1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season

The 1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fifth season of the Whitecaps, and their fifth year in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1978 season
ChairmanHerb Capozzi[1]
ManagerTony Waiters
NASLDivision: 1st
Overall: 2nd
NASL PlayoffsQuarterfinals
Highest home attendance30,752 vs DT July 12, 1978[2]
Lowest home attendance9,266 vs RL April 16, 1978[3]
Average home league attendance15,736 [4]

This was manager Tony Waiter's first full season with the club. The team was dominant in the 1978 with 68 goals scored, a thirteen-game winning streak, and a 24-6 record – tied with the dramatically higher spending powerhouse New York Cosmos for the best record in the NASL. The Whitecaps achieved this with mainly unrecognized players, nicknamed the "English Mafia" for primarily English foreign players coupled with locals including Italian-Canadians. Due to the large number of teams, 24, the season was not set up with a balanced home and away schedule with some teams played twice, others once, and still others not at all. After the league during the playoff tournament in which 16 of 24 teams competed, the Whitecaps defeated Toronto Metros-Croatia in front of 30,811 at Empire Stadium (at the time the largest crowd to see two Canadian teams play against each other)[5] before being upset by the Portland Timbers in the quarterfinals two games to nil.[6]

'King' Kevin Hector led the Whitecaps with 21 goals and ten assists while tying for fourth in the golden boot race. Bob Lenarduzzi also had a strong season on the score sheet with ten goals and seventeen assists along with Bob Campbell and John Craven. Phil Parkes was the top goalkeeper in the NASL with 29 games played, a 0.95 GAA and 10 clean sheets. Alan Hinton, Steve Kember, and Bob Bolitho also were main contributors over the season.[7] Despite the team's record and strong attendance at fifth highest in the league, the club received little recognition at the All Star Game with only Kevin Hector and John Craven named to the second team. They recouped that recognition though with Tony Waiters awarded Coach of the Year and the North American Player of the Year awarded to Bob Lenarduzzi.

Club

Roster

The 1978 squad[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Phil Parkes
2 DF Garry Ayre
3 DF Steve Harrison
4 DF John Craven
5 DF Robert Lenarduzzi
6 DF Silvano Lenarduzzi
7 MF Buzz Parsons
8 MF Jon Sammels
9 MF Drew Ferguson
10 MF Bob Bolitho
11 FW Kevin Hector
No. Position Player
12 DF Paul Nelson
14 MF Steve Kember
15 MF Wayne Jentas
16 MF Dale Mitchell
17 DF Peter Daniel
18 DF Dan Lenarduzzi
19 FW Sam Saundh
20 FW Alan Hinton
21 FW Mickey Lambert
21 FW Robert Campbell
22 GK Steve Humphreys
24 FW Derek Possee

Team management

Tony Waiters' first full season as manager of Vancouver Whitecaps manager in 1978 saw the Whitecaps tied for the best record in the NASL at 24-6 and win the Coach of the Year Award.[9]

Results

Results by round
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
GroundHHHAAHHAAAHHHAAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHA
ResultLWWLWWWWWLWWWLLDLWDWWWWWWWWWWW
Source: soccerstats.us
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match results
April 2, 1978 1Vancouver Whitecaps1 – 4San Diego SockersVancouver
Kevin Hector Report Gerry Ingram
Peter Anderson 		Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 11,425
April 9, 1978 2Vancouver Whitecaps3 – 0Seattle SoundersVancouver
Bob Lenarduzzi
Kevin Hector
Alan Hinton 		Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 11,232
May 16, 1978 3Vancouver Whitecaps4 – 1Toronto Metros-CroatiaVancouver
Buzz Parsons
John Craven
Kevin Hector
Derek Possee 		Report Mike Stojanovic Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 9,266
April 18, 1978 4California Surf1 – 0Vancouver WhitecapsLos Angeles
Malcolm Lord Report Stadium: Anaheim Stadium
Attendance: 10,602
April 23, 1978 5Colorado Caribous0 – 1Vancouver WhitecapsDenver, Colorado
Report Own goal Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Attendance: 7,389
April 30, 1978 6Vancouver Whitecaps0 – 2California SurfVancouver
Kevin Hector Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 10,649
May 7, 1978 7Vancouver Whitecaps1 – 0Portland Timbers (1975–1982)Vancouver
Steve Kember Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 13,155
May 10, 1978 8Seattle Sounders1 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsSeattle
Tommy Ord Report Kevin Hector
Bob Lenarduzzi 		Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 17,085
May 14, 1978 9Rochester Lancers1 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsRochester, New York
Francisco Bolota Report John Craven Stadium: Holleder Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,119
June 5, 1975 10Minnesota Kicks3 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsBloomington, Minnesota
Ian Hamilton
Ace Ntsoelengoe
Alan Willey 		Report Own goal
Bob Lenarduzzi 		Stadium: Metropolitan Stadium
Attendance: 25,495
May 20, 1978 11Vancouver Whitecaps1 – 0Colorado CaribousVancouver
Kevin Hector Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 12,643
May 27, 1978 12Vancouver Whitecaps2 – 1Washington DiplomatsVancouver
Kevin Hector
Bob Lenarduzzi 		Report Vitseskic Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 12,150
June 1, 1978 13Vancouver Whitecaps1 – 0Tampa Bay RowdiesVancouver
Kevin Hector Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 14,051
June 4, 1978 14New York Cosmos3 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsEast Rutherford, New Jersey
Giorgio Chinaglia
Santiago Formoso 		Report John Craven
Derek Possee 		Stadium: Giants Stadium
Attendance: 44,675
June 7, 1978 15New England Tea Men2 – 0Vancouver WhitecapsFoxborough, Massachusetts
Mike Flanagan
Roger Gibbins 		Report Stadium: Foxboro Stadium
Attendance: 4,862
June 10, 1978 16Washington Diplomats1 – 1 (SO)Vancouver WhitecapsWashington, D.C.
Mike Bakic Report John Craven Stadium: RFK Stadium
Attendance: 10,615
June 17, 1978 17Vancouver Whitecaps0 – 1Toronto Metros-CroatiaVancouver
Report Marko Vujkovic Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 15,661
June 22, 1975 18Vancouver Whitecaps5 – 1Tulsa RoughnecksVancouver
Bob Lenarduzzi
Bob Campbell
Steve Kember
Kevin Hector 		Report Billy Gazonas Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 10,524
June 28, 1978 19San Jose Earthquakes0 – 0 (SO)Vancouver WhitecapsSan Jose, California
Report Stadium: Spartan Stadium
Attendance: 14,263
July 1, 1978 20Los Angeles Aztecs0 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsPasadena, California
Report Bob Campbell Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 3,795
July 5, 1978 21Vancouver Whitecaps2 – 1Detroit ExpressVancouver
John Craven Report Graham Oates Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 18,625
July 8, 1978 22Dallas Tornado1 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsUniversity Park, Texas
Max Thompson Report Bob Campbell
Kevin Hector 		Stadium: Ownby Stadium
Attendance: 5,461
July 12, 1978 23Vancouver Whitecaps6 – 1Dallas TornadoVancouver
Jon Sammels
Derek Possee
Kevin Hector
Bob Lenarduzzi
Bob Campbell 		Report Brian Kettle Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 30,752
July 15, 1978 24Memphis Rogues1 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsMidtown, Memphis, Tennessee
Jimmy Husband Report Kevin Hector
Bob Campbell 		Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 8,201
July 17, 1978 25Vancouver Whitecaps2 – 1Oakland StompersVancouver
Kevin Hector
Bob Campbell 		Report Archie Roboostoff Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 18,783
July 21, 1978 26Portland Timbers0 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsPortland, Oregon
Report Kevin Hector Stadium: Civic Stadium
Attendance: 23,536
July 27, 1978 27Vancouver Whitecaps4 – 1Los Angeles AztecsVancouver
Kevin Hector
Bob Campbell
Steve Kember 		Report George Dewsnip Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 22,910
July 30, 1978 28Oakland Stompers2 – 6Vancouver WhitecapsOakland, California
McCulloch Report Bob Campbell
Jon Sammels
Steve Kember
John Craven
Peter Daniel 		Stadium: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Attendance: 6,421
August 3, 1978 29Vancouver Whitecaps6 – 0San Jose EarthquakesVancouver
Bob Lenarduzzi
Kevin Hector
Own goal 		Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 24,216
August 6, 1978 30San Diego Sockers1 – 2Vancouver WhitecapsSan Diego, California
Doganovic Report Steve Kember
Jon Sammels 		Stadium: Jack Murphy Stadium
Attendance: 5,743

Playoffs
August 9, 1978 Round of 16Vancouver Whitecaps4 – 0Toronto Metros-CroatiaVancouver
Bobby Campbell  17'
Alan Hinton  18'
Bob Lenarduzzi 		Report Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 30,811
August 12, 1978 Quarterfinal Leg 1Vancouver Whitecaps0 – 1Portland TimbersVancouver
Report Clyde Best Stadium: Empire Stadium
Attendance: 16,437
August 16, 1978 Quarterfinal Leg 2Portland Timbers2 – 1Vancouver WhitecapsPortland, Oregon
Clyde Best  17'
Willie Anderson 		Report Steve Kember Stadium: Civic Stadium
Attendance: 32,266

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. http://soccerstats.us/c/north-american-soccer-league/1978/games/
  3. http://soccerstats.us/c/north-american-soccer-league/1978/games/
  4. Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  5. Farley, Richard (July 26, 2008). ""White is the Colour" -- Vancouver's NASL Success". A More Splendid Life. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  6. Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  7. http://www.nasljerseys.com/Rosters/Whitecaps_Rosters.htm#1975
  8. http://www.nasljerseys.com/Rosters/Whitecaps_Rosters.htm
  9. Litterer, david (October 27, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1978". American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
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