A video which shows one of the most unusual events in Aberdeen FC’s history is available to view online.
The Youtube footage shows the Dons playing Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Los Angeles Memorial Coleseum on July 14, 1967 – but not as you know them.
In the grainy highlights package from the time, the Pittodrie side are playing under the guise of the Washington Whips, while Wolves are playing as the Los Angeles Wolves.
For one summer, the Reds played in the now-defunct United Soccer Association Championship along with 11 other teams from the UK and Europe – among them, Hibernian and Dundee United also took part.
The strange but true episode is the subject of a book by Aberdeen sports journalist Ian Thomson, originally from Bridge of Don, who explained:
“At the time, the World Cup Final between England and West Germany had proved popular on television, and people were looking to capitalise – two opposing leagues were started.
“One decided to start all-new teams and the other decided to find teams to play as their franchises.
“The commissioner of the league got in touch with the different FAs to see what teams were available – Celtic had won the European Cup that year and Rangers were in the final of the Cup Winners Cup so they both couldn’t take part.”
The league was split into Eastern and Western conferences with the winners contesting the USA Championship final – Aberdeen, or Washington, narrowly lost the game 6-5.
Mr Thomson, who now lives in Pittsburgh, says the experience was unforgettable for the Dons players, many of whom had left the city only a handful of times.
He continued: “If you take Martin Buchan, he was an 18-year-old from Torry who had only flown on a plane once before, to Gatwick, when he was picked for the Scotland under-18s.
“The players normally would have got a reduced wage during the off-season and would have missed out on win bonuses, but now they were over there being paid full wage and getting bonuses from the franchise owners.”
Mr Thomson’s book is available from Amazon.
