The Miami Toros 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 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 ...

from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the

Washington Darts The Washington Darts were an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that played in the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League from 1967 to 1969 and the North American Soccer League (1968-1984), North American Soccer ...

, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division as the Miami Gatos. In 1973, the club rebranded as the Miami Toros. Their home field was at times the

Miami Orange Bowl The Miami Orange Bowl was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, from 1937 until 2008. The stadium was located in the Little Havana neighborhood west of Greater Downtown Miami, downtown Miami. The venue was considered a landmark and ser ...

, Tamiami Field and

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (MDC) is a public university, public college located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade Count ...

's North Campus Stadium. After the 1976 season, the team moved to

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

and became known as the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

and later moved to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and became known as the

Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/ St. Paul metrop ...

. Prominent players included 1973 league MVP

Warren Archibald Warren "Laga" Archibald (born 1949) is a Trinidadian former soccer player who played as an inside left. He spent one season in the United Soccer Association and nine in the North American Soccer League (1968-1984), North American Soccer League, ...

who was from

Point Fortin Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando, in the historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of ...

, the smallest borough in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, and 1975 league MVP Juan Carlos Moramarco who was from

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

, Argentina. Beginning in 1975, the Toros had a

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

that grew even fiercer after the Toros moved to Ft. Lauderdale and became the Strikers.

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL championships *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

runner-up Division titles *

Eastern Division League MVP * 1973

* 1975

Steve David Steve David (born 11 March 1951 in Point Fortin, Trinidad) is a Trinidadian former North American Soccer League and international football player. Club career David began his professional career with Police in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1974, he ...

League scoring champion * 1975

(23 goals, 6 assists, 52 points) League goal scoring champion * 1973

(12 goals) * 1975

(23 goals) Coach of the Year * 1974 John Young All-Star first team selections * 1972 Willie Evans * 1973

, David Sadler * 1974 Roberto Aguirre, Ronnie Sharp * 1975

, Ronnie Sharp All-Star second team selections * 1972 Dave Metchick * 1973 Roberto Aguirre * 1974

Ralph Wright Ralph Waldo Wright (May 17, 1908 – December 31, 1983) was a Disney animator and story/storyboard writer who provided the gloomy, sullen voice of Eeyore from the popular ''Winnie the Pooh'' franchise. Biography Wright came to the studio in t ...

* 1975

All-Star honorable mentions * 1972

, Billy Fraser * 1974

* 1976 Jim Holton U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame * 2003 Ace Ntsoelengoe, Joe & Elizabeth Robbie

Head coaches

* Sal DeRosa (1972) * John Young (1973–1974) * Dr. Greg Myers (1975–1976) *

Ken Furphy Kenneth Furphy (28 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an English football player and manager. Despite being on the books at Everton between 1950 and 1951, Furphy was a lower league player with Runcorn (1951–53) Darlington (1953–62) and the ...

(1976)

Owners/GMs

Garo Yepremian Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian (2 June 1944 – 15 May 2015) was an Armenian-Cypriot American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons with ...

(1972) * John Bilotta (1971–72) *

Joe Robbie Joseph Robbie (July 7, 1916 – January 7, 1990) was an American attorney, politician, and the principal founder of the Miami Dolphins. Early life Robbie was raised in Sisseton, South Dakota, the second of five children. His father was a Leban ...

(1973–76) * Angel Lorie, Jr. (Managing Partner) (1972–75) * Elizabeth Robbie (Managing Partner) (1976)

References

External links

Miami Toros rosters
{{North American Soccer League (1966–85) North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams T Soccer clubs in Florida Defunct soccer clubs in Florida Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States 1972 establishments in Florida 1976 disestablishments in Florida Association football clubs established in 1972 Association football clubs disestablished in 1976