Los Angeles Wolves
Two-season club that won the 1967 USA title.
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The Los Angeles Wolves were a professional soccer team in the United States that competed for only two seasons. They won the United Soccer Association championship in 1967 and became a founding member of the North American Soccer League the following year.
The team was created when the United Soccer Association, formed in 1966 by a group of sports entrepreneurs including Jack Kent Cooke, rushed its launch to compete with the rival National Professional Soccer League. Without its own players, the USA imported entire teams from Europe and South America to represent its franchises. Wolverhampton Wanderers, which had just earned promotion to the English First Division, represented the Los Angeles franchise. Cooke had originally planned to call the team the Los Angeles Zorros, but after securing Wolverhampton, the club adopted the Wolves nickname.
In 1967, the Wolves played in the Western Division, which also included teams represented by ADO Den Haag, Cagliari Calcio, Bangu AC, Sunderland, and Dundee United. Coached by Ronnie Allen and featuring Derek Dougan, Los Angeles was one of the league’s strongest sides. After winning the division, a coin flip gave them home-field advantage for the championship game against the Eastern Division champion Washington Whips, represented by Aberdeen. Played before 17,824 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Wolves won 6–5 after 36 minutes of extra time. Four goals were scored in a four-minute span midway through the second half, and both teams scored in extra time. The match ended when Whips defender Ally Shewan scored an own goal.
After the USA merged with the NPSL in December 1967 to form the NASL, the Wolves became founding members of the new league. In 1968, they played in the Pacific Division alongside the San Diego Toros, Oakland Clippers, and Vancouver Royals. Coached by Ray Wood and featuring Carlos Metidieri—but no Wolverhampton players—the team finished third in their division and folded after the season, one of several NASL franchises to do so. The practice of importing teams was revived in 1969, when Wolverhampton Wanderers returned to the U.S. to represent the Kansas City Spurs and won the NASL International Cup.
During the 1967 season, all Wolves matches were covered by KTLA, with home games shown on tape delay, often several days later. Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn provided commentary.
- Founded
- 1967
- Dissolved
- 1968
- League
- United Soccer Association (1967), North American Soccer League (1968)
- Championships
- 1 (1967 USA)
- Home venue
- Los Angeles Coliseum
- Known for
- Winning the 1967 USA championship as an imported team
Lore & Background
The Los Angeles Wolves were created when the United Soccer Association, led by Jack Kent Cooke, imported Wolverhampton Wanderers from England to represent the Los Angeles franchise in 1967. The team was originally to be called the Los Angeles Zorros, but the nickname Wolves was adopted after the agreement with Wolverhampton. Coached by Ronnie Allen and featuring Derek Dougan, they won the Western Division and then the championship by defeating the Washington Whips 6–5 in extra time on an own goal by Ally Shewan. The match drew 17,824 to the Los Angeles Coliseum.
In 1968, after the USA merged with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League, the Wolves became founding members of the NASL. With a team coached by Ray Wood and featuring Carlos Metidieri, but no Wolverhampton Wanderers players, they finished third in the Pacific Division and folded after one season. The idea of importing teams was revived in 1969, with Wolverhampton Wanderers returning to represent the Kansas City Spurs.
KTLA covered all Wolves matches in 1967, with home games on tape delay and commentary by Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn. There was no local television coverage in the second season.
Reader's Guide
The Los Angeles Wolves represent a brief but notable chapter in the early history of professional soccer in the United States. As champions of the United Soccer Association in 1967, they demonstrated the viability of importing established European teams to generate interest in the sport. Their championship game, a 6–5 extra-time victory over the Washington Whips, remains a memorable high-scoring affair. The club's transition to the North American Soccer League in 1968, without the imported Wolverhampton players, highlighted the challenges of building a sustainable domestic league. The Wolves folded after that season, but their legacy endured: the name was resurrected in 2014 by a United Premier Soccer League team called L.A. Wolves FC. In 2023, a documentary titled '1967: When LA Wolves Conquered The USA' was released, co-produced by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Mundial, and was shortlisted for the Kicking & Screening Film festival and a finalist in the 2024 New York Festivals TV & Film awards. The Wolves' story illustrates the experimental nature of early American soccer and the role of imported teams in shaping the sport's development.
Did You Know?
- The Los Angeles Wolves were originally to be called the Los Angeles Zorros, but the name was changed after an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- The 1967 championship game was decided by an own goal from Washington Whips defender Ally Shewan in extra time.
- In 2023, a documentary about the team, '1967: When LA Wolves Conquered The USA', was released and later shortlisted for the Kicking & Screening Film festival.
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