ron Futcher
Ronald Futcher is a former professional soccer centre-forward. He was the fourth highest career scorer of the North American Soccer League, and made over 400 appearances in total for nine different Football League clubs....
, who along with Willey played all six Kicks seasons, went on to become the league's fourth all-time leading scorer.
The team began the 1976 season slowly, however by the end of its first season the team had won its division and had played host to the largest NASL crowd to date. The 1976 finished with a loss to the Toronto Metros-Croatia in the Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
. The Kicks became the first team in the NASL to win 4 straight division titles (1976–79). The team reached the playoffs each of its six seasons, but usually lost in the early rounds. Goodwin served also as team president starting in August 1976. After the 1978 season, he step down as coach. Roy McCrohan
Roy McCrohan
Roy McCrohan is a former professional footballer. He was a half-back who spent the majority of his career with Norwich City before playing for Colchester United and Bristol Rovers....
was named coach December 1978. He coach the team for the 1979 season. After nine games into 1980 season, he was removed and Goodwin again became coach. The original ownership group sold the team on November 12, 1980 to a group led by Ralph Sweet of England. Sweet replaced Goodwin as coach early in 1981 season. Goodwin remain president of the team until June 1981.
The team's last regular season game was a home win at Met Stadium 2-1 over the 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...
on August 19, 1981. The team's last game at the Met was a 1-0 shootout playoff victory against the Tulsa Roughnecks
Tulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
on August 26, 1981. The team's last game was a 3-0 home playoff loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on September 6, 1981. The game was moved to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
's Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (University of Minnesota)
Memorial Stadium, also known as the "Brick House," was an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It was the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for 58 seasons, from 1924 until 1981. Before moving to Memorial Stadium in 1924, the Gophers...
due to a schedule conflict with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. The Kicks folded in November 1981. The team had planned to move to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
for 1982 season.
The Minnesota Kicks are remembered for the tailgating in the Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
parking lot. It became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1970s, with thousands of fans arriving early to socialize and consume beverages.
Average Attendance at Met Stadium
- 1976.....23,121
- 1977.....32,775
- 1978.....30,928
- 1979.....24,580
- 1980.....18,279
- 1981.....16,605
International Friendlies
| Date | Visitor | Score | Host | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 1976 | Glasgow Rangers Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...  |
2-2 | Minnesota Kicks  |
Met Stadium | Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern... |
11,328 |
| July 19, 1977 | Hammarby IF Hammarby IF Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...  |
1-2 | Minnesota Kicks |
Met Stadium | Bloomington | 24,032 |
| May 23, 1979 | Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....  |
1-0 (shoot out) | Minnesota Kicks |
Met Stadium | Bloomington | 14,960 |
Notable players
Mike BaileyMike Bailey (footballer)
Michael Alfred Bailey is an English former international footballer who played in the Football League for Charlton Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hereford United, and in the North American Soccer League for the Minnesota Kicks. He represented England twice...
(1977–78) http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/mikebailey.htm Geoff Barnett
Geoff Barnett (footballer)
Geoffrey Colin "Geoff" Barnett is an English former footballer.Barnett played as a goalkeeper and started out at Everton in 1962, and there he gained schoolboy and U21 honours with England...
(1976–79) Tony Betts
Tony Betts
Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:...
(1979) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#B Ron Webster
Ron Webster
Ron Webster is an English former association football player, who spent nearly all his career playing for his local team Derby County. Webster played at right back. Webster was always a fans' favourite because of his hard tackles and effort. Seth Johnson, a recent ex-Derby player was compared to...
(1976–1981?) Steve Carter (1981) Stan Cummins
Stan Cummins
Stan Cummins was an English footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward....
(1977) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#C Ron Futcher
Ron Futcher
Ronald Futcher is a former professional soccer centre-forward. He was the fourth highest career scorer of the North American Soccer League, and made over 400 appearances in total for nine different Football League clubs....
(1976–81) 129 apps 73 goals Charlie George
Charlie George
Charles Frederick "Charlie" George is an English former footballer. He played as a forward in the Football League and he was also capped by England.-Arsenal:...
(1978) Ian Hamilton (1978–81) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#H Steve Heighway
Steve Heighway
Stephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
(1981) Tino Lettieri
Tino Lettieri
Martino "Tino" Lettieri is a former NASL and MISL professional soccer goalkeeper, who represented Canada twice at the Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup.-Playing career:...
(1977–81) Stewart Jump
Stewart Jump
Stewart Jump was an English professional footballer in the 1970s. Chosen as the MVP of the 1975 Soccer Bowl-Career:...
(1980–81) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#J Patrick (Ace) Ntsoelengoe
Patrick Ntsoelengoe
Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe was one of the most talented soccer players ever from South Africa, he played 11 seasons in the North American Soccer League, beginning in 1973 with the Miami Toros...
(1976–81) Alan West
Alan West (footballer)
Alan West is a retired English football central midfielder. He attended Greenfield Street boys secondary modern in Hyde, Cheshire.West began his career at Burnley, a product of the club's prolific youth system...
(1976–79) Alan Willey
Alan Willey
Alan Willey was a soccer player originally from England who spent most of his playing career in the United States...
(1976–1981) Frank Spraggon (1976) Steve Litt
Steve Litt
Steve Litt is a retired English football defender who played professionally in the Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and coached in the Western Soccer Alliance.-Player:...
(1976–81) David Stride
David Stride
David Stride is a retired English professional footballer who played in both England and the United States.-Career:Stride began his career with Chelsea in 1978. That year, he went on loan with the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League. In 1980, Chelsea sold Stride's contract to the...
(1981) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#S Tim Twellman
Tim Twellman
Timothy “Tim” Twellman is a retired American soccer player who spent seven years in the North American Soccer League and four in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1982. After retiring from playing professionally, he has coached high school and...
(1977–81) Jeff Solem
Jeff Solem
Jeff Solem is a retired American soccer players who spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League. He is currently the president of Uhlsport USA....
(1976) Mike Flater
Mike Flater
Mike Flater is a retired U.S. soccer forward who spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League. He was also a member of the 1972 U.S.Olympic soccer team and earned fifteen caps with the U.S. national soccer team between 1975 and 1977.-College:Flater attended the Colorado School of Mines...
(1976-7) Tony Pesznecker
Tony Pesznecker
Tony Peszneker is a former Canadian professional soccer player.Peszneker played professionally for both the Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League and the Minnesota Thunder of the USL. He also played for the Edmonton Eagles and Edmonton Brickmen in professional outdoor leagues and...
(1980–81)
Coaching statistics
| # | Number of coaches |
|---|---|
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Number of wins |
| L | Number of losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage Winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win... |
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Overall | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | |||
| 1 | Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin is a former English professional football player and manager.-Career:A half back, Goodwin was signed as a trainee from Cheshire Schoolboys by Manchester United on 1 October 1953 as one of the Busby Babes. He made his senior debut for the club on 20 November 1954 against Arsenal... |
1976–1978 | 80 | 48 | 32 | .600 | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 89 | 52 | 37 | .584 |
| 2 | Roy McCrohan Roy McCrohan Roy McCrohan is a former professional footballer. He was a half-back who spent the majority of his career with Norwich City before playing for Colchester United and Bristol Rovers.... |
1979–1980 | 39 | 23 | 16 | .590 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 41 | 23 | 18 | .561 |
| 1 | Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin is a former English professional football player and manager.-Career:A half back, Goodwin was signed as a trainee from Cheshire Schoolboys by Manchester United on 1 October 1953 as one of the Busby Babes. He made his senior debut for the club on 20 November 1954 against Arsenal... |
1980–1981 | 29 | 17 | 12 | .586 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 31 | 17 | 14 | .548 |
| 3 | Geoff Barnett Geoff Barnett (footballer) Geoffrey Colin "Geoff" Barnett is an English former footballer.Barnett played as a goalkeeper and started out at Everton in 1962, and there he gained schoolboy and U21 honours with England... |
1981 | 26 | 16 | 10 | .615 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 30 | 18 | 12 | .600 |
| * | Total | 1976-1981 | 174 | 104 | 70 | .598 | 17 | 6 | 11 | .353 | 191 | 110 | 81 | .576 |
Year-by-year
1976 Alan Willey, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Peter Brine, Alan Merrick (Captain), Ron Webster, Mike Flater, Chaka Ngcobo, Geoff Barnett, Sam Bick, Ron Futcher, Alan West, Doug Brooks, Smith Eggleston, Nick Owcharuk, Ade Coker, Tom Howe, Jeff Solem, Steve Litt, Frank Spraggon, Peter Short. Freddie Goodwin (Coach), Gary Smith (Trainer), Dave Nowicki (Ass't Trainer), Dr. James Priest (Team PhysicianTeam physician
The team physician for a sports team is the physician who is in charge of coordinating the medical staff and medical services for a sports team. They are also subject to activities involving team building...
).
1979 Willie Morgan, Gary Vogel, Tony Want, Alan Merrick, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Alan West, Chico Hamilton, Volkmar Gross, Mark Moran, Geoff Barnett, Bjorn Nordqvist (Captain), Alan Willey, Tino Lettieri, Ricardo Alonso, Steve Litt, Greg Villa, Brian Zins, Ron Futcher, Mike McLenaghan, Tim Twellman. Roy McCrohan (Head Coach), Gary Smith (Head Trainer), Jim Mulcahy (Ass't Trainer), Dr. James Priest (Team Physician), Freddie Goodwin (President).
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | NASL | 15 | 9 | — | 138 | 1st, Pacific Conference, Western Division | Won Division Championship (Seattle Seattle Sounders (NASL) The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial... ) Won Conference Championship (San Jose San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada.... ) Lost Soccer Bowl '76 Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl.... (Toronto) |
| 1977 | NASL | 16 | 10 | — | 137 | 1st, Pacific Conference, Western Division | Lost Conference Championship (Seattle Seattle Sounders (NASL) The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial... ) |
| 1978 | NASL | 17 | 13 | — | 156 | 1st, National Conference, Central Division | Won 1st Round (Tulsa Tulsa Roughnecks -NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place... ) Lost Conference Semifinal (Cosmos New York Cosmos The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history... ) |
| 1979 | NASL | 21 | 9 | — | 184 | 1st, National Conference, Central Division | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Tulsa Tulsa Roughnecks -NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place... ) |
| 1979/80 1979–80 NASL Indoor season -Eastern Division:-Western Division:-Semi-Finals: * Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 7-3, 6-5* Memphis defeated Minnesota 3-6, 4-3 , 1-0 -Championship:* Tampa Bay defeated Memphis 4-5, 10-4, 1-0... |
NASL Indoor | 8 | 4 | — | — | 2nd, Western Division | Won 1st Round (Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks -NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place... ) Lost Semifinal (Memphis Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons and played their home games in Memphis' Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.-History:... ) |
| 1980 | NASL | 16 | 16 | — | 147 | 2nd, National Conference, Central Division | Lost 1st Round (Dallas 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... ) |
| 1980/81 1980–81 NASL Indoor season -Eastern Division:-Central Division:-Southern Division:-Northern Division:-Western Division:-1st Round:*Atlanta defeated Minnesota 10-8, 5-4*Chicago defeated Portland 6-2, 8-7*Edmonton defeated Los Angeles 8-3, 10-6... |
NASL Indoor | 12 | 6 | — | — | 2nd, Central Division | Lost 1st Round (Atlanta Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'... ) |
| 1981 | NASL | 19 | 13 | — | 163 | 2nd, Central Division | Won 1st Round (Tulsa Tulsa Roughnecks -NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place... ) Lost Quarterfinal (Ft. Lauderdale) |
NASL indoor
The NASL began playing indoor soccer in the fall of 1979. The Kicks competed in 2 seasons of indoor soccer, 1979–80 and 1980-81. The team played at their home games at Met Center. The team folded in November 1981 a month before the start of the 1981-82 indoor season.Radio
- 1976 WWTCWWTCWWTC is a long-standing radio station serving the Twin Cities region. Despite its up-and-down history, the station spawned two of the area's major television stations and had some very innovative and unusual periods in its history...
-AM 1280 - 1977 KSTP AM 1500
- 1978-79 WWTC-AM 1280
- 1980 KSTP-AM 1500
- 1981 WAYLWAYLWAYL is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format. Licensed to St. Augustine, Florida, USA. The station is currently owned by The River Educational Media,Inc. and features programing from Salem Communications.....
AM 980
Frank Buetel was the original play-by-play announcer (1976-79), followed by Al Shaver in 1980 and Doug McLeod in 1981.
Television
- 1976-80 KSTP-TVKSTP-TVKSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview Telefarm. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States....
- 1981 WCCO-TVWCCO-TVWCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
KSTP's original announcers were Kicks' public address announcer Rod Trongard
Rod Trongard
Rod Trongard was a Minnesota-based sports broadcaster on both radio and television in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for more than fifty years.-Early career:...
and Tom Ryther. When Ryther left KSTP in March 1978, Bob Bruce replaced him. Ralph Jon Fritz called Kicks' games on WCCO.
Records
Records of the Minnesota Kicks are available for research use. They include manager's subject files (1976–1980), staff and player files, payrolls, marketing and promotional materials, financial files, and miscellaneous records. The bulk of the records are the files of team coach and manager Freddie Goodwin, and concern the general management of the franchise.See also
- Minnesota StrikersMinnesota StrikersThe Minnesota Strikers was an American professional soccer team located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The team played one season in the North American Soccer League and 4 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
- 1976 Minnesota Kicks season
- 1977 Minnesota Kicks season
- 1978 Minnesota Kicks season
- 1979 Minnesota Kicks season
- 1980 Minnesota Kicks season
- 1981 Minnesota Kicks season