Patrick Ntsoelengoe
Encyclopedia
Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe (26 February 1956 in Randfontein – 8 May 2006 in Lenasia) 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
. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
.
He made his name, however, with the Minnesota Kicks
and enhanced his reputation with Toronto Blizzard. A quiet man with incredible skills, it is quite remarkable that his soccer career was confined to South Africa and North America
. He acquired his nickname from his father, Daniel, who was also one of South Africa's top players. While Ace spent his summers in Canada
or in the United States
, he returned home during the winter to play for the Kaizer Chiefs
, a club with an enormous following in Johannesburg
. Ace played there from the early 1970s to the mid 1980's. An idol in his own country, Ace spent only one season with Miami, missed the 1975 season but returned to the NASL in 1976 to play for the Denver Dynamos.
When that franchise moved to Minnesota
in 1976, he moved along with them and thus began the first of six highly successful years with the Kicks. He was acquired by Toronto Blizzard
in December 1981, when the Kicks were about to fold, and became a key figure in the Blizzard's rise to become one of the top NASL teams. He played for Minnesota in Soccer Bowl 76 and for Toronto in Soccer Bowl
83 and the Championship Final of 1984. Nominally a midfielder
, he constantly pushed forward into attacking positions and often scored more goals than strikers.
"Ace" died of a heart attack
on 8 May 2006 in Lenasia, just south of Johannesburg in South Africa. At the time of his death he was coach of the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Programme. In tributes he was hailed as one of the best players ever produced by South Africa. One of his former coaches at Chiefs, Eddie Lewis, is quoted as saying that if he had been born 20 years later, Ace would have enjoyed the same status as Ronaldinho
http://www.sabcnews.com/sport/soccer/0,2172,127265,00.html. This is a view shared by former Bafana Bafana
coach Clive Baker
, "If Ace was here now, he'd be spoken of in the same breath as Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi."
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he played 11 seasons in 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:...
, beginning in 1973 with the Miami Toros
Miami Toros
The Miami Gatos were a soccer team based out of Miami that played in the North American Soccer League. The club was previously known as the Washington Darts. After the 1972 season, the team was renamed the Miami Toros...
. He is a member of the National 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:...
.
He made his name, however, with the Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
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...
and enhanced his reputation with Toronto Blizzard. A quiet man with incredible skills, it is quite remarkable that his soccer career was confined to South Africa and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He acquired his nickname from his father, Daniel, who was also one of South Africa's top players. While Ace spent his summers in Canada
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...
or in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he returned home during the winter to play for the Kaizer Chiefs
Kaizer Chiefs Football Club
Kaizer Chiefs is a South African football club based in Johannesburg that plays in the Premier Soccer League.The team is nicknamed Amakhosi which means "lords" or "chiefs" in Zulu and Phefeni Glamour Boys. They currently play most of their home games at Soccer City in Nasrec, Soweto, which is...
, a club with an enormous following in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. Ace played there from the early 1970s to the mid 1980's. An idol in his own country, Ace spent only one season with Miami, missed the 1975 season but returned to the NASL in 1976 to play for the Denver Dynamos.
When that franchise moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1976, he moved along with them and thus began the first of six highly successful years with the Kicks. He was acquired by Toronto Blizzard
Toronto Blizzard (NASL)
The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
in December 1981, when the Kicks were about to fold, and became a key figure in the Blizzard's rise to become one of the top NASL teams. He played for Minnesota in Soccer Bowl 76 and for Toronto in 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....
83 and the Championship Final of 1984. Nominally a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, he constantly pushed forward into attacking positions and often scored more goals than strikers.
"Ace" died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 8 May 2006 in Lenasia, just south of Johannesburg in South Africa. At the time of his death he was coach of the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Programme. In tributes he was hailed as one of the best players ever produced by South Africa. One of his former coaches at Chiefs, Eddie Lewis, is quoted as saying that if he had been born 20 years later, Ace would have enjoyed the same status as Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
http://www.sabcnews.com/sport/soccer/0,2172,127265,00.html. This is a view shared by former Bafana Bafana
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
coach Clive Baker
Clive Barker (soccer)
Clive William Barker is a South African football coach. He guided the South African national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996.-Player:...
, "If Ace was here now, he'd be spoken of in the same breath as Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi."
North American Soccer League Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Miami Toros Miami Toros The Miami Gatos were a soccer team based out of Miami that played in the North American Soccer League. The club was previously known as the Washington Darts. After the 1972 season, the team was renamed the Miami Toros... |
9 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 1975 | 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:... |
21 | 10 | 5 | 25 |
| 1976 | Minnesota Kicks Minnesota Kicks 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... |
22 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| 1977 | Minnesota Kicks | 21 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| 1978 | Minnesota Kicks | 29 | 9 | 8 | 26 |
| 1979 | Minnesota Kicks | 29 | 8 | 11 | 27 |
| 1980 | Minnesota Kicks | 32 | 13 | 17 | 43 |
| 1981 | Minnesota Kicks | 22 | 12 | 7 | 31 |
| 1982 | Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard (NASL) The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium.... |
32 | 14 | 12 | 40 |
| 1983 | Toronto Blizzard | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 1984 | Toronto Blizzard | 21 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
| 11-Year Totals | 244 | 87 | 82 | 256 | |