The Toronto Falcons were a
soccer team based in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. They played only two years, 1967 in the
National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and 1968 in the
North American Soccer League (NASL). Their home field was
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; th ...
.
During the 1967 season, while still in the NPSL, the Falcons drew an average of 3,792 people per game. Toronto's record for the 1967 season was a bearable 10-5-17. The following season, the NPSL merged with 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 ...
to form the NASL. Their intercity rival,
Toronto City
Toronto City was a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario. Between 1961 and 1967, teams using this name competed in both the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association.
History
ECPSL
In 1961, along with ...
, of USL folded in the process after only one year.
In the NASL, with the legendary
László Kubala
László Kubala ( sk, Ladislav Kubala, es, Ladislao Kubala, 10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a Hungarian-Slovak professional footballer who also had Spanish citizenship. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, ...
as their coach, the Falcons played well collecting a 13-6-13 record, but financial troubles caused the club (along with 11 others) to fold. Their average attendance for the 1968 season was 5,336 people per game. The NASL would return to Toronto in 1971 in the form of the
Toronto Metros
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
.
Year-by-year
Players
During the 1967 season, the Falcons were able to sign
Bill Brown a
Scottish goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...
who drew 28
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
in his career.
Tony Lecce was a defender and
Canadian international. Defender
Guglielmo Burelli played over 150 games in the
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
, including one season for
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
Other players worth noting are
Iris DeBrito and
Yanko Daucik both prolific goal scorers, and John Lima from the first Spanish league. The team became something of a family affair with the addition of Daucik's brother in law
László Kubala
László Kubala ( sk, Ladislav Kubala, es, Ladislao Kubala, 10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a Hungarian-Slovak professional footballer who also had Spanish citizenship. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, ...
(player/coach) and nephew Branko Kubala to the squad, not to mention Yanko's father
Ferdinand Daučík
Ferdinand Daučík (also known as Fernando Daucik; 30 May 1910 – 14 November 1986) was a Slovak football player and manager. Daučík was the manager of several La Liga clubs, most notably Barcelona, Atlético Bilbao, Atlético Madrid and Real ...
served as the head coach.
In 1968, Salvadoran international
Raúl Magaña
Raúl Alfredo Magaña Monzón (24 February 1940 – 30 September 2009) was a Salvadoran footballer and manager.
He is regarded as one of the greats of Salvadoran football.
Club career
Magaña made his debut aged 18 against Deportivo Saprissa ...
appeared for the club.
Coaches
*
Fernando Daucik
*
Hector Marinaro, Sr.
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
*
László Kubala
László Kubala ( sk, Ladislav Kubala, es, Ladislao Kubala, 10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a Hungarian-Slovak professional footballer who also had Spanish citizenship. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, ...
References
{{North American Soccer League (1966–85)
Association football clubs established in 1967
Defunct soccer clubs in Canada
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams based in Canada
Fal
National Professional Soccer League (1967) franchises
1967 in Canadian soccer
1968 in Canadian soccer
1967 establishments in Ontario
1968 disestablishments in Ontario