INDOOR SOCCER LEGEND LEAVES IMPACT ACROSS THE SPORT

After a dreary opening three quarters, the Checkerdome in St. Louis finally was rocking on the night of March 27, 1981.

The Budweiser Beer theme was played over and over after the St. Louis Steamers scored goal after goal against the Wichita Wings in the fourth period of the Major Indoor Soccer League semifinal.

The supporters' heroes had found themselves in a deep, deep hole entering the quarter. The Wings enjoyed a seemingly insurmountable 6-1 advantage and were only 15 minutes from reaching the final, where they would face the powerful and two-time MISL champion New York Arrows for indoor soccer glory.

Before the period began, Steamers head coach Pat McBride gave his team a message.

“He said we haven’t quit all year, so why quit now,” Steamers defender Ty Keough told reporters afterwards.

The hosts slowly inched toward making the supposedly that insurmountable lead possible as several legends from the past had some other things in mind.

Keough cut the lead to 6-2 only 47 seconds into the period.

Tony Glavin made it 6-3 at 2:21.

After every goal, the organ player played the Budweiser song. It is still in embedded in this writer’s brain after all these decades.

Then Andy Chapman spoiled the party, scoring off a Kim Roentved feed at 7:04 to give Wichita a seemingly safe lead at 7-3.

Again, the possible looked impossible.

The Steamers, however, were relentless.

Defender Steve Pecher made it 7-4 at 9:42.

Keough tallied again to cut the lead to 7-5 at 10:18.

Forward Yilmaz Orhan brought St. Louis within one goal at 7-6 at 12:16.

And finally, 7-7 as forward Don Ebert headed home Pecher’s feed with 69 seconds remaining in regulation.

A near-capacity crowd of 16,236 went berserk as the Budweiser theme was played for the countless time.

After a scoreless extra time, the game needed to be decided in a shootout.

Reserve forward Emilio John, who participated in only two shifts — and that was in the fourth quarter — converted the game-winning shootout goal to give the hosts an amazing and unbelievable 8-7 triumph in a game and comeback for the ages.

The Steamers were the toast of the town that night, including McBride, whose team pulled off the greatest comeback in MISL history, if not in all of indoor soccer, with so much on the line. This writer still calls it the greatest indoor soccer game ever played.

“These guys have so much heart and character that words can’t define,” he said.

McBride helped the Steamers perform some magic that night, most likely the biggest highlight of his indoor soccer coaching career.

The St. Louis soccer legend passed away in the city he loved and toiled for, on Wednesday. McBride was 81.

Playing two games in a North American Soccer League preseason indoor tournament in 1971, McBride was a pioneer in the early days of the modern game, helping pave the way for today's Major Arena Soccer League.

Before standing behind the bench, McBride forged a reputation as the best American player of his era as a U.S. men's national team player and captain. We'll get to that in a minute.

Two days after that miraculous comeback victory, the Steamers had to show their heart and character again, against the Arrows.

“I hated to play against him,” Arrows head coach Don Popovic was quoted by Newsday in 1981. “His team is like he was as a player. He never gave up, and neither will they. We’re going to have a hard time.”

This time, the Steamers fell one goal short as the Arrows, behind Steve Zungul’s goal with a scant 30 seconds remaining in regulation, boosted the visitors to a 6-5 win and the MISL title.

A teary-eyed McBride was stunned.

“I feel bad for our players,” he told Arnold Irish of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We never got a bad effort all season. These guys are winners. They went down fighting.”

In many ways, the Steamers took after their coach. As a soccer player, McBride brought a never-say-die attitude and leadership abilities to the pitch.

So, it should come as no surprise that he was rewarded for his efforts.

Before some media started calling Christian Pulisic “Captain America,” the U.S. men’s national team actually had a Captain America - Pat McBride.

He wore the USA jersey only five times in his career but had skippered the side several times.

One national soccer magazine, Soccer Monthly, if this writer's memory is correct, dubbed McBride that nickname and honor in a headline and story.

McBride was that good and that well respected.

Born in St. Louis on Nov. 13, 1943, McBride attended St. Louis University High School before moving on to St. Louis University from 1963-67. He was a first team All-American in 1964 and 1965.

McBride will be honored with a moment of silence at this Sunday's St. Louis Ambush home game against the Milwaukee Wave. There is also a video tribute planned for him at the Ambush Alumni Game on February 8. 

““Pat McBride was a true legend in American soccer, leaving an indelible mark on both outdoor and indoor games. As a St. Louis Steamers coach during the rise of indoor soccer in the 1980s, he guided and inspired countless players while fueling the sport’s growth," said  Patrick Longo, Chief Communication and Community Relations Officer, St. Louis Ambush. "His time with the Steamers cemented his legacy in St. Louis and beyond. The St. Louis Ambush deeply appreciates his contributions and honors his incredible impact on the game. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this time.”

McBride stood out as a midfielder on both sides of the ball. He could score and defend. As the first American to sign with a North American Soccer League team, he lived up to the hype, scoring 31 goals and assisting on 23 others in 196 games over 10 seasons for the St. Louis Stars. That was during an era in which Americans were few and far between getting playing time, let alone being impact players. He also was a two-time NASL all-star.

After retiring after the 1976 season, McBride started his second act in soccer. He was an assistant coach to Bob Guelker at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and then took over head coaching job at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

He became the Steamers head coach in 1979 and guided the squad to the aforementioned 1981 MISL final.

McBride didn’t return for the next season, as he was fired by the club due to a contract dispute. He took over the coaching reins of the Kansas City Comets from 1981-84. After he was dismissed by KC, McBride returned to coach the Steamers from 1985-87.

There was no doubt that McBride deserved all the accolades sent his way. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1994 and is a member of Saint Louis Soccer Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, and the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

McBride is survived by wife Barb (Magac), sister Lila Schmitz, children Kelly Travis (Andy), Tim (Jamee), Brian, and grandchildren Hailey and Drew Travis, and Caden and Graeme McBride.

He also is survived by many friends and members of the St. Louis and American soccer community.

For example, as teammates on the Stars in the early 1970's, McBride helped Popovic get acclimated to new and different customs of the USA.  McBride took Popovic home for Christmas dinner and roomed with him on the road.

They played for the Stars in the first very professional indoor soccer tournament in March 1971 in St. Louis. At the time, the sport was called Hoc Soc (named obviously after hockey and soccer). McBride recorded two assists in as many games, including setting up Popovic for what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-0 win over the Washington Darts.

Saying that, I’ll leave you with this story (and hopefully a smile), that I unearthed when I interviewed both men almost half a century ago.

When the Stars competed in the NPSL in 1967, they visited the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

McBride was showing Popovic, a recent arrival from Yugoslavia, the national museum. Popovic knew very little English at the time.

During their sightseeing, Popovic tired and decided he needed a rest. Unknowingly, Popovic sat down in an exhibit that housed Abraham Lincoln artifacts.

“Dragan, you can’t do that,” McBride told his teammate. “Don’t you know you’re sitting in Abraham’s Lincoln’s chair?”

To which Popovic replied, “When he comes back, I’ll be glad to get up.”

That friendship lasted years, through the 1981 MISL championship game and beyond.

RIP, Pat McBride, one of the all-time greats.

Michael Lewis can be reached and followed at Soccerwriter on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky.