1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season

The 1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fifth season of the Whitecaps, and their fifth year in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1978 season
ChairmanHerb Capozzi[1]
Head coachTony Waiters
NASLDivision: 1st
Overall: 2nd
NASL PlayoffsQuarterfinals
Highest home attendance30,752 vs DT July 12, 1978[2]
Lowest home attendance9,266 vs RL April 16, 1978[3]
Average home league attendance15,736 [4]
← 1977
1979 →

This was coach Tony Waiter's first full season with the club. The team was dominant in the 1978 with 68 goals scored, a thirteen-game winning streak, and a 24-6 record – tied with the dramatically higher spending powerhouse New York Cosmos for the best record in the NASL. The Whitecaps achieved this with mainly unrecognized players, nicknamed the "English Mafia" for primarily English foreign players coupled with locals including Italian-Canadians. Due to the large number of teams, 24, the season was not set up with a balanced home and away schedule with some teams played twice, others once, and still others not at all. After the league during the playoff tournament in which 16 of 24 teams competed, the Whitecaps defeated Toronto Metros-Croatia in front of 30,811 at Empire Stadium (at the time the largest crowd to see two Canadian teams play against each other)[5] before being upset by the Portland Timbers in the quarterfinals two games to nil.[6]

'King' Kevin Hector led the Whitecaps with 21 goals and ten assists while tying for fourth in the golden boot race. Bob Lenarduzzi also had a strong season on the score sheet with ten goals and seventeen assists along with Bob Campbell and John Craven. Phil Parkes was the top goalkeeper in the NASL with 29 games played, a 0.95 GAA and 10 clean sheets. Alan Hinton, Steve Kember, and Bob Bolitho also were main contributors over the season.[7] Despite the team's record and strong attendance at fifth highest in the league, the club received little recognition at the All Star Game with only Kevin Hector and John Craven named to the second team. They recouped that recognition though with Tony Waiters awarded Coach of the Year and the North American Player of the Year awarded to Bob Lenarduzzi.

Club

edit

Roster

edit

The 1978 squad[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Phil Parkes
2 DF   CAN Garry Ayre
3 DF   ENG Steve Harrison
4 DF   ENG John Craven
5 DF   CAN Robert Lenarduzzi
6 DF   CAN Silvano Lenarduzzi
7 MF   CAN Buzz Parsons
8 MF   ENG Jon Sammels
9 MF   CAN Drew Ferguson
10 MF   CAN Bob Bolitho
11 FW   ENG Kevin Hector
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 DF   CAN Paul Nelson
14 MF   ENG Steve Kember
15 MF   CAN Wayne Jentas
16 MF   CAN Dale Mitchell
17 DF   ENG Peter Daniel
18 DF   CAN Dan Lenarduzzi
19 FW   CAN Sam Saundh
20 FW   ENG Alan Hinton
21 FW   ENG Mickey Lambert
21 FW   NIR Robert Campbell
22 GK   ENG Steve Humphreys
24 FW   ENG Derek Possee

Team management

edit

Tony Waiters' first full season as coach of Vancouver Whitecaps coach in 1978 saw the Whitecaps tied for the best record in the NASL at 24-6 and win the Coach of the Year Award.[9]

Results

edit

Results by round

edit
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
GroundHHHAAHHAAAHHHAAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHA
ResultLWWLWWWWWLWWWLLDLWDWWWWWWWWWWW
Source: soccerstats.us
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match results

edit
April 2, 1978 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 4 San Diego Sockers Vancouver
Kevin Hector   Report Gerry Ingram  
Peter Anderson    
Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 11,425
April 18, 1978 4 California Surf 1 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps Los Angeles
Malcolm Lord   Report Stadium: Anaheim Stadium
Attendance: 10,602
June 7, 1978 15 New England Tea Men 2 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps Foxborough, Massachusetts
Mike Flanagan 
Roger Gibbins  
Report Stadium: Foxboro Stadium
Attendance: 4,862
June 10, 1978 16 Washington Diplomats 1 – 1 (SO) Vancouver Whitecaps Washington, D.C.
Mike Bakic   Report John Craven   Stadium: RFK Stadium
Attendance: 10,615
June 17, 1978 17 Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 1 Toronto Metros-Croatia Vancouver
Report Marko Vujkovic   Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 15,661
June 22, 1975 18 Vancouver Whitecaps 5 – 1 Tulsa Roughnecks Vancouver
Bob Lenarduzzi    
Bob Campbell  
Steve Kember  
Kevin Hector  
Report Billy Gazonas   Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 10,524
July 1, 1978 20 Los Angeles Aztecs 0 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps Pasadena, California
Report Bob Campbell     Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 3,795
July 8, 1978 22 Dallas Tornado 1 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps University Park, Texas
Max Thompson   Report Bob Campbell  
Kevin Hector  
Stadium: Ownby Stadium
Attendance: 5,461
July 12, 1978 23 Vancouver Whitecaps 6 – 1 Dallas Tornado Vancouver
Jon Sammels    
Derek Possee  
Kevin Hector  
Bob Lenarduzzi  
Bob Campbell  
Report Brian Kettle   Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 30,752
July 15, 1978 24 Memphis Rogues 1 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee
Jimmy Husband   Report Kevin Hector  
Bob Campbell  
Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 8,201
July 17, 1978 25 Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Oakland Stompers Vancouver
Kevin Hector  
Bob Campbell  
Report Archie Roboostoff   Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 18,783
July 27, 1978 27 Vancouver Whitecaps 4 – 1 Los Angeles Aztecs Vancouver
Kevin Hector    
Bob Campbell  
Steve Kember  
Report George Dewsnip   Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 22,910

Playoffs

edit

Conference Quarterfinals – vs Toronto (N7)

edit
August 9, 1978 Vancouver Whitecaps 4 – 0 Toronto Metros-Croatia Vancouver
Bobby Campbell   17'  
Alan Hinton   18'
Bob Lenarduzzi  
Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 30,811

Conference Semifinals – vs Portland (N4)

edit
August 16, 1978 Game 2 Portland Timbers 2 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps Portland, Oregon
Clyde Best   17'
Willie Anderson  
Report Steve Kember   Stadium: Civic Stadium
Attendance: 32,266

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "PCSL - Socer Beginnings in BC". Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "Soccer History | SoccerStats.us".
  3. ^ "Soccer History | SoccerStats.us".
  4. ^ Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  5. ^ Farley, Richard (July 26, 2008). ""White is the Colour" -- Vancouver's NASL Success". A More Splendid Life. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  7. ^ "NASL Vancouver Whitecaps Rosters".
  8. ^ "NASL Vancouver Whitecaps Rosters".
  9. ^ Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.