:Las Vegas Quicksilvers
{{Short description|Defunct American soccer club}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{about|the original NASL team |The USISL team to use the name|Las Vegas Quicksilver}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Las Vegas Quicksilvers
| image = File:LasVegasQuicksilvers77.png
| fullname = Las Vegas Quicksilvers
| nickname = Silvers
| founded = 1976
| dissolved = {{Start date and age|1978}} (moved)
| stadium = Las Vegas Stadium
| capacity = 36,800
| chairman =
| ceo =
| mgrtitle =
| manager =
| league = NASL
| season = 1977
| position = 5th in conference
| kit_alt1 =
| pattern_la1 = _shoulder_stripes_blue_stripes_alt
| pattern_b1 = _vneckblue
| pattern_ra1 = _shoulder_stripes_blue_stripes_alt
| pattern_sh1 = _blue_stripes
| pattern_so1 = _3_stripes_blue
| leftarm1 =
| body1 =
| rightarm1 =
| shorts1 =
| socks1 =
| kit_alt2 =
| American = true
| pattern_la2 = _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes_alt
| pattern_b2 = _vneck
| pattern_ra2 = _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes_alt
| pattern_sh2 = _white_stripes
| pattern_so2 = _3_stripes_white
| leftarm2 =046ADB
| body2 =046ADB
| rightarm2 =046ADB
| shorts2 =046ADB
| socks2 =046ADB
}}
The Las Vegas Quicksilvers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the 1977 season. The team was based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and played their home games at Las Vegas Stadium. After the 1977 season, the team relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Sockers.
Eusébio, considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time,{{cite web |date=5 January 2014 |title=Eusebio: Portugal football legend dies aged 71 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25611509 |access-date=5 January 2014 |publisher=BBC Sport}} played seventeen matches and scored two goals for the Quicksilvers.
History
=Origins=
File:Pele joy eusebio.jpg (right) during his time with the Quicksilvers, here with Pelé (left) and teammate Brian Joy (center)]]
The team that would become the Quicksilvers was founded in January 1974 as the Baltimore Comets when the North American Soccer League added six expansion teams following the 1973 season.{{cite news|last=Nigro|first=Ken|title=Baltimore returns to soccer league|date=December 5, 1973|newspaper= Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/377028051/?terms=Baltimore%20Comets&match=1|page=C1|access-date=January 16, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVZUAAAAIBAJ&dq=baltimore+NASL+1973&pg=PA4|title=Seattle gets soccer team |publisher=Ellensburg Daily Record|date=January 4, 1974 |access-date=January 5, 2022}} After two seasons in Baltimore, the team was sold and moved to San Diego becoming the San Diego Jaws.{{cite news|title=Comets Move to San Diego|publisher=Eugene Register-Guard| date=October 12, 1975 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H9ZVAAAAIBAJ&dq=baltimore+comets+owner&pg=PA26&article_id=5051,3289609|access-date=January 5, 2022}}
{{cite news|last=Lowenberger|first=William|title=Comets to move to Calif.|date=October 10, 1975|newspaper= Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/377605067/?terms=Comets%20move%20San%20Diego&match=1|page=C7|access-date=January 16, 2021}} After finishing last in the Southern Division for the 1976 North American Soccer League season, the team announced it would move to Las Vegas.{{cite news |title=Jaws Move |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f-gzAAAAIBAJ&dq=san+diego+jaws+move+to+las+vegas&pg=PA10&article_id=2819,5003207 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=Lodi News-Sentinel |agency=UPI |date=October 20, 1976}}
=1977 NASL season and demise=
The Quicksilvers opened the season on April 9, 1977, at home with a 1–0 win against the New York Cosmos with 11,896 fans in attendance at Las Vegas Stadium. The game was the tenth meeting in history between Eusébio and Pelé, considered by many to be the two finest players of the era.{{cite news |last1=Guardian writers |title=The World Cup's top 100 footballers of all time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/29/worlds-top-100-footballers-of-all-time |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=the Guardian |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |date=May 29, 2014}} After starting the season with nine wins and three loses, the team lost seven of their next eight games; head coach Derek Trevis was fired and replaced by Jim Fryatt.{{cite news |title=Quicksilvers Give Coach Boot |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O1pQAAAAIBAJ&dq=Quicksilvers+Give+Coach+Boot&pg=PA16&article_id=4668,3056171 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=The Evening Independent |agency=AP |date=July 15, 1977}} The team finished the season in last place of the Pacific Conference Southern Division with eleven wins and fifteen losses and averaging 7,092 fans a game.{{cite web |last1=Litterer |first1=David |title=North American Soccer League |url=https://www.rsssf.org/usadave/nasl.html |website=The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. |access-date=January 5, 2022}}
In late October 1977, it was reported the Milwaukee Brewers considered purchasing the team.{{cite news |title=Brewers May Buy Pro Soccer Team |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHkqAAAAIBAJ&dq=soccer+club+for+brewers&pg=PA5&article_id=2754,3091810 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=The Pittsburgh Press |agency=UPI |date=October 22, 1977}} However, less than a week later the Clark County District Attorney filed civil suit against the team for deceptive trade and false advertising. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also threatened the team with legal action over $32,000 in unpaid rent for the Las Vegas Stadium.{{cite news |title=Quicksilvers in trouble |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoVfAAAAIBAJ&dq=Quicksilvers+in+trouble&pg=PA20&article_id=5455,9107543 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=AP |date=October 27, 1977}} In December, the team was sold and moved to San Diego becoming the San Diego Sockers.{{cite news |title=Sports Shorts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bj5PAAAAIBAJ&dq=las+vegas+quicksilvers+san+diego+sockers+december+1977&pg=PA7&article_id=3167,6981612 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |work=The Times-News |agency=AP |date=December 22, 1977}}
Year-by-year
| class="wikitable"
!Year !League !W !L !Pts !Reg. Season !Playoffs |
| 1977
|NASL |11 |15 |103 |5th, Pacific Conference, Southern Division |did not qualify |
Coaches
- {{flagicon|ENG}} Derek Trevis
- {{flagicon|ENG}} Jim Fryatt
Honors
NASL All-Stars
- 1977: Wolfgang Sühnholz (1st team); Humberto Coelho, Alan Mayer{{cite news |date=August 12, 1977 |title=Somebody Likes The Way He Plays |page=C-1 |work=Tampa Tribune |location=Tampa, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/334962564/?terms=Somebody%20Likes%20The%20Way&match=1 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=January 16, 2021}} {{open access}} (2nd team)
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members
References
{{Reflist}}
{{North American Soccer League (1966–85)}}
Category:Defunct sports teams in Las Vegas
Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
Category:Defunct soccer clubs in Nevada
Category:1976 establishments in Nevada
Category:1978 disestablishments in Nevada
Category:Soccer clubs in Nevada