Los Angeles Aztecs
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| Full name | Los Angeles Aztecs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1974-1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States (Capacity 92,594) |
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| Chairman | defunct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | defunct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NASL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Los Angeles Aztecs was a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.
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[edit] History
The Aztecs are remembered for their mixed success and were sometimes compared to the New York Cosmos as the Cosmos of the West Coast. However, they did not draw nearly as well as the Cosmos, or even the Seattle Sounders, who were consistently the attendance leaders among the Western N.A.S.L. teams. They won the 1974 Soccer Bowl over the Miami Toros. In 1976, a fading George Best signed with the team and played from 1976 to 1978. In 1979 attendance peaked, as Rinus Michels signed the superstar Johan Cruyff who went on to win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award in his one year with the Aztecs. Historically, the team attracted less attendance than the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS attracts with attendance around 14,000, but its legacy remains to this day.
[edit] Honors
Champions
- 1974
Rookie of the Year
- 1979 Larry Hulcer
League MVP
- 1979 Johan Cruyff
[edit] Notable Players
Javier Aguirre
Phil Beal (1977)
George Best- Colin Boulton (1979) [1]
Colin Clarke (Scottish Footballer) (1978) [2]- Charlie Cooke (1976-78)
Johan Cruyff
Teófilo Cubillas- Chris Dangerfield (1979-81)
Steve David- Richard Deeb
Luis Fernando- Graham Horn
Larry Hulcer- Poli Garcia
- Alan Kelley (1976)[3]
- Jimmy Kelly (1978)
- Rich D'Sa (R)
- Matt Thorley
Ruvein Klein (1978-79)- Bobby McAlinden (1976-78)
Terry Mancini (1977)
Ane Mihailovich (1977)- Hugo Perez
- Bob Rigby
- Thomas Rongen
- Dave Smith (1976)
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 1 | NASL | 1st, Western | Champions | Did not enter |
| 1975 | 1 | NASL | 3rd, Pacific | Quarterfinals | Did not enter |
| 1976 | 1 | NASL | 3rd, Pacific Southern | 1st Round | Did not enter |
| 1977 | 1 | NASL | 3rd, Pacific Southern | Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1978 | 1 | NASL | 4th, National Western | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1979 | 1 | NASL | 2nd, National Western | Conference Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1979/80 | N/A | NASL Indoor | 5th, Western | Did not qualify | N/A |
| 1980 | 1 | NASL | 2nd, National Western | Conference Championships | Did not enter |
| 1980/81 | N/A | NASL Indoor | 1st, Western | 1st Round | N/A |
| 1981 | 1 | NASL | 2nd, Western | 1st Round | Did not enter |
[edit] Average Attendance
- 1974: 5,098
- 1975: 8,307
- 1976: 8,051
- 1977: 9,638
- 1978: 9,301
- 1979: 14,334
- 1980: 12,057
- 1981: 5,814
- 1989:90,789
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