Detroit Express
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| Detroit Express | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Detroit Express | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Express | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dissolved | 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Pontiac Silverdome (Capacity 80,000) |
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| Coach | Ken Furphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | North American Soccer League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- This article is about the original Detroit Express of the NASL. For the second team to use the name, see Detroit Express (ASL)
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (August 2006) |
Contents |
[edit] NASL
The Detroit Express was a soccer team based in suburban Detroit that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Its home field was the Pontiac Silverdome. The Express were co-owned and directed by famous English soccer pundit Jimmy Hill who was also the managing director and then chairman of the English club Coventry City. The team was coached by Ken Furphy.
England great Trevor Francis was the first big name signed by the team and arrived in early May 1978. He missed the first third of the season, but still led the team with 22 goals and 10 assists in 19 games. The coaches son, forward Keith Furphy was 2nd in scoring with 11 goals and 12 assists. The Express won the Central Division of the American Conference with a 20 win and 10 loss record. In the playoffs, Francis scored the series winning goal to defeat the Philadelphia Fury in the first round, but the Express were then knocked out by the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers at the Silverdome in a mini-game overtime after going 1-1 in the conference semi-finals.
Back in England, Francis made history as the first player to ever command a 1 million pound transfer when he was purchased by Nottingham Forest from Birmingham. Forest was not keen to allow their new asset to return to the states. But they finally relented and Francis returned just past the midway point of the 1979 season. He drew large crowds and contributed 14 goals and 8 assists in 14 games, tying Keith Furphy for the team lead. But the Express struggled to a 14 and 16 record, and a 3rd place finish. They were then swept out of the playoffs 2 games to 0 in the first round by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Francis would never return to the NASL.
Widely recognized as one the finest forwards to ever play in the NASL, Francis appeared in 33 regular season NASL games and scored 36 times and contributed 18 Assists. This puts him one spot ahead of Pele on the all time NASL scoring list even though he played 23 fewer games. He also tallied 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 playoff games. Francis was a first team all star selection in 1978 and 1979 alongside Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Cruyff, Carlos Alberto and Rodney Marsh. He was the only Detroit player ever to be selected to the first XI.
The 1980 Express finished with a 14 and 18 record and a declining fan base, and missed the playoffs. Argentinian Pato Margetic was signed to replace Trevor Francis at the forward spot and led the team with 11 goals and 11 assists. After the 1980-81 indoor season, Hill won a court battle to move the team to RFK stadium to become the new Washington Diplomats, who had folded their squad in the off season. The Express turned Diplomats lasted just one season in D.C. before folding. The NASL collapsed after the 1984 season.
The Detroit Express name and logo was retained by local businessman Sonny Van Arnem, who moved the new Express to the American Soccer League in time for the 1981 season. The ASL Express won the league title in 1982, but the league folded after the 1983 season.
George Best also appeared for the Express during a tour of Europe in September 1978. Best played two games in Austria with the Express before the team headed to Switzerland.
[edit] Former players
USA
- Benny Dargle (1979-80)
- Danny Vaughn (1978-79)
Argentina
- Pato Margetic (1980)
Brazil
- Roberto DeOliveira (1978-1980)
Canada
- Paul Hunter (1978-80)
- Ivan Belfiore (1979-80)
England
- Gary Bannister (1980)
- David Bradford (1978-80)
- Mick Coop (1979)
- Ian Davies (1978)
- Steve Earle (1979)
- Trevor Francis (1978/79)
- Keith Furphy (1978-80)
- Steve Hardwick (1980)
- Mark Hateley (1980)
- Mick Leach (1978)
- Angus Moffatt (1978-80)
- Graham Oates (1978-80)
- Roger Osborne (1979)
- Steve Seargeant (1978-80) [1]
- Brian Tinnion (Footballer) (1978-80)
Northern Ireland
- Jim Hagan (1980)
Ireland
- Tony Dunne (1979) 12 apps 0 goals
Scotland
- Alan Brazil (1978)
- Jim Brown (1979-80)
- Eddie Colquhoun (1978-80)
- Jim Holton (1980)
- Ted MacDougall (1979)
Trinidad and Tobago
- Steve David (1978)
Wales
- Donato Nardiello (1980)
Yugoslavia
- Slobodan Ilijevski (1978-79)
- Lesh Shkreli (1980)
[edit] Former Coaches
- Ken Furphy (1978-80)
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | NASL | 20 | 10 | — | 176 | 1st, American Conference, Central Division, Average Attendance 12,194. | Won 1st Round (Philadelphia) Lost Conference Semifinal (Ft. Lauderdale) |
| 1979 | NASL | 14 | 16 | — | 133 | 3rd, American Conference, Central Division, Average Attendance 14,058. | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Tampa Bay) |
| 1979/80 | NASL Indoor | 7 | 5 | — | — | 3rd, Eastern Division | Lost 1st Round (Tampa Bay) |
| 1980 | NASL | 14 | 18 | — | 129 | 3rd, American Conference, Central Division, Average Attendance 11,198. | Did not qualify |
| 1980/81 | NASL Indoor | 7 | 11 | — | — | 3rd, Central Division | Did not qualify |
| Indoor soccer in Detroit |
| Current: Detroit Ignition |
| Defunct: Detroit Lightning (1979-1980) | Detroit Express (1979-1981) |
| Detroit Rockers (1990-2001) | Detroit Neon/Safari (1994-1997) |
