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Philadelphia Spartans helped usher in a new era of pro soccer 50 years ago

Fifty years ago, some 14,163 people witnessed pro soccer history in Philadelphia when the Philadelphia Spartans took on the Toronto Falcons at Temple Stadium.

The game was one of four played on April 16, 1967 in the first and only season of the National Professional Soccer League, which would merge with the United Soccer Association in 1969 to form the first incarnation of the North American Soccer League.

Englishman Peter Short had a brace to lead the Spartans that day, which involved Pennsylvania governor Raymond Shafer in the pre-game festivities and some last-minute creativity from front office staff to distribute tickets, according to an account in a recent Guardian article.