About

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team, based in the Miami metropolitan area. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1977 to 1983. They played their home games at Lockhart Stadium. The franchise was founded as the Washington Darts in 1967 and moved to the Miami area in 1972, where they were known as the Miami Gatos (1972) and the Miami Toros (1973–1976) before moving to Fort Lauderdale. In addition to their time in the NASL outdoor league, the Strikers also played two NASL indoor seasons in 1979–80 and 1980–81, and competed in the 1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer tournament. They were owned by Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth Robbie. In 1984 they relocated to Minnesota as the Minnesota Strikers. Their first game was an indoor exhibition match with their cross-state rival the Tampa Bay Rowdies on February 27, 1977