The Minnesota Kicks was 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 that played at

Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the West North Central states, north central United State ...

in the Minneapolis suburb of

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...

, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct

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 ...

(NASL). Initially known as the Denver Dynamos, the team relocated and became the Minnesota Kicks in 1976. The Kicks quickly became one of the league's more popular teams, with an average attendance of 23,120 fans per game in 1976. The Kicks won their division four years in a row from 1976 to 1979. The Kicks drew over 23,000 fans in each season from 1976 to 1979, with attendance peaking at 32,775 in 1977.

History

The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, as the Denver Dynamos. A group of ten investors from Minnesota, led by Jack Crocker, bought the Denver team on November 25, 1975, and relocated to Minnesota. The name "Kicks" was selected by a name-the-team contest, and announced on January 28, 1976.

Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin (28 June 1933 – 19 February 2016) was an English professional football player and manager. He also played county cricket for Lancashire. Career A wing half, Goodwin was signed as a trainee from Cheshire Schoolboys by Manchest ...

, who had previously coached the New York Generals, was named the first coach on February 19, 1976. Goodwin served also as team president starting in August 1976. The team began the 1976 season slowly, however by the end of its first season the team had won the Western Division. During the season, the Kicks boosted their roster by signing

Ade Coker Ade Coker (born 19 May 1954) is a former soccer player who played as a striker. Coker began with English club West Ham United then moved to the North American Soccer League and the Major Indoor Soccer League. Born in Nigeria, he earned five cap ...

from Boston. The Kicks also played Glasgow Rangers to a 2–2 draw in a friendly. Minnesota was a success with fans, averaging 23,117 per game, including 42,065 for its regular season finale, But it was a game with the New York Cosmos on June 9 that convinced that The Kicks have arrived. With

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

playing for the Cosmos, the Cosmos beat the Kicks 2–1, but the Kicks set a new NASL record of 46,164 fans. The team was led by leading scorer Alan Willey with 16 goals. The 1976 playoffs included a 3–0 win over Seattle, followed by a 3–1 win over San Jose in front of a Kicks record of 49,576 fans, and finished with a 3–0 loss to the

Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the fourth-most populous city in North America. The city ...

in the 1976

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's ...

at Seattle's Kingdome in front of 25,000, with the winning goal scored by Portuguese legend

Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Stri ...

. In 1977, the Kicks won the Western Division again, and averaged 32,775 fans, second only to the New York Cosmos. The Kicks were again led by Alan Willey with 14 goals, while midfielder Alan West was named to the All-Star team. The Kicks lost in the playoffs to Seattle. In 1978 the Kicks won the Central Division, averaging 30,928 fans. The team's leading scorer was Alan Willey, with 21 goals. In the playoffs, the Kicks defeated Tulsa before losing to the New York Cosmos. After the 1978 season, Goodwin stepped down as coach.

Roy McCrohan Roy McCrohan (22 September 1930 – 3 March 2015) was an English professional footballer who played as a wing half. Career Born in Reading, Berkshire, McCrohan spent the majority of his career with Norwich City before playing for Colchester Un ...

was named coach December 1978, and he coached the team for the 1979 season. In 1979, the Kicks signed a major international star in defender

Björn Nordqvist Björn Axel Göte Nordqvist (born 6 October 1942) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender. A full international between 1963 and 1978, he won 115 caps for the Sweden national team and represented his country at th ...

, Sweden's all-time caps leader. The Kicks won the Central Division again in 1979, but fell to Tulsa in the playoffs. Once again, Alan Willey led the team's scoring with 21 goals, and Ace Ntsoelengoe was named to the All-Star Team. After nine games into 1980 season, McCrohan was removed, and Goodwin again became coach. The Kicks finished the regular season second behind the Dallas Tornado in the Central Division, and lost in the playoffs to Dallas. Ace Ntsoelengoe was the team's leading scorer with 13 goals and 17 assists. Stars for the Kicks included US Soccer Hall of Famers Patrick (Ace) Ntsoelengoe and Alan Willey, the league's fifth and third league all-time leading scorers respectively. Ron Futcher, who along with Willey played all six Kicks seasons, went on to become the league's fourth all-time leading scorer. The Kicks were the first team in the NASL to win 4 straight division titles (1976–79). The team reached the playoffs each of its six seasons, but usually lost in the early rounds. The Minnesota Kicks are remembered for the tailgating in the

parking lot. It became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1970s, with thousands of fans arriving early to socialize and consume beverages.

Demise

The original ownership group sold the team on November 12, 1980, to a group led by Englishman Ralph Sweet, who replaced Goodwin as coach early in the 1981 season. Goodwin remained president of the team until June 1981. The Kicks finished the 1981 season second in the Central Division. Ron Futcher was the team's leading scorer with 14 goals. The Kicks defeated Tulsa in the playoffs, but lost to Ft. Lauderdale in the quarterfinals. The Kicks' last season was 1981. The team's last regular-season game was August 19, 1981, a 2–1 home win at Met Stadium over the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. T ...

. The team's last game at the Met was August 26, 1981, a 1–0 shootout playoff victory against the

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

. The team's last game was played on September 6, 1981, a 3–0 home playoff loss to 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 ...

played at the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium due to a schedule conflict with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in front of only 10,722 fans. The team had planned to move to the

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) ...

for the 1982 season. The Kicks lost $2.5 million during the 1981 season. By the end of the 1981 season, the Kicks were up for sale, the team missed a payment for its players and office staff, NASL Commissioner

Phil Woosnam Phillip Abraham Woosnam (22 December 1932 – 19 July 2013) was a Welsh association football inside-right and manager. A native of Caersws, Powys, Wales, Woosnam played for five clubs in England and one in the United States. He played internati ...

was trying to find a buyer for the club, and the NASL announced it would play the 1981–82 indoor season without Minnesota. The Kicks folded in December 1981. The NASL conducted a dispersal draft on December 7, 1981, in which five Kicks players were selected:

Ace Ntsoelengoe Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe OIS (26 February 1952 – 8 May 2006) was a South African soccer player who is widely considered as one of the greatest the country has ever produced. Early life Ntsoelengoe was born to Daniel Ndimande and Marg ...

by Toronto, Ron Futcher by Portland,

Tino Lettieri Martino "Tino" Lettieri (born 27 September 1957) is a former NASL and MISL professional soccer goalkeeper, who represented Canada twice at the Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984 and at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Club career Lettieri began his pro ca ...

by Vancouver,

David Stride David Stride (14 March 1958 – 10 July 2016) was an English professional footballer who played as a defender in both England and the United States. Playing career Stride began his career with Chelsea in 1978. That year, he went on loan with ...

by Fort Lauderdale, Randy Phillips by Tulsa, and

Tim Twellman Timothy Twellman (born May 1, 1955) is an American former soccer player who spent seven years in the North American Soccer League and four in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1982. After reti ...

by Tulsa

Year-by-year

NASL seasons

1976 Alan Willey, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Peter Brine, Alan Merrick (Captain), Ron Webster, Mike Flater, Chaka Ngcobo, Geoff Barnett, Sam Bick, Ron Futcher, Alan West, Doug Brooks, Smith Eggleston, Nick Owcharuk, Ade Coker, Tom Howe, Jeff Solem, Steve Litt, Frank Spraggon, Peter Short. Freddie Goodwin (Coach), Gary Smith (Trainer), Dave Nowicki (Ass't Trainer), Dr. James Priest (

Team Physician The team physician for a sports team is the physician who is in charge of coordinating the medical staff and medical services for a sports team. They are also subject to activities involving team building. The goal of a team physician is to improve ...

). 1979 Willie Morgan, Gary Vogel, Tony Want, Alan Merrick, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Alan West, Chico Hamilton, Volkmar Gross, Mark Moran, Geoff Barnett, Bjorn Nordqvist (Captain), Alan Willey, Tino Lettieri, Ricardo Alonso, Steve Litt, Greg Villa, Brian Zins, Ron Futcher, Mike McLenaghan, Tim Twellman. Roy McCrohan (Head Coach), Gary Smith (Head Trainer), Jim Mulcahy (Ass't Trainer), Dr. James Priest (Team Physician), Freddie Goodwin (President).

NASL indoor

Minnesota participated in and finished as runners-up in the

1978 NASL Skelly Indoor Invitational The 1978 NASL Skelly Invitational was a four-team indoor soccer tournament held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Tulsa Assembly Center on the first weekend of March 1979. Overview Four teams, all from the North American Soccer League, participated i ...

. They played one other match that year against

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

. The NASL began playing a full schedule of

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...

in the fall of 1979. The Kicks played their home games at

Met Center The Met Center was an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north of Metropolitan Stadium, seated 15,784. It was the home ...

and participated for 2 seasons, before folding in November 1981, just a month before the start of the 1981–82 indoor season.

International Friendlies

Honors

NASL championships *

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

runner-up *

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

indoor runner-up Conference Titles *

Pacific Conference Division titles *

Western Division, Pacific Conference *

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

Western Division, Pacific Conference *

Central Division, National Conference *

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Central Division, National Conference U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame * 2003

& Alan Willey Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame * 2001

* 2008

Bruce Twamley Bruce Richardson Twamley (born 23 May 1952 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a former Canadian international soccer player. Twamley began his professional career with Ipswich Town but after only two appearances in two seasons, he moved back t ...

All-Star first team selections * 1977 Alan West * 1979

* 1980

All-Star second team selections * 1976 Ron Webster & Alan West * 1978

Alan Merrick Alan Ronald Merrick (born 20 June 1950) is a retired professional association footballer who played as a defender in England, the North American Soccer League and the Major Indoor Soccer League. Born in England, he earned one cap with the Uni ...

All-Star honorable mentions * 1976 Frank Spraggon * 1977

Steve Litt Stephen Eric Litt (born 21 May 1954) is an English retired football defender who played professionally in the Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and coached in the Western Soccer Alliance. Player Litt ...

* 1978

Mike Renshaw Michael Lawrence Renshaw (April 28, 1948 – February 17, 2021) was a soccer player who played as a left winger. He began as a youth player with Blackpool F.C., Blackpool before moving to the United States to join the Dallas Tornado of the Nort ...

* 1979

Indoor All-Stars * 1980–81

Coaching statistics

Media coverage

Radio

*1976

WWTC WWTC (1280 AM broadcasting, AM, "The Patriot") is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Twin Cities region. It is owned by Salem Media Group and broadcasts a conse ...

-AM 1280 *1977 KSTP AM 1500 *1978–79 WWTC-AM 1280 *1980 KSTP-AM 1500 *1981

WAYL WAYL (91.9 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to St. Augustine, Florida. The station is currently owned by Delmarva Educational Association and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format using the moniker "The Truth." It is simulcast ...

AM 980 Frank Buetel was the original play-by-play announcer (1976–79), followed by Al Shaver in 1980 and Doug McLeod in 1981.

Television

*1976–80

KSTP-TV KSTP-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based Hubbard Broadcasting, which has owned th ...

*1981

WCCO-TV WCCO-TV (channel 4), branded CBS Minnesota, is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations divisi ...

KSTP's original announcers were Kicks' public address announcer

Rod Trongard Rodney Douglas Trongard (February 16, 1933 – July 16, 2005) was a Minnesota-based sports broadcaster on both radio and television in the Minneapolis- St. Paul area for more than fifty years. Early career Trongard's career began in 1953 at KXR ...

and Tom Ryther. When Ryther left KSTP in March 1978, Bob Bruce replaced him. Ralph Jon Fritz called Kicks' games on WCCO.

Records

Records of the Minnesota Kicks are available for research use. They include manager's subject files (1976–1980), staff and player files, payrolls, marketing and promotional materials, financial files, and miscellaneous records. The bulk of the records are the files of team coach and manager Freddie Goodwin, and concern the general management of the franchise.Minnesota Kicks Team Records
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External links

Gallery of Kicks jerseys
on NASLJerseys.com

References

{{North American Soccer League (1968–84) Association football clubs established in 1976 Association football clubs disestablished in 1981 Soccer clubs in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Defunct soccer clubs in Minnesota Soccer clubs in Minnesota North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States 1976 establishments in Minnesota 1981 disestablishments in Minnesota