In this new series at https://www.detcityfc.com, DCFC welcomes journalist and author Ian Thomson as he takes a look at the history of Glentoran FC, the Detroit Cougars and the summer of 1967 ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Cougars and DCFC vs. Glentoran at Keyworth Stadium on May 27. 2017.
Detroit City F.C. has made a significant impression on the American soccer landscape in its first five years with its community-based ethos and commitment to supporter-built soccer.
The club’s amateur status has not hindered its ability to attract home crowds to Keyworth Stadium that are the envy of some of the country’s professional teams. Charitable activities including support for wounded military veterans, asylum-seeking refugees and members of the LGBTQ community underline Detroit City’s progressiveness and inclusiveness. Those values have formed the bedrock of Le Rouge’s popularity among the city’s soccer fans.
Soccer in Detroit has been forward-thinking since its earliest roots. May’s annual international friendly between DCFC and Northern Ireland’s Glentoran marks the 50th anniversary of the United Soccer Association that saw the Belfast-based side moonlighting as the Detroit Cougars franchise. The Cougars stood out during the two-month tournament by wearing roster numbers on their jerseys almost three decades before they became the global norm in club soccer.
Glentoran’s players, coaches and officials had stepped off the plane at Detroit Metropolitan Airport that summer clad in Panama hats, grey flannel pants and green, Irish linen jackets sporting the Northern Ireland flag on the breast pocket. The club was honored to participate in the USA league along with teams from England, Scotland, Holland, Italy, Brazil and Uruguay, and they were determined to look the part for their American hosts.
The Glens had also revealed a commemorative green jersey with black trim and a Red Hand of Ulster crest before their departure that they intended to wear for their 12 USA league games. Cougars executives had other ideas for their team’s appearance.
Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr. had bought the franchise rights to the Motor City’s professional soccer team for its inaugural 1967 season. Ford’s front office staff came up with black NFL-style jerseys instead that contained orange and white trim around the neck and sleeves. A white shirt with black and orange trim was produced as an alternate for road games against opponents in darker colors.
“It was funny to pick them up,” recalled Eric Ross, the former Glentoran and Cougars forward. “They had strange heavy material, and in the heat we were just roasting in them half the time.”
Baseball-style stirrup socks that looped under the instep of the foot gave the Cougars a unique hybrid appearance that was topped off with numbers printed on the front and back of the jerseys and the players’ names stretched across the shoulder blades. Goalkeeper John Kennedy and his defenders wore single-digit numbers with midfielders receiving the No. 10-19 shirts. Forwards were allocated 20 to 29, and reserves used 30 and upward.
Numbered shirts had been confined to 1-11 since their adoption in soccer during the 1920s. Each jersey defined the position of its wearer starting with No. 1 for the goalkeeper and increasing as they moved forward through the team from right to left. Two defenders, “full backs” that rarely ventured into the opposition’s half, wore No. 2 and 3. Jerseys 4-6 were for midfield players that helped the back line with defensive duties and fed the ball to five forwards. No. 7 was the right-winger with No. 11 being stationed on the left flank.
Tactical and formational changes during the 1960s and 1970s altered soccer’s numbering convention as coaches became more conservative. The rising popularity of a “back four” in defense saw the 4, 5 and 6 jerseys come to define central defenders or a deep-lying defensive midfielder while No. 2 and 3 were pushed out to become right-sided and left-sided defenders. No. 8 and 10 dropped into midfield with the latter defining a more attacking, creative role made famous by superstars like Pele and Diego Maradona.
England’s Premier League moved to the current system of permanent roster numbers in 1993 and most of the world’s top leagues soon followed as increased commercialism and enlarged rosters ushered in the concept of player rotation rather than teams starting with a clear best 11 every week. Yet traditional numbering still persists to describe and categorize players’ attributes a half-century after the Detroit Cougars broke from convention.
On May 27, Le Rouge fans will be hoping that head coach Ben Pirmann has a No. 9 that can stick the ball past Glentoran’s No. 1 regardless of what numbers the center forward and goalkeeper might be wearing.
Ian Thomson is a journalist and author based in Washington, D.C.
His book “Summer Of ’67: Flower Power, Race Riots, Vietnam and the Greatest Soccer Final Played on American Soil” tells the story of the United Soccer Association tournament via interviews with 16 players including former Glentoran winger Eric Ross.
“Summer Of ‘67” is available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.com.
