The Toledo Pride were an American
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 ...
team based in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...
. They played only one season (
1986–1987) in the
American Indoor Soccer Association
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
. They qualified for the playoffs but lost in the first round. The Pride's average home attendances was 1,862.
Year-by-year
Ownership
* Edward Cochran
* Robert Ransom
* John Glase
* Frank DeJulius
* Joshua Gotlieb
Staff
* Edward Cochran – President
*
Klaas de Boer – Head coach / General manager
* Mike Garrett – Assistant coach
* Patrick Jennings – Flexibility coordinator
Roster
*
Cliff Brown
* Bob DiNunzio
*
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett (born April 12, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) with the Kansas City Chiefs and S ...
*
Dave Masur
David Masur (born January 10, 1962, in Maplewood, New Jersey) is a retired American soccer midfielder (association football), midfielder who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–92), Major Indoor Soccer League, Americ ...
*
Jimmy McGeough, Jr.
* Ted Powers
* Neil Ridgway
*
Carlos Salguero
*
Lesh Shkreli
Lesh Shkreli (born January 6, 1957) is a retired Montenegrin-American soccer forward who played in Yugoslavia, Greece and the United States. He led the American Indoor Soccer Association in scoring in 1984-1985, earning MVP honors.
Shkreli is A ...
* Mark Jackson
* John Rudovic
* Juan Vega
* Miguel Garcia
* Dean Kelly
History
The Toledo Pride were a One-Year Wonder indoor soccer outfit, playing in the Midwest-based American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). The Pride played a winter schedule during 1986-87, filling empty dates at the Toledo Sports Arena after the city’s long-time minor league ice hockey club went out of business earlier in 1986.
The Pride finished their only season with a 14-28 record, but that was good enough to qualify for the playoffs under the AISA's generous format. The Chicago Shoccers eliminated the Pride in the first round.
The late Carlos Salguero was Toledo’s leading scorer with 45 goals and 23 assists. Salguero ranked 4th in the AISA in both goals and overall scoring.
The Pride endured an absolutely brutal season off the field. Original head coach/general manager Klaas de Boer either was fired or quit two months into the season. He later sued and obtained a judgement against the team's owners. de Boer’s replacement in the GM chair, John Durham, was arrested after two months on the job for grand theft and writing bad checks on team accounts midway. Durham later received a one-year prison term in June 1987. Two League AISA officials considered bumping the Pride from the league's playoff schedule due to the team’s insolvency, but the owners of the Toledo Sports Arena ultimately stepped up to guarantee the team’s expenses to finish out the season.3
The Toledo Pride folded quietly during the spring/early summer of 1987.
References
{{National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001)
Sports clubs and teams in Toledo, Ohio
Soccer clubs in Ohio