122:, the top American-born player of the day. He was willing to come lend his support to the upstart league, but their strict salary cap left the Nationals unable to afford to sign him. Despite this, the team had a strong roster and got off to a 5-0 start. What followed, though, was a spectacular collapse. Head coach Jim McGeough's resignation was announced on June 18th. Top players such as Collins, Reice and Paonessa were no longer listed on roster shortly thereafter, and the team started to field a smaller squad featuring lesser-known local Greek-American players. The team also changed home venues mid-season from Hofstra University to a stadium in Mt. Vernon, NY. The club would go on to lose fourteen of their remaining nineteen games, and they did not qualify for postseason play.
72:. Their vision was a stable league in which teams could operate within their means and take a more "grass roots" approach to building a fan base in their communities. Year-round operation (with an indoor season in the winter), a strict salary cap, a focus on American players and a mostly regional schedule to reduce travel costs were all pillars on which this new league was to be founded. Three ASL clubs would end up coming directly to the USL, while two other clubs were re-organized and renamed for USL membership. Four new teams also joined the league, one of which would be the New York Nationals. The Nationals were founded by a group of mostly Greek-American owners and executives and had connections to the defunct
569:
578:
130:
The
Nationals were one of several USL franchises that ended the first season on shaky ground. Despite the league's conservative fiscal structure, owners were losing money. A last-ditch set of USL/NASL merger discussions to shore up USL team finances and keep the NASL from shrinking to non-existence
50:
was in significant decline following the "boom years" of the late 1970s, undone by a period of over-expansion and overspending that created an unstable environment in which teams were constantly folding or moving to new cities. By 1984, only nine teams were left in the league (down from a peak of
55:
had likewise doomed itself to instability and difficult economic realities when it expanded beyond the northeastern United States, where it had operated very modestly since 1933, and tried to establish footholds in the midwest and west coast in the '70s and southern states in the '80s. These
59:
At the ASL's annual league meetings in
January 1984, two of the remaining six teams announced plans to go "dormant" for 1984. Despite this, the league rejected a proposal for an expansion team in Fort Lauderdale, which prompted the owners of the
448:
666:
661:
671:
656:
641:
636:
646:
441:
651:
617:
103:
47:
434:
676:
351:
99:
364:
181:
52:
610:
457:
69:
27:
35:
473:
468:
92:
603:
279:
352:
https://funwhileitlasted.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/8-12-1984-Buffalo-Storm-vs.-New-York-Nationals-Roster-Sheet.pdf
328:
131:
was called off on March 5th of 1985, and the
Nationals were one of five USL teams that chose to end operations.
56:
expansions produced a string of short-lived franchises, and the league had contracted to only six teams in 1983.
504:
31:
529:
382:
46:
The early 1980s were a lean and difficult time for professional outdoor soccer in the United States. The
519:
228:
61:
509:
85:
255:
406:
202:
539:
23:
587:
568:
499:
65:
534:
514:
111:
73:
544:
494:
81:
77:
630:
489:
68:
to break away and start planning a new second division league, which they named the
304:
426:
107:
119:
115:
98:
The club was able to sign several players with experience in the
430:
365:"7-11-1984-Rochester-Flash-vs.-Charlotte-Gold-Game-Notes.pdf"
84:
and
Michael Collins). They planned to host home games at
591:
309:
Soccer
History USA – Audio Essays on the Beautiful Game
586:
This article about a soccer club from New York is a
26:team which played a single season in 1984 with the
482:
51:twenty-four in 1980). The de facto second division
667:Association football clubs disestablished in 1984
329:"Monday's Sports Transactions - UPI Archives"
407:"What can only be described as "Soccapocalypse""
203:"What can only be described as "Soccapocalypse""
662:Association football clubs established in 1984
611:
442:
8:
672:Northeastern United States soccer club stubs
657:1984 disestablishments in New York (state)
618:
604:
449:
435:
427:
118:, and they nearly secured the services of
182:Category:New York Nationals (USL) players
647:Defunct soccer clubs in New York (state)
138:
652:1984 establishments in New York (state)
191:
642:Men's soccer clubs in New York (state)
7:
637:United Soccer League (1984–85) teams
561:
559:
305:"The Year in American Soccer - 1984"
250:
248:
197:
195:
677:New York (state) sports team stubs
590:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
280:"Fort Lauderdale News 13 May 1984"
30:. An earlier team also called the
14:
576:
567:
458:United Soccer League (1984–85)
1:
381:Crossley, Drew (2014-02-13).
227:Crossley, Drew (2015-11-15).
256:"New York Nationals Rosters"
48:North American Soccer League
76:(in the form of head coach
693:
558:
179:
464:
505:El Paso/Juarez Gamecocks
286:. 1984-05-13. p. 42
159:2nd (Northern Division)
530:Oklahoma City Stampede
74:New York Apollo/United
53:American Soccer League
36:American Soccer League
520:Jacksonville Tea Men
383:"New York Nationals"
284:Fort Lauderdale News
70:United Soccer League
62:Jacksonville Tea Men
28:United Soccer League
22:were a professional
510:Fort Lauderdale Sun
387:Fun While It Lasted
260:www.nasljerseys.com
233:Fun While It Lasted
525:New York Nationals
411:Protagonist Soccer
207:Protagonist Soccer
86:Hofstra University
38:during the 1920s.
32:New York Nationals
20:New York Nationals
16:Former soccer team
599:
598:
553:
552:
540:South Florida Sun
229:"New York United"
173:
172:
684:
620:
613:
606:
580:
579:
572:
571:
560:
500:Dallas Americans
451:
444:
437:
428:
422:
421:
419:
418:
403:
397:
396:
394:
393:
378:
372:
371:
369:
360:
354:
349:
343:
342:
340:
339:
325:
319:
318:
316:
315:
301:
295:
294:
292:
291:
276:
270:
269:
267:
266:
252:
243:
242:
240:
239:
224:
218:
217:
215:
214:
199:
139:
88:on Long Island.
66:Dallas Americans
692:
691:
687:
686:
685:
683:
682:
681:
627:
626:
625:
624:
582:
581:
577:
574:
573:
566:
556:
554:
549:
535:Rochester Flash
515:Houston Dynamos
478:
460:
455:
425:
416:
414:
405:
404:
400:
391:
389:
380:
379:
375:
367:
362:
361:
357:
350:
346:
337:
335:
327:
326:
322:
313:
311:
303:
302:
298:
289:
287:
278:
277:
273:
264:
262:
254:
253:
246:
237:
235:
226:
225:
221:
212:
210:
201:
200:
193:
189:
184:
178:
163:Did not qualify
137:
128:
112:Franco Paonessa
96:
93:The 1984 Season
44:
17:
12:
11:
5:
690:
688:
680:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
654:
649:
644:
639:
629:
628:
623:
622:
615:
608:
600:
597:
596:
583:
575:
565:
564:
563:
551:
550:
548:
547:
545:Tulsa Tornados
542:
537:
532:
527:
522:
517:
512:
507:
502:
497:
495:Charlotte Gold
492:
486:
484:
480:
479:
477:
476:
471:
465:
462:
461:
456:
454:
453:
446:
439:
431:
424:
423:
398:
373:
355:
344:
320:
296:
271:
244:
219:
190:
188:
185:
177:
176:Former players
174:
171:
170:
165:
160:
157:
153:
152:
151:U.S. Open Cup
149:
146:
143:
136:
133:
127:
126:The Team Folds
124:
95:
90:
82:Andy Papoulias
78:Jimmy McGeough
43:
40:
34:played in the
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
689:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
634:
632:
621:
616:
614:
609:
607:
602:
601:
595:
593:
589:
584:
570:
562:
557:
546:
543:
541:
538:
536:
533:
531:
528:
526:
523:
521:
518:
516:
513:
511:
508:
506:
503:
501:
498:
496:
493:
491:
490:Buffalo Storm
488:
487:
485:
481:
475:
472:
470:
467:
466:
463:
459:
452:
447:
445:
440:
438:
433:
432:
429:
412:
408:
402:
399:
388:
384:
377:
374:
366:
359:
356:
353:
348:
345:
334:
330:
324:
321:
310:
306:
300:
297:
285:
281:
275:
272:
261:
257:
251:
249:
245:
234:
230:
223:
220:
208:
204:
198:
196:
192:
186:
183:
175:
169:
168:Did not enter
166:
164:
161:
158:
155:
154:
150:
147:
144:
141:
140:
134:
132:
125:
123:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
101:
94:
91:
89:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
63:
57:
54:
49:
41:
39:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
592:expanding it
585:
555:
524:
415:. Retrieved
413:. 2019-03-06
410:
401:
390:. Retrieved
386:
376:
358:
347:
336:. Retrieved
332:
323:
312:. Retrieved
308:
299:
288:. Retrieved
283:
274:
263:. Retrieved
259:
236:. Retrieved
232:
222:
211:. Retrieved
209:. 2019-03-06
206:
167:
162:
145:Reg. Season
135:Year-by-year
129:
97:
80:and players
58:
45:
19:
18:
108:Jim Gabarra
631:Categories
417:2024-07-23
392:2024-07-23
338:2024-07-23
314:2024-07-28
290:2024-07-23
265:2024-07-23
238:2024-07-23
213:2024-07-23
187:References
180:See also:
120:Rick Davis
116:Rich Reice
106:including
363:Unknown.
148:Playoffs
102:, ASL or
42:History
24:soccer
483:Teams
368:(PDF)
156:1984
142:Year
588:stub
474:1985
469:1984
114:and
104:NASL
100:MISL
64:and
333:UPI
633::
409:.
385:.
331:.
307:.
282:.
258:.
247:^
231:.
205:.
194:^
110:,
619:e
612:t
605:v
594:.
450:e
443:t
436:v
420:.
395:.
370:.
341:.
317:.
293:.
268:.
241:.
216:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.