Coach Al Miller deep in thought, in 1982.Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Rowdies Memorabilia - Peter Ward 1987-88 MISL Trading Card
Peter Ward's 1987 MISL card, produced by Pacific Trading Cards, whilst at the Tacoma Stars.
Rowdies Memorabilia - 1975 Rowdies Indoor Poster
A poster for the Rowdies' inagural indoor games against the Miami Toros, Baltimore Comets and the Washington Diplomats, February 16th, 1975 at the Bayfront Center.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Rowdies Press Photos - Pedro DeBrito
Rowdies General-Manager Chas Serednesky poses with new Rowdie Pedro DeBrito in 1981.Rowdies Press Photos - Jan Van Der Veen
Forest's John McGovern blocks Jan Van Der Veen from getting to the ball in 1980.
Rowdies Press Photos - John Gorman
John Gorman fights former Rowdie and Jacksonville Ten Men's Ringo Cantillo for the ball in 1982.Randy Garber 1975, 1976; 1975 (id), 1976 (id)
Randy Garber was born August 19th, 1952 in Abington, Pennsylvania. Randy attended Abington Senior High School, graduating in 1971. He was inducted into the Abington Hall of Fame in 1998. After graduating High School, he attended Mercer County Community College where he was an All American both years. He then attended Penn State University where he played on the men’s soccer team in 1973 and 1974. He was recruited by coach Herb Schmidt to play soccer at PSU. He was named a 1974 honorable mention (third team) All American.In 1975, He signed with the Rowdies. During one of his games, he played head to head against Pele and actually traded jerseys with him. He appeared in 13 games, scoring 1 goal and 1 assists. After 4 games, he was traded in the middle of the 1976 season to the Los Angeles Aztecs. At the end of the season, the Aztecs sold his contract to the Washington Diplomats. During the 1978-1979 off season, the Dips played a series of exhibition indoor games in which Randy was the team’s second leading scorer. The Dips released him in January 1979.
When released by the Dips, Garber joined the Cleveland Force of the MISL. Halfway through the season he injured his knee and was in rehab the rest of the season. He was later traded to the Detroit Lightning. The following 1980 season he played for the Philadelphia Fever, then retired.
He earned his single cap with the U.S. national team in a 4-0 loss to Poland on June 24th, 1975. He came off for Tim Logush in the 40th minute.
Randy has coached extensively at the youth level, but he gained his start at his alma mater when he was an assistant to Penn State head coach Walter Bahr. Since retiring from playing, he has spent most of his career coaching youth in Roslyn, Pennsylvania where he was the 1996 NSCAA youth soccer coach of the year, and the 1997 Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association Coach of the Year. Today, he also coaches the Abington Senior High School boys soccer team, where he has been coaching fot the past fifteen years. After the 2007 soccer season he was awarded the High School Coach of the Year by the Southeast Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. Also, in the 2007 season his team reached the state playoffs.
His daughter Randee did contact me saying she would obtain her Dad's autograph for me, but she never did.
Rowdies Press Photos - Perry Van Der Beck
Perry Van Der Beck and Minnesota Strikers' Lodeweges chase after chest-high ball in 1984.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Phillip Gyau 1992
Phillinoisip “Phillip” Gyau was born February 7th, 1966 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The son of Joseph “Nana” Gyau, a member of the Ghana national football team, Phil grew up in Maryland after his father signed with the Washington Darts of the NASL. He attended Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, Maryland from 1978 to 1982. After graduating from high school, he attended Howard University where he played on the men’s soccer team from 1982 to 1985.In 1988, he signed with the Washington Diplomats of the ASL. He moved to the Maryland Bays in 1989 and played three seasons with them.
In the spring of 1990, the ASL merged with the Western Soccer League to create the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). In 1990, Phil was a first team All Star and the APSL MVP while scoring twelve goals with the Bays. The Bays folded at the end of the 1991 season and he moved to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. While he scored seven goals in sixteen games with the Rowdies in 1992, he moved to the Colorado Foxes for the 1993 season. However, he moved from Colorado to the Los Angeles Salsa after eight games. That year, the Foxes and the Salsa met in the APSL title game. He scored the first goal of the game, but the Foxes tied it late and won in overtime.
In 1994, Phil was with the Montreal Impact, shown here with another former Rowdies player Jean Harbor. In 1995, Phil moved back to Washington, D.C., to sign with the Washington Warthogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. He spent at least two seasons with the Warthogs.He earned his first cap with the U.S. national team in a June 4th, 1989 win over Peru. He played a handful of games through the rest of 1989, then two games in 1990. His last game with the national team came in an October 19th, 1991 loss to North Korea.
Gyau began playing beach soccer beginning in 1997 including nine years as the captain of the U.S. National Beach Soccer Team.
In 1998, he became the head coach of the National Beach Soccer Team, a position he held until 2002. In 2003, he became the head coach of The Bullis School’s girl’s soccer team. In his three years as coach, he took the team to a 26-28-2 record. He has also coached various youth teams, including the Bethesda Fury, with which he won three state and one regional championship; the Bethesda Eclipse, winner of four state and one regional championship.
Today, Phillip is currently the St. Johns College High School varsity coach in Washington D.C. He is also the founder and director of Next Level Development, a soccer development program. He is on staff with the D.C. United as its U-13 Boys head coach.
Rowdies Press Photos - Frank Worthington
Frank Worthington sits dejected after scoring against the Cosmos, but the goal was disallowed for offside in 1981.Rowdies Press Photos - Perry Van Der Beck
Perry Van Der Beck and Montreal Manic's Marcantonio leap for a loose ball in 1982.
Rowdies Memorabilia - David Hay 1975 Topps Card
1992 interim Coach - David Hay's 1975 Topps card, whilst he was at Chelsea.
Rowdies Snap Shots - Wes McLeod
Wes McLeod enjoying the sun, during a training session.
Many thanks to Vickie Moxley.
Alan Anderson 1988 - 1991
Alan Anderson was born October 29th, 1965 in London, England. The nephew of former Rowdies player Peter Anderson.
Alan joined the Rowdies in 1988 after a standout four year career with the University of South Florida, an honors graduate. Where he was named All-Sun Belt Conference and All- South. He led the team in scoring as a junior with 10 goals and 21 points. Scored three goals in a game during his sophomore season. During 1988, he scored 3 goals and 2 assists. Mark Lawrenson, the Rowdies Assistant player/coach said of him that year, "a unified player with a good engine, who likes to attack and get into the opponent's penalty area."
In 1989, Alan appeared in 12 games, starting in 10, and scoring 3 goals with 4 assists. The midfielder fractured the right side of his right foot in December 1989 in an indoor exhibition game. Alan, then had to make a choice - undergo surgery and have a screw placed in his foot or sit out the season and let the the broken bone heal. He opted for the three-inch screw.
He missed the whole of the 1990 pre-season training, which was his, "biggest disappointment," Peter said. He faced a battle to get his spot back on the team, he had to prove himself all over again. The 3-3 home win over New Jersey on June 23rd, 1990 was proof enough for most of the Rowdies fans. Peter scored two goals and came close to scoring a hat-trick with a diving header.
He finished as the Rowdies fourth-leading scorer in 1990, with 3 goals and 2 assists in 14 games.
His final season with the Rowdies, he appeared in 12 games, without scoring but had two assists.
Today, Coach Alan Anderson has coached youth soccer for over 18 years, guiding teams to win multiple State Cups, as well as regional and national titles. Alan has a great rapport with his group of girls, and has been coaching some of them since they were 9 years old. His focus is to continue to develop each player's skills and technical ability, and to teach them the tactical aspects of the game. Coach Anderson's goal for the team is to continue working with these players through high school, guiding them to a level of play where many of the players will be capable of earning college soccer scholarships. 
Rowdies Memorabilia - 1984 Rowdies KICK Magazine
34,372 fans celebrating the 4th July saw the Rowdies beat the Golden Bay Earthquakes 2-1, goals by Van Der Beck and Tatu.
At this point the Rowdies were W5 - L6.
The team that day: Mausser, Myernick, Connell, Kozic, Askew, Van Der Beck, R. Wegerle, S. Wegerle, Roberts, Lee.
Substitutes: Tatu, Roe.
Substitutes: Tatu, Roe.
Rowdies Press Photos - Terry Moore
Chicago Sting's Granitza keeps his eye on the ball, while Terry Moore keeps an eye on him, during the 1980-81 indoor season.Rowdies Press Photos - Peter Roe
Peter Roe clears a Tea Men attack, as Refik Kozic is floored in 1982.Tony Towers 1984
Mark Anthony Towers was born 13th April, 1952 in Manchester, England. Tony made his professional debut five days after his seventeenth birthday in April 1969, playing for Manchester City in a 3–0 defeat against Southampton. He made a handful of appearances the following season, and scored his first goal, against Leeds United, in one of them. Towards the end of the season, he had a run in the first team, and was part of the team which won the 1970 European Cup Winners Cup . He became a first team regular in the 1970-71 season, acting as a utility player. In 1972, under Malcolm Allison's management, Tony settled into a midfield role, usually wearing the number 11 shirt. He was part of the Manchester City side for the 1974 League Cup final, but the final proved to be his penultimate game for the Manchester club, as two weeks later he transferred to Sunderland in an exchange deal involving Dennis Tueart and Mick Horswill.
He made his Sunderland debut against Fulham in March 1974. His performances at Sunderland resulted in him receiving an England call-up in 1976 for the British Home Championship. He made appearances in the matches against Wales and Northern Ireland, and added a third cap two weeks later in a friendly against Italy.
In the 1977 close season Tony joined Birmingham City for a fee of £140,000. He made his Birmingham debut on 20th August, 1977 in a 4–1 defeat to Manchester United. He made 92 League appearances for the club, the last coming in 1979-80. In 1981, Tony moved to the Montreal Manic of the NASL. He remained with the Montreal through the 1983 season. He then began the 1984 season with the Rowdies, making only 9 appearances, before being traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
He would bring his career to a close at Rochdale FC during the 1984-85 season.
Today, he lives in Whitefield, Manchester.
Rowdies Press Photos - John Gorman
John Gorman hits the deck after a collision with a New England Tea Men player, as Mike Connell watches in 1980.Rowdies Snap Shots - Peter Nogly
Peter Nogly, during a training session.
Many thanks to Vickie Moxley.
David Kerslake 1986
David Kerslake was born 19th June, 1966 in Stepney, London. David made his debut for Queens Park Rangers against Newcastle United in April 1985. He was a member of the QPR squad that played under the name of the Rowdies in the "Coca-Cola Classic Soccer International Series" in Tampa in 1986. He went on to play 58 league games for the Rangers, scoring 6 goals. He was then transferred to Swindon Town in November 1989.
David moved on to Leeds United for only 3 months and 8 appearances before Tottenham Hotspur came calling. Spurs paid £450,000 for the player, however he only made 34 appearances in 4 years for them. He was sent on loan to Swindon and Charlton Athletic, before being released to Ipswich Town in 1997. Again he only made a handful of appearances for Ipswich, moving on to Wycombe Wanderers and then finishing his career back at Swindon.
David won 29 England Youth caps, a record at the time and great things were expected of him which perhaps never materialised.
Today, David Kerslake is Assistant First Team Coach at Nottingham Forest.David recently was voted "Worst mullet of the 1980s".
Rowdies Memorabilia - Ray Hudson 1987-88 MISL Trading Card
Ray Hudson's 1987-88 MISL card, produced by Pacific Trading Cards, whilst at the Minnesota Strikers.
Rowdies Press Photos - Tatu
Tatu drives a shot past fallen Tulsa Roughnecks' Allen, as Wes McLeod watches, during the 1981-82 indoor season.
Rowdies Press Photos - Gregg Thompson
Gregg Thompson is chased by Minnesota Strikers' Alan Willey in 1984.