Few names in American sport spark a reaction like the original North American Soccer League of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, a subject to be revisited each time the need arises for a lesson on how badly things can go wrong for football in the United States.

The kitschy sexiness of the old NASL essentially collapsed under its own weight, a failed attempt to ramp up popularity for a very European brand of football in a recalcitrant United States. Some of those team names still cling on to life, in the MLS and modern incarnation of NASL: the New York Cosmos, one-time home of Pele. The Tampa Bay Rowdies, who played host to prolific English striker Rodney Marsh. And the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, a late 70s playground of Northern Irish great George Best.

The Strikers, these days are limping along under the stewardship of a Brazilian ownership group led by Paulo Cesso, an education and technology entrepreneur, and Ronaldo, the Brazilian World Cup winner, is a minority partner.

Except the Brazilian takeover of the distinctive red and gold hoops seems to have foundered. After a season of woe that has included the ignominy of players being paid late and checks bouncing, the Guardian understands the club has been put up for sale. Whether that amounts to an intention to seek a partial or full sale remains unclear — as does the future role of Ronaldo. However, in a statement to the Guardian, the club’s managing director, Luis Cuccatti, said the Strikers’ future was under discussion. “We are reviewing our current ownership situation and speaking with potential partners so that we can craft the best plan possible to move towards our goal of building a world-class soccer club,” said Cuccatti.

Still, news that one of the NASL’s flagship brands appears to be in turmoil caps a difficult month for the league. In some quarters, it might be seen as another question over the vitality of the NASL. Just last month, ructions emerged in Oklahoma City as Rayo OKC, in their very first season in the league, were plunged into crisis as a dispute developed between the majority ownership group, the owners of Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, and their local minority partner. The argument escalated to the point where one minority owner apparently removed turf from the field.

In Fort Lauderdale, the difficulties are myriad. Low crowds in a densely populated Florida soccer market with the promise of more to come. The late arrival of salaries, an occurrence explained away as an issue over the transfer of funds from Brazil to the US.

But it is a story that could have been foretold. Life in the minor leagues of soccer in the US is notoriously difficult. Teams come and go. Owners flame out. Fans, ditto. And though the Strikers name carries a certain cache, stemming from a late 1970s-early 1980s swoon thanks to luminaries like George Best, Gerd Müller and Ray Hudson, the nostalgia evidently only goes so far.

It’s nearly two years since Ronaldo and co set up shop. The Brazilians, who purchased the Strikers from the now tarnished event management company Traffic Sports in late 2014, arrived with a stark mandate. They pledged to re-elevate the club to its former glory. In that vein, last pre-season they undertook a trip to China. The idea was even floated that Ronaldo, then visibly out of shape, might pull on his boots once more and turn out for the South Florida outfit.

Alas, no.

He was a seldom seen figure, says fan leader Kenny Butler, president of the prominent Strikers supporters group, Flight 19. “His presence has been spotty since the beginning,” he says. “I think it was the same thing as them bringing [Brazilian defender] Leo Moura last year to play No10 when he’s been a left-back all his career. If he could play No10 he would have done in Brazil. And they thought all the Brazilians would show up just to see Leo Moura.”

Ronaldo’s likeness may have been overused, says the Sun Sentinel’s Pedro Heizer. “He was never here,” says Heizer. “The Strikers didn’t advertise much but when they did it tended to include Ronaldo. I think that might have got to people because they never saw him.”

The Brazilians called the Strikers wrong, he believes, because they arrived “thinking they knew soccer because they are Brazilian but failed to understand American soccer is a whole different beast.”

Initially the noises coming from the new owners were positive, Butler says. The fan relationship with the front office was productive. But then fans saw the team flooded with Brazilians, interpreted as an ultimately botched attempt to appeal to the local Brazilian community. A disconnect with fans has been palpable this season. In recent seasons, average crowds have been modest — around 3,000-4,000. This season, attendances have plummeted to around the 1,300 mark.

Indications point to another factor being flux in the coaching and playing department. Former head coach Gunter Kronsteiner, who led the Strikers to the 2014 NASL championship match was let go by the Brazilians — to the consternation of many. After a dismal 2015 opening campaign, he was drafted back in for the fall portion of the NASL’s split season, leading them into the playoffs once more. Yet, again the club and Kronsteiner parted ways. Nevertheless, the Austrian retains a strong affection for the club and offers some praise for Cesso and another of his partners, Rafael Bertani. But he is clear about where he thinks things went wrong.

“They gave away the local players, they gave away the whole coaching staff,” Kronsteiner told the Guardian. “The players and the coaching staff had a personal relationship with the fans. You just don’t ignore this when you are serious about running a professional club. You don’t kick out a Tom Mulroy or a Tim Robbie [who] are very well known in this area for being 100% committed to this club. Mistakes over mistakes.”

Kronsteiner, a former coach with Austria Vienna in his homeland, said the writing was on the wall when it became clear to him the club “didn’t want to spend money anymore”.

“Soccer was not their main goal,” Kronsteiner said of the Brazilian owners.



Mulroy, club president until his departure in November 2014, and Robbie were seen as key figures in connecting the club and fanbase. In particular, Robbie, latterly club president before leaving in May last year, represented a significant link to the storied past of the Strikers. It was his father, Joe Robbie, of Miami Dolphins fame, who started the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers franchise in the 1970s, and Robbie Jr started working for the club immediately after college. Mulroy, for his part, attracted credit for his outreach among the local area’s youth.

It’s been a vexing season thus far for the Strikers. On the field, the team have lately gone six games unbeaten amid the turmoil. And in the US Open Cup, they went further than any other minor league team in reaching the quarter-finals. Off the field, issues are copious. Reports suggest the tardy arrival of payments has continued. On the attendance front, the club took the decision to switch from their historic Lockhart Stadium home to Central Broward Stadium, home of the MLS Combine, ostensibly to provide a more intimate fan experience. That’s just as well: one recent midweek game saw the reported crowd figure come in at 455.

The team are too focused on trips to China and building a global brand, and not enough on their own backyard, the critics argue.

As for the NASL as a whole, another rocky off-season may await. New club the San Francisco Deltas are slated to join and Minnesota United are headed for MLS. But the threat of contraction elsewhere lingers. Rumors recently began circulating that Ottawa Fury are looking to jump ship to a rival league, the third-tier USL, although it appears they will stay put for now. Still, the league made great strides this year after the addition of nationwide TV deals that included CBS Sports and beIN Sports.

Whatever the outcome, the struggles of one of the league’s leading names represents another disquieting chapter in the story of a club — and league — that helps lend a touch of historical relevance to the American game.