The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

or outdoor, in the United States, based in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2003-04 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League. Over the years, the team played in four other leagues ( CISL, WISL,

PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pros ...

, and the second incarnation of the

MISL The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...

). The team's most famous player was Tatu, who was known for throwing his shirt into the stands after every goal. The team hosted the 1989 MISL All-Star Game. The team was one of the most successful franchises in indoor soccer history, making the playoffs in 16 of their 19 seasons of play. In the playoffs, the team made it to the championship game/series eight times, winning four titles. An

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

named after this team began play in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

on November 3, 2012. Home games for the new Dallas Sidekicks are played at the

Allen Event Center The Credit Union of Texas Event Center (formerly Allen Event Center) is an American 6,275 fixed-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas. The arena opened in 2009 under the name Allen Event Center. Con ...

Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb of Dallas. According to the 2020 U.S. census its population was 104,627, up from 84,246 in 2010. Allen is located approximately twenty miles (32.2 km) north ...

Honors

Dallas Sidekicks championship banners - 30 November 2012

Championships (4) * 1986–87 MISL * 1993 CISL * 1998 PSA * 2001 WISL Division Titles (5) * 1989–90 MISL Western Division * 1993 CISL Regular Season * 1994 CISL Eastern Division * 1998 PSA Regular Season * 2003–04 MISL II Western Division

Key moments

The first goal (and first powerplay goal) in team history was scored by forward Herve Guilliod on November 2, 1984, in a game against the

Las Vegas Americans The Las Vegas Americans were a soccer team based out of Las Vegas that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. Prior to Las Vegas, the team had operated as the Memphis Americans. They only played in Las Vegas during the 1984–85 seaso ...

. Goals #100, #2,000, and #3,000 were all scored by all-time team scoring leader Tatu. Around noon on Feb. 13, 1989 The Dallas Sidekicks filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

bankruptcy protection, one hour before the

Mavericks Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau ...

were scheduled to file suit seeking to force the Sidekicks to repay a $519,000 debt. Team president David Shuttee said the debt was from 1986, when a group of Dallas businessmen purchased the Sidekicks from Mavericks owner Donald Carter.

Rivalry

During the MISL I days, the Sidekicks main rivals were the San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars, and Minnesota Strikers. During the 1990s, a rivalry developed between the Sidekicks and Monterrey La Raza.

Head coaches

In March 2013,

Gordon Jago Gordon Harold Jago (born 22 October 1932) is an English former football player and manager, and the former director of the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup international youth tournament. Playing career Born in Poplar, London, Jago began his profession ...

was named to the 2013 class of the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame.

Retired uniform numbers

* #5 Mike Powers 1987–2001 * #8

Wes McLeod Wes McLeod (born October 24, 1957) is a retired Canadian soccer player who earned eighteen caps with the Canadian national soccer team. Club career Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, McLeod spent his youth career with Coquitlam Blue ...

1986–1992 * #9 Tatu 1984–2003 * #10 Kevin Smith 1984–92, 1995–98 * #11

David Doyle David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

1991–2004 * #22

Doc Lawson Aldophus "Doc" Lawson (born February 11, 1958, in Liberia) is a former American soccer defender best known for his long indoor career. Lawson played the third most games in the history of the original MISL. He also spent four seasons in the ...

1985–91 * #31

Krys Sobieski Krzysztof "Krys" Sobieski is a retired Polish football (soccer) goalkeeper who played professionally in Poland and the United States, including ten seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He spent five seasons as the goalkeeper coach with th ...

1985–91 *

Head Coach/General Manager 1984–98

Former players

* #00 Shawn Ray 1994–95, 1996–98 * #4 Rusty Troy 1995–2004 * #5 Mike Powers 1987–2001 * #8

1986–1992 * #9 Tatu 1984–2003 * #10 Kevin Smith 1984–92, 1995–98 * #11

1991–2004 * #18 Nick Efthimiou 1993-1999 * #22

1985–91 * #31

1985–91

Arenas

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The venu ...

, 1984–2004 *

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas S ...

, 2001 (one game) * Inwood Soccer Center, 1986-04 (Practice facility & Exhibition games)

Year-by-year

* *There were 7 seasons where the league the Sidekicks were competing in did not feature divisions, so there was a regular season league champion before the playoffs began. * **This 1986–87 Sidekicks team was inducted into the

Pizza Hut Park Toyota Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, United States. Built and owned by the city of Frisco, the 20,500-seat stadium opened in 2005. Its primary tenants are Major League Soccer club FC Dallas ...

Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame. Known forever in Dallas as the "Never Say Die" season, the Dallas Sidekicks defeated a heavily favored Tacoma Stars squad to win the 1987 MISL Championship. Down three games to two in a best-of-seven series, the Sidekicks won the final two games 5–4 and 4–3 respectively, both in overtime and both in front of sold-out arenas in Tacoma and Dallas.

References

External links

Team HistoryPizza Hut Park Walk of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dallas Sidekicks (1984-2004) Sidekicks 1984 Association football clubs established in 1984 Association football clubs disestablished in 2004 Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) teams Continental Indoor Soccer League teams World Indoor Soccer League teams Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) teams Soccer clubs in Texas 1984 establishments in Texas 2004 disestablishments in Texas Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1989