The Philadelphia Spartans were a soccer team based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that played in the non-FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 sanctioned National Professional Soccer League (NPSL)

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...

. They played their only season of existence at Temple Stadium

Temple Stadium

Temple Stadium was a stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1928 and hosted the Temple University Owls football team until they moved to Veterans Stadium in 1978....

 in North Philadelphia. The team was owned by Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

 owner Art Rooney

Art Rooney

Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...

. The team colors were maroon

Maroon (color)

Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...

 and gold

Gold (color)

Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold....

.

Following the 1967 season, the NPSL merged with 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...

 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:...

. The Spartans folded before the 1968 NASL season, due to poor attendance (5,261 a match - although this was good for fourth among the ten NPSL teams). Many Spartans players—including 1967 NPSL Most Valuable Player, Ruben Navarro, John Best

John Best (soccer)

John Best is a former U.S.-English soccer defender. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League where he was a five time first team All Star. He later coached the NASL Seattle Sounders and served as the general manager of the Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also earned one...

, and Peter Short—were signed by the Cleveland Stokers

Cleveland Stokers

The Cleveland Stokers were a soccer team based out of Cleveland, Ohio that played in the United Soccer Association during 1967 and the North American Soccer League in 1968. Their home field was Cleveland Stadium....

 for the 1968 NASL season.

Year-by-year

Year	League	W	L	T	Pts	Reg. Season	Playoffs
1967	NPSL	14	9	9	157	2nd, Eastern Division	Did not qualify

Notable players

Dietrich Albrecht

Dietrich Albrecht

Dietrich Albrecht is a retired American soccer player. He spent one season in the National Professional Soccer League and two in the North American Soccer League. He also earned nine caps, scoring three goals, with the United States national team in 1968 and 1969.- Professional career :In 1965,...

 John Best

John Best (soccer)

John Best is a former U.S.-English soccer defender. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League where he was a five time first team All Star. He later coached the NASL Seattle Sounders and served as the general manager of the Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also earned one...

 Walter Chyzowych

Walter Chyzowych

Walter Chyzowych was a Ukrainian born soccer player who played for Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals and Newark Sitch of the American Soccer League and was later a coach for theUnited States national soccer team....

 Andy Cziotka

Andy Cziotka

Andras “Andy” Cziotka is a retired Hungarian-American soccer defender who earned four caps with the U.S. national team in 1965.-Club career:Cziotka spent several years in the German American Soccer League. He played the 1967 season with the Philadelphia Spartans of the National Professional Soccer...

 Charles Horvath

Charles Horvath

Charles Horvath was a Hungarian-American soccer player who spent one season in the National Professional Soccer League, one in the International Soccer League and at least two in the German American Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S...

 Heinz Guckert

Heinz Guckert

Heinz Guckert or Hoagie as he is known was a German-American football center who played for the Philadelphia United German-Hungarians, Philadelphia Spartans, as well as various other Philadelphia area teams. Heinz was part of the 1965 team that won the National Amateur Cup for the German...

ASL

The second Philadelphia Spartans was an American soccer club based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

.

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup
1969	2	ASL	2nd, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1970	2	ASL	2nd	No playoff	Did not enter
1971	2	ASL	3rd	No playoff	Did not enter
1972	2	ASL	1st, Southern	Conference Finals	Did not enter

External links

• NASL Jerseys: Philadelphia Spartans