Chicago Sting
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team representing
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. The Sting played in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1984 to 1988. They were North American Soccer League champions in 1981 and 1984, one of only two NASL teams (the
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...
) to win the championship twice. The Sting were founded in 1974 by
Lee Stern Lee B. Stern (born December 27, 1926) is the longest tenured trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. He has been one of the most successful traders in the commodities market throughout his time there, and is well known for his involvement in the Ch ...
of Chicago and competed in the NASL for the first time in the 1975 season. A few years after founding the Sting, Stern brought
Willy Roy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...
on as head coach. Roy coached the Sting for the remainder of their outdoor existence. The team was named in reference to the popular 1973 film, ''
The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...
'', whose action was set in Chicago of the 1930s. The club played at various venues. The outdoor team spread their home games at
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
,
Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
, and
Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Buil ...
. In 1976 the indoor squad called the
International Amphitheatre The International Amphitheatre was an indoor arena located in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1934 and was demolished in 1999. It was located on the west side of Halsted Street, at 42nd Street, on the city's south side, in the Canaryville n ...
home, before subsequently using
Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. ...
and the Rosemont Horizon (now the
Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opened i ...
).


Stern, Foulkes and Hill

1974–75: The Chicago Sting were the dream child of Lee Stern, a leading Chicago commodities broker, who in 1974 took an expensive gamble that his hometown would accept soccer as a major league sport. Stern turned to England for a coach in the shape of 'Busby Babe'
Bill Foulkes William Anthony Foulkes ( or ; 5 January 1932 – 25 November 2013) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre-half. For Manchester ...
, the former
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
defender. Foulkes built a team of predominantly British players (there were 10 in the 1975 squad and 11 in 1976 and 1977) including Gordon Hill and
Eddie May Edwin Charles May (19 May 1943 – 14 April 2012) was an English football player and manager. May was born in Epping, and played for Dagenham, Southend United, Wrexham and Swansea City. The burly, affable May loomed large in the modern hist ...
. Hill would later win 6 England caps and play over a hundred games for Manchester United including the
1976 FA Cup Final The 1976 FA Cup Final was the 95th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 1 May 1976 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Manchester United and Southampton. United had finished third in the First Division that season, and were strong fa ...
. In Chicago he hit six goals in the Sting's inaugural season and firmly established himself as a fan's favorite as did May who despite playing all of his career in England as a central defender was used by Foulkes as a target man scoring 7 times in 18 games. In the summer of 1975 a sparse crowd of 4,500 watched the Sting's very first home game and as it began so it continued with an average that year of around the 4,000 mark – although close to 14,000 did turn out to see the Sting take on the 1974 Polish World Cup team in a friendly. The Sting missed out on the playoffs by a single point losing the final game of the season in a penalty shoot-out (Hill missing his attempt).


Cosmos doubled, Willie Morgan, Foulkes quits

1976: The Sting's second season saw the arrival of more players from the British Isles and the return to Chicago of Polish striker
Janusz Kowalik Janusz "John" Kowalik (born 26 March 1944) is a Polish former association football striker who scored prolifically in both the European leagues and the North American Soccer League. He was the 1968 NASL MVP. Player Club career Kowalik was bo ...
. Kowalik had hit the heights with the Chicago Mustangs eight years earlier scoring 30 goals in 28 appearances in the Mustangs one and only season in the NASL. Although the British incomers were less well known – John James (from
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
), John Lowey (from Manchester United's youth team),
Lammie Robertson Archibald Lamond Robertson, also known as Lammie Robertson, (born 27 September 1947 in Paisley) is a Scottish retired footballer who played in the Football League for Burnley, Bury, Halifax Town, Brighton & Hove Albion, Exeter City, Leicester C ...
(
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
) and Alan Waldron (
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
&
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
) – the side were good enough to win the club its first honor in the form of the Northern Division title. Although the team were unable to make it past the first round of the playoffs, bowing out to the
Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...
, they had doubled the star studded
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...
in regular season play, winning two-nil in New York, and in front of 28,000 home fans had beaten
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
,
Giorgio Chinaglia Giorgio Chinaglia (; 24 January 1947 – 1 April 2012) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales, and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. He later returned to Italy to ...
and company in a 4–1 romp. 1977: Head coach Bill Foulkes headed for Britain yet again before the 1977 season to sign a player who would prove to be one of the most successful and popular players in the NASL's history –
Willie Morgan William Morgan (born 2 October 1944) is a Scottish former professional association football, footballer. Club career A winger, Morgan started his career with Burnley F.C., Burnley, making his first-team debut against Sheffield Wednesday F.C., She ...
, the Scottish international midfielder. Morgan, who arrived on loan from
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
had played over 500 games in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for Bolton Wanderers,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
and Manchester United. Also arriving from the UK was
Ronnie Moore Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United. He played for many different clubs in a care ...
a prolific striker from
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
, but despite these additions the Sting had a very poor year and Foulkes resigned halfway through the season leaving Willy Roy, his assistant, as interim coach. Roy, a German by birth who had arrived with his family in Chicago at the age of six, was a veteran of the early years of the NASL and its forerunner the NPSL. The Sting finished the season with a 10 win 16 loss record. Unsurprisingly attendances were not improving, and a dramatic drop seemed likely when the Sting started the 1978 season by losing its first ten games.


Musgrove disaster, Karl-Heinz Granitza signs

1978: At the beginning of the 1978 NASL season the Sting set a much unwanted record when the team lost its first ten matches. This was not the start that owner Lee Stern had anticipated when he brought in
Clive Toye Clive Roy Toye (born Devonport, Plymouth, 23 November 1932) was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the United States in 2003. Toye was born in Plymouth, United Kingdom, to Thomas Roy Toye (1906–65) and Irene Turner. He was a spo ...
as new club president who in turn had hired
Malcolm Musgrove Malcolm Clarke Musgrove (8 July 1933 − 14 September 2007) was an English football player and manager. Musgrove played for his local side, Lynemouth Colliery, before being called up for national service, which he served in the Royal Air Force ...
as the team's new head coach. Toye had been one of the men behind the success of the NASL's leading light the New York Cosmos, while Musgrove, a former left-winger with
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
was a coach with a growing reputation. Musgrove had made expensive forays into the transfer market bringing in four new players in the shape of
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
(from
Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend (Berlin), Westend of the ...
),
Arno Steffenhagen Arno Steffenhagen (born 24 September 1949) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker for clubs in Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, making nearly 400 career league appearances and s ...
(from
FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club St Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply FC St Pauli (), is a German professional football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga. The football department is part of a larger sp ...
),
Horst Blankenburg Horst Blankenburg (born 10 July 1947) is a German former professional footballer, who played as a sweeper. He is best known for the early 1970s period, during which he played for Ajax and won the European Cup three times (1971, 1972, 1973), the ...
(who had played in the great
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
side of the early 1970s alongside
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
, and company) and
Jørgen Kristensen Jørgen Kristensen (born 12 December 1946), nicknamed ''Troldmanden'' (the Wizard), is a Danish former football player who played professionally for a number of foreign clubs and won the 1974 UEFA Cup with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He ...
(another former Hertha Berlin man). Swift action was needed and out went Musgrove as Willy Roy was recalled as coach. The effect was immediate – ten wins were recorded in the last fourteen regular season games – and the Sting moved up from last place to second place in the Central Division to win a playoff berth. Although eliminated from the playoffs by the
Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...
the Sting (or Der Sting as they would later become known with the shift from British staff to German) won plaudits around the league for their attacking style of play scoring thirty-eight goals in those final fourteen games.


Willy Roy appointed coach, On the brink

1979: At the end of the 1978 NASL season Willy Roy was appointed head coach. The Sting were on their way to becoming one of the best sides in the league and to ensure continued success Roy brought in four new players who would all play their part in the franchises best season yet:
Wim van Hanegem Willem "Wim" van Hanegem (; born 20 February 1944) is a Dutch former football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as a European ...
arrived from Dutch side AZ, Luigi Martini from SS Lazio,
Thomas Sjoberg Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
from
Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening, commonly known as Malmö FF, Malmö, or MFF, is a professional football club and the most successful football club in Sweden in terms of trophies won. Formed in 1910 and affiliated with the Scania Football Association ...
along with former
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
man Peter Ressel. All number of club records were broken as the Sting scored 70 goals – Karl-Heinz Granitza weighing in with 20 – and the average home attendance increased to a respectable 8,000, 21,000 plus turning out at Wrigley Field to see the New York Cosmos defeated 3–1. The
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...
were beaten in the first round of the playoffs (the Sting winning the best of three series by two wins to none) but the
San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...
proved to be too strong for Chicago and booked a place in the American Conference Finals with a 2–0 win in California followed by a 1–0 victory at Wrigley Field. 1980: Phil Parkes, the former
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
'keeper, became the Sting's number 1, moving to Chicago from the
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Mar ...
where he had played for the past three seasons and established himself as the NASL's top glovesman. Also joining the Sting line-up were Ingo Peter (once of
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
) and
Frantz Mathieu Frantz Mathieu (born 23 December 1952) is a Haitian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent most of his career in the United States, notably with Chicago Sting. At international level, he made 15 appearances for the Ha ...
, a Haitian defender, who joined from FC St. Pauli. The Sting took the Central Division title with a 21–11 record, 16 of those wins coming in their first 19 games. Karl-Heinz Granitza was again leading marksman with 19 goals and 26 assists, while Arno Steffenhagen took second place with 15 strikes and 15 assists from midfield. The 1980 campaign, and the 1980–81 Indoor Season that followed (the Sting's first foray into the world of the indoor game), were major turning points as far as the Chicago public were concerned and the club started to attract large crowds on a regular basis. 26,468 saw the Sting take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Wrigley Field, 18,112 watched the
Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...
home fixture, and two other matches drew crowds in excess of 16,000, while indoors 16,257 packed the Chicago Stadium for one game as the Sting's reached – but lost – the NASL Championship finals.


1981 Championship Season

1981: The addition of Pato Margetic to the Sting front line – Margetic had joined from the
Detroit Express The Detroit Express was a soccer team based in suburban Detroit that played in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Its home field was the Pontiac Silverdome. The Express were co-owned by Jimmy Hill, Roger ...
 – showed coach Will Roy's attacking intent for the coming campaign, indeed the club would finish as the NASL leading scorers with 81 goals. The turning point in the season came at the end of the June when a new club record crowd of 30,501 turned out at Wrigley Field to see the Sting beat the New York Cosmos 6–5 after a shootout. This signalled the start of an eight-game winning streak. The Central Division title was confirmed as the Sting completed the regular season with three straight home wins. The
Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...
were beaten 3–1, the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers by a 7–2 margin and the
Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...
5–4 to end the campaign with a 23 wins and 9 defeats. In the first round of the playoffs the Seattle Sounders were beaten by two games to one and the Sting advanced to round two and a date with the Montreal Manic. A record soccer crowd of 58,542 in Montreal's Olympic Stadium saw the Manic take the first game 3–2, but the Sting bounced back to win games two and three both by a 4–2 margin, game three being won despite being 2–1 down with nine minutes left to play. The San Diego Sockers now stood between the Sting and a first Soccer Bowl appearance. Two late goals by the Californian side gave them first blood and a 2–1 win, but the Sting won game two by the same scoreline in front of 21,760 at Comiskey Park. Five days later 39,623 Chicagoans saw the Sting take the series with a 1–0 overtime victory at the same venue. The Sting were heading for a Soccer Bowl showdown with the New York Cosmos.


Soccer Bowl '81 Soccer Bowl '81 was the championship final of the 1981 NASL season, between the Chicago Sting and the New York Cosmos. The match was played on September 26, 1981 at Exhibition Stadium, in Toronto, Ontario. Following regulation and 15 minutes of ...

Eighteen years without a major sporting honor ended for the city of Chicago as the Sting won the NASL Championship to give the Windy City its first professional sports title since the Chicago Bears had won the NFL Championship Game in 1963. On that occasion the Bears had beaten the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
and the Sting's triumph would be earned against another New York team, the Cosmos. A crowd of 36,971 – including some 6,000 from Chicago – were on hand at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium and they could have been forgiven for expecting a high scoring game as the two previous meetings between the Sting and the Cosmos that year had produced fifteen goals. So it was very much against the odds – after the normal 90 minutes and a further 15 minutes of sudden death overtime – that this game would end goalless. Each side had plenty of scoring opportunities though, the closest of which came from the Sting's Pato Margetic whose strike was saved by a fully extended
Hubert Birkenmeier Hubert Birkenmeier (born 24 May 1949 in Hartheim am Rhein) is a retired German professional footballer who played professionally in Germany, the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. His greatest ...
in the Cosmos goal, teammate Ingo Peter's saw his header strike the crossbar and then the upright, and an overhead kick by Giorgio Chinaglia went just wide of the Sting goal. Despite that effort, Chinaglia, the NASL's all-time leading scorer, was marshaled well by the defensive partnership of Frantz Mathieu and Paul Hahn, supply from the flanks by the Cosmos wingers was kept to a minimum by
Dave Huson Dave Huson is a retired footballer from Jersey who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1979, Huson signed with the California Surf of the North American Soccer League. In 1980, the Surf se ...
and
Derek Spalding Derek Spalding (born 20 December 1954) is a former soccer player who played as a defender. He played for Hibernian in the Scottish Football League until he emigrated to the United States in 1977. He then played seven seasons in the North Ame ...
, the Sting's two fullbacks, while in goal Dieter Ferner put in another exemplary shift. At the other end the Cosmos backline, aided by Birkenmeier, was just as effective. Twice in regular season play the Sting had needed extra time to beat the Cosmos and the same would be the case in Toronto. New York took the lead after three rounds through
Vladislav Bogicevic Vladislav ( be, Уладзіслаў (', '); pl, Władysław, ; Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, sh-Cyrl, Владислав) is a male given name of Slavic origin. Variations include ''Volodislav'', ''Vlastislav'' and ''Vlaslav' ...
, Karl-Heinz Granitza then leveled things up before Ferner made a great save to keep out
Ivan Buljan Ivan "Iko" Buljan (born 11 December 1949) is Croatian sport manager and a former Yugoslavian footballer, who played as a defender. He was a member of the Yugoslavia squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1976. Playing career Buljan wa ...
's chipped shot.
Rudy Glenn Rudy Glenn (born October 12, 1958) is a retired American soccer player who coaches youth soccer. High school and college Glenn attended Mannheim American High School in Mannheim, Germany . He attended Indiana University from 1976-1979 where he p ...
then stepped up to beat Birkenmeier to become the first native North American to score a winning goal in a Soccer Bowl. Joint captains Ingo Peter and Spalding proudly accepted the Championship Trophy from NASL Commissioner
Phil Woosnam Phillip Abraham Woosnam (22 December 1932 – 19 July 2013) was a Welsh association football inside-right and manager. A native of Caersws, Powys, Wales, Woosnam played for five clubs in England and one in the United States. He played internat ...
to confirm the Sting as the North American Soccer League champions for 1981.


Sting set US indoor attendance record

1981–82 (Indoor): A dramatic and high scoring season saw the club top the Central Division pipping the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the title in the final game of the regular season. A then record attendance for an indoor soccer game in North America of 19,398 saw the Sting come from 8–4 down to beat the Rowdies 10–9 in sudden death overtime. Chicago had topped the division for most of the season and remained undefeated in regular season play at the Chicago Stadium. Highlights en route to the title included the 10–3 defeat of the Montreal Manic, a 10–4 victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks and a 6–3 win against the New York Cosmos at home while on the road impressive 6–3 and 6–5 wins were recorded against, respectively, the Toronto Blizzard and Jacksonville Teamen. Even more impressive were the growing attendances at the Chicago Stadium where the Sting were outdrawing the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
(
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
) and fast catching up with the crowds pulled in by the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
(
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
). Besides the record crowd of 19,398 for the Tampa Bay Rowdies game, 18,374 saw the New York Cosmos game, 13,000 turned out for the regular season game against the Tulsa Roughnecks while 16,000 attended the playoff game against the Oklahoma side. It was against the Roughnecks that the Sting made an unexpected and early exit from the playoffs having been widely tipped to add the indoor crown to the Soccer Bowl trophy won the previous summer. The Sting lost the best of three game opener in Tulsa 5–4 but in a dramatic return at the Chicago Stadium the Sting turned a 6–1 deficit into a 7–6 victory, Karl-Heinz Granitza scoring the winner five minutes into sudden death overtime. With the series tied at one game each a 15-minute mini-game followed. The Roughnecks took a three-goal lead, the Sting pulled a goal back but there was to be no dramatic comeback in this game as the Roughnecks advanced into round two of the playoffs with a 3–1 win to take the series by two games to one. Karl-Heinz Granitza finished the season as the league's second highest scorer (behind
Julie Veee Juli Veee (born Gyula Visnyei; February 22, 1950) is a Hungarian-American retired soccer forward. Announced as "Double-deuce, triple-E, the one and only Juli Veee", Veee experienced his greatest success as an indoor player with the San Diego So ...
of the San Diego Sockers) with 35 goals and 36 assists. In the home game against the New York Cosmos on January 30 he scored a hat-trick, as the Sting won 5–3, extending his indoor scoring streak to 35 consecutive games. Three games earlier he had beaten the league's existing record of 32 in the 6–5 overtime win against the
Jacksonville Teamen The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...
.


Defending champions fail to make playoffs

1982 (Outdoor): The possibility that the Sting would become the first defending champions to fail to make the playoffs since the Soccer Bowl's inauguration in 1975 was certainly far from anyone's minds when Chicago resumed NASL outdoor action in April. However, four straight losses in the opening month set the trend for what would become a topsy-turvy campaign. The players had had little time to rest after a tough indoor season and the team and its management also had to adjust to a number of rule changes. First, the league had agreed to FIFA's demands that offside rule should apply from the half-way line and not the NASL's 35-yard line as had been the case since the league's inception. Second, the league insisted that clubs have at least four North Americans on the field at any one time. The Sting had sufficient players to do so but was left with a surfeit of foreign stars and David Huson and John Tyma – who had both played their part in the 1981 success – were traded to other teams. The first win of the season came against the Tulsa Roughnecks at Wrigley Field on May 1 but that was just a brief respite as the Sting slumped to a further four defeats to end the month with a 1–7 record. Then remarkably Frantz Mathieu – a firm fan favourite – was traded to the Montreal Manic, with Gordon Hill coming the other way, making his return to Chicago after a seven-year absence. A break from league action saw the Sting take part in the Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup. After holding Nacional of Uruguay to a 0–0 tie and defeating Italian Seria A side Napoli 3–1 they lifted the trophy with a 4–3 victory against the New York Cosmos in front of 36,904 at Giants Stadium, New Jersey. But after winning the prestigious trophy it was back to NASL action and another defeat in a 3–0 reverse at the Seattle Sounders. Defensive mistakes, poor officiating and continuing injury problems dogged the remainder of the season although the Chicagoans did manage a run of three straight wins to briefly keep alive hopes of making the playoffs. The Edmonton Drillers were beaten 3–2 at the start of July, followed by the Fort Launderdale Strikers 3–0 and a 2–1 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Those slim hopes finally came to end with a 3–1 loss at the New York Cosmos, followed, ironically, by two excellent performances that saw the Sting defeat the Toronto Blizzard 3–1 and the Montreal Manic 2–1, both at Comiskey Park, to close out the season, leaving the Sting with the worst win–loss record (13–19) in its history.


Sting debut in MISL

1982–83 (Indoor): In the fall of 1982 agreement was reached between the NASL and the MISL to allow three franchises – the San Diego Sockers, the San Jose Earthquakes and the Chicago Sting – to join the MISL for the upcoming 1982–83 indoor season. With a regular season stretching from November to mid-April and comprising 48 games per team (compared to just 18 games in the NASL Indoor League the previous season) the Chicagoans had effectively signed up to play two full seasons a year, of two very different types of soccer. Even so, the Sting, who were assigned to the Eastern Division, acquitted themselves well taking place in a three-way race for the division title, with the veteran Cleveland Force and the Baltimore Blast, eventually finishing third, two games behind the Blast in first place, and one behind the Force in second place, with a 28–20 record. In the first round of the playoffs experience was a telling factor at Cleveland eased into the next round winning the best-of-three series 5–9, 5–4 and 7–5.


Financial problems mount for NASL

1983 (Outdoor): An ongoing salary war between the NASL and the Major Indoor Soccer League was continuing to cause financial problems across the two leagues, and losses continued to pile up as the 1983 outdoor season got underway with just twelve teams (three down on 1982). An improved Sting side completed the season with a 15 win 15 loss record to take second place in the Eastern Conference – behind the New York Cosmos – and a place in the playoffs for the first time in two seasons. It would be a short lived playoff campaign, however, as the Sting went out at the first round stage losing the best-of-three series with the Golden Bay Earthquakes (formerly the San Jose Earthquakes) 6–1, 0–1 and 5–2. Karl-Heinz Granitza was once again top scorer for the Sting – and the league's second highest scorer behind Roberto Cabanas of the New York Cosmos – with 15 goals and 18 assists (48 points), Ricardo Alonso was second with 16 goals and 15 assists (47 points) and Pato Margetic third with 12 goals and 8 assists (32 points). Home attendances averaged 10,937, an improvement of 1,600 fans per game over the previous season, although still below the NASL average of just over 13,000 per fixture.


1984 NASL championship and departure

Earlier in the year Sting ownership had requested a one-year leave of absence from the NASL, and were denied. With only a few games remaining in the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
and still trying to qualify for the playoffs, Lee Stern announced that 1984 would be the Chicago Sting's NASL swan song. They, along with three other teams had been granted full admittance to the MISL. Not only were they able to make the playoffs, but they defeated Vancouver in a three-game semifinal, to face Toronto for the title. The Blizzard, who were now being run by former Sting President Clive Toye, were one of the franchises fighting to keep the NASL afloat. Though it was a battle, Chicago took game one of the series at Comiskey Park, 2–1 on a late goal by
Manny Rojas Manuel Antonio "Manny" Rojas Zúñiga (born June 13, 1954) is a retired football midfielder from Chile, who represented his native country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. His professional career took him from his native Chile to Mexico a ...
. This gave the Roy's Sting the unique opportunity to earn a second league title in the same city as their first. This time they would be playing at the more intimate
Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate football stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto. Athletic events have been hosted on the site since 1898; the ...
instead of Exhibition Stadium, the site of the Soccer Bowl '81 triumph. After 68 minutes Chicago had built a 2–0 lead on goals by
Mark Simanton Mark Simanton is a retired American soccer midfielder who spent his entire professional career with the Chicago Sting. Simanton graduated from New Trier West High School. He attended the Indiana University where he played on the men's soccer tea ...
and Pato Margetic. Toronto stormed back by scoring two goals in a 1:30 span to level the match in the 73rd minute. With 8:27 remaining in regulation Margetic notched his 6th goal of the playoffs off a pass from Rojas. Chicago goalkeeper
Victor Nogueira Victor Nogueira (born July 17, 1959 in Mozambique) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Ma ...
was impressive in both matches, especially in the final minutes and the Sting held on to win their second title in four years. Margetic, with three of Chicago's five goals, was named the MVP of the finals. In the immediate aftermath of the victory, Blizzard chairman Toye's actions were those of a sore loser. He refused to honor the long-standing tradition of entering the winning locker room to congratulate the victors. Toye followed that up by taking verbal jabs at Roy and Granitza in the press, referring to them as "cheats" and the Sting as "unworthy champions" among other things. He also said that Toronto did not deserve to lose. Not surprisingly Granitza responded in-kind. In the end the lack of sportsmanship mattered little, as Chicago walked off into the sunset with the trophy and the NASL ceased operations the following year with Toye as its interim president.


Off-field antics overshadow Sting's worst ever indoor season

1985–86 (Indoor): The season kicked off with the Chicago Sting able to boast that they were the oldest existing professional soccer franchise. When it concluded it did so with a 23–29 win–loss record for the Sting, the worst in the club's indoor history. After six indoor seasons at the Chicago Stadium the club had moved to the Rosemont Horizon, a stadium in the northern Chicago suburbs, in a bid to attract more fans. It however had the opposite effect with average attendance falling by almost 1,500 to an all-time low 5,879. Personnel issues also played their part in a poor season. Head Coach Willy Roy, who had led the Sting to two NASL titles, was replaced by his assistant Eric Geyer in late December, and Karl-Heinz Granitza, the club's all-time leading goalscorer, who at the beginning of the season had seen his annual salary cut by $100,000 to $65,000, was suspended indefinitely on March 21 after an argument with owner Lee Stern. While results picked up after Geyer's appointment – despite the decision on January 12 to trade leading scorer for the season so far,
Drago Dumbovic Drago Dumbovic (born February 5, 1960) is a Croatian former footballer and a head coach. He is noted for playing indoor soccer and the adoption of the nickname Drago in 1986. Career Dumbovic played in the Yugoslav First League in 1979 with Din ...
, to the Baltimore Blast – it was not enough to overcome a very poor start and the Sting failed to make the playoffs for the second season running. Meanwhile, owner Lee Stern entered discussions with representatives of Halo Advertising Specialties that would see them initially become a minor shareholder but have a controlling interest in the franchise within two years, although this ultimately came to nothing.


Sting withdraw from MISL

The Sting were experiencing financial challenges through the 1987–88 MISL season. In the spring of 1988, the owners explored the possibility of moving to Denver. A few weeks after the end of the 1987–88 season, in July 1988, owner Lee Stern announced that the Sting had withdrawn from the MISL, citing falling attendances, failure to find new investors and concerns that the league was on the verge of collapse. Occurring the same week that the USA were awarded the 1994 World Cup Finals, Stern stated "Soccer will be back. With the World Cup coming to this country in 1994, interest will be high. The Sting will be involved somehow, some way".


Relaunch

On May 20, 2021, a new Chicago Sting was officially announced as a charter team in the
Arena Soccer League An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
.


Year-by-year results


Outdoor


Indoor


Honors

NASL Championships (2) *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
,
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
* 1980–81 Indoor (runner up) NASL Season Premierships (2) * 1980–81 Indoor *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
Division titles (6) *
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
Northern Division, Atlantic Conference * 1980 Central Division, National Conference * 1980–81 Central Division Indoor *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
Central Division * 1981–82 Central Division Indoor *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
Eastern Division Transatlantic Challenge Cup * 1982 Coach of the Year * 1981
Willy Roy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...
All-Star Game MVP * 1983–84
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
(4 goals) Leading Scorer * 1980–81
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
(111 points) Leading Goal Scorer * 1980–81
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
(42 goals) Hall of Fame members * United States:
Rudy Getzinger Rudy Getzinger (born April 9, 1943) is a American retired soccer player who played as a midfielder. He was raised in Austria before coming to the US. He spent most of his career with Chicago-based teams, earned eight caps with the United States ...
,
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
,
Willy Roy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...
,
Lee Stern Lee B. Stern (born December 27, 1926) is the longest tenured trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. He has been one of the most successful traders in the commodities market throughout his time there, and is well known for his involvement in the Ch ...
,
Clive Toye Clive Roy Toye (born Devonport, Plymouth, 23 November 1932) was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the United States in 2003. Toye was born in Plymouth, United Kingdom, to Thomas Roy Toye (1906–65) and Irene Turner. He was a spo ...
, Bruce Wilson * Canada:
Tony Chursky Tony Chursky (born June 13, 1953 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada) is a former Canadian national soccer team and NASL goalkeeper. Playing career Chursky grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and attended Simon Fraser University w ...
, Gerry Gray,
Victor Kodelja Victor Kodelja (born November 26, 1951) is a former member of the Canadian national soccer team and North American Soccer League. Professional Prior to playing professionally, Kodelja played in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, playing at least th ...
,
John McGrane John McGrane (born October 12, 1952) is a Scottish-Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender. Starting his career at Hamilton City, he went on to spend nine years playing in the North American Soccer League for the Los Angeles Az ...
, Bruce Wilson * Indoor Soccer:
Victor Nogueira Victor Nogueira (born July 17, 1959 in Mozambique) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Ma ...
, Pato Margetic All-Star First Team Selections * 1975 Gordon Hill * 1979 Bruce Wilson * 1980 Phil Parkes * 1981
Frantz Mathieu Frantz Mathieu (born 23 December 1952) is a Haitian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent most of his career in the United States, notably with Chicago Sting. At international level, he made 15 appearances for the Ha ...
,
Arno Steffenhagen Arno Steffenhagen (born 24 September 1949) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker for clubs in Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, making nearly 400 career league appearances and s ...
* 1980–81
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1981–82
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1982
Arno Steffenhagen Arno Steffenhagen (born 24 September 1949) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker for clubs in Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, making nearly 400 career league appearances and s ...
* 1983 Pato Margetic * 1983–84
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
,
Victor Nogueira Victor Nogueira (born July 17, 1959 in Mozambique) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Ma ...
* 1984
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1984–85
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
All-Star Second Team Selections * 1978 Bruce Wilson * 1979
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
,
Arno Steffenhagen Arno Steffenhagen (born 24 September 1949) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker for clubs in Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, making nearly 400 career league appearances and s ...
* 1980
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1981
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1982
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
, Pato Margetic * 1983
Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soc ...
,
Young Jeung Cho Cho Young-jeung (born 18 August 1954) is a South Korean former footballer who played as a defender. He won two Asian Games, and participated in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Club career Cho was allowed to participate in tryouts for NASL clubs ...
,
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
* 1983–84 Pato Margetic * 1984 Pato Margetic All-Star Honorable Mentions * 1977
Willie Morgan William Morgan (born 2 October 1944) is a Scottish former professional association football, footballer. Club career A winger, Morgan started his career with Burnley F.C., Burnley, making his first-team debut against Sheffield Wednesday F.C., She ...
* 1978
Karl-Heinz Granitza Karl-Heinz Granitza (born 1 November 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. In the United States, he is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Granitza was born in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He ...
,
Jørgen Kristensen Jørgen Kristensen (born 12 December 1946), nicknamed ''Troldmanden'' (the Wizard), is a Danish former football player who played professionally for a number of foreign clubs and won the 1974 UEFA Cup with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He ...
* 1979
Jørgen Kristensen Jørgen Kristensen (born 12 December 1946), nicknamed ''Troldmanden'' (the Wizard), is a Danish former football player who played professionally for a number of foreign clubs and won the 1974 UEFA Cup with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He ...
* 1980
Frantz Mathieu Frantz Mathieu (born 23 December 1952) is a Haitian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent most of his career in the United States, notably with Chicago Sting. At international level, he made 15 appearances for the Ha ...
* 1981
Dave Huson Dave Huson is a retired footballer from Jersey who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1979, Huson signed with the California Surf of the North American Soccer League. In 1980, the Surf se ...
, Pato Margetic * 1982–83 Pato Margetic * 1983
Dave Huson Dave Huson is a retired footballer from Jersey who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1979, Huson signed with the California Surf of the North American Soccer League. In 1980, the Surf se ...
* 1984–85 Gerry Gray * 1986–87
Nílton Batata Nílton Pinheiro da Silva (born 5 November 1954), known as Nílton Batata, is a Brazilian footballer. Club career Nílton Batata played for Athletico Paranaense and Santos in Brazil, then he joined Club América in Mexico. Later on, he move ...


Head coaches

*
Bill Foulkes William Anthony Foulkes ( or ; 5 January 1932 – 25 November 2013) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre-half. For Manchester ...
(1975–1977) *
Willy Roy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...
(1977–1986) *
Malcolm Musgrove Malcolm Clarke Musgrove (8 July 1933 − 14 September 2007) was an English football player and manager. Musgrove played for his local side, Lynemouth Colliery, before being called up for national service, which he served in the Royal Air Force ...
(1978) *
Erich Geyer Erich Geyer (born November 7, 1950) is a German former football (soccer) defender who spent most of his career in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Following his retirement from playing, he coached for over twent ...
(1986–1988) *
Gary Hindley Gary Hindley (born May 8, 1947) is an American soccer coach. He has coached youth soccer, high school, college and professional teams. He won Coach of the Year honors in 1984 in the United Soccer League, 1991 American Professional Soccer League a ...
(1988)


Bibliography

* Basil G. Kane, ''The Official Chicago Sting Book'', published by Contemporary Books, Inc.


References


External links


Chicago Sting Fan Page






{{North American Soccer League (1966–85) Association football clubs established in 1974 Association football clubs disestablished in 1988 Defunct soccer clubs in Illinois North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States S 1974 establishments in Illinois 1988 disestablishments in Illinois Soldier Field