Boston Minutemen: Difference between revisions

Boston Minutemen
Full name	Boston Minutemen
Founded	1974
Dissolved	1976
Stadium	Alumni Stadium ; Nickerson Field ; Foxboro Stadium ; Veterans Memorial Stadium ; Sargent Field ; McCoy Stadium
Capacity	30,000 (Alumni) ; 15,000 (Nickerson) ; 61,000 (Foxboro) ; N/A (Quincy) ; N/A (Sargent); 11,000 (McCoy)
Chairman	John Sterge
Manager	Hubert Vogelsinger
League	NASL
Home colors	Away colors

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Latest revision as of 12:35, 18 January 2024

The Boston Minutemen were an American professional soccer team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy and Sargent Field in New Bedford.

Portuguese legend Eusébio played for the Minutemen in 1975, as did famed American player Shep Messing.

The Minutemen started well, winning the Northern Division title in their first season and drawing over 9000 fans a match to Alumni Stadium, good for 5th highest in the league. They lost in the playoffs to eventual league champion Los Angeles Aztecs. When Eusébio came to Boston in 1975, by which time the team had relocated to Nickerson Field, it seemed as though things would continue to look up. Though the team would win the Northern Division title again for the second time in as many seasons, attendance fell to around 4000 – half of what it had been. In the playoffs, the Minutemen lost to Miami in extra time.

For the 1976 season, team owner John Sterge announced the Minutemen would relocate again, this time to Harvard Stadium, but that deal collapsed before the start of the season and the team ended up playing in a hodge-podge of grounds throughout Massachusetts: Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, and Sargent Field in New Bedford. By this time Sterge was having financial difficulties (which ended in action by the Securities and Exchange Commission) and was compelled to sell off many of his players, including Eusebio, who went to the eventual champions Toronto Metros-Croatia. Attendance plummeted, the Minutemen lost their last 12 matches and after the season, they folded.

Former players[edit]

Shep Messing (1975)
Mickey Cohen (1976)
Bert Bowery (1976)
John Coyne (1974) [1]
Geoff Davies (1975–76) [2]
Paddy Greenwood (1974, 1976) [3]
Eusébio (1975)
Ian McKechnie (1974) [4] Archived September 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

Year-by-year[edit]

Year	League	W	L	T	Pts	Regular Season	Playoffs	Avg. Attend.
1974	NASL	10	9	1	94	1st, Northern Division	Won Quarterfinal (Baltimore) Lost Semifinal (Los Angeles)	9,642
1975	NASL indoor	1	1	—	2	4th, Region 2	Did not qualify	N/A
1975	NASL	13	9	—	116	1st, Northern Division	Lost Quarterfinal (Miami)	4,422
1976	NASL indoor	0	2	—	0	4th, East Regional	Did not qualify	N/A
1976	NASL	7	17	—	72	5th, Atlantic Conference, Northern Division	Did not qualify	2,581

Honors[edit]

NASL Division Titles

1974: Northern Division
1975: Northern Division

NASL Leading Goalkeeper

1975: Shep Messing (0.93 goals against avg.)

All-Star Selections

1974: Ade Coker (second team)
1974: Paddy Greenwood (honorable mention)
1974: Ian McKechnie (honorable mention)
1975: António Simões (first team)
1975: Wolfgang Sühnholz (honorable mention)
1976: Shep Messing (indoor All-Regional)

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members

2019: Shep Messing^[1]

References[edit]

^ "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[1] "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{One source|date=April 2022}}{{about|the 1970s soccer team|the Revolutionary War personages in/from Boston|Minutemen}}
-{{Infobox football club |
+{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
-  clubname = Boston Minutemen|
+{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
-  image    = [[File:BostonMinutemen.png|180px|logo]]|
+{{Infobox football club
-  fullname = Boston Minutemen|
+| clubname = Boston Minutemen
-  nickname = |
+| image = [[File:BostonMinutemen.png|180px|logo]]
-  founded  = 1974 |
+| fullname = Boston Minutemen
-  dissolved= 1976 |
+| nickname =
-  ground   = [[Alumni Stadium]] <br> [[Nickerson Field]] <br> [[Foxboro Stadium]] <br> [[Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy)|Veterans Memorial Stadium]] <br> [[New Bedford High School|Sargent Field]] |
+| founded = 1974
-  capacity =  30,000 (Alumni) <br> 15,000 (Nickerson) <br> 61,000 (Foxboro) <br> NA (Quincy) <br> NA (Sargent) |
+| dissolved = 1976
-  chairman = [[John Sterge]] |
+| stadium = [[Alumni Stadium]] <br> [[Nickerson Field]] <br> [[Foxboro Stadium]] <br> [[Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy)|Veterans Memorial Stadium]] <br> [[New Bedford High School|Sargent Field]] <br> [[McCoy Stadium]]
-  manager  = [[Hubert Vogelsinger]] |
+| capacity = 30,000 (Alumni) <br> 15,000 (Nickerson) <br> 61,000 (Foxboro) <br> N/A (Quincy) <br> N/A (Sargent)<br> 11,000 (McCoy)
-  league   = [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]] |
+| chairman = [[John Sterge]]
-  season   = |
+| manager = [[Hubert Vogelsinger]]
-  position = |
+| league = [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]]
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-The '''Boston Minutemen''' were a [[soccer]] team based out of [[Boston]] that played in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]]. They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included [[Alumni Stadium]] in Chestnut Hill, [[Foxboro Stadium|Schaefer Stadium]] in Foxborough, [[Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy)|Veterans Memorial Stadium]] in Quincy and Sargent Field in New Bedford.
+The '''Boston Minutemen''' were an American professional [[soccer]] team based in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]] that played in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League]] (NASL). They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included [[Alumni Stadium]] in [[Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts|Chestnut Hill]], [[Schaefer Stadium]] in [[Foxborough, Massachusetts|Foxborough]], [[Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy)|Veterans Memorial Stadium]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] and Sargent Field in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]].
-Portuguese legend [[Eusébio]] played for the Minutemen in 1975 as did famed [[United States men's national soccer team|American]] player [[Shep Messing]].
+Portuguese legend [[Eusébio]] played for the Minutemen in 1975, as did famed [[United States men's national soccer team|American]] player [[Shep Messing]].
-The Minutemen started well, winning the Northern Division title in their first season and drawing over 9000 fans a match to Alumni Stadium, good for 5th highest in the league. They lost in the playoffs to eventual league champion [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]. When Eusebio came to Boston in 1975 (by which time the team had relocated to [[Nickerson Field]]) it seemed as though things would continue to look up. Though the team would win the Northern Division title again for the second time in as many seasons, attendance curiously fell to around 4000 - half of what it had been. In the playoffs the Minutemen lost to Miami in extra time.
+The Minutemen started well, winning the Northern Division title in their first season and drawing over 9000 fans a match to Alumni Stadium, good for 5th highest in the league. They lost in the playoffs to eventual league champion [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]. When Eusébio came to Boston in 1975, by which time the team had relocated to [[Nickerson Field]], it seemed as though things would continue to look up. Though the team would win the Northern Division title again for the second time in as many seasons, attendance fell to around 4000 – half of what it had been. In the playoffs, the Minutemen lost to Miami in extra time.
-For the 1976 season, team owner John Sterge announced the Minutemen would relocate again, this time to [[Harvard Stadium]], but that deal collapsed before the start of the season and the team ended up playing in a hodge-podge of grounds: Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Quincy, and [[New Bedford High School|Sargent Field]] in [[New Bedford]].
+For the 1976 season, team owner John Sterge announced the Minutemen would relocate again, this time to [[Harvard Stadium]], but that deal collapsed before the start of the season and the team ended up playing in a hodge-podge of grounds throughout [[Massachusetts]]: [[Schaefer Stadium]] in Foxborough, [[Veterans Memorial Stadium (Quincy, Massachusetts)|Veterans Memorial Stadium]] in Quincy, and [[New Bedford High School|Sargent Field]] in New Bedford.
-By this time Sterge was having financial difficulties (which ended in action by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]]) and was compelled to sell off many of his players, including Eusebio, who went to the eventual champions [[Toronto Metros-Croatia]]. Attendance plummeted, the Minutemen lost their last 12 matches, and after the season they folded.
+By this time Sterge was having financial difficulties (which ended in action by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]]) and was compelled to sell off many of his players, including Eusebio, who went to the eventual champions [[Toronto Metros-Croatia]]. Attendance plummeted, the Minutemen lost their last 12 matches and after the season, they folded.
 ==Former players==
 *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Shep Messing]] (1975)
 *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mickey Cohen (soccer)|Mickey Cohen]] (1976)
-*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bert Bowery]] (1976)
+*{{flagicon|SKN}} [[Bert Bowery]] (1976)
-*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Coyne (footballer)|John Coyne]] (1974) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/johncoyne.htm]
+*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Coyne (footballer)|John Coyne]] (1974) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/johncoyne.html]
 *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Geoff Davies (footballer)|Geoff Davies]] (1975–76) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#D]
-*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paddy Greenwood]] (1974/1976) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#G]
+*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paddy Greenwood]] (1974, 1976) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080504120506/http://home.att.net:80/~nasl/players.htm#G]
-*{{flagicon|POR}} [[Eusebio]] (1975)
+*{{flagicon|POR}} [[Eusébio]] (1975)
-*{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Ian McKechnie]] (1974) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#M]
+*{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Ian McKechnie]] (1974) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#M] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909120055/http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#M |date=September 9, 2009 }}
 ==Year-by-year==
@@ Line 67: / Line 84: @@
 |2
 |4th, Region 2
-|''Did Not Qualify''
+|''Did not qualify''
 |''N/A''
 |-
@@ Line 87: / Line 104: @@
 |0
 |4th, East Regional
-|''Did Not Qualify''
+|''Did not qualify''
 |''N/A''
 |-
@@ Line 97: / Line 114: @@
 |72
 |5th, Atlantic Conference, Northern Division
-|''Did Not Qualify''
+|''Did not qualify''
 |2,581
 |}
-==External links==
+==Honors==
+'''NASL Division Titles'''
-*[http://www.funwhileitlasted.net/tag/boston-minutemen/ Boston Minutemen on FunWhileItLasted.net]
+*[[1974 North American Soccer League season|1974]]: Northern Division
+*[[1975 North American Soccer League season|1975]]: Northern Division
+'''NASL Leading Goalkeeper'''
+*1975: [[Shep Messing]] ''(0.93 goals against avg.)''
+'''All-Star Selections'''
+*1974: [[Ade Coker]] ''(second team)''
+*1974: [[Paddy Greenwood]] ''(honorable mention)''
+*1974: [[Ian McKechnie]] ''(honorable mention)''
+*1975: [[António Simões]] ''(first team)''
+*1975: [[Wolfgang Sühnholz]] ''(honorable mention)''
+*1976: [[Shep Messing]] ''(indoor All-Regional)''
+'''Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members'''
+* 2019: [[Shep Messing]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Hall of Famers |date=September 1, 2020|website=indoorsoccerhall.com |url=https://www.indoorsoccerhall.com/hall-of-famers |access-date=January 16, 2021}}</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 108: / Line 141: @@
 *[[Boston Beacons]]
 *[[New England Tea Men]]
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 {{North American Soccer League (1966–85)}}
-[[Category:Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States]]
+[[Category:Boston Minutemen| ]]
-[[Category:Defunct soccer clubs in the United States]]
+[[Category:Soccer clubs in Boston|M]]
-[[Category:Soccer clubs in Boston, Massachusetts|M]]
+[[Category:Soccer clubs in Massachusetts]]
-[[Category:Massachusetts soccer clubs]]
+[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams]]
-[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–84) teams]]
 [[Category:1974 establishments in Massachusetts]]
-[[Category:1976 disestablishments in the United States]]
+[[Category:1976 disestablishments in Massachusetts]]
-[[Category:20th-century disestablishments in Massachusetts]]

v t e North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
Broadcasters USSF CSA Portal NASL (2011–2017) First overall draft picks
Seasons	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Soccer Bowls	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Predecessors	USA 1967 Final NPSL 1967 Final
Indoor seasons	1971 1975 1976 1978 1979 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1983 1983–84
Conferences	1968 East West 1976–1977 Atlantic Pacific 1978–1980 American National
Related	Soccer Bowl broadcasters NASL Indoor Championship
Clubs	Atlanta Apollos Atlanta Chiefs Baltimore Bays Baltimore Comets Boston Beacons Boston Minutemen Boston Shamrock Rovers† Calgary Boomers California Surf Chicago Mustangs Chicago Spurs‡ Chicago Sting Cleveland Stokers Caribous of Colorado Connecticut Bicentennials Dallas Tornado Denver Dynamos Detroit Cougars Detroit Express Edmonton Drillers Fort Lauderdale Strikers Golden Bay Earthquakes Hartford Bicentennials Houston Hurricane Houston Stars Jacksonville Tea Men Kansas City Spurs Las Vegas Quicksilvers Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Wolves Memphis Rogues Miami Gatos Miami Toros Minnesota Kicks Minnesota Strikers Montreal Manic Montreal Olympique New England Tea Men New York Cosmos New York Generals New York Skyliners† Oakland Clippers Oakland Stompers Philadelphia Spartans‡ Philadelphia Atoms Philadelphia Fury Pittsburgh Phantoms ‡ Portland Timbers Rochester Lancers San Antonio Thunder San Diego Jaws San Diego Sockers San Diego Toros San Francisco Golden Gate Gales† San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders St. Louis Stars Tampa Bay Rowdies Team America Team Hawaii Toronto Blizzard Toronto City† Toronto Metros Toronto Metros-Croatia Tulsa Roughnecks Vancouver Royals Vancouver Whitecaps Washington Darts Washington Diplomats Washington Whips
† United Soccer Association team that did not join NASL upon merger with NPSL ‡ National Professional Soccer League team that did not join NASL upon merger with USA

Latest revision as of 12:35, 18 January 2024

Former players[edit]

Year-by-year[edit]

Honors[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]