expansion in the early 1970s, and with the New York Cosmos signing Pelé in 1975, the North American Soccer League was on a hot streak. Attendance was up, matches were being televised, and in 1977, St. Catharines was granted an expansion team.
The team’s flamboyant owner, Giuseppe Rossi, dubbed the team the St. Catharines Power Train — named both for the General Motors plant, and the extensive rail network criss-crossing the city. The new franchise played out of Club Roma, and immediately sparked a rivalry with the nearby Toronto Metros-Croatia.
with most expansion teams, the Power Train struggled throughout their inaugural season, but eeked out statement wins against the division rival Washington Diplomats, and the Rochester Lancers. Perhaps the biggest game of the year came against the aforementioned New York Cosmos, who the Power Train held to a nil-nil draw in regulation. Sadly, the Power Train fell during golden goal overtime by a header from Giorgio Chinaglia.
the team’s brushes with success in their first season — finishing 4th out of 5 teams in their division — fan interest was high, and the future looked bright. At least, on the field. Behind the scenes, Rossi’s extravagant spending and party lifestyle threatened to bankrupt the Power Train.
The final nail in the coffin came when Rossi bet, and lost, the franchise in a game of high-stakes poker. The team moved unceremoniously in the night, and reappeared in 1978 as the “new expansion team” Houston Hurricane. Despite losing the franchise, Rossi maintained the rights to the team name and logos, and blocked Houston and the NASL from using them in any capacity. As a result, the story of the St. Catharines Power Train has all but disappeared.
Check out the full Hidden St. Catharines Sports installation at Mahtay Cafe.
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