1980 Team Card Set Sponsored by Herman's Sporting Goods

The Emotions of a Shootout

Sunday, April 8, 1979, RFK Stuadium. The Cosmos took the match by winning the shootout.

1979 Holiday Card

Happy Holidays to all!



 



Irwin & Cruyff Match Used Jerseys

Kevin H. shared photos of a Bill Irwin 1978 gamer and a Johan Cruyff from 1980. Thanks, Kevin!

Booster Club Season Kickoff Reception, April 8, 1978

This team meet and greet was held in the Club Level Lounge at RFK Stadium and included a chance to visit the Dips locker room.

Clockwise from top left- Paul Cannell, Roy Willner, Gary Darrell, Ray & Stuart Graydon, Bobby Stokes, Randy Garber.

Kenneth Mokgojoa, left; a young fan in the locker room.

Gary Darrell 1980

Sonny Askew

Doug Dugan Passes

Doug Dugan, who spent the 1980 season with the Diplomats, passed away on July 18, 2016.

He attended American University on a full soccer scholarship and was named the teams Most Valuable Player in 1979 and 1980, leading the Eagles to a 1979 East Coast Conference Championship.

Dugan explained how he came to spend the summer of 1980 with the Dips. “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. 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."

Doug with roomie Eric Martin during spring training, 1980.

Doug had a knack for story telling and a fantastic sense of humor. He was featured in three pieces on this site that provided an insiders perspective of the Diplomats 1980 campaign:

http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2014/04/from-inside-1980-pre-season.html  

http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2014/11/never-dull-moment.html

http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-gordon-bradley-practice.html

The Dugan family will be establishing a Doug Dugan Memorial Soccer Scholarship Fund at his alma mater American University. Please stay posted for more information about donating to help worthy high school soccer players with their tuition so that they can follow in Doug’s footsteps, playing for American University’s Eagles.

GOAL

Photos from July 16, 1976 program.

Joszef Horvath: Freedom Trumps Material Wealth

     As Cold War rhetoric seems to be making a return between the US & Russia, it brings back memories of a time when the most talented in the Eastern Bloc tried to escape the dismal side of the Iron Curtain for freedom in the West. Rudolf Nureyev, Martina Navratilova and Mikhail Baryshnikov stand out on a list that reached into the dozens.
     Among those who fled to the West was Joszef Horvath, a standout on the 1979 & 1980 Diplomats. While he forfeited financial success in mid-1970s Hungary, he was more than happy to exchange it for freedom and the opportunity of a new life for his family. (To view in a larger size, place mouse on image and right click. Select "Open in a New Window.")

Perhaps the most memorable evening Horvath enjoyed with the Dips was a June 17, 1980, match in Rochester, NY. He scored both goals as Washington defeated his former mates, 2-1, and then hosted the post game celebration.

Paul Cannell 1979 Match Used/Worn Jersey

Dave Boulineau shared photos of his Paul Cannell gamer from 1979. Thanks, Dave!

Don Droege vs Barry Kitchener, 1979

Tampa Bay came to RFK on August 1, 1979, and left with a 5-1 drubbing. The Rowdies Barry Kitchener did come out on the better end of this meeting with Don Droege, however.

Photos by Tony Quinn

Alan Spavin Passes

We learned with deep regret that Alan Spavin passed away in March of this year. Mr. Spavin served as player, Assistant Coach and Head Coach during his four years with the Diplomats, 1974 - 1977.

Dundalk FC Announcement   http://www.dundalkfc.com/alan-spavin-r-i-p/

1979 Friendly vs Dominican National Team

Pregame introductions.

Dips & the Dominican National Team in action, February 28, 1979.

ABC Sports Profile of Robert Iarusci

From the June 1, 1980, Dips Cosmos match.

True Fans

                                                                                                                                                                        Left Photo by Tony Quinn

Dips In The Twilight Zone

"The Greatest Goal I've Ever Seen"

Bill Goff recently recalled the night he saw, in his words, "the greatest goal I've ever seen."

“I was 15 and out of my mind that night for two reasons, the first is how amazing the Kicks played, the second was watching Cruyff. He was a man among boys. He tormented [the Kicks] Gary Vogel on the wing all evening, only to have zero supporting cast to take advantage. With the game out of reach, he scored the greatest goal I have ever seen to this day. From the corner of the box [on the endline] in the dirt infield, he hit a slow, lofting volley from the outside of his right foot that froze [goalkeeper] Tino Lettieri in his tracks. When the ball settled in the net, all Tino could do was turn and applaud. I was there with some high school buddies and we went crazy! I can still see it so vividly. I wish that was somehow memorialized on video.”

God only knows how many amazing plays are lost to history from the late, great original NASL. There is a chance that film of the goal exists. Bill knows the game was taped because part of it appears in the Kicks 1980 highlight film.

On two other occasions in the 1980 season, The Washington press accorded accolades similar to Bill's about two other Cruyff goals, both of which came during matches in RFK Stadium. The Washington Star called the goal Cruyff scored against the Tulsa Roughnecks "sheer classic." Unfortunately, video for this match has gone the same route as Jimmy Hoffa.

The Washington Post proclaimed Cruyff's goal against the Seattle Sounders as "one of the great goals ever seen in soccer." This was seconded by Budweiser, a well known soccer authority, as it was the winner of their 1980 Goal of the Year Award. Fortunately, there are many sources to view this one.
See Cruyff's run described in the Washington Post as "one of the great goals ever seen in soccer."

Hopefully, video of Cruyff's goal in Minnesota that August evening will one day be available. Until then, thank you, Bill, for keeping its legend alive!

Special thanks to fiftyfive.one, to whom Bill also shared his story.

1976 Exhibition Game Scorecard

Exasperation

The look on Tony Crescitelli's face personifies it.

Photo Credit Tony Quinn

Remembering Black Sunday, 1980

June 1, 2016, will be the 36th anniversary of Black Sunday, when referee Toros Kibritjian and linesman Gordon Arrowsmith conspired to perpetrate the most blatant fix of a professional sports match ever recorded in the history of guilty man. No, that is not an overstatement  :)

Link to Comprehensive Game Coverage

Game coverage from The Washington Star

Gary Darrell and Carmine Marcantonio battle Cosmos Eskandarian for ball.

Bill Irwin was one of many to question the competency of the officiating crew assigned at the match.

Halftime scoreboard.

1975 Team Picture

August 9, 1978: Playoff Pangs In Portland

In hindsight, it was a portent of the match to come. As Diplomats Gary Darrell and Paul Cannell dozed in the early morning hours of August 8, 1978, someone slipped in their hotel room and helped themselves to $50 and a wristwatch.

"I heard the door and thought it was me roommate going down for breakfast," Cannell stated. By the end of the playoff match the following evening, the entire team felt deprived of something they thought rightfully theirs.

In his pre-match analysis, Coach Gordon Bradley said the Dips would have "no excuses" if they failed to advance. "The majority of players really preferred Portland" as their first round opponent to any other team in the NASL's National Conference, Bradley confided. "I think that's because we lost so narrowly out here." The clubs had split two matches that season, each winning at home by a score of 2-1.

If Bradley was content playing in Portland, Cannell had one point of contention. "The Astroturf is the worst I've ever seen because it's so uneven. It has waves in it like an ocean. You can get seasick running from one side of the field to the other."

The red arrow demonstrates one of the waves in the Civic Stadium Astroturf.

Match photo of Paul Cannell.

Gordon Bradley inserted Ken Mokgojoa into the Dips starting lineup, hoping to take advantage of his superior athleticism and speed. The hunch proved opportune, as Steve Kelley of The Oregonian noted that "the dangerous winger caused problems" for the home team. Mokgojoa's dazzle set up Gary Darrell in the 26th minute, providing the latter with an open blast from eight yards out. Portland keeper Mick Poole made "a strong save" to keep the match scoreless.

If not for Poole, the Dips may have put the game away in the first half. In addition to his save on Darrell, Poole twice frustrated Diplomat Ray Graydon on 2 direct volleys, one a break away in the waning seconds of the first half.

The Dips Bobby Stokes marveled at Poole's play in the opening 45 minutes. "He made three or four exceptional saves. Especially one on Paul Cannell (a point blank-blank header). I don't know how he got it. That had to be the save of a lifetime." Hyperbolise or not, Portland had managed to keep the match even. Both teams entered their respective locker rooms knowing that the 1978 season would soon be over for one of them.

The action continued fast and furious after intermission. Finally, at the 58:47 mark of the second half, Portland broke the stalemate. John Bain of the Timbers intercepted a pass deep in the Washington penalty area and slipped the ball to Brian McNeal. His one bounce shot beat Dips goalkeeper Bill Irwin, who was partially screened and did not see McNeal fire.

 This Brian McNeal shot, which came off a quick feed from John Bain, gave the Timbers a 1-0 lead.

Now ahead, the Timbers settled back on defense. There were still a little more than 30 minutes left to play, and Gordon Bradley was not concerned. "There was never a doubt in my mind we weren't going to win it," he said. "There was no question." As the minutes ticked down on the season, however, Bradley turned to some creative substitutions.

At the 76:44 mark, Andries Maseko replaced an exhausted Carmine Marcantonio. NASL rules required each team must have a minimum of 2 North American players on the field the entire game. Marcantonio was a Canadian citizen, Maseko was from South Africa. In order to field a second North American, Bradley pulled starting goalkeeper Bill Irwin of Ireland and inserted American Bob Stetler.

It was a busy night for Carmine Marcantonio.

The fresh attacker sparked new energy into the Dips. "They weren't playing organized," Portland coach Don Megson noted. "They just put people forward. They had people flying all over the place." With one minute left it seemed as if the 1978 campaign was coming to a close-- then lightning struck.

Portland midfielder John Bain, handling the ball dangerously close to the Timbers goal, "should have been thinking safety first and just hooked the ball away, but instead he sent a pass that wasn't on the same wave length with the other lads." Bain's pass was intercepted by Diplomat Ken Mokgojoa, who fired a shot into Mick Poole. The Portland goalkeeper could not control the ball, and Bobby Stokes put the rebound into the back of the net with just 30 left, "casting a pall over the Civic Stadium crowd of 14,230."

"I tried to clear the ball away and I made a bad pass that cost us a goal. I was absolutely sick about it," Bain said.

In an instant, momentum had shifted to the good guys. "The Timbers," wrote the Oregonian, "appeared to be gasping their final breaths of the season." Now the teams would play fifteen minutes of overtime. If neither team scored in the two 7 1/2 minute half's, the game would proceed to a shoot-out.

The Dips carried the momentum of Bobby Stokes' goal into the extra period, controlling the ball consistently in Timbers territory for the first six minutes. After what must have seemed an intolerable amount of time on defense, Portland was able to cross midfield and launch a counter attack which resulted in a corner kick taken by Elson Seale.

"I didn't hit the ball as well as I can," Seale said, "but I just wanted to get it in a danger area." He did.

Jim Steele and a Portland attacker both went in the air to play the ball, but neither made contact. "You hardly ever see two players go for a ball on a corner kick and not flick it one way or the other," Gordon Bradley lamented. The ball landed in front of John Bain, whose miscue allowed the Dips to tie the match in the final seconds of regulation play.                                                                                                                                            

"That guy (Bain) must have been as surprised as anyone to see the ball sitting there like that. If the ball goes anywhere else, we clear it. But it didn't and he toe-poked it in. It was a matter of the ball landing at one of their player's feet. It's luck. That was the first time Portland was down our end of the field in the overtime. Portland didn't deserve to win. They had only one way of attacking: kick the ball 40 yards up-field to (Clyde) Best, that was the extent of their offense."

Despite his disappointment, Bradley was proud of his lads. "My team showed the same character, attitude and enthusiasm it showed over 30 games this year."

Was Bradley being unnecessarily bitter? Jim Steele didn't think do. "I think they (Portland) know they were lucky. We should have won, we had so many chances. They got a break." He paused for a moment. "They were fortunate, but they're a great bunch of lads."

Assorted Stickers

Here are some of the stickers the Dips put out through the years. If I've forgotten any, please feel free to send a picture.

Bob Stetler, 1979 Preseason Match, Florida

It was always good to see Bob Stetler get some PT, even if it was an exhibition game. Note the game ball; not the signature Adidas red, white and blue star ball, but what appears to be a K-Mart special.

Danny Molendyk 1980 Jersey

Danny Molendyk's son, David, shared a photo of his father's 1980 home jersey. Thanks,  David!

Tony Macken 1976

In Memoriam Johan Cruyff 1947-2016

Spring Training

Mid-March was always the time the Diplomats preseason training would be in full swing. Some would be more intriguing than others, as Doug Dugan recalled http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2014/04/from-inside-1980-pre-season.html 
A few photos from the 1979 & 1980 training camps demonstrate drills Gordon Bradley employed.

Bobby Stokes Biography Available May 1, 2016

Bobby Stokes, one of the most popular players ever to don a Dips jersey, is the subject of a new book by Southampton author Mark Sanderson. You can order Bobby Stokes: The Man from Portsmouth Who Scored Southampton's Most Famous Goal, by using the following link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobby-Stokes-Portsmouth-Scored-Southamptons/dp/1785311379/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454506270&sr=8-1&keywords=bobby+stokes or visit http://bobbystokesbook.com/

"He's the man whose goal delivered Southampton's only major trophy in 130 years and counting. Bobby Stokes's winning goal in the 1976 FA Cup Final marked an unforgettable 11-second sequence of play for Saints fans, but just how did a Portsmouth-born Pompey supporter end up scoring a cup-winning goal for his boyhood team's hated, local rivals? Bobby Stokes: The Man from Portsmouth Who Scored Southampton's Most Famous Goal answers this question and so many others. Such as, what led him to leave Saints just a year after his glory? Why did he swap the glamour of the US League and crowds of 50,000-plus in New York for the grass roots of the Sussex County League? How did he end up waiting tables in a Portsmouth café? And, why, less than 20 years on from that historic May afternoon, did he end up dying in poverty in 1995 at the tender age of just 44 - shortly before his testimonial match was due to take place at the Dell? This book takes a long overdue look at the life of Bobby Stokes, answers those questions and tells the story of a legendary figure in Southampton's history and the man who scored the club's most-famous goal."

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=the%20bobby%20stokes%20story

Stokes in action against the Tulsa Roughnecks , 1979.

Diplomats at Rowdies, 1975

Diplomats Gerry Ingram, Rowdies Malcolm Linton.

1979 Full Ticket

Not Soccer's Finest Hour-Pele's Farewell

     There is an old adage in sports. Don't say anything that will motivate or antagonize an upcoming opponent. Perhaps Steve Hunt of the Cosmos did not put much stock in adages. Perhaps the match which took place on Wednesday, July 27, 1977, at the Meadowlands, was a wake up call for the lads in red. Whatever the reason, Hunt's assessment of the Dips would provide a rallying cry for the Washingtonians ten days later.

     "They're the worst team we've come across so far," Hunt told reporters after the Cosmos had defeated the Dips, 8-2. New York had scored five goals in 43:54, the fastest five goals in league history. Hunt's blunt statement would earn him extra, unwanted attention on the evening of August 6, when the teams were scheduled to play in both's regular season finale.

     Not only was the contest to be both club's season finale, it would be Pele's last appearance in a regular season match. Pregame estimates put the attendance figure at 40,000. Sentimentally, the game would be important for the Cosmos. Realistically, it had little significance as they had already clinched the second seed in the upcoming playoffs.

    

     Thanks to Hunt's words, and the lopsided outcome in the Meadowlands, the match was a chance at redemption for the Diplomats. Forward Mike Lester recently recalled, "the 8-2 defeat did spur us on. It's a blow to your professional pride when you suffer a loss like that, so you have to give a performance, and I think we did that night."

     In the press, the team feigned resignation. The morning of the contest, Dips captain Jim Steele, who sat out the match 10 days previous, was quoted as saying, "There isn't much confidence left anymore. It's going to be really hard for us against the Cosmos. We just don't have their ability. Most of the lads are flying home Sunday and they're thinking about that. I can't be optimistic." 

     He did guarantee one thing. "I'm going to take care of (Steve) Hunt. I'm going to fix him. We'll see how well he can run when he's horizontal."


     There was a hint of tension in the air at RFK Stadium as game time approached. Hunt's contemptible appraisal was still stinging players and fans alike. Would Jim Steele make good on his promise to "take care" of Hunt? How would this sideshow affect the larger spectacle of Pele's last regular season match?


     As each club took the field to warm up, the tension would become palpable. Two thirds of the Cosmos triumvirate of international stars were in street clothes. Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia would watch from the press box, along with usual starting goalkeeper Shep Messing. Boos rained down from the 31,000 who turned out. Dips president Steve Danzansky, as genial a man anyone could hope to meet, was incredulous. "I'm surprised and disappointed at the Cosmos' lack of respect for the fans in the league and for the fans in  Washington. I have no regard at all for the Cosmos organization if this is their attitude."

Willner & Hunt in the
July 27 match.

     Donald Huff of the Washington Post noted, "The Dips came out aggressively and the Cosmos, playing a 'meaningless game,' took a few cheap shots of their own." Washington, lead by Jim Redfern's two goals, jumped to an early 2-0 lead before Pele cut the deficit in half with a penalty kick 35 minutes into the game. The match's physical nature turned to physical confrontation in the final two minutes of the first half.

     Nearly 40 years later, Roy Willner explains the details of the incident as if it happened yesterday. "I can tell you exactly what happened! The ball went over my head and Steve Hunt and I went after it and Hunt fell face down. Alex Pringle came by and stepped on his back. I thought, 'what the hell was he (Pringle) doing that for.'  Hunt started running after Pringle. I grabbed Hunt around the waist, trying to slow him down...protect a teammate, and all hell broke loose."

     Players from both clubs raced toward the fracas. Mike Lester recalls, "I went in to try and help Alex Pringle and calm things down. Pele thought I was coming after him." A left hook from Pele knocked Lester to the turf. "I suppose if you are going to get hit by anyone it might as well be the most famous player of all time!"

     In his post-game interview, Pele explained, "I saw the scuffle and came over. I don't know what happened exactly. I don't know what he (Lester) thought, but he was swinging. I had to defend myself."

     Willner still finds Pele's account dubious. "Mike never raised his arms to punch. Pele saw what was going on and raced over and clocked Mike Lester. Then the ref came over and Pele pointed at me and and told him I started the whole thing."

Left photo: Pele still holds a boxing stance after punching Mike Lester as Steve Hunt (11) appears to be held by the back of his collar . Right: Dips Eric Martin (1), Roy Willner and Alan Spavin (6) converge on the only man to throw a punch, Pele. 

       

Diplomats Alan Spavin, Roy Willner,
Jim Redfern and Eric Martin react to
Peter Johnson's verdict.

     Shannon Fears, covering the match for Soccer America, which featured it as the cover story for their August 9, 1977, issue, professed, "There can no doubt that referee Johnson never knew who had done what. That much was obvious from a statement he released at halftime, plus the fact that he had Willner and  Pringle mixed up at first. With Pele's guidance, Willner was the first to be shown a red card."

     Willner was dumbfounded. "Pele accused me and got me thrown out. The only guys who should have been thrown out were Pringle and Pele for throwing a punch." Instead, Johnson gave red cards to Pringle and Steve Hunt.                                

     

Willner and Pele were not strangers. The Baltimore native had marked Pele as far back as 1973. Yet when Willner tried to reach

out to Pele after the game, he was snubbed. "I went to the Cosmos

locker room after the game and he treated me like dirt," Willner

recalls. He blamed me for the whole thing." Note the photo on the left, in which Pele is all smiles and goodwill, which was taken the previous season.

The remainder of the match would feature 10 Cosmos versus nine Diplomats.

    It was billed as Pele's night, but Dips goalkeeper Eric Martin ended up in the spotlight. "The Cosmos were good all night; the Dips were just better, especially Eric Martin, who may have turned in the finest performance of his career." wrote Fears. "Diving, lurching, sprawling, Martin covered the goal during the second half like a man possessed."

     Donald Huff was no less glowing in describing the goaltender's heroics. "On more than one occasion, Martin dived and knocked away seemingly sure Cosmo goals. The native of Scotland resembled a praying mantis with several unbelievable saves in the waning moments of the game."

     The humble Martin took it all in stride. "You have good games and you have bad ones. The only thing I knew for sure was that the Cosmos would not score eight goals again."

     In a bizarre twist of fate, Martin's career would end just six months later. On the evening of February 12, 1978, during an indoor match against the Dallas Tornado, he broke both his tibia and fibula in his right leg just above the ankle.

     

     There had been enough drama for an entire season centered around this one match. Steve Hunt's ill advised comments, Jim Steele's promise of retribution, the spectacle of Pele's last game, the benching of Beckenbauer and Chinaglia, the first half fisticuffs, and Eric Martin's heroics in goal for the Diplomats. Yet, there was more to come.

     After the match, a 2-1 victory for the Dips, Cosmos coach Eddie Firmani stated that Dips coach Alan Spavin had told him "to take Pele off (the field) because I can't control my boys." Firmani didn't, insisting "I'm not going to let anyone tell me what to do or how to run my team."

     Spavin was flabbergasted. He told the Post that Firmani was "full of sh*t, and you can quote me exactly. I can't believe Eddie would say a thing like that. It's just not true at all."

     The names of coaches and players would change over the years, but the intensity of the Cosmos-Diplomats rivalry would remain unwavering.