On May 23, 1991, the San Diego Sockers win their fourth consecutive Major Soccer League
championship.
The team began as the Baltimore Comets in 1974 but moved to San Diego as the San Diego Jaws in 1976. After a one-year stay in Las Vegas as the Las Vegas Quicksilvers, the team returned as the San Diego
Sockers in 1978. They were owned by Bob Bell.
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| The 1981 NASL Indoor Champs, the San Diego Sockers. |
From 1978 to 1996 the Sockers were a soccer team that played
in the North American Soccer League, the original Major Indoor Soccer League.
Initially, victories came slowly for the club but mounted
quickly and they experienced moderate success over their outdoor history
winning several division titles.
However, the San Diego Sockers won the North American Soccer
League (NASL) Indoor Championships of 1981-82 and 1983-84.
Success was far from over for the San Diego Sockers.
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| The 1987 MASL Champs, the San Diego Sockers. |
When the NASL folded, the San Diego Sockers moved to the
Major Indoor Soccer League and won eight championships: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988,
1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. The Sockers carried their success from one league
to the next.
They switched to the Continental Indoor Soccer League for
three more years from 1993 to 1995.
However, after several ownership changes, Sockers folded
after the 1996 season.
In 2001 the Sockers made a return to the soccer world,
playing in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer
League. The Sockers would play there until 2004.
The second versions of the San Diego Sockers were a team in
the new Major
Indoor Soccer League. The team began play in the World Indoor
Soccer League in 2001, and joined the MISL when it merged with the WISL for
the 2002-2003 seasons. Just before the beginning of the 2004-2005 season, the
Sockers were sold to Raj Kalra, owner of the Vancouver Ravens of the National Lacrosse
League.
However, barely two months after the purchase, it was
revealed that Kalra had not paid the Sockers' players, staff, or rent since
taking over, and the league voted to discontinue the franchise on December 30,
2004.
In 2009 the Sockers made their second attempt for a come
back as an expansion team in the Professional Arena Soccer League that began
play in 2009.
The Sockers currently play at the Valley View Casino Center
in San Diego, Calif.
The Sockers hold the record for the longest winning streak
in United States professional sports history.
The streak, which began on December 29, 2010, was snapped
after 48 games by a 6–5 overtime road loss to the Dallas
Sidekicks on January 27, 2013
The San Diego Sockers
were one of the most successful indoor soccer teams in
the sport's short history. The team won a total of ten championships in the
original Major
Indoor Soccer League and the indoor North
American Soccer League.
They also won 12 regular season titles between the NASL,
NASL indoor, MISL and CISL.
In 1982 the Sockers has the NASL indoor Scoring Champion in
Julie Veee. The Coach of the Year in 1984 was Sockers Ron Newman. That same
year they also were awarded the NASL indoor Goalkeeper of the year in Jim
Gorsek.
In the MISL the Sockers have had five MVP’s including Alan
Mayer, 1983, Steve Zungul, 1985 and 1986, and Victory Nogueira in 1991 and
1992.
The Sockers Zungul was the Scoring Champion in 1985 and 1986,
as well the Pass Master, the Assists leader. The Defender of the Year award was
given to Sockers Kevin Crow in 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992.
The Sockers were awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year in 1988,
Zolton Toth and in 1989, 1991 and 1992 as Nogueira won the award three times.
David Banks was the 1991 Rookie of the Year.
Coach Newman was named the MISL Coach of the Year in 1988.
The Sockers in the CISL were awarded the Goalkeeper of the
Year in 1994 as Antonio Cortes won the award. The Sockers also won the Rookie
of the Year award in three consecutive years as John Olu Molomo won the award
in 1994, Mark Chung in 1995 and Carlos Farias in 1996.
In 2001 the Sockers won the WISL regular season title but
lost the Championship game to the Dallas Sidekicks.
From 2009-2012 the Sockers won the PASL-pro and PASL
Championships in the U.S. Open Cup.
In the 2012-2013 season the Sockers lost in the finals.
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