By 1976, I was deeply invested in association football.
I had a subscription to Soccer America magazine, owned Zander Hollander’s annual Complete Handbook of Soccer paperback, and spent a good deal of time kicking a ball around in my backyard.
Instead of a goal, I tried to shoot between the clothesline poles situated near the back of the fence.
It was a good confidence booster because while a soccer goal is 24-feet wide, the polls were roughly 36-feet apart.
As long as I sent the ball forward, it was hard to miss.
But the ball itself was one of those rubber “official size and weight” deals, and sported an American Soccer League logo. I have no memory of where I bought it – or why a store in Alabama even carried an ASL-branded ball – but it put the minor league on my radar and made me curious about the circuit.
This version of the ASL (the second) had been around since 1933, and even though it had a long history, it never managed to reach what you’d call “First Division” status. By the 1970s, it had been completely eclipsed by the North American Soccer League, which was still somewhat shiny and newish and stocked with big names.
But in 1976, the ASL pulled off a coup when it signed Hermann Trophy winner Steve Ralbovsky out of Brown University.
The 23-year-old Ralbovsky – who immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia in 1970 – had been drafted by both the NASL’s Los Angeles Aztecs and the ASL’s L.A. Skyhawks, a first-year expansion team.
Going with the Aztecs seemed like a safe bet; Elton John had recently purchased a stake in the club to give it a huge publicity boost, and they were on the verge of signing George Best, considered one of the sport’s greatest players. Ralbovsky wasn’t completely sold, though.
“I think both leagues are of the same caliber,” he told United Press International. “The only difference is who gives me a better contract. It is in the hands of my attorney.”
Ralbovsky and Aztecs managing general partner John Chaffetz apparently didn’t hit it off. Chaffetz said he thought Ralbovsky would be a good addition to the club, but didn’t want to get into a “bidding war.” The ex-Brown Bear hinted that Chaffetz was too “matter-of-fact” in negotiations.
So, while Best reported to the NASL club on February 20, 1976, Ralbovsky – a midfielder/defender – cast his lot with the ASL that same day.
The Skyhawks offered him a heftier compensation package, and that sealed the deal.
“I believe that Steve, signing with our organization, has received the largest bonus ever paid a collegiate soccer player,” Skyhawks managing partner Jack Young said in a UPI story. “He not only is a tremendous soccer player, but a fine gentleman and will be a credit to our organization on and off the field.”
Ralbovsky, who speaks six languages, was an honor student at Brown and expected to be the face of the franchise. L.A. played at 10,000-seat Birmingham High School Stadium in the San Fernando Valley, which was arguably the top facility in the league.
For whatever reason, this storyline fascinated me. I was an NASL fan first – and supported the New York Cosmos – but I always liked underdog stories, and the ASL was most certainly that.
And hey … since I already owned an ASL ball, I felt it was my duty to show some love to the organization. Therefore, I decided the Skyhawks would be my ASL team and Ralbovsky my favorite player in the senior league.
Even before his rookie season began, he was already getting high marks from Skyhawks manager Ron Newman.
“This team has the potential to be my best team ever,” Newman told the News-Pilot newspaper for an April 15, 1976, story. “I’ve never recruited better players from Europe and we think we have the best college player in history on our side. You know, we might not only have the best team in our league, but the best team in the United States.”
Newman had spent the seven previous seasons with the NASL Dallas Tornado, and guided the team to a championship in 1971.
With former Scottish star Jimmy Rolland, Ron Yeats of Liverpool, a bevy of British transfers and another rookie hotshot, Brooks Cryder of Philadelphia Textile, on the roster, the gaffer’s optimism was well-founded.
Thanks to Soccer America, I was able to follow the team throughout its 1976 campaign – at least in print.
They finished the regular season with an ASL-best 13-6-2 record, scoring 41 goals while allowing just 15.
L.A. beat the Tacoma Tides, 2-1, in the semifinals of the ASL playoffs and defeated the New York Apollo, 2-1, in the championship match.
Ralbovsky made 22 appearances that year, scoring two goals and playing outstanding defense. His performance was good enough to earn co-Rookie of the Year honors in the ASL, and make me glad I hitched my fanwagon to him and the Skyhawks.
I wish I could tell you I remained a huge fan of both the player and team for years to come, but I didn’t.
Ralbovsky jumped to the NASL Chicago Sting in 1977, and since I was all about Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Georgio Chinaglia, Shep Messing and the Cosmos, he kinda got lost in the shuffle.
And L.A.’s ASL entry folded after the 1979 season; by then I had completely lost interest in the league.
Still, for one season it was fun to channel my inner-Ralbovsky and kick that rubber ASL ball around in the yard.
It’s a piece of memorabilia I wish I still had – as well as all the youthful enthusiasm that came with it.