| Full name | Fort Lauderdale Strikers Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Strikers | ||
| Founded | 2006 (as Miami FC) | ||
| Stadium | Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Capacity: 20,450) |
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| Owners | Aaron Davidson Traffic Sports USA |
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| Head Coach | Daryl Shore | ||
| League | North American Soccer League | ||
| 2011 (NASL) | Regular Season: 4th, Playoffs: Runner-up |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are an American professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. Prior to the 2011 season the team was known as Miami FC.
The team plays its home games at Lockhart Stadium, where they have played since 2010. The team's colors are red, yellow and black. They are coached by Daryl Shore.
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The Strikers are owned by Traffic Sports USA, the American branch of Traffic Group, which owns and organizes South American club tournaments such as the Copa America and Copa Sudamericana.
South Florida was most recently home to the Fort Lauderdale-based Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer. After Fusion folded in 2002, Miami FC inherited a portion of their fanbase, leaving some to see them as a semi-continuation of the Fusion.
On April 16, 2006, Miami FC played its first home game at Tropical Park Stadium. Mario "El Loco" Rodríguez, a Guatemalan national team midfielder, scored the team's first goal in the 77th minute. He was assisted by Zinho, a starter on Brazil's 1994 World Cup champion team. The lone goal was enough to defeat Jamaican champion Portmore United.
Brazilian World Cup winner Romario was signed to the club March 30, 2006. Though injuries left him unable to play in the April 16, 2006 opener, Miami FC gave the famed striker the honor of the ceremonial first kick. Romario left the club to sign a short term contract with Australian league premier team Adelaide United in Australia's premier football competition the Hyundai A-League, for a 4-game "guest" stint, and subsequently returned to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama. He scored his 1000th career goal against Sport from Recife on May 20, 2007.
In 2007, the team held a contest through public schools in the greater Miami-Dade area for a nickname and mascot. Shia Moreno, an elementary school student won for her nickname "Blues". Daniel Townsend, a senior at Robert Morgan Educational Center won for his mascot creation "Hotshot", a flaming Sonic-the-Hedgehog-like character.
In November 2009 the Miami announced their intent to leave the USL First Division to become the co-founders of a new North American Soccer League, which would begin play in 2010. The league, which at the time had yet to be sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation or the Canadian Soccer Association, would also comprise the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Vancouver Whitecaps and a brand new team led by St. Louis Soccer United.[1]
After lawsuits were filed and heated press statements exchanged, the USSF declared they would sanction neither league for the coming year, and ordered both to work together on a plan to temporarily allow their teams to play a 2010 season. The interim solution was announced on January 7, 2010 with the USSF running the new USSF D-2 league comprising clubs from both USL-1 and NASL.[2]
In summer 2010, Miami FC announced its intention to 'pay homage' to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL by incorporating 'Strikers' into the team name from 2011. They renamed themselves the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on February 17, 2011.[3]
The official colors of the Strikers are red, gold, charcoal gray, metallic goal and "beach sand". According to a press release issued just prior to the beginning of the 2011 season, the color palette is intended to "connecting with the heart and passion of the players and fans of the beautiful game while symbolizing the warmth of the Sunshine State and City of Fort Lauderdale."[4] The team's shirts, which feature red and gold hoops paired with black shorts, intentionally mirror those worn by the old NASL Strikers in the 1980s.
According to the same press release, the logo incorporates "a contemporary seven-pointed sun with ball signifying the golden era of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers from 1977 to 1983", has a "distinctive tie to the City of Fort Lauderdale’s landmark wave wall columns of Las Olas Boulevard that bookend the memorable Strikers jersey hoops", and features a unique script and typeface.
The old Miami FC colors were tropical blue, gold and white, and its logo was a simple shield featuring a stylized soccer ball, the Miami FC wordmark, and shading in the team's color palette.
The Strikers play their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a stadium which also serves as the home of the Florida Atlantic University football team. Built in 1959 as an athletic facility for local high schools, the stadium was the home the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the original North American Soccer League, as well the now-defunct Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer.
During their five years in the USL, the old Miami FC played at various stadiums in the greater Miami area, including Tropical Park Stadium, Miami Orange Bowl and FIU Stadium.
The Strikers' supporters groups are generally affiliated under the group South Florida United, similar to the supporters of MLS's Chicago Fire (Section 8 Chicago) and Sporting Kansas City (The Cauldron).
A regional chapter of The American Outlaws is also being formed under the auspices of South Florida United.
as of December 15, 2011[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
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| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | Avg. Attendance |
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| 2006 | 2 | USL First Division | 5th | Quarterfinals | 2nd round | 2,074 |
| 2007 | 2 | USL First Division | 9th | Did not qualify | 1st Round | 916 |
| 2008 | 2 | USL First Division | 9th | Did not qualify | 3rd Round | 1,701 |
| 2009 | 2 | USL First Division | 9th | Did not qualify | 2nd Round | 1,063 |
| 2010 | 2 | USSF Division 2 | 4th, NASL (9th) | Did not qualify | 3rd Round | 1,254 |
| 2011 | 2 | NASL | 4th | Runner-up | Denied entry | 3,985 |
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