The New York Skyliners were a
soccer team based in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
borough of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The club were a charter member of the
United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and played their home games as
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...
.
History
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 the
Irving Mitchell Felt purchased a franchise as part of the
Madison Square Garden Corporation.
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. Uruguayan team
C.A. Cerro was brought in to play as the Skyliners.
The Skyliners opened the season at home against the
Toronto City in a 1 - 1 draw in front of crowd of 21,871. The New York Skyliners finished the season fifth place with a record of 2 wins, 6 ties and 4 losses while drawing an average home league attendance of 8,766.
Following the 1967 season 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 merged to form the
North American Soccer League. It was announced that New York would be one of the 20-teams in play in the
North American Soccer League (NASL). The merged league decided not to have two-team cities and both the owners of the NPSL's
New York Generals
The New York Generals were an American professional soccer team based in New York City that competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1968.
Founded as charter members ...
and Skyliners stepped aside and the franchise right were awarded to Peter Elser, who had held a minority interest Generals. Elser's franchise retained the New York Generals' name and front office and the New York Skyliners effectively went out of existence.
Colors and badge
While the New York Skyliners' home kits were all white, their away jerseys were the same blue and white stripes as C.A. Cerro's home kits.
Stadium
The New York Skyliners played their home matches at Yankee Stadium.
Notes
Coach
*
Ondino Viera
Year-by-year
Records
* League victory: 4-1 v
Dallas Tornado, June 27, 1967
* League defeat: 0-2 v
Washington Whips
The Washington Whips were a soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the United Soccer Association ( USA). The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Washington Whips were the Aberdeen F.C. from Scotland. Th ...
, June 7, 1967
References
External links
* http://www.nyskyliners.net
NY Skyliners roster
{{Authority control
C.A. Cerro
Defunct soccer clubs in New York City
Skyliners
United Soccer Association franchises
1966 establishments in New York City
1968 disestablishments in New York (state)
Association football clubs established in 1966
Association football clubs disestablished in 1968
Sports in the Bronx