The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the

Washington Darts The Washington Darts were an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that played in the American Soccer League from 1967 to 1969 and the North American Soccer League in the 1970 and 1971 seasons, though in 1967 they were known as Washin ...

, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division as the Miami Gatos. In 1973, the club rebranded as the Miami Toros. Their home field was at times the

Miami Orange Bowl The Miami Orange Bowl was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida from 1937 until 2008. The stadium was located in the Little Havana neighborhood west of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. The Miami Orange Bowl was considered a landm ...

, Tamiami Field and

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...

's North Campus Stadium. After the 1976 season, the team moved to

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and became known as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and later moved to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and became known as the

Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropol ...

. Prominent players included 1973 league MVP Warren Archibald who was from

Point Fortin Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando, in the historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of p ...

, the smallest borough in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, and 1975 league MVP Juan Carlos Moramarco who was from Rosario, Argentina. Beginning in 1975, the Toros had a

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional 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 Championship in the second tie ...

that grew even fiercer after the Toros moved to Ft. Lauderdale and became the Strikers.

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL Championships * 1974 runner-up Division Titles * 1974 Eastern Division League MVP * 1973 Warren Archibald * 1975

Steve David Steve David (born 11 March 1951 in Point Fortin, Trinidad) is a Trinidadian former North American Soccer League and international football player. Club career David began his professional career with Police in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1974, he ...

League Scoring Champion * 1975

(23 goals, 6 assists, 52 points) League Goal Scoring Champion * 1973 Warren Archibald (12 goals) * 1975

(23 goals) Coach of the Year * 1974 John Young All-Star First Team Selections * 1972 Willie Evans * 1973 Warren Archibald, David Sadler * 1974 Roberto Aguirre, Ronnie Sharp * 1975

, Ronnie Sharp All-Star Second Team Selections * 1972 Dave Metchick * 1973 Roberto Aguirre * 1974 Warren Archibald,

Ralph Wright Ralph Waldo Wright (May 17, 1908 – December 31, 1983) was a Disney animator and story/storyboard writer who provided the gloomy, sullen voice of Eeyore from the popular ''Winnie the Pooh'' franchise. Biography Wright came to the studio in ...

* 1975

All-Star Honorable Mentions * 1972 Warren Archibald,

Billy Fraser William Thomas Fraser (born 12 August 1945) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as an outside left for Huddersfield Town in the English Football League and for Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Football League. He then ...

* 1974

* 1976 Jim Holton U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame * 2003

Ace Ntsoelengoe Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe OIS (26 February 1952 – 8 May 2006) was a South African soccer player who is widely considered as one of the greatest the country has ever produced. Early life Ntsoelengoe was born to Daniel Ndimande and Marga ...

, Joe & Elizabeth Robbie

Former management

Head coaches

* Sal DeRosa (1972) * John Young (1973–1974) * Dr. Greg Myers (1975–1976) * Ken Furphy (1976–1977)

Owners/GMs

Garo Yepremian Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian (June 2, 1944 – May 15, 2015) was a Cypriot-Armenian American football placekicker who played in the National Football League for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons in Mia ...

(1972) * John Bilotta (1971–72) * Joe Robbie (1973–76) * Angel Lorie, Jr. (Managing Partner) (1972–75) * Elizabeth Robbie (Managing Partner) (1976)

References

External links

Miami Toros rosters
{{North American Soccer League (1966–85) North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams T Soccer clubs in Florida Defunct soccer clubs in Florida Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States 1972 establishments in Florida 1976 disestablishments in Florida Association football clubs established in 1972 Association football clubs disestablished in 1976