Los Angeles Aztecs


The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1981. The team was based in Los Angeles, California, and part-owned by Elton John.

History

The Aztecs are remembered for their mixed success and were sometimes compared to the New York Cosmos as the Cosmos of the West Coast. However, they did not draw nearly as well as the Cosmos, or even the Seattle Sounders, who were consistently the attendance leaders among the Western NASL teams
. They won the 1974 NASL Championship over the Miami Toros. In 1976, George Best signed alongside Ron Davies and played from 1976 to 1978. In 1979 attendance peaked as manager Rinus Michels signed the Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff who went on to win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award in his one year with the Aztecs. In 1981, their final season, the Aztecs were managed by former Brazil manager Cláudio Coutinho, who died after the season ended as a result of a scuba diving accident in Brazil.

Year-by-year

Ownership

NASL Championships
NASL Regular Season Premierships
Division Champions
League MVP
  • 1979 Johan Cruyff
Rookie of the Year
League Scoring Champion
League Goal Scoring Champion
League Assists Leader
All-Star First Team Selections
  • 1976 George Best
  • 1977 Steve David, George Best
  • 1979 Johan Cruyff
All-Star Second Team Selections
All-Star Honorable Mentions
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame'''