Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale is where Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are currently playing until their impressive new stadium is ready in Miami. I have been there to see Inter Miami, but also visited it before it became the center of attention of the Messi-mania; namely when it was called Lockhart Stadium and was home to the now defunct Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.
Inter Miami fans should know their history, and Ft. Lauderdale Strikers are part of that history, as they are a team that saw another time’s superstars play in the humidity of Florida.
Originally known as the Washington Darts, Miami Gatos and Toros, the team became Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in 1976 when moving there from Miami as part of the North American Soccer League. At this time entrepreneurs were trying to introduce football in the USA, and Ft. Lauderdale Strikers became one of the teams that took up the mantle. Under English manager Ron Newman the Strikers hired legendary English goalkeeper Gordon Banks, and by 1980 had a roster than included superstars such as the Peruvian Teofilo Cubillas and the German striker Gerd Muller. The legendary George Best also played one short season at the Strikers.
Despite the incredible players, success eluded the Strikers; they made it to the final of the 1980 NASL where they faced a New York Cosmos side that included Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and other international stars, and lost 0-3. After a few years decline the team relocated to Minnesota in 1983 before the NASL ended in 1984. The side enjoyed a short rebirth from 2006 to 2016 in a new NASL (which is when I went to watch them), but by 2017 had gone bankrupt, and the pieces were picked up by David Beckham and Inter Miami.
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