1974 Vancouver Whitecaps season


Division 1 professional soccer returned to Vancouver in 1974 with the Vancouver Whitecaps as interest began to grow in US soccer, and the NASL grew after stabilizing in terms of attendance and number of teams with six to eight teams. In 1974 the Whitecaps were one of five expansion teams that were the first teams since 1968 west of Dallas, Texas and St Louis, Missouri.
The 1974 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the inaugural season of the Whitecaps and their debut season in the North American Soccer League. The Whitecaps were born on December 11, 1973, with the franchise announcement on the top floor of a downtown Vancouver Davie Street hotel. The city had officially amateur teams with regional leagues going back to the 1930s in the Pacific Coast Soccer League. The city was also home to NASL professional soccer in 1967 and 1968 when the Vancouver Royal Canadians competed at Empire Stadium.
The team played in colours of red and white. Their logo was a standard shield-shaped crest decorated only by a red soccer ball, with a maple leaf in the middle and the words 'Vancouver Whitecaps' above. The Whitecaps hit the pitch on May 5, 1974, with an attendance of 17,343 at Empire Stadium for their first NASL regular season match against the San Jose Earthquakes, losing 2-1 in a shootout.
Jim Easton who had moved from his native Scotland in 1973 to take the 'Caps coaching role after playing the previous season for the Miami Toros, missed the playoffs the first season with a team from the local Vancouver area reinforced with four Scottish players. Locals included players from the University of British Columbia, Pacific Coast Soccer League, and returned local players who had gone abroad to train with European clubs.

Squad

The 1974 squad
Midfielder Billy Stevenson and defender Sam Lenarduzzi were captains of the 1974 Vancouver Whitecaps.

NASL

League Standings

Western Division

PosClubPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1Los Angeles Aztecs2011274136+5110
2San Jose Earthquakes209834338+5103
3Seattle Sounders2010373717+20101
4Vancouver Whitecaps2054112930-170

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Source: ]

Overall

PosClubPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1Los Angeles Aztecs2011274136+5110
2Miami Toros209653824+14107
3Baltimore Comets2010284246-4105
4San Jose Earthquakes209834338+5103
5Seattle Sounders2010373717+20101
6Dallas Tornado209383927+12100
7Boston Minutemen2010194136+594
8Toronto Metros-Croatia20412142840-1287
9Rochester Lancers20412142840-1277
10Philadelphia Atoms2081112525074
11Vancouver Whitecaps2054112930-170
12Washington Diplomats2071122936-770
13New York Cosmos20412142840-1258
14St. Louis Stars2041154254-1254
15Denver Dynamos2050152142-2149

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Source: ]

Results

Results by round

Match results

Overall