Category: Sidewinder Insider

The original North American Soccer League had a 17-season run between 1968 and 1984.

Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996 and is in its 25th year of operation.

But if you’re looking for longevity, no United States pro circuit to date can top the American Soccer League, which opened play in 1933 and closed up shop in 1983.

When it began, the organization showcasing what United States newspapers called “soccer football” featured clubs based in the Northeast megalopolis. The 17 founding members included four hailing from New York City, two from Kearny, New Jersey, and a pair in Fall River, Massachusetts.

During the national soccer boom of the 1970s it expanded westward to locales such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Sacramento and Oakland.

By the time it ended, however, the ASL was down to six franchises – the Carolina Lightnin’, Dallas Americans, Detroit Express, Jacksonville Tea Men, Oklahoma City Slickers and Pennsylvania Stoners.

Every team has a story, of course, but our story will focus on the Express because Mike Getman is quite familiar with the plot.

Getman is best known as a highly successful college coach, winning 280 games over 27 seasons at UAB and leading the Blazers to eight NCAA Tournament appearances – including an Elite Eight and Sweet 16 showing.

Before that he coached at Harvard, guiding the Crimson to the Final Four in 1987 and totaling 42 victories over five seasons.

Yet he was an accomplished student before pivoting to the role of teacher, and his days as a defender on the Indiana University soccer team got the attention of pro scouts.

“As players we didn’t know much about the process,” said Getman, who is now the director of coaching for Hoover-Vestavia Soccer Club. “The NASL held a draft and the ASL did not. About half of the graduating players from IU got drafted each year, so that’s what most of us were focused on. Many players went to invitational tryouts if they weren’t drafted. Since our team had played in the national championship game twice during my years there, we were all pretty confident we would at least be seen.”

One of five seniors on the Hoosiers’ 1981 squad, Getman was hoping to be drafted by the NASL. Turns out, he was the only one who wasn’t.

That disappointment didn’t last.

“I was one of the two that eventually signed and played professionally,” he said. “The other was Armando Betancourt, who played in the World Cup as well as playing in La Liga and in France.”

Although the ASL played in the shadow of the NASL, it was still professional soccer – and a huge adjustment for Getman.

“My first tryout was is in Detroit in early December,” Getman remembers. “It was wet and cold, and it was really hard to play good soccer. Even though the coaches told me I did well and they would get back in touch, I left feeling dejected. It took a few months, but they did get back in touch and invited me to preseason training in February.

“Training camp was a whole new level. I was one of only two rookies and the rest were very experienced veterans. They played so quickly and never made any mistakes. In college, if I marked a forward within a few yards, that was considered tight, and I rarely got beat. In Detroit, if I wasn’t wearing his shirt, I wasn’t close enough. The skill level was so high. The quickness of thought and of play was beyond anything I had seen. It took a few months before I felt I had risen to that level.”

Unlike some of the ASL clubs, Detroit had a solid financial foundation. Getman didn’t get paid NASL-type money, but he was able to earn a living.

“There was a big gap between the well-paid players and the rest of us,” he said. “The Express paid better than most. We drew good crowds, were well-funded, and no one had any other job. We didn’t get rich, but we were paid enough to cover our bills and to chase our dreams.”

Getman’s championship dreams were realized in his first season. Not only was he named the club’s rookie of the year, but the Express claimed the ASL title, defeating Oklahoma City in a best-of-3 title series.

The deciding game was played in the Silverdome on September 22, 1982, with the Express winning 4-1 in front of 33,000 customers.

Getman says the talent level of the ASL was often underestimated.

“The NASL had Pelé, (Franz) Beckenbauer, (Georgia) Chinaglia, and (Johan) Cruyff, but most of these players had retired or were leaving as I came into the pro game,” he explained. “Detroit had been in the NASL (the original Express franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Diplomats) then moved to the ASL to reduce expenses.  Our league didn’t have as many ‘stars’ but there were a lot of great players.

“The Express had Billy Boljevic (Yugoslavia international and 1981 ASL MVP), Brian Tinnion (English First Division, ASL MVP in 1982 and player-coach of the Express) and Andy Chapman (English First Division). All three were top class forwards that had played at the highest level. I learned so much from each of them. We played against Phil Parkes (300 games for Wolverhampton in England), Jeff Bourne (England), Paul Child (England), Wolfgang Rausch (257 Bundesliga appearances), and more. These top level pros taught the rest of us what it meant to be a pro.”

Unfortunately, Getman entered American pro soccer just as the popularity it gained in the 1970s was fading.

The ASL folded following the 1983 season and the NASL – which once had 24 franchises – was down to nine in 1984 and never made it to a 1985 campaign.

“Everyone knew that soccer in general was having troubles at that time,” Getman said. “Both leagues were contracting and we were always hearing stories of other teams not meeting their payroll. In 1983 I was released halfway through the season because the Express had to cut payroll. Everyone knew that trouble was brewing even if we didn’t want to believe the whole league would fold.”

Getman’s memories of his time in the pay-for-play ranks are more good than bad, though.

“Playing in the (ASL) championship game in 1982 was the biggest moment,” Getman said. “I played 90 minutes as a rookie and walked off the field as a champion … it doesn’t get much better than that.  And our home field was the Silverdome, the same field and facilities as the Detroit Lions of the NFL.

“Every day was like a dream come true for a young kid from small town Indiana.”

When you talk about soccer in the state of Alabama – and specifically Birmingham – the conversation probably needs to start with Preston Goldfarb.

A driving force in the sport since the 1970s, Goldfarb retired as head coach of the Birmingham-Southern College Panthers in 2015 after compiling a 363-250-52 record over 33 seasons. During that time his teams claimed 10 regular season, seven conference and three regional championships, and 35 players earned All-American honors – with two (Greg Vinson and Thorsten Damm) receiving National Player of the Year accolades.

In addition, Goldfarb’s BSC squads produced five conference players of the year, 38 all-region picks, 35 All-Americans and 41 Academic All-Americans as the school competed at the NAIA, NCAA Division I and NCAA Division III levels.

Oh, did I mention he started the program from scratch?

But while the story of his BSC days make for a great success story, they don’t tell the whole story. And that leads me back to the 1990s when Goldfarb – and the Birmingham Grasshoppers – introduced me to homegrown soccer for the first time.

Competing in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) long before it transitioned into the modern United Soccer League, the Grasshoppers gave Goldfarb another outlet to showcase his expertise in the “Beautiful Game.”

“I was hoping to start a team in the USISL in order to give our players a place to continue playing during the off season and summer,” Goldfarb said. “I first had to apply to the NCAA to ensure all our players and team were allowed to remain amateurs, while playing against professional teams. In actuality, our first season (1993) was a trial for us, to make sure this was something I wanted to pursue, as we played a very limited schedule. After the 1993 season, we decided to go full time.”

The structure of the USISL was such that teams had the option to use pro or amateur players, and the Grasshoppers chose the latter route. In fact, a quick look at the 1993 roster shows 17 players were also BSC student-athletes.

“We started to solicit sponsors and get the media behind us by doing a story about the league and our team,” Goldfarb remembers. “Once we accomplished those two things, we then put out word to college coaches in the state and area, asking for potential players to come for a tryout. You know, I wasn’t sure we would evolve into a great soccer area due to this being an American football kingdom. However, understanding that, we wanted just a small piece of the fan base that were true soccer fans. I always felt that having a strong soccer fan base to support our team was the most important aspect of our program.

“I also felt that if we could incorporate a youth team and ultimately start more youth teams under the Grasshopper umbrella, it would be the greatest move to our program in getting the grassroots of a real soccer club in motion. It was modeled after clubs in Germany and Europe, as that was my coaching background.”

The Grasshoppers provided quality soccer during hot afternoons on the BSC campus, and for those of us who wanted a “team of our own” they fit the bill nicely. Looking back, the club had plenty of young men who would go on to leave even bigger footprints in soccer.

Grasshoppers’ goalkeeper Daryl Shore, for example, is now the head coach and technical director of Forward Madison of USL League One.

Vinson – also a keeper on the club in its inaugural season – succeeded Goldfarb as coach of BSC and is heading into his fifth season guiding the Panthers.

Many of the players, in fact, extended their careers beyond the Hoppers, although Goldfarb said turning the club into a play-for-pay team was not part of his plan.

“I never had hopes that we would evolve into a professional team as I didn’t want that for my players,” he said. “But I did want the league to evolve. Once (Major League Soccer) became a reality, the USISL became the USL and a second division professional league. I actually was invited to Las Vegas to learn about the MLS starting and to see if Birmingham was a potential landing spot for a franchise. I didn’t think we were ready for that at that time. But, it was really interesting to go and learn about the new pro league.”

Still, the Grasshoppers made their mark – with their coach and with those of us who cheered them on years before the Birmingham Legion gave the Magic City bona fide pro soccer.

And the good memories from the good old days are plentiful.

“All our players that hung with us were very special,” Goldfarb said. “Probably the most important game I remember most was the division championship game at our field against the Lexington Bandits to see who would advance to the Sizzling Nine Championship tournament in Greensboro, N.C. We did win and qualify, but more importantly, we held a fundraiser at the game for the Children of Rwanda and were even covered by USA Today for doing that.

“That was my most special game for sure on both levels.”

After guiding the USISL squad to a 32-29-0 worksheet, Goldfarb decided to fold the club in 1996. The coach said it was becoming too expensive to keep afloat and the grind was wearing down his athletes.

“It became diminishing returns for my players,” he said. “What I mean is that they were getting extremely tired coming into our fall college season and injuries were happening. So, it was more important for my college team to be well-rested and injury-free coming into the college season in August for preseason training.”

In Goldfarb’s mind, however, the idea of such teams and leagues remains a good one.

“I do think there will always be a place for successful lower leagues in our country,” he said. “It will always afford players a place to play for those not wanting to stop playing after college and for those in college to have a place to play during the off season and summer months.”

Although the Grasshoppers are gone, Goldfarb has remained a major force in the game. He was one of the key movers and shakers in helping Birmingham earn a host site for Olympic soccer during the 1996 Atlanta Games and thus turn BSC into an Olympic Village.

He also led two different men’s teams to gold medals in the World Maccabiah Games, the last coming in 2017. That group is first team to win back-to-back men’s soccer championships in the event’s 80-year history.

All told, Goldfarb has an overall coaching mark of 414-284-53.

The soccer pitch at BSC now bears his name, and Goldfarb has been inducted into the NAIA, Birmingham-Southern College Sports and Jewish Sports Heritage halls of fame.

But while he built BSC into a national power and gave Birmingham its first taste of pro soccer, he hopes one day the game will reach its full potential in the United States.

Under its current closed system with MLS at the top of the pyramid, America’s soccer structure is one of no reward, no punishment for on-field results.

“In my opinion, in order for soccer to flourish and become an international success, we must begin a promotion and relegation soccer league,” Goldfarb said. “That is the only way to improve soccer in this country. Competition is relative to improvement and if we have no promotion or relegation from lower leagues, there is no incentives to improve as you know you will always be in the top leagues with no pressure of competition to improve.”