Happy Birthday USA
Flashback 1986 - QPR in America as Tampa Bay Rowdies
qprreport.proboards.com/post/34780 Posted a few years back by Z/Zamoraaaaaaaaaaaaa
Found this on the web today. It's not complete so any added info would be nice In 1986 QPR played a tournament in the States under the name of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, in the "1986 Coca-Cola Classic International Soccer Series", with some Rowdie players also guesting.
Team - Winston DuBose (Guest) 1 - Peter Hucker 2 - Gary Chivers 3 - Justin Channing 4 - Warren Neill 5 - Steve Wicks 7 - Steve Wegerle 8 - Robbie James 9 - Mark Loram 11 - David Kerslake 12 - Jimmy Carter 14 - Alan McDonald
15 - Gavin Maguire 17 - Roy Wegerle 18 - Dave Power (Guest) ? - Paul Barron ? - Arnie Mausser (Guest) Coach - Rodney Marsh
June 7th - vs. Glentoran - drew 1-1 (Chivers)
June 14th - vs. Dundee Utd - drew 1-1
June 21st - vs. Canada - lost 0-1
July 4th - NASL All-Stars - ? (Coached by Pele)
These two stories moved on the UPI wire in June 1986:
United Press International
June 14, 1986, Saturday, BC cycle
The Tampa Bay Rowdies needed a nine-round shootout Saturday to defeat Dundee of Scotland 2-1 in the second game of Tampa's Coca Cola Classic International Soccer Series.
Dundee, from the Scottish Premier Division, scored the first goal when Graham Harvey slipped a pass to Jimmy Carter on the right side.
Carter fired it into the goal at 12:42.
Tampa Bay scored its goal in the 70th minute. Steve Weggerle, standing with the ball near the 35-yard line, passed off to his brother Roy at the extreme right side of the goal. Roy waited until he was nearly at the side of the goal to take his shot, which sailed past the reach of goaltender Tom Carson.
With the score tied 1-1 after regulation play, the two teams went to the shootout to determine the winner.
Tampa Bay's Mark Loram scored first in the shootout. Dundee took a 2-1 lead after Harvey and Robert Conner both scored.
Weggerle faked goaltender Carson to tie the tiebreaker 2-2.
Dundee went ahead when John McCormack slipped one past Rowdy goaltender Peter Hucker, but Tampa Bay came back with goals by Steve Ricks and Jimmy Carter.
Tampa Bay outshot Dundee 15-8 with five players getting off two or more shots. Only one Scottish player shot more than once.
The Rowdies, host of the four-game international series, are 2-0. Tampa Bay's roster is composed mainly of players from the Queen's Park Rangers from the English First Division.
They will play the Canadian National team next Saturday, and July 4 they will play the NASL All-Star team, coached by Pele.
United Press International
June 22, 1986, Sunday, AM cycle
Canada defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-0 Saturday, the Rowdies' first defeat in Tampa's Coca-Cola Classic International Soccer Series.
The Canadian team was represented by players from Canada's Youth World Cup squad.
The Rowdies were made up of players from the Queens Park Rangers from the English First Division.
The only goal of the game came in the 59th minute when Rowdies goaltender Peter Hucker strayed 25 yards from the net to break up a pass headed for Canada's Alec Bunvery. Hucker misplayed the ball and ended up flat on his face.
Lucio Ianiero, charging from the right, kicked the deflected ball into the empty net.
Canada appeared to be overmatched in the first half. The Rowdies dominated, taking eight shots on goalie Brian Rosenfeld.
The young Canadian team stood up well under the pressure of having the ball in their end of the field most of the half. Canada managed only one serious shot in the first half. Four others were grossly off target.
Tampa Bay outshot Canada 17-7 in the game. Rosenfeld finished with 7 saves, Hucker with 1.
Tampa Bay, 2-1 in the series, takes a week off before playing the North American Soccer League All-Stars, which will be coached by soccer hero Pele and includes former Rowdies Wes McLeod, Tatu, Mike McConnell and Mannie Rojas.
The Rowdies have attracted just over 14,000 fans in the first three games of the series, which was designed by the team owners to test Tampa's interest in outdoor soccer. The Rowdies withdrew from the troubled NASL in January, 1985.
www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13973079From 1976
England Captained by Gerry Francis
America, with Pele & Bobby Moore!
(Not counted as a regular International for England, I think)