The Baltimore Comets were a professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team based in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. Founded in 1974, the Comets were an

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

that played two seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

. The team originally played its home matches at Memorial Stadium but moved to Burdick Field located at

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...

during the 1975 season. At the conclusion of the 1975 NASL season the team moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, rebranding as the Jaws.

History

Looking to build off what was considered positive momentum in public interest in professional soccer, in January 1974 the

announced Baltimore as one of six cities awarded an

for the upcoming 1974 season. Former Baltimore Bays head coach Doug Millward returned to the city to manage the team. The Comets played their first game at home on May 4, 1974, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The team finished in second place in the Eastern Division qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card. Peter Silvester, on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

from

Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League (English football), National League, the fifth English football league system, level of En ...

was named 1974 league MVP. On August 15, 1974, Baltimore lost 0–1 in the quarterfinals to the

Boston Minutemen The Boston Minutemen were an American professional soccer team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, ...

Alumni Stadium Alumni Stadium is a college football stadium on the lower campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It is about west of downtown Boston, just inside the Boston city limits near the border with Newton, Massachusetts, Newton. It i ...

. The Comets participated in the

1975 NASL Indoor tournament In early 1975, the North American Soccer League (1968–84), North American Soccer League hosted its first league-wide indoor soccer tournament over the course of seven weeks. All but four NASL teams participated. Overview Though the Dallas Torn ...

as part of Region 3 playing at the

Bayfront Center Bayfront Center was an indoor arena located in St. Petersburg, Florida that hosted many concerts, sporting and other events. Depending on the configuration, it could hold up to 8,600 people. The arena was opened in 1965 and demolished in 2004. ...

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

, and losing the two matches in which they played. During the

1975 North American Soccer League season It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the Comets were evicted from Memorial Stadium due to non-payment of rent and played the remaining part of the season at Burdick Field on the campus of

Towson State University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, ...

. The team ended the season in last place in the Eastern Division with a record of 9 wins and 13 losses and an average attendance of 2,641, the lowest in the league. Following the season, the team was sold and moved to

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL MVP * 1974: Peter Silvester NASL All-Stars * 1974: Geoff Butler, Peter Silvester Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2019: Alan Mayer

Notes

References

{{North American Soccer League (1966–85) Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Defunct soccer clubs in Maryland North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Soccer clubs in Baltimore 1974 establishments in Maryland 1975 disestablishments in Maryland Soccer clubs in Maryland Association football clubs established in 1974 Association football clubs disestablished in 1975

History

Year-by-year

Honors

See also

Notes

References