Fort Lauderdale Sun
| Full name | South Florida Sun |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Dissolved | July 1985 |
| Stadium | Lockhart Stadium |
| Capacity | 19,020 |
| Owner | Ronnie Sharp |
| Chairman | Jeff Sarkin (General Manager) |
| Head Coach | Keith Weller |
| League | United Soccer League (1984–1985) |
| Champions | |
Fort Lauderdale Sun was a U.S. soccer team which played two seasons in the United Soccer League. In 1984, the team was known as the Fort Lauderdale Sun. Before the 1985 season they changed their name to the South Florida Sun.
The United Soccer League (USL) was formed after the American Soccer League (ASL) folded in 1983. The ASL had served as the de facto U.S. second division for decades, but collapsed due to overexpansion and financial insolvency. The USL intended to avoid this fate by creating a lean, financially responsible league. In 1984, the league began play with nine teams in three regional divisions. Fort Lauderdale joined the Charlotte Gold and Jacksonville Tea Men in the Southern Division. Both of the Sun's opponents had migrated from the ASL to the USL. Additionally, the Tea Men had played several seasons in the first division North American Soccer League until 1982. The team was originally owned by retired Fort Lauderdale Strikers player, Ronnie Sharp, but he was forced to sell the team shortly after the 1984 season because of his involvement in a drug smuggling operation.Entertainment Investors, Inc., which was mostly made up of a group of doctors that used to sit together at Strikers' games, took over control of the Sun until the team folded in July 1985.
The Sun gained a significant boost when it signed former Peruvian great Teófilo Cubillas. Cubillas joined several other NASL veterans on the Sun, giving the team one of the most talented rosters in the new league. This paid dividends as they played to a 15-9 record, scoring fifty-three goals and giving up only thirty-four. After making the playoffs, the Sun crushed the Buffalo Storm in the semi-finals, then defeated the Houston Dynamos to take the 1984 league title.
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