 | |||
| Full name | Houston Stars | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Dissolved | 1968 | ||
| Stadium | Astrodome | ||
| Capacity | 62,000 | ||
| Owner | Roy Mark Hofheinz | ||
| Head coach | Martim Francisco (1967) Geza Henni (1968)[1] | ||
| League | United Soccer Association (1967) North American Soccer League (1968) | ||
| 1968 | 2nd of Gulf Division | ||
TheHouston Stars were an American professionalsoccer team based out ofHouston, Texas. The Stars were a charter member of theUnited Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and when the USA and rivalNational Professional Soccer League (NPSL) merged in 1968 to form theNorth American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Stars played its home matches at theAstrodome. The team folded at the conclusion of the1968 NASL season.
In 1966 several groups of entrepreneurs were exploring the idea of forming a professional soccer league in United States. One of these groups, United Soccer Association (USA) led byJack Kent Cooke, selected 12 cities for team locations andRoy Hofheinz, former Houston mayor and owner of theHouston Astros, was awarded a franchise.[2] The USA originally planned to start play in the spring of 1968; however the rivalNational Professional Soccer League, which secured a TV contract from CBS, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to let the rival league gain an advantage, the USA decided to launch early. Not having secured any player contracts, the league imported teams from Europe, Brazil, and Uruguay to represent the franchise cities. Brazilian teamBangu Atlético Clube was brought in to play as the Stars.[3][4]
The Stars opened the season at home against theLos Angeles Wolves in a 1–1 draw in front of crowd of 34,965.[5] In their inaugural season in 1967, the Houston Stars finished fourth place with a record of 4 wins, 4 ties and 4 loss while drawing an average home league attendance of 19,802 in six games, the highest of all soccer clubs in theUnited States that year.[6]
With the merger of theUnited Soccer Association and theNational Professional Soccer League it was announced that Houston would be one of the 20 teams in play in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL).[7][8][a] The Stars finished the1968 NASL season in second place of the Gulf Division Division with a record of 14 wins 12 ties and 6 loses and an average attendance of 3,246.[6] The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 season.[9]
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Regular season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | USA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 4th, Western Division | Did not qualify |
| 1968 | NASL | 14 | 12 | 6 | 150 | 2nd, Gulf Division |
