A former state league star and local official now living in Southern California, Emmett Brennan referees the National Professional Soccer League opener at the Los Angeles Coliseum between the L.A. Toros and New York Generals. Pepe Fernandez plays for L.A. in a 3-2 win before 9,048.

National Professional Soccer League inaugural season play begins, and although CBS carries 12 games, Seattle affiliate KIRO TV announces it will not carry the Atlanta—Baltimore opener nor any of the network broadcasts live. Bellingham’s KVOS does show CBS games live. Broadcasts feature 14 commercial breaks, including five each half.

North Vancouver sweeps Seattle CYO all-stars in Oldershaw series, taking the second leg, 3-2, at Lower Woodland after winning the opener, 2-0.

The Buchan Bakers Juniors win the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup by defeating Mountlake Terrace, 2-1, in the boys' 16-18 age group final at West Seattle. Two weeks later, Mike Ryan's Baker Juniors, who won the U18 division, opt to enter the men's first division for the fall.

Despite dominating the number of chances, the Seattle Hungarians fall to the San Francisco Greek Americans, 1-0, on a goal in the second minute, in the West semifinals of the National Challenge Cup before 2,500 at Balboa Park. Kirk Apostolidis beats Willi Lindner, and the Greeks nearly make it 2-nil moments later. Seattle then asserts control. The Magyars pepper the goal with shots, get a penalty appeal denied and Alex Bogdan's late try is cleared off the line.

Considered a bellwether for whether Seattle could support a team in one of the two new professional league, FA Cup runner-up Chelsea visits Memorial Stadium. The young Blues (oldest starters age 26), featuring $225,000 signing Tommy Baldwin, beat the Northwest All-Stars, 5-0, before a crowd of 6,400. The Blues get first-half goals from John Broyles, Baldwin and Joe Kirkup. Baldwin and Barry Lloyd add more in the second half. The visitors are unimpressed by the playing surface, which is less grass and mostly dirt with gravel mixed in.

Four state youths – Mike Dawson, Mike Carney (both of Buchan Bakers), Mark Smith (Lake Hills) and Steve Thorne (Edmonds Hansen Hotspurs) – are chosen by State Junior Soccer Commission for the U.S. Olympic Development camp in San Jose, June 18-24, under Olympic team coach Geza Henni.

The fifth year of the Canadian Exchange features still more teams crossing the border. In all, 127 Seattle area teams participate, with the Americans improving their record to 27-52-19.

Dale Lenz scores the first goal, his 13th of the year, and Seattle University goes on to beat Washington, 3-0, in the first competitive intracity meeting between intercollegiate teams at Lower Woodland. Mike Carney doubles the lead and Tom Yagle completes the scoring. The two teams met Oct. 6 in a non-counting game after the Chieftains had just four practice sessions. The Huskies won that, 3-0, at Lower Woodland.

Edgemont Theatre in Edmonds screens “Goal,” official film of 1966 FIFA World Cup. State league coach Alex Lennox and Huskies coach Mike Ryan serve as hosts. The Seattle Times reports: “One does not have to be a soccer fan to appreciate the color, the crowds, the action caught by the cameras in ‘Goal!’

Monsanto begins installation of Astroturf at Memorial Stadium, making it the first football and soccer facility to do so. The Seattle School Board voted to purchase the rug as a cost of $174,468. Parking concession funds will pay for the turf. Memorial also installs ‘slingshot-type’ goalposts. The first competitive event on the carpet is the Sept. 22 Metro Jamboree football games. Harvey Lanman, Metro League athletic director, had been seeking to upgrade the surface for four years. It is the first installation of Astroturf outdoors Houston’s Astrodome was the first to use it.

State association secretary Ed Craggs notes that the 18 first and second division teams feature players from 39 different countries, many of them having played professionally or semipro before coming to the state league.

Heavy rain and poor drainage leaves Interbay Field unplayable for a state league doubleheader. Over two inches of precipitation has been measured in December's first three days, and more is on the way. Another series of storms two weeks later make both White Center and Lower Woodland unplayable and postpone state league matches until the New Year.

The Tacoma Wanderers depart for a three-week tour of England, where they train under English FA coaches, play several schoolboy teams and meet the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews, now manager of Port Vale. Frank Hall's U16 team of 14 players raised nearly $7,000 through raffles and donations. The Wanderers, proclaimed the first American youth team to play in England, goes 0-2-2 versus teams from Staffordshire, Stockport, Oxford and Woking.

John Phelps and Ted Budai score five minutes apart and the Seattle Hungarians stun defending PCL champion Victoria with a 2-2 draw in a preseason exhibition the provincial capital.

Hat tricks by Mike Kuczi and Les Muller fuel Seattle Hungarians’ 9-0 rout of Portland All-Stars at West Seattle Stadium for their third consecutive Northwest championship. Portland’s team, its nucleus from the tops side Amsterdam, held on through the first half, trailing only 2-nil after Kuczi and Tommy Major (penalty) score in the first 11 minutes. However, the onslaught is unrelenting in the second period, with Kuczi, Mueller and Alex Bogdan (twice) pushing it to 7-0. Following a Con Tagios goal, Mueller cracks a shot off the crossbar and in. Oregon has not won the title since 1955.

The Hungarians dethrone four-time Five-a-Side tournament champion Vancouver O’Keefe’s, 1-0, on Les Mueller’s strike with 30 seconds to go in the final at West Seattle. Thirty-two teams from Washington, Oregon and B.C. started the day, with 19 being Canadian. A Bellevue teams featuring four juniors shocks the senior Vikings, 4-0, in the first round but bows out to the Hungarians at the quarterfinal stage.

As the Hungarians make their case for readmission the Pacific Coast League, Mike Kuczi fires six goals past Vancouver’s Moslem Thistle in an exhibition win, 9-2, at West Seattle Stadium. Les Mueller bags two goals and Zoltan Mako the other against the Mainland League club.

Steve Furjesi of the Hungarians signs as a placekicker with the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. Lou Saban, Broncos coach, is impressed that during tryouts Furjesi could kick field goals with either foot.

Balint Ducz decides to withdraw the Hungarians' application to return to the Pacific Coast League due to costs of renting West Seattle Stadium. The PCL had concerns about a suitable playing facility since the Magyars first joined the league from 1962-64.

Renton’s city council votes to appropriate $92,000 to build new stands, locker rooms and other improvements to Liberty Park, long the favorite site for all athletics, including soccer, in that city.

The Hungarians (7-0-1) clinch the state league's second-half title and avert a championship playoff by blanking the Continentals, 2-0. The Magyars eventually finish 9-0-1. Mike Kuczi scores goals in each half and Walter Schmetzer’s penalty kick hits both posts before bouncing out for the Continentals. Elsewhere, Otto Myrold scores six goals in the Vikings’ 12-0 rout of United Hungarians.

Seattle University earns its first varsity intercollegiate victory, 1-0, over Shoreline Community College on Joe Zavaglia’s goal at Lower Woodland. The Chieftains, who formed their program hastily in September, proceed to win the next five games.

Another impressive Hungarians exhibition win versus Canadian opposition concludes the 1966-67 season at West Seattle Stadium. The Magyars defeat the Pacific Coast League’s New Westminster Royals, 3-2, on goals from Tommy Major, Mike Kuczi and John Phelps. The Hungarians, who have requested re-entry to the PCL in the fall, are also making a case for representing the local area vs. Chelsea, rather than an all-star team.

Les Mueller buries four goals in rival Buchans’ net to keep the Hungarians unbeaten (6-0-1) in state first division. Tommy Major starts it with an early penalty, and Mike Kuczi adds a brace.

Germany’s touring amateurs Tus Bad Salzuflen tally three times in the final 15 minutes to defeat the Tacoma All-Stars, 6-3, at Fife High School. Brian Franklin scores twice for Tacoma. A day earlier in West Seattle, the Germans topped the Seattle Continentals, 4-1.