Chicago Sting facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chicago Sting

Full name	Chicago Sting
Nickname(s)	The Sting Der Sting
Founded	1974
Dissolved	1988; 37 years ago (1988)
Stadium	Outdoor: Soldier Field Comiskey Park Wrigley Field Indoor: International Amphitheatre Chicago Stadium Rosemont Horizon
Manager	Bill Foulkes Malcolm Musgrove Willy Roy Erich Geyer Gary Hindley
League	NASL (1975–84) NSL
Home colors Away colors

The Chicago Sting was a professional soccer team from Chicago. They played from 1974 to 1988. The Sting competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They also played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982–83 and again from 1984 to 1988.

The Chicago Sting won the NASL championship twice. They were champions in 1981 and 1984. Only two NASL teams ever won the championship more than once. The other team was the New York Cosmos.

Lee Stern of Chicago started the Sting in 1974. They joined the NASL in 1975. A few years later, Stern hired Willy Roy as the head coach. Roy coached the team for most of its outdoor games. The team's name came from the popular 1973 movie, The Sting. That movie was set in Chicago.

The Sting played their outdoor games at different stadiums. These included Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, and Comiskey Park. For indoor games, they used the International Amphitheatre, Chicago Stadium, and the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena).

Early Years: Building the Team

Starting the Sting in 1974

Lee Stern, a Chicago businessman, had a big dream. He wanted his city to love soccer as a major sport. In 1974, he founded the Chicago Sting. He hired Bill Foulkes, a famous former player from England, to be the coach.

Foulkes built a team with many British players. In their first season (1975), there were 10 British players. This included Gordon Hill and Eddie May. Hill later played for the England national team. He was a fan favorite in Chicago.

The Sting's first home game in 1975 had about 4,500 fans. The average attendance that year was around 4,000. However, nearly 14,000 fans came to watch the Sting play against the 1974 Polish World Cup team in a friendly match. The Sting almost made the playoffs in their first year. They missed by just one point.

New Players and First Division Title

In 1976, more British players joined the team. Janusz Kowalik, a Polish striker, also returned to Chicago. The team became strong enough to win its first honor. They won the Northern Division title.

Even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs, the Sting had a great regular season. They beat the famous New York Cosmos twice. They won 2-0 in New York. Then, they beat Pelé and his team 4-1 in front of 28,000 home fans.

In 1977, coach Bill Foulkes signed Willie Morgan. Morgan was a Scottish international midfielder. He became one of the most popular players in the NASL. But the team had a tough year. Foulkes resigned, and his assistant, Willy Roy, became the interim coach. The Sting finished the season with 10 wins and 16 losses.

Challenges and a New Coach

Tough Start and a Big Signing

The 1978 season started very badly for the Sting. They lost their first ten games. Owner Lee Stern had brought in Clive Toye as the new club president. Toye then hired Malcolm Musgrove as head coach. Musgrove signed four new players. These included Karl-Heinz Granitza from Germany. Granitza would become a huge star for the Sting.

Because of the bad start, Willy Roy was called back as coach. The team quickly improved. They won ten of their last fourteen games. The Sting moved from last place to second in their division. They made it to the playoffs.

Even though they lost in the playoffs, the Sting became known for their exciting, attacking style of play. They scored 38 goals in those last 14 games. The team started to be called "Der Sting" because of the new German players.

Willy Roy Takes Over Permanently

At the end of the 1978 season, Willy Roy became the permanent head coach. The Sting was becoming one of the best teams in the league. Roy brought in more new players. These included Wim van Hanegem and Thomas Sjoberg.

The Sting broke many club records in 1979. They scored 70 goals, with Karl-Heinz Granitza scoring 20 of them. The average home attendance grew to 8,000 fans. Over 21,000 fans came to Wrigley Field to see them beat the New York Cosmos 3-1. They won their first playoff series but lost in the next round.

In 1980, Phil Parkes, a top goalkeeper, joined the Sting. The team won the Central Division title. Karl-Heinz Granitza was again the top scorer. The Sting started to attract large crowds regularly. Over 26,000 fans watched a game at Wrigley Field. Indoors, 16,257 fans packed Chicago Stadium. The Sting reached the NASL Indoor Championship finals but lost.

Championship Seasons

Winning the 1981 NASL Championship

Chicago Sting Mascot 'Stanley Sting' pictured in 2009.

In 1981, Pato Margetic joined the Sting. Coach Willy Roy wanted a strong attacking team. The Sting finished as the NASL's top-scoring team with 81 goals. A key moment was in June when a record crowd of 30,501 fans came to Wrigley Field. They watched the Sting beat the New York Cosmos 6-5 in a shootout. This started an eight-game winning streak.

The Sting won the Central Division title. They finished the season with 23 wins and 9 losses. In the playoffs, they beat the Seattle Sounders. Then they faced the Montreal Manic. A record soccer crowd of 58,542 in Montreal watched the Manic win the first game. But the Sting fought back to win games two and three.

Next, the San Diego Sockers stood in their way of the Soccer Bowl. The Sockers won game one. But the Sting won game two in front of 21,760 fans at Comiskey Park. Five days later, 39,623 Chicago fans saw the Sting win the series in overtime. The Sting were going to the Soccer Bowl to play the New York Cosmos.

Soccer Bowl '81: Chicago's Big Win

The city of Chicago had not won a major sports title since 1963. The Sting changed that by winning the 1981 NASL Championship. They beat the New York Cosmos, just like the Chicago Bears had beaten the New York Giants in 1963.

The final game was in Toronto. About 36,971 fans were there, including 6,000 from Chicago. Many expected a high-scoring game. But after 90 minutes of regular play and 15 minutes of overtime, the score was still 0-0.

Both teams had chances to score. Pato Margetic's shot was saved by the Cosmos goalkeeper. Ingo Peter's header hit the crossbar. The Sting's defense, led by Frantz Mathieu and Paul Hahn, played very well. Goalkeeper Dieter Ferner also had a great game.

The game went to a penalty shootout. New York scored first. Karl-Heinz Granitza then tied it for the Sting. Ferner made a great save. Then, Rudy Glenn scored the winning goal for the Sting. He was the first North American player to score a winning goal in a Soccer Bowl. Joint captains Ingo Peter and Derek Spalding accepted the championship trophy. The Chicago Sting were the 1981 NASL champions!

Indoor Success and Attendance Records

After their outdoor championship, the Sting had a great indoor season in 1981–82. They topped their division. A record crowd of 19,398 fans for an indoor soccer game in North America watched the Sting beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 10-9 in overtime.

The Sting were undefeated at home in Chicago Stadium during the regular season. They had impressive wins, like 10-3 against Montreal and 10-4 against Tulsa. Their attendance at Chicago Stadium grew. They were drawing more fans than the Chicago Bulls (NBA team). They were also catching up to the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL team).

Despite their success, the Sting had an early exit from the playoffs. They lost a close series to the Tulsa Roughnecks. Karl-Heinz Granitza was the league's second-highest scorer. He scored 35 goals and had 36 assists. He also set a league record by scoring in 35 straight games.

Challenges and a Second Championship

Tough Outdoor Season in 1982

After winning the championship, the 1982 outdoor season was difficult. The team had little rest after a long indoor season. Also, the league changed some rules. One rule change required teams to have at least four North American players on the field. This meant some foreign stars had to be traded.

The Sting lost four games to start the season. They struggled with injuries and defensive mistakes. They did win the Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup, beating teams from Uruguay and Italy. But they finished the NASL season with their worst record ever (13 wins, 19 losses). They did not make the playoffs.

Joining the MISL for Indoor Soccer

In the fall of 1982, the Sting joined the MISL for indoor soccer. This meant they would play two full seasons a year. The MISL season was much longer, with 48 games. The Sting did well in their first MISL season. They finished third in their division with a 28-20 record. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Financial Issues and a Playoff Return

In 1983, the NASL faced financial problems. The league had fewer teams. The Sting improved their outdoor record to 15 wins and 15 losses. They finished second in their conference and made the playoffs. But their playoff run was short. They lost in the first round.

Karl-Heinz Granitza was again the Sting's top scorer. He had 15 goals and 18 assists. Home attendance improved to nearly 11,000 fans per game.

Winning the 1984 NASL Championship Again

Chicago Sting 1984–86 Home Indoor Soccer Jersey.

Before the 1984 season ended, owner Lee Stern announced that the Sting would leave the NASL. They would join the MISL full-time. Despite this, the Sting made the playoffs. They beat Vancouver in the semifinals. This set up a championship match against the Toronto Blizzard.

The Sting won game one of the final series 2-1. This meant they could win their second title in the same city as their first. In game two, the Sting took a 2-0 lead. Toronto scored two quick goals to tie the game. But Pato Margetic scored his sixth playoff goal to put the Sting ahead again. Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira played very well. The Sting held on to win their second NASL title in four years! Margetic was named the MVP of the finals.

After this victory, the NASL stopped operations the next year. The Chicago Sting left the league as champions.

Final Years and Relaunch

Struggles in the MISL

The 1985–86 indoor season was the Sting's worst indoor season. They moved to a new stadium, the Rosemont Horizon. But attendance actually dropped to an all-time low of 5,879 fans. Coach Willy Roy was replaced by his assistant, Erich Geyer. Karl-Heinz Granitza, the team's top scorer, was suspended after an argument with owner Lee Stern. The Sting failed to make the playoffs for two seasons in a row.

The Sting faced financial challenges through the 1987–88 MISL season. In July 1988, owner Lee Stern announced that the Sting would leave the MISL. He said attendance was falling, and he couldn't find new investors. He also worried the league might collapse. Stern hoped soccer would return to Chicago, especially with the 1994 World Cup coming to the USA.

A New Chicago Sting

On May 20, 2021, a new Chicago Sting team was announced. They became a founding team in the Arena Soccer League.

Year-by-year results

Outdoor

Indoor

Honors

Head coaches

• Bill Foulkes (1975–1977)
• Willy Roy (1977–1986)
• Malcolm Musgrove (1978)
• Erich Geyer (1986–1988)
• Gary Hindley (1988)

See also

In Spanish: Chicago Sting para niños