The Fort Lauderdale Strikers was a professional soccer team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1977 to 1983. They played their home matches at Lockhart Stadium. Founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, the team relocated to Florida in 1972. They were known as the Miami Gatos (1972) and the Miami Toros (1973–1976) before moving to nearby Fort Lauderdale. In addition to their time in the NASL outdoor league, the Strikers also played two indoor seasons while in Fort Lauderdale, at the West Palm Beach Auditorium for the 1979–80 season and the Hollywood Sportatorium for the 1980–81 season. After the 1983 season, the Strikers moved to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Strikers. Among their players during its time in Fort Lauderdale were football legends George Best and Gerd Müller. History Origins Founded in 1963 as the amateur club Washington Britannica and eventually rebranding as the Washington Darts, the team joined the North American Soccer League in 1970 after playing three seasons in the American Soccer League and winning two consecutive ASL championships. After the 1970 season, the team was sold to John Bilotta, former part owner of the Rochester Lancers, and Arthur Bant a hotel owner, who relocated and rebranded as the team as the Miami Gatos. After one season, the team was sold to a group of 25 local business leaders including Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth and renamed the Toros. In December 1976 and after five seasons in Miami, the team announced it was moving to Fort Lauderdale. The team played its first game, an indoor friendly, on February 27, 1977, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the first meeting in what was to become one of the most enduring rivalries in North American soccer, the Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry. Early Success The Strikers won their debut match 2–1 at Lockhart Stadium against the St. Louis Stars on April 10, 1977. They finished the 1977 season in first place of the Eastern Division American Conference with a record of nineteen wins and seven losses, tying the league record for most wins in a season. The team drew an average 8,148 fans for the season, a 165% increase over the team's last season as the Toros, and head coach Ron Newman, who had been hired before the team announced its move to Fort Lauderdale, was named