1967 Season
After a series of exhibition games, the USA began playing on May 28 and got off to a good start. The Houston Stars attracted an opening crowd of 34,965. However subsequent attendances did not keep pace and the league finished with an average of 7,890 per game. Of the twelve teams Los Angeles Wolves, represented by Wolverhampton Wanderers and featuring Derek Dougan, Cleveland Stokers, represented by Stoke City and featuring Gordon Banks, and Washington Whips, represented by Aberdeen, emerged as the strongest sides. Roberto Boninsegna of Chicago Mustangs finished as the leagues top scorer with 10 goals. The USA entered its play off stage in July 1967. The Western Division champions Los Angeles Wolves, by the flip of a coin, won the right to host the championship game against the Eastern Division champions, Washington Whips. The match drew 17,824 to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Wolves won the championship beating the Whips 6-5 after 36 minutes of extra-time. Four goals were scored within a 4 minute period midway through the second half and each team scored during extra time. The game was decided after Whips defender Ally Shewan scored an own goal.
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Famous quotes containing the word season:
“Let us have a good many maples and hickories and scarlet oaks, then, I say. Blaze away! Shall that dirty roll of bunting in the gun-house be all the colors a village can display? A village is not complete, unless it have these trees to mark the season in it. They are important, like the town clock. A village that has them not will not be found to work well. It has a screw loose, an essential part is wanting.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)