Dips First Experience In the Shootout

The NASL introduced the shootout as a tie-breaking format at the beginning of the 1977 season. On Monday, May 23, 1977, the Dips had their first taste of the new alternative to penalty kicks. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxoD1a9l3Gg&list=UUym8_cP1fZ9lckcliOg5QHg

The Diplomats Once Planned a Stadium of Their Own

A long forgotten piece of Washington soccer lore is the fact that the team once seriously toyed with the idea of their own suburban stadium. Already playing in Fairfax, Virginia, and inspired by the posh ambiance of the Capital Centre, which had opened two years earlier, the team looked to upgrade
the facilities at W.T. Woodson High School, aka Fairfax Stadium. On April 13, 1976, a press conference was held announcing the project which featured an architectural vision of the new complex. John Carbray, who was hired as General Manager at the end of the 1976 season and made many major upgrades to the teams image and facilities, arranged for the team to permanently move to RFK Stadium in the spring of 1977, thus putting an end to the idea of a pitch in suburbia.

From left, John Kerr, Tom McConville and Dennis Viollet review plans for new stadium.

McAllister vs Pele, RFK Stadium, August 6, 1977

Never a Dull Moment

Doug Dugan http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2014/04/from-inside-1980-pre-season.html shares more of his memories of the 1980 Diplomats. In addition to the matches, practices were equally exciting.

“The Dips practice field was located next to the DC jail. One day we were practicing and a bunch of alarms started going off. All of the sudden we see two guys come hauling butt past the field (which was fenced off thank god) heading down toward the (Anacostia) river, which was nearby. The whole place was surrounded by police and a helicopter. The police told Gordon (Coach Gordon Bradley) there was an escape, and we were to stay within the field until they gave us the all clear.   A few minutes later they were putting a soaking wet prisoner into a vehicle. They apparently got his buddy on the other side of the river.”

A view of the Dips practice field, located near RFK Stadium. Note the housing projects in the background. Doug Dugan is at far right.

Don Droege 1979

Tommy O'Hara vs. Gary Etherington, Meadowlands, NJ, June 18, 1978

Stylin'

The perks of being a professional athlete are as old as the ancient Olympics. Gladiators had their pick of Roman nympho groupies. The Bambino scored as many times off the field as he did on. Not to be left out, the Diplomats had first rate accommodations in the barbershop during the late 70s. Note Eric Martin as he sits comfortably, white wine in hand. The only thing missing is the Roman Nympho.

Fan Appreciation Day, 1979

Grateful thanks to E. Yohe

A Somber Milestone

August 27 marks the 34th anniversary of the original Diplomats final game at RFK Stadium. The 1-0 victory was the only playoff win in franchise history.

No Joy In Mudville

The dog days of summer are here in Washington, DC. Anyone familiar with the area can tell you an afternoon thunderstorm is common from mid-June through the end of September. On Saturday, June 7, 1980, the Dips and Chicago Sting played a matinee at Wrigley Field that featured a Washington-esque downpour. In fact, the rain was so torrential that it caused a 28 minute delay. The dirt infield at Wrigley turned to thick mud (note photo below).

The Sting appeared to have no problem adjusting to the playing conditions. The Diplomats appeared to be playing in a field covered with Mrs. O’Leary’s cow droppings. The Sting scored four straight goals, two by Arno Steffenhagen just four minutes apart. “The second half was like the St. Valentine’s Day massacre,” Carmine Marcantonio observed. No bullets were needed this time.

Dennis Viollet Business Card

Kurt Kuykendall: A Rich Life

Kurt Kuykendall was a late-comer to soccer, an All-American and the Diplomats first draft pick in 1974. His inspirational story was documented in the 2011 film "For The Glory."  Below is a feature from the Dips 1974 program.
http://www.fortheglorythemovie.com/ 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062302023.html

Making a tough save at RFK Stadium in 1974

The Most Amazing Pass In Diplomats History

Sunday, July 27, 1980, Lancers @ Dips, RFK Stadium. With but a snap of his heel, The Flying Dutchman perfectly placed a pass in the heart of the Rochester box that Tony Crescitelli converted for one of his 2 goals in the match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn6P_JKe2N0

AUDIO DOES NOT WORK ON VIDEO CLIP

Alan Green, Dips vs. Tornado, RFK Stadium, April 20, 1980

Photo Courtesy NASLJerseys.com

The Age Old Football Controversy

With the World Cup ready to start in just a few weeks, the word “flop” will interject itself into the sport’s fan vocabulary just as it does every four years when the beautiful game takes the world stage. Pub patrons all over creation will scrutinize and debate every time a player hits the turf. How much is true pain and how much is true drama most usually is only known by the player/actor.

There is little doubt regarding the credibility of the California Surf’s Laurie Abrahams tumble against Bob Iaruschi and the Diplomats the evening of Sunday, July 22, 1979. According to Iaruschi, Abrahams admitted to the dive, a.k.a. flop, and Surf coach Peter Wall made no attempt to hide the smile Abraham’s theatrics gave him.

 

Oscar winner Abrahams pursued by Dips defense. Photo courtesy NASLJerseys.com

 

Joe Horvath

The Washington Star's Joseph Silverman captured an outstanding image of Joe Horvath in this 1979 match at RFK Stadium.

From the Inside: The 1980 Pre-Season

Doug Dugan played soccer at American University from 1976 to 1980. The Eagles produced a 39-21-7 record and 2 NCAA Tournament appearances during this highly successful period. Doug was a major contributor, as the article from The Washington Post attests. As a result, he caught the attention of the Dips management. Here he shares some of his memories. Thank you, Doug!

“In January, 1980, Gordon Bradley invited me to preseason in Jacksonville, Florida for a six week trial. I was on the Dips 1980 pre-season roster and participated in the training camp. We started workouts at RFK a couple of weeks before we were to go down to Jacksonville. I was in my last semester of college at American University, and would make the early morning trek via bus, and metro every day to get to training. My professors were very understanding, and they all agreed to have my school work sent down to me in Jacksonville. I would complete it, and send it back. I didn't mind because my homework filled in some of the down time we had when not training. Anyway, we were at a pre-season mini tournament in Tampa playing Tulsa when Jim Steele suffered a very bad injury, and I went in for him. Jim was a very popular and respected player, and it was an unfortunate way for me to get in the game.

I also remember meeting Johan Cruyff for the first time. A bunch of us were in my room at the Thunderbird Hotel in Jacksonville watching March Madness on television. There was a rumor going around we were about to sign a "big name" player, but didn't know who. Next thing I know Bob Iarusci walks into our room bringing Johan Cruyff, and Wim Jansen with him.  Needless to say I was shocked!

I couldn't believe I was lying on my bed watching college basketball, and one of the game's greatest players just walked into my room. Introductions were made, and we all got back to watching the game trying not to act in awe of what had just taken place. The one thing I also remember about that day was Cruyff seemed to know everything about the college games we were watching. He knew players names, brackets, and general tactics of each game.

After a couple of training sessions the novelty wore off, and he became just one of the guys. Before we came back to DC Gordon asked me to stay on as he and (assistant coach) Joe Mallet wanted to have a longer look at me. They signed me on as an "amateur," paying me for "expenses."

I remember Wim being very shy, and polite, and just a really nice guy who sometimes gave me a ride home from training at the RFK practice field. There were many things I learned from both of those players as the days, weeks, and months of training went by.

I was also lucky enough to have Eric Martin for a roommate for those several weeks in Jacksonville. Not only was he an incredible goalkeeper, but he was a really nice guy with a very gray sense of humor that would crack me up. He decided to retire that year, but remained with the team in a coaching capacity.

It was such a different dynamic coming from college ball to playing with the Dips for that season. Plenty of personalities and plenty of stories were had, and even though I was only signed as an amateur I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

 

 

 

Pre-Season 1980

This is one of those small, tiny, minor trivia facts most will find of little consequence, but the Diplomats did not use the jersey most associated with the 1980 team, which has the Adidas logo on the upper right chest, in exhibition games that season.

The Battle Against Perpetuating Stereotypes

Whoever says, "white men can't jump, " never saw Mike Dillon with the Diplomats.

Looking Back & Catching Up With Jim Steele

Jim Steele looks back on his

time as a member of the Diplomats with a sense of con-
tentment. "We were not the greatest team, but we had great camaraderie. We played as a team as opposed to individuals."

His first match with the club came on May 1, 1977, in Ft. Lauderdale against the Strikers.
From that day through the end of the 1979 season, the affable Scot was known as the Dips defensive enforcer, a reputation that had preceded him from his days playing for Southampton in England.
 


The 1977 season garnered great optimism, but soon bogged down as the team struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just 31 goals in 26 games and finishing 10-16. "Dennis (Head Coach Dennis Viollet) was defensive minded so there were not many goals," Steele recalls.

Gordon Bradley, who took over for Viollet after the 1977 campaign, was able to recruit better players because, as Steele puts it, management "opened up the wallet." The 1978 Dips went undefeated in their first five games and reached the playoffs. They achieved a notoriety no other Diplomat team had enjoyed before, lasting through-out the season, and beyond.

Steele recalls the magic of Summer, 1978. "It was fabulous. Paul Cannell and I spent a lot of time at The Sign of the Whale (a bar in the Georgetown section of DC)." He found the area so much to his liking that he stayed throughout the offseason during his tenure with the Dips.

LIFE IN THE NASL

 

Steele remembers the Dips organization provided the best of everything. "We ate well, traveled comfortably, and stayed in first class hotels. The Danzansky's were a great family, though they didn't know much about football. Steve (Team President Stephen Danzansky) was a nice guy. We went upstairs after certain games and had a drink with him."

Drinking, it seems, was another facet where the English dominated the Yanks. "The players from the UK would often go out for a pint. After a few occasions some of the Americans joined us, but they would be drunk after about four beers. Then they insisted on buying round after round!"

While life off the pitch was enjoyable, there were a few aspects of Americanized soccer that took getting used to. For instance, some of the playing fields were unusually narrow, especially in Tulsa. Aloha Stadium, home of Team Hawaii, presented it's own unique predicament. "The pitch had an unusual wind because it was an open ended stadium."

Adapting to artificial turf was perhaps the most difficult adjustment international players faced in the NASL. Their tactical instincts for the game were based on the friendlier setting of natural grass stadiums. "You could not do slide tackles (on artificial turf), Steele recalls with a chuckle. "I told a player from Holland, 'no matter what, do not slide tackle on this stuff.' His first one was a slide and it took all the skin off his leg."

The Meadowlands, home of the Cosmos, posed an additional nuisance alongside that of synthetic grass. "The field had a hump in the middle (which allowed water runoff). The ball would be rolling to the side and then pick up speed you did not expect and we thought 'What's all this?'"   

 1979 SEASON

 

The months in between the end of the '78 season and Opening Day '79 provided big changes for the organization, on and off the field. Madison Square Garden Soccer, Inc., a subsidiary of Gulf and Western, became the new majority owner. Coach Gordon Bradley set out to change the quality of native players and enhance the team's depth.

 

In a March, 1979, interview with the Washington Star, Bradley noted, "When I came here the American contingent was so-so. Now of my top 24 players, 11 are Americans. This year I wanted depth. Our average age last year was 27 1/2, this year it's 25." What most impressed Bradley about the new ownership was the infusion of a new mindset. "The thing I've noticed most different about the club is its organization. We're here to stay, you might say." Ah...yeah (Please pardon my sarcasm). During this honeymoon period, MSG rolled out the red carpet. Steele recalls he and a handful of teammates being treated to a weekend in NYC, which included taking in a Rangers game in the owners private suite.

 

The new attitude surrounding the organization translated into a 8-2 record to start the season, with the Dips outscoring opponents 30-15. This era of good feelings would not last, however. Despite finishing that year with a franchise best 19-11 record, the team faired a disappointing 2-5 in their final seven matches, the last four all losses.

 

As the season progressed, Bradley seemed to grow frustrated with the club's all-time leading scorer, Cannell, and defensive leader, Steele. "It's been this way for a while now," the sweeper told the Washington Post on August 19. "Something goes wrong, blame Steele or Cannell."

 

"Cannell pissed Bradley off," Steele remembers 35 years later, "something he said, or he was out drinking." Adding insult to injury for Steele was Bradley's decision to replace him with Tony Crescitelli, a forward, at the 79 minute mark in the Dips playoff opener versus Los Angeles . "Why take me off? I was playing better than some of the bloody midfielders."

 

 



So, why the change in the coach's demeanor? Steele believes it occurred a couple of months into the season while working in his yard. "He had a bad gardening accident, cut a couple fingers off and that really changed him. Before, he would come out and have a pint with us, but he never did after that. The accident really changed him completely."

 http://youtu.be/DmT5TKvQKQY

 MOVING ON

 

Just a month after the end of the Diplomats 1979 season, Steele signed with the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League for the upcoming winter season. The Spirit were coached by former Diplomat and good friend Alex Pringle. On December 9, Steele tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and underwent surgery a week later. For all intents and purposes, his football career was over.

 

"The Diplomats doctor was examining my knee during the (1980) pre-season and he told me, 'look, management knows you're never going to be 100% again,'" Steele remembers. "I knew I wasn't going to be around much longer." His hunch was correct.

 

Steele was released before the Dips March 29 season opener in Tampa. Two months later to the day, May 29, Steele signed with the Memphis Rogues, joining up with Paul Cannell once again. However, his knee had incurred too much damage, and he played in just seven games. "Even to this day, I still can't bend my knee all the way back."

 

 

LIFE TODAY

He stayed in the States until 1994, then returned to the UK and became a publican, only giving up the trade recently. He lives a satisfied life with his partner Jill, who works with dementia patients, a condition close to my heart as my father passed away from Parkinson's Disease. Still keeping active, he plays golf as frequently as possible.
When asked to reflect about his contributions to the Dips success, he states without hesitation, "A sense of pride. I think I boosted them."

The gregarious Steele, still the life of the party.

 

 



 Indeed, he did. Here's to you, Steeley!
 

,

 
 
 

Special thanks to Simon Walter, The York Press

1978 Diplomats

For the Dips Fan Who Has Everything

1980 Letterhead and Envelope

Andries Maseko Passes

1979 video clip of Maseko's quickness & footwork

Andries "Six Mabone" Maseko

1955 - 2013

Andries Maseko, best known as Six Mabone, was born on 25 December 1955 in KwaThema. Maseko was born to Ephraim and Lettie Maseko (born 1914). Ephraim Maseko died before he turned professional in 1972.

Maseko was a South African football striker who played for Moroka Swallows, San Jose Earthquakes, Washington Diplomats and Phoenix Inferno.

In 1970, he joined Moroka Swallows from amateur club Harmed Stars at the age of 15. During a 1974 NPSL match against Umlazi Citizens, Maseko scored 8 goals in 13-1 win at the Sinaba Stadium, Daveyton.

He joined Washington Diplomats in 1978 and became one of the few South African black players in America alongside Abednigo Ngcobo, Jomo Sono, Kaizer Motaung and Patrick Ntsoelengoe. During his spell at Washington Diplomats, he was a teammate of Johan Cruyff.

Maseko left Washington Diplomats in 1982 and joined San Jose Earthquakes and played together with George Best. After leaving San Jose Earthquakes, he had a short spell at Phoenix Inferno before returning to South Africa to play for Benoni United.
Maseko passed away on 26 October 2013

El diablito de España: "The Best Player You’ve Never Heard Of"

On February 20, 1980, the Diplomats held a press conference to introduce their new "play maker and field general," as stated by Gordon Bradley. Juan Jose Lozano had just signed the most lucrative contract in team history, up to that time.

Within a month, however, the Dips added Wim Jansen and Johan Cruyff, both of whom had demonstrated leadership qualities and creative athletic ability on the world stage. In December the team would cease operations.

Like his time in Washington, Lozano's career never truly reached it's full potential. He suffered a career ending injury in April, 1987. The link at the bottom of the page provides an excellent overview of his football career.



Lozano's biggest goal as a Diplomat came against the Cosmos on August 17, 1980, at the Meadowlands. With this header, he tied the match, 1-1, just 25 seconds after Giorgio Chinaglia scored on a penalty kick. The Dips went on to win, 2-1, breaking a streak of three straight Cosmos victories over the Dips via the shootout. Of the win, and the fashion in which it was clinched, Carmine Marcantonio stated, "God finally did justice."

 

The link below is courtesy of http://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com.

 

http://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com/2012/08/juan-lozano-best-player-youve-never.html