Buffalo Blazers was a soccer team in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. They competed in the National Soccer League in 1976–1978 and 1980. They were one of only four American teams ( Detroit Besa, Detroit Canadians, and Detroit Vardar) to have competed in the National Soccer League which was based in Canada.

History

The Blazers joined the NSL for the 1976 season and became the first representative from Buffalo to compete in the league. The team ownership initially applied for a franchise in the North American Soccer League, but the Upstate New York territorial rights were held by the Rochester Lancers. Buffalo's first home venue was at Lackwanna Stadium in the suburb of

Lackawanna, New York Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, United States, just south of the city of Buffalo in western New York State. The population was 19,949 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in New York, growing in populat ...

where the club averaged an attendance of around 700 to 1,500 spectators. The club experienced growing pains in their initial run in the Canadian circuit as they struggled to find a suitable head coach throughout the campaign. Originally Al Block served at the helm before being replaced by Vincent Lauricella as interim coach. Ultimately the Blazers secured the services of

Alex Perolli Alex Perolli (December 7, 1915 – March 19, 1994) was an Albanian football coach best known for coaching the Los Angeles Aztecs to a North American Soccer League championship in 1974. The following season, he coached the San Antonio Thunde ...

who had previous experience in the NASL. Perolli led Buffalo to a fourth-place finish in the division and club striker Emmanuel Kulu finished the campaign as the leading scorer in the division. The following season the ownership switched their home venue to War Memorial Stadium to avoid scheduling conflicts and to adhere to the league's stadium standards. Buffalo also managed to secure a television deal to broadcast some of their home matches. Alex Crawley who previously managed the St. Catharines Heidelberg was named the head coach for the season. The Blazers managed to secure promotion to the league's First Division by finishing third. Buffalo struggled to achieve significant results during their run in the league's top division as they finished at the bottom of the standings. The Blazers originally had Sam Buscarino as their head coach but was later replaced by

Roberto Lonardo Roberto Lonardo is a Uruguayan former association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender and midfielder. Career Lonardo came to the United States in 1965 after playing with Racing Club de Montevideo. In ...

in the capacity of

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. Midway through the 1978 season, the club owners decided to play out in the suburbs once more as their attendance numbers sharply declined since their move to War Memorial. Since their initial move to Buffalo attendance dropped to an average of 300 to 150 in 1978. The organization ultimately transferred its home venue to Hyde Park Stadium in Niagara Falls, New York. In 1979, the league went through a period of reorganization which resulted in Buffalo taking a hiatus and operating at the amateur level. Stephen Mechtler would serve as head coach and the team would play in a series of friendly matches against NSL clubs.. In 1980, after a one-year hiatus, the Blazers continued operations in the National Soccer League and returned to play at Lackwanna Stadium. The Blazers hired Carlo Del Monte as their head coach who previously managed Hamilton Italo-Canadians. Del Monte assembled a roster that consisted of many former Hamilton players. The acquisitions proved initially successful as Buffalo produced an undefeated streak of eight matches. Their on-field performance would later produce mediocre results due to internal strife within the organization. One notable departure was head coach Del Monte who resigned in mid-July over disputes with the front office. Following his departure, Del Monte became director of scouting in Canada for the Buffalo Stallions. The club managed to secure the final postseason berth, but the league executive denied participation in the playoffs due to financial and player issues. In 1981, the club ceased operations and was replaced by Detroit Besa.

Head Coach history

* Al Block (1976) * Vincent Lauricella (1976) as interim coach *

(1976) * Alex Crawley (1977) * Sam Buscarino (1978) *

(1978) * Stephen Mechtler (1979) * Carlo Del Monte (1980)

Seasons

References

{{Canadian National Soccer League Canadian National Soccer League teams Defunct soccer clubs in New York (state) Sports in Buffalo, New York Men's soccer clubs in New York (state) Association football clubs established in 1976 Association football clubs disestablished in 1981 1976 establishments in New York (state) 1981 disestablishments in New York (state)