The Detroit Cougars were 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 based out of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

that was a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967. When the USA and rival National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), the team moved to the new league. The Cougars played its home matches at the

University of Detroit Stadium University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. The stadium ...

for the 1967 USA season and at Tiger Stadium for the 1968 NASL season, except when scheduling conflicts with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

forced the team to play at the University of Detroit Stadium. The team folded at the conclusion of the 1968 NASL season.

History

Origins

In 1966 several groups of entrepreneurs were exploring the idea of forming a professional soccer league in United States. One of these groups, United Soccer Association (USA) led by

Jack Kent Cooke Jack Kent Cooke (October 25, 1912 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian-American businessman in broadcasting and professional sports. Starting in sales, Cooke was very successful, eventually becoming a partner in a network of radio stations and news ...

, selected 12 cities for team locations and a group headed by William Clay Ford, owner of the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, and

John Fetzer John Earl Fetzer (March 25, 1901 – February 20, 1991) was a radio and television executive who was best known as the owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961 through 1983. Under his ownership, the 1968 Detroit Tigers season, 1968 Tigers won the 196 ...

, owner of the

, were selected to run the Detroit franchise. The USA originally planned to start play in the spring of 1968; however the rival National Professional Soccer League, which secured a TV contract from CBS, announced it was ready to launch in 1967. Not wanting to let the rival league gain an advantage, the USA decided to launch early. Not having secured any player contracts, the league imported teams from Europe, Brazil, and Uruguay to represent the franchise cities. Northern Irish team

Glentoran F.C. Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882. History Early history In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...

was brought over to play as the Cougars with player-coach

John Colrain John James Colrain (4 February 1937 – 14 July 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager who played for Celtic, Clyde, Ipswich Town and Glentoran. He later managed Glentoran and St Patrick's Athletic. Colrain played once for the Scotla ...

hired to act in the same capacity with the team. Prior to the season, the organization announced that

Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club () is a professional football club in Bermondsey, South East London, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name ...

center forward player-coach Len Julians was signed to coach the team for the 1968 season.

United Soccer Association 1967

The Cougars opened the season on 27 May 1967 against the Boston Shamrock Rovers in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. The team's first home match at the

on June 4, 1967 against the

Vancouver Royal Canadians The Vancouver Royals were a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1967 as the Vancouver Royal Canadians, they were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA), and when the USA a ...

drew 11,629 spectators and also ended in a 1-1 draw. The team's match on 14 June 1967 against the

Houston Stars The Houston Stars were an American professional soccer team based out of Houston, Texas. The Stars were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and when the USA and rival National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) me ...

, represented by Brazilian team

Bangu Atlético Clube Bangu Atlético Clube, commonly known as Bangu, is a Brazilian professional association football club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the western neighbourhood of Bangu. The team plays in Série D, the fourth tier of the Brazilian football le ...

, ended 17 minutes before the end of regulation with the Stars winning 2-0 when Houston fullback Luiz Alberto kicked Tommy Jackson in the kidney and police were needed to restore order on the pitch. In late June 1967, Colrain announced he had sidelined himself for the season and would only continue in his capacity as head coach. The Cougars finished the 1967 season in third place of the Eastern Division with a record of 3 wins 6 ties and 3 loses and an average attendance of 5,708.

North American Soccer League 1968

With the merger of the

United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association was a professional soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American S ...

and the National Professional Soccer League it was announced that Detroit would be one of the 20-teams team play in the North American Soccer League (NASL). Walter Bruce who had been part of the 1967 USA team returned to play for Detroit after helping of

win the 1967–68 Irish League title. Prior to the beginning of the season, the Cougars made a tour of the Caribbean, playing friendlies against local teams in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

and in

Port-au-Prince, Haiti Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618 ...

against

Cavalier F.C. Cavalier Soccer Club is a Jamaican football club based in Kingston, which currently plays in the Jamaica National Premier League. The team is based in Kingston, Jamaica, with their home ground at the Stadium East Field. History Cavalier wer ...

, Violette AC, and

Racing CH Racing Club Haïtien is a professional football club based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is one of the most successful clubs in the country's history. History The club has won the most league championships in Haitian club history, 11, winnin ...

winning eight games and losing only one. Following the tour, the team signed three Haiti international players Edner Breton,

Claude Barthélemy Claude Barthélemy (9 May 1945 – 6 April 2020) was a Haitian footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. He played for AS Capoise between 1961 and 1964, then joined Racing Club Haitien until 1967, and ...

, and Jean-Claude Désir. The Cougars began the season on the road, with matches against the Atlanta Chiefs on 30 March 1968 and

Kansas City Spurs The Kansas City Spurs were an American professional soccer team who played in the North American Soccer League, based in Kansas City, Missouri. They played their home games at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, former home of the Kansas City Chiefs, ...

on 10 April 1968 before their first home game against the

Vancouver Royals The Vancouver Royals were a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1967 as the Vancouver Royal Canadians, they were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA), and when the USA an ...

held at the University of Detroit Stadium due to scheduling conflicts with the

. On 17 August 1968 with the team in last place, Julians resigned and the team named Andre Nagy as the new coach. The Cougars ended the season in last place of the Lakes Division with a record of six wins, four draws and twenty-one losses and averaging 4,266 fans in attendance. Reporting losses of over $1 million during its two seasons of play, the organization folded on 23 September 1968, the first of 12 NASL teams to fold between the 1968 and 1969 seasons.

Legacy

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of

's representing Detroit in the

, local semi-pro side

Detroit City FC Detroit City FC (DCFC) is an American professional soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan, that competes in the USL Championship. The club played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2012 to 2019 and the National Independent Soccer A ...

announced that it would host Glentoran at

Keyworth Stadium Keyworth Stadium is a 7,933 seat multi-purpose stadium located in Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. It was opened by former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt on October 15, 1936, during his second campaign for president. Keyworth ...

for an international friendly; City beat the Northern Irish visitors, 1-0.

Year-by-year

Notes

References

{{North American Soccer League (1968–84) Defunct soccer clubs in Michigan North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams United Soccer Association franchises Glentoran F.C. C 1967 establishments in Michigan Soccer clubs in Michigan 1968 disestablishments in Michigan Association football clubs established in 1967 Association football clubs disestablished in 1968