Our series commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Atoms historic inaugural season NASL championship continues with a look at how Philadelphia ended up with its first NASL franchise.
Tag: Bobby Smith
The MLS All Star Game: More traditional than you’d think
All-Star games are a fixture of American pro sports. In American pro soccer, they date back to the 1920s.
Buy local
With Chris Albright, Jeff Parke and Jim Curtin, the Union continue a long tradition of Philly pro soccer teams having a distinctly local flair. Results on and off the field justified the approach.
The last pro soccer All-Star Game in Philly
The last time a pro soccer All-Star Game took place in Philly, the NASL’s Team America all-stars took on England at JFK Stadium on May 31, 1976. Philadelphia-area born goalkeeper Bob Rigby and defender Bobby Smith were two of only six US players on the team.
Before Hoppenot, there was Fidelia
A supplemental draft pick from New Jersey whose first language is French lighting up games as a super sub—sound familiar? Meet Pat Fidelia of the NASL’s Philadelphia Fury.
Flashback: Philly in the 1973 NASL playoffs
As the second-year Philadelphia Union prepare for their first MLS playoff appearance, we take a look back at how the Philadelphia Atoms fared in the 1973 NASL playoffs in their inaugural year.