Owner Joe Robbie
Noel Lemon | Manager Thomas Rongen | |
ASL Southern Division: Second place
ASL Championship:Winner | ||
The 1989 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season was the second season of the team in the new American Soccer League. It was the club's twenty-third season in professional soccer. This year the team finished in second place in the Southern Division and made it through the playoffs and into the ASL Championship. They became the 1989 Champions. They also won the only ASL/WSL Championship in 1989 when the ASL Champions faced the WSL (WSA) Champions in a unification match to determine the national winner. Following the season, the American Soccer League merged with the Western Soccer Alliance to form the American Professional Soccer League in 1990. The team would be absorbed into the new league and continue to play there.
ASL/WSL (WSA) Championship
On September 9, 1989, the WSL (WSA) Champions the San Diego Nomads played the ASL Champions the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in order to crown a "national" champion. The game was held at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California before 8,632 fans. The match remained scoreless until the 74th minute when San Diego's Jerome Watson scored on a Thien Nguyen free kick. Just over a minute later, national team forward Eric Eichmann scored for Fort Lauderdale. His strike was followed by one from Troy Edwards from a Marcelo Carrera assist in the 85th minute. Marcelo Carrera got a goal to join his assist when he scored in the 89th minute on an assist from Victor Moreland. The game was televised live by Pacific Sports Network. JP Dellacamera provided play by play and Rick Davis added color commentary.