Philadelphia Fury

Football club infobox | clubname = Philadelphia Fury
fullname = Philadelphia Fury


nickname = Fury
founded = 1978
dissolved = 1980
ground = Veterans Stadium
colorscapacity = 60,000
chairman =
manager =
league = North American Soccer League
season =
position =
pattern_la1=_drkredhoop|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=_drkredhoop
leftarm1=dd8811|body1=dd8811|rightarm1=dd8811|shorts1=dd8811|socks1=dd8811| pattern_b2 =
pattern_la2 =
pattern_ra2 =
leftarm2 = b22222
body2 = b22222
rightarm2 = b22222
shorts2 = b22222
socks2 = b22222

The Philadelphia Fury was a soccer team based in Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1980. Among the club's investors were rock musicians Rick Wakeman, Peter Frampton and Paul Simon. The team played at Veterans Stadium.

The Fury returned NASL soccer to Philadelphia for the first time since the Philadelphia Atoms folded in 1976. Although never posting a winning season, they did make the playoffs in two of their three seasons. But attendance declined with each season and after a poor year on the pitch and at the gate in 1980, the club was sold and moved to become the Montreal Manic.

Notable Philadelphia Fury players included Johnny Giles, Alan Ball and Peter Osgood, all of whom starred in England before joining the club; although Osgood was a major disappointment (1 goal in 23 matches), Giles was a solid performer, and Ball was a star (and served as player-coach in 1978 after the dismissal of manager Richard Dinnis).

Other star performers for the Fury included all-league defender John Dempsey, Pat Fidelia, David Robb, Frank Worthington and Bob Rigby.

Players

*flagicon|England Alan Ball (1978-79) 34 apps 5 goals
*flagicon|England Peter Osgood (1978) 22 apps 1 goal
*flagicon|ENG Derek Trevis (1978) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#T]
*flagicon|ENG Colin Waldron (1978) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#W]
*flagicon|England Frank Worthington (1979) 21 apps 10 goals.
*flagicon|Ireland John Dempsey (footballer) (1978-80)
*flagicon|Ireland Johnny Giles (1978) [http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/nasl/naslstar.html]
*flagicon|Ireland Pierce O'Leary (1978)
*flagicon|SCO Tony Glavin (1978-80)
* Martin Henderson (footballer) (1978)
* Andy Lynch (soccer) (1980)
* Keith MacRae (1978)
* Davie Robb (1979) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#R]

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL championships
* none

Division titles
* none

All-star second team selections
* 1978 Alan Ball, Jr.

Head coaches

* Richard Dinnis 1978
* Alan Ball, Jr. 1978
* Marko Valok 1979
* flagicon|Italy Eddie Firmani 1980

Yearly average attendance

* 1978 - 8,280
* 1979 - 5,626
* 1980 - 4,465

External links

* [http://www.jamiepeck.com/atoms/psuedoatoms.htm Brief history of the Fury by American soccer historian Steve Holroyd]