Vancouver Royals
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| Full name | Vancouver Royal Canadians | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Royals | ||
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Dissolved | 1968 | ||
| Stadium | Empire Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 32,729 | ||
| Owners | Brig. General E.G. Eakins, George Fleharty | ||
| League | North American Soccer League | ||
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The Vancouver Royal Canadians was a soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that played in the U.S.-based United Soccer Association (USA) and North American Soccer League (NASL). The USA was made up of entire teams imported from Europe and Latin America. For the 1967 season, the Vancouver club was actually Sunderland A.F.C. of English Football League. Their home field was Empire Stadium.
Following the 1967 season, the USA merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the NASL with the teams from the former USA having to create their rosters from scratch. The San Francisco Golden Gate Gales franchise folded before the 1968 season and their owner bought a controlling interest in the Vancouver Royal Canadians and renamed them the Vancouver Royals. The 1968 Vancouver Royals' roster was put together without the preparation or advantage of importing entire teams.[1] Despite a last-place finish, the Royals had the third-best attendance in the 17-team loop, drawing 6,197 per match (well above the league average of 4,698); this was not enough to keep the team solvent, though, and Vancouver was one of twelve teams to fold as the NASL nearly collapsed in 1969. Pro soccer would return to the city with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1974.
Coaches[]
Ian McColl (1967)
Ferenc Puskás, Head Coach (1968)- , Assistant Coach (1968)
Year-by-year[]
| League season |
Team season |
Regular season | Position | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Top Scorer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Div. | Overall | Player | Goals | |||||
| 1967 | 1967 | USA | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 28 | 11 | 5th | 9th | Did not qualify | — |  George Herd
|
3 | |
| 1968 | 1968 | NASL | 32 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 51 | 60 | 136 | 4th | 13th | Did not qualify | — | 
|
20 | |
Note: Only regular season goals counted
See also[]
- 1967 Vancouver Royal Canadians season
- 1968 Vancouver Royals season
- Vancouver Whitecaps
External links[]
References[]
- ^ Crossley, Andy (2013). "1967-1968 Vancouver Royal Canadians / Vancouver Royals". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
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- Vancouver Royals
- Defunct soccer clubs in Canada
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams based in Canada
- Soccer clubs in Vancouver
- United Soccer Association franchises
- 1967 establishments in British Columbia
- 1968 disestablishments in British Columbia
- Vancouver stubs
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