Being a beat writer for Total NASL and covering the Indy Eleven gives me a rare opportunity in the United States to follow a soccer club within the community in which I live in. It was not long ago that Indianapolis did not have a soccer team to identify. Fans of the beautiful game in the Circle City had to pick either, a Major League Soccer team or cheer for a team in Europe, Central or South America. But imagine having a well-established team and another on the way in the city or town you live in, that does not fulfill the needs of the community entirely because the team and the league they play in is very structured and “Americanized.” What if you longed for a team in your city that represented your culture and played in a league that embodied the “good old days” and the modernization of soccer in the United States so eloquently? That league is the North American Soccer League. Although it does not have direct connections to the league that operated from 1968 to 1984, it remembers the past as if it was yesterday. The club I am talking about is, the Los Angeles Aztecs.
The original Aztecs played in the NASL from 1974-1981. The Aztecs are one of the most historic soccer franchises in the United States. They played some of their home games in the LA Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. The team had famous owners during their time in the old NASL. More than a singer, Sir Elton John is a passionate soccer fan. He previously owned Watford Football Club, who now play in the English Premier League. The former owner and chairman of Watford F.C. now has a section of the stadium named in his honor. In addition to his duties at Watford, Sir Elton John was co-owner of the Aztecs for a short period of time. Another famous owner of the Aztecs was, Alan Rothenberg, who owned the team in the late 1970s. Rothenberg later became president of the US Soccer Federation, helped jump start Major League Soccer, and oversaw the United States hosting the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 1994 and the Women’s World Cup in 1999. He was inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007. Besides famous owners, Rinus Michels coached the Aztecs during the 1979 and 1980 seasons. Michels was known for his Ajax, Dutch National Teams, and Barcelona sides playing a creative and intelligent style known as, ‘Total Football.’ Two of the most famous players to wear Aztecs jersey included; George Best and Johan Cruyff. One of the first superstars in the game of soccer, Best wore the famed number 7 jersey at Manchester United, were he scored 179 goals in 470 appearances and led United to European Champions League success in 1968. Cruyff, famously played for Ajax, Barcalona, and the Dutch National team under Michels. Johan Cruyff went on to win three Ballon d’Or, named European Player of the Century, and successfully coached at Ajax and Barcelona where his coaching and playing philosophy still exist today.
There is one man who is on a mission to reestablish the Aztecs in Los Angeles. His name is, Omar Ávalos Gallegos, and he wants a team that represents Southern California to the fullest extent. Gallegos has taken it upon himself to spread the word to generate the awareness of the LA Aztecs’s history and yearns for the club to be reestablished. The current MLS team who play their home games in Carson, California were in fact not the original blue and gold team they have become synonymous with. It was the Aztecs who wore blue and gold after switching from orange. Although I am without doubt that, the current and future MLS teams in Southern California have and will play a major role in the community. I am sure Gallegos would like to see a team like the Aztecs that will show how deep and rich the soccer community truly is and will give soccer fans what they want. A team that goes beyond its soccer boarders and represents the diversity of Los Angeles and displays the foundation that the southwestern portion of the United States was built on. The Aztecs will be a team fans can support without the ridged and complicated requirements of the MLS. Currently, the NASL own the rights to the LA Aztec logo and the league’s commissioner stated an announcement on western expansion will be made by the end of this year. With interest in Los Angeles and grass roots efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area to start a pro soccer team, it indicates the possibility of the Aztecs returning to the game of soccer. Below is the communication Omar Ávalos Gallegos and I had through email about the Los Angeles Aztecs.
MC :How did you get interested in the game of soccer and was this a sport that your family or friends were passionate about before you became a fan?
OAG :“I grew up with baseball and American football, in the LA area (Angels fan). When the Rams and Raiders left LA, it left an opening for soccer to grab the attention of part of the LA market. I did have friends that were passionate about soccer, particularly the Mexican Primera División (now Liga MX), and that passion was contagious. That and soccer in the LA area and Southern California is extremely popular.”
MC: Did you ever hold or do you still hold a position in the media, sports, or entertainment industry?
OAC:“I’ve written about soccer on Soccer Newsday and The Goat Parade. Prior to that, I’m primarily a performing musician, and I’ve dabbled in visual media and film festivals.”
MC:Were the LA Aztecs your favorite team growing up or have the Aztecs become a fascination since the modern North American Soccer League (NASL) formed? If they were your favorite team growing up who were your Aztec heroes?
OAC: “The Aztecs weren’t my team given that I was too young to really be a fan by the time the first NASL folded. But, the first time I heard of the LA Aztecs was through my father, who worked at Anaheim Stadium in the early 80s and saw teams like the home team California Surf, the LA Aztecs and others play there.”
MC: For those unfamiliar with who the LA Aztecs were, what do you tell people who have never heard of the Aztecs?
OAC: “I say they were a team of the first North American Soccer League, a team that played it’s inaugural season in 1974, a season in which they became champions. I also say that they were the Original LA Blue & Gold, after Televisa bought them. I say that Aztec iconography, whether adopted or inherited, has been an important part of angelino identity for the longest time. The founders of the first LA Aztecs in the 1970s knew this. Simply put, LA has always been synonymous with things Mexican, since its founding. I say that Mexican is the most-common ancestry of the various Latin-American ancestries in Los Angeles, and that this is an enormous and important market.”
MC: Why do you want to bring back the LA Aztecs? How do fans of the game of soccer or fans of the old LA Aztecs get involved in spreading the word?
OAC: “It relates to the previous question and answer. There’s also the practice of reinstating historic brands / teams in the NASL modern era, and there have been people on social media calling for the return of the Aztecs from around the country, not just LA. I think fans showing continued interest on social media in NASL west coast expansion and a reinstatement of the Aztecs will show that the brand still has value. It’s also important for soccer writers and media persons to acknowledge that there is interest in seeing the Aztecs return.”
MC: Have you had interest in an ownership group looking bring back the Aztecs? Has there been any contact by the former owners of the team?
OAC: “I’ve had absolutely no interest in an ownership group looking to bring back the Aztecs, whatsoever. Neither am I a spokesperson for any group nor the NASL. I’m simply a fan that’s taken up the task of carrying the banner of the Aztecs + NASL. There’s been no contact with Elton John, sorry, neither is he on my speed dial. The other former ownership group, Mexican media giant Televisa, is pretty busy running their own teams and interests (Club América, et al).”
MC: Will the team play in the LA Coliseum or Rose Bowl as the original Aztecs did in the late 1970s and early 80s or will that be decided if and when a new ownership group takes over?
OAC: “Again, I’m no official spokesperson but I would say that they shouldn’t move into the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl. Maybe in the future when American soccer evolves more and there is an NASL team or two in the LA region, can there be LA derbys or clásicos at those venues, in say, the U.S. Open Cup between NASL and MLS teams.”
MC: The latest article by the Telegraph quotes NASL Commissioner, Bill Peterson, stating the league will make an announcement for new teams on the west coast this year. Have you been in contact with the officials at NASL about the Aztecs coming back to Los Angeles?
OAC: “No.”
MC: Johan Cruyff and George Best were some of the most famous players to put on an Aztec uniform. If formed, do you think the new LA Aztecs could attract high caliber of players just like the original team?
OAC: “This depends on the club’s philosophy. Are they going to go after big names, or are they going to go grassroots? There’s a tremendous, infinite amount of soccer talent in the LA area. I think with the right ownership and management the LA Aztecs can compete in the LA market. The original Aztecs were referred to as the “Cosmos of the west,” and a modern Aztecs team would very likely have to emulate what the new Cosmos are doing in New York with advertisements and outreach.”
MC: I assume you want the LA Aztecs to join the modern NASL league and not Major League Soccer (MLS) or United Soccer League (USL)?
OAC: “I’m 100 percent all about the LA Aztecs and the NASL.”
MC: With the New York Cosmos, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Fort Lauderdale Strikers coming back to existence do you see the NASL as a link to remembering the history of soccer in the United States while growing the game at the same time?
OAC: “Yes, absolutely.”
MC: What does it say when clubs who are no longer in existence but have a rich history and legacy such as, the Chicago Sting and LA Aztecs are looking to be brought back through grassroots initiatives?
OAC: “That people want more than what is out there now. People want independent clubs and alternatives to MLS and its model. It says that Americans want to be part of the global game, how it’s done on a global scale, and not only MLS’s copying of the American big leagues sports models.”
MC: Los Angeles already has two MLS teams in its market with the LA Galaxy and LAFC joining in 2017. Can the Aztecs survive with two MLS teams in the same city?
OAC:“LAFC won’t join until 2018 and not in 2017 like they originally said they would. And to Angelenos / angelinos I want to say this. I know that there are those of you that want a grassroots team, a team of LA identity, and that you want LAFC to meet this demand for you. I don’t see that happening with LAFC in MLS because of their required expansion draft system, to build their first year team, and other MLS rules in place.”
MC: What is the time table when you would like to see the Aztecs officially playing again?
OAC: “I’d like to see them in 2016 but if I have to wait, then 2017. Let me say that there’s so much talent in the LA area that if a tryout were called, finding a squad would be the least concern.”
