Many players who turned out in NASL had already seen their best years in football. No one will ever argue about this fact. However, it was not just a league of “old boys”.
Some great talented youngsters traveled over the pond to play. This is not talked about much. They build on that experience to form a life in European top leagues.
Peter Beardsley was a relatively unknown youngster when he moved to Vancouver Whitecaps in 1982. He had an instant impact there. Just a year later, Beardsley signed for Manchester United. However, he was never given a proper chance. He returned to Vancouver Whitecaps for a second spell in 1983. He scored 28 goals in 73 NASL games for Whitecaps. He was early on signed by Man Utd. But never got his breakthrough and instead moving to Newcastle and playing alongside Kevin Keegan and Chris Waddle.
Peter Beardsley was out there in the west of Canada. This is as far as you can go west before you hit the Pacific Ocean. He was coached by Johnny Giles. Peter played alongside older stars such as Dave Watson, Franz Thijssen, Peter Lorimer, Alan Taylor, and David Cross. A number of other great names also helped the youngster along his road to fantastic days in football.
Pele was of course the main attraction at New York Cosmos. Later, Franz Beckenbauer and Georgio Chinaglia joined the team. However, out wide on the flank, an English youngster really set his mark. He became a huge favorite. Steve Hunt was only 21 years of age and on the books of Aston Villa in England. He made a move to Coventry City and became a favorite in English football as well. Later, he played again for Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. Like Beardsley, he became a full England international long after his days in the NASL.
Vancouver Whitecaps won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1979. During that time, Ray Lewington joined from Chelsea. He lifted his only major trophy in football as a 23 year old. Lewington moved back to England. He played for many years at Fulham. Over the years, he has appeared in many assistant roles under the management of Roy Hodgson.
Carl Valentine started out at Oldham Athletic. He was also at Vancouver Whitecaps and played in that final. He was only 21 at the time. He never got the chance to prove himself at the highest level in Europe. When he returned in 1984, he joined West Bromwich Albion, who struggled a bit. Valentine’s talent reached its peak in the NASL. There, he is considered a legendary player.
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Peter Withe had a great period in England, especially with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. He won the English league at both clubs. He also made a move to NASL and Portland Timbers in his early days in football. In 1975, he scored 16 goals in 22 games. Birmingham City noticed him. As we all know, he became an England international and played in the 1982 World Cup.
Gary Mills was a young and very promising player with Nottingham Forest. He was seen as something of a phenomenon when he lifted the European Cup as a teenager in 1980. Surprisingly, he decided to join Seattle Sounders and played there from 1982 to 1983. He participated for The Sounders in the 1982 Soccer Bowl final, where they were defeated 1-0 by New York Cosmos. Nicky Reid, known for his long career at Manchester City, also played in that final. He was also just in his early 20’s. Steve Hunt was on the opposite side that evening. In his second spell at Cosmos, he won another Soccer Bowl medal.
We should not forget a young Trevor Francis. He had a glorious spell with Detroit Express. He scored goals we have never seen and, just for fun, hit 36 in 33 NASL appearances. Trevor Francis was at Birmingham City at the time. He later made his debut for England. He won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest. He also played in Italy and appeared in the World Cup.
Many young players moved to gain experience and to play regular first team football. Fortunately, some of them returned to Europe. Unfortunately, a lot of players stayed in the NASL and were totally forgotten.
Ray Hudson is a legendary player with Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He may be one of the biggest stars of US soccer when talking all-time greats. After leaving Newcastle United in the mid 70’s, he did not appear in England again. Despite being hailed as one of the best, he was not really seen on the World stage. Surprisingly, he played only 10 games for Union Solingen in German lower tier football. That was in 1983, in the latter stages of his playing career. Ray Hudson was described as a player who could win games alone. He played alongside Gordon Banks, George Best, Teofilo Cubillas, and Gerd Muller in many of his seasons. He was the consistent long-term favorite of The Strikers.
Tony Whelan is another player to mention. He was a young and exciting talent at Man Utd. He made a switch to Man City and, after a handful of games, vanished into the lower leagues with Rochdale. From there, he joined the NASL. Whelan was a tall and athletic forward. He could also operate in midfield. His talent was widely known. Despite being seen as massive and great in the NASL, he never moved back to Europe. He spent his best years in football in America, and one player that England missed. Whelan returned to England. He is heavily respected in coaching circles. He earned a PHD and has worked with the Manchester United academy for a great number of years. However, as a player, he was not really seen.
The name Mike Dillon might not be the most famous in English football circles and one that got away. He was seen as a bright talent at Tottenham Hotspur in the early 70’s. He played just a handful of games while at White Hart Lane. Dillon was 23 years old when he joined New York Cosmos in 1975. Instead of playing alongside Steve Perryman, Glenn Hoddle, and Osvaldo Ardiles, he played alongside Pele and Franz Beckenbauer. Strangely, he returned to England and played on loan at Cheshunt in the non-league. He then returned to NASL and finished his playing career with Washington Diplomates. This time, he had Johan Cruyff as a teammate.
Graeme Souness and Brian Talbot are two other players. They played in NASL before know one really knew much about that league. Talbot turned out for Toronto Metros in 1971 and 1972. Souness played for Montreal Olympique in 1972.
Alan Brazil had his breakthrough in NASL with Detroit Express. At the time a young player on the books at Ipswich Town. He later played for Spurs and Man Utd. A number of caps for Scotland as well. Today a very known football host at the popular radio station, Talk Sport. Should not forget Bruce Grobbelaar as he had his breakthrough days at Vancouver Whitecaps before moving to Liverpool.
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