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| Full name | Houston Hurricane | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Hurricane | ||
| Founded | 1978 | ||
| Dissolved | 1980 | ||
| Stadium | Astrodome | ||
| Capacity | 45,000 | ||
| Chairman | Hans Von Mende | ||
| Head coach | Timo Liekoski Eckhard Krautzun | ||
| League | NASL | ||
TheHouston Hurricane was asoccer team based out ofHouston that played in theNASL.[1] They played from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was theAstrodome. Their colors were orange, white and red.
The team was the last of six expansion teams granted for the1978 season and had about three months to sign players and sell tickets. Though the coach,Timo Liekoski, who had been an assistant with theDallas Tornado, was capable, assembling a competitive team in so short a time would be daunting. In any case, the Hurricane placed last in its first season with ten wins of thirty matches (there were no draws in the NASL) and drew a miserable average attendance of 5,806, with only theChicago Sting andSan Diego Sockers drawing less in the 24-team league.
In the1979 season, the Hurricane produced the second best record in the league, winning the division with 22 wins in thirty matches. Timo Liekoski was awarded Coach of the Year honors.[2] But the Hurricane couldn't replicate those results in the playoffs, losing to thePhiladelphia Fury in two straight. Average attendance was better at 6,211 but was still next to last in the league - the worst being Philadelphia.Kyle Rote, Jr. had joined the Hurricane that season, but left the team after the season on a relief mission toCambodia and later retired from soccer.
The Hurricane didn't do as well in what turned out to be theirfinal season, placing second in the division and again losing in the playoffs versus theEdmonton Drillers. They won fourteen and lost eighteen in the expanded schedule, and attendance fell to 5,818 a match, with only theAtlanta Chiefs and, again, Philadelphia being the only teams with worse gates. The Hurricane's Denver-based owners had had enough, and the team folded in late 1980.
| Year | League | W | L | Pts | Reg. season | Playoffs | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 Skelly | NASL indoor | 0 | 2 | N/A | 4th | N/A | 1,750(est) |
| 1978 Schlitz | NASL indoor | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2nd,runners-up | N/A | 4,278 |
| 1978 | NASL | 10 | 20 | 96 | 4th, American Conference, Central Division | did not qualify | 7,750 |
| 1979 | NASL | 22 | 8 | 187 | 1st, American Conference, Central Division | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Philadelphia) | 6,212 |
| 1979–80 | NASL Indoor | did not enter | |||||
| 1980 | NASL | 14 | 18 | 130 | 2nd, American Conference, Central Division | Lost 1st Round (Edmonton) | 5,818 |
Regular Season Premiership
Division titles
Coach of the Year
FIFA World Cup players
All-Star Selections
Indoor Tournament MVP
Indoor All-Tournament Team
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members
