Soccer Fever: A Year with the San Jose Earthquakes

by Richard B. Lyttle

Discusses the San Jose soccer team, describing its games, practice sessions, and the interraction between the team members. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385112963
• ISBN13: 9780385112963
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Quake of a Book

Lyttle's book will dazzle sports fans whether it's Paul Child scoring at the San Francisco Cow Palace or Art Welch filling the net at Spartan Stadium. This book will take you through the highs of their championship indoor season to the disappointment of the outdoor season. During the indoor season, the Quakes seemed like the kings of the turf. With Mirko Stojankovic in goal, the Quakes were unstoppable, winning all of their games and the championship. They beat the Dallas Tornado 8-5 and the Los Angeles Aztecs 11-7 in exhibition games. In the Western Regional Championship, they routed the Seattle Sounders 14-4, and easily beat the Vancouver Whitecaps in the final, 7-3. In the League Cup semifinals, they beat the Dallas Tornado by a score of 8-5. They routed the Tampa Bay Rowdies 8-5 in the final to become the indoor champions of the North American Soccer League. Things were looking even better for the San Jose Earthquakes as they aqquired the NASL's all-time leading scorer Illija Mitic from the Dallas Tornado. The point system for the season would be a little complicated. Each team would receive six points for a win and one for each goal up to the third, making the maximum total nine. The first game didn't quite go the Quakes way, losing 2-1 to the Aztecs. The Quakes took only 83 points out of their 22 games, finshing in last place in the Western Division with an 8-14 win-loss record. This book was great. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about soccer in the 1970s.