The Rochester Lancers were an American soccer team that competed in the American Soccer League (ASL) from 1967 until 1969, and in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1970 to 1980. The team was based in Rochester, New York, and played home games at Holleder Memorial Stadium. The Lancers won the 1970 NASL Championship and was the only NASL team to compete in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The Lancers could not sustain their early success, posting two winning records and a few playoff appearances before folding after the 1980 season.
History
Founding and ASL years
On March 23, 1967, it was announced Rochester, New York, had been granted a franchise in the upcoming professional American Soccer League (ASL) season. A group of local businessmen headed by attorney Rudy LePore formed Rochester Soccer Club, Inc. Roman Kucil, who had played for the Hungarian-Americans of the Rochester District Soccer League, was employed as manager of the team, which was officially named Rochester Lancers. On May 30, the Lancers played their first game, an exhibition game against German team SC Concordia von 1907, losing 4–2. The team's next match was another exhibition against Chelsea F.C., an English Football League First Division team, on June 13, 1967. The Lancers lost the match 6–1. On July 21, 1967, it was confirmed the Lancers would participate in the ASL's first division and would open the season on 27 August at home against Boston Tigers, and the teams would also play an exhibition match two weeks earlier.
A few days before the season, Rochester Lancers replaced manager Kucil with George Baker and signed seven players including Scottish forward Ken Allison and Brazilian Nelson Bergamo, who had played for Santos FC. In early October, Baker was replaced by general manager Charlie Schiano as acting coach. Sal DeRosa was hired and coached the team for the last four games of the season. In mid November, goal keeper Dick Howard joined the team; he allowed only two goals in his first four games with the club. The Lancers played their scheduled season finale against Philadelphia Ukrainians, losing 2–1 on December 17, 1967; however, the Lancers' 15-October match against Newark Ukrainian Sitch was postponed due to a conflict with the ASL All-Star game being held at Yankee Stadium. Originally rescheduled to be played in December, the game was not played until April 28, 1968. The match ended in 2–2 draw, securing a fourth-place finish for the Lancers in its debut season with a record of six wins, two draws and seven losses. Bergamo, who signed a new contract with the club a week earlier, scored a goal in the contest, finishing the season with 15 and leading the league. The Lancers' next match on June 11 was another exhibition match, this time against 1967–68 Scottish Cup champions Dunfermline Athletic F.C., who defeated the Lancers 8–1 with Barrie Mitchell scoring a hat-trick and Robert Paton scoring two goals. On June 25, the Lancers hosted Borussia Dortmund; the city provided a motorcade for the German team and presented them with the key to the city. The Lancers lost their third-consecutive match against international competition 6–0. In August, the Lancers signed a working agreement with the Detroit Cougars of the North American Soccer League, resulting in several Cougar players including goal keeper Dick Howard playing for Rochester Lancers. On October 15, Ricardo Musci was fired as coach after the team had compiled a record of four wins, three losses and one draw in league play, with an additional five loses in exhibition matches.
General manager Charlie Schiano again became interim coach. On November 7, 1968, it was announced Andrej Nagy, former manager of Washington Whips and Detroit Cougars, would take over as head coach of the Lancers from 1 February 1969; goalkeeper Howard was hired as assistant coach and ran training with Schiano, managing the touchline for the remaining games of the season. On December 1 that year, the Lancers finished the season with a 10–0 away victory against Hartford Kings, ending the 1968 American Soccer League season in second place with a record of six wins, five losses and one draw.
Six weeks before the start of the 1969 season, Andrej Nagy resigned his position and was replaced by former Canada men's national soccer team assistant coach Frank Pike. By the middle of March, GM Schiano had begun to revise the roster, having already signed Tony Lecce, Charlie Williams and Jorge Piotti. The team traded or released fourteen players from the 1968 roster, and ten new players joined the 1969 squad. Other notable additions included John Kerr, who had played with the team during the 1967 season; Canadian international Ralph McPate; and former captain of the NASL Houston Stars Hungarian-born Tibor Vigh. After playing seven games, the team was in first place in the ASL Northern Division and compiling a record of two wins and five draws. The Lancers fired coach Pike and replaced him with Jimmy Koerner on an interim basis.
At the beginning of July 1969, the Lancers defeated the Canada men's national team 4–0 in exhibition match held in Lincoln, Ontario, and in mid August, the team hosted an all-star team of players from the National Soccer League of Canada, defeating the visitors 2–1 for their seventeenth-consecutive match without a defeat. After a dispute with GM Charles Schiano over training, Koerner resigned his coaching position and was replaced by Augie Thomas on October 1, 1969. The Lancers finished the 1969 American Soccer League season with a record of twelve wins, five draws and three losses, and tied for first place with Syracuse Scorpions. The day before the playoff match, Bob DiLuca was named ASL Rookie of the Year and Charlie Mitchell was named an all-star for the second-consecutive season.
Promotion to the NASL and early success
At the conclusion of the 1968 North American Soccer League season, the league announced it would suspend play for three-year period, during which league management would run an all-star team supported by eight of the current teams. This United States Soccer Federation (USSFA) rejected this plan and the league's 1969 season opened with five teams. Throughout mid 1969, there were rumors the Lancers might join the NASL; Dallas Tornado and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt visited Rochester and met with Lancers management in August. After the conclusion of the 1969 American Soccer League and North American Soccer League seasons, it was announced the Lancers and Washington Darts would join the NASL for the following season. On January 7, 1970, the Lancers hired Alex Perolli as head coach for a salary of $25,000. A few weeks before the start of the season, the team re-signed veterans Charlie Mitchell, Davie Thomson, and their leading scorer the previous season Carlos Metidieri. Five days before the start of the season, GM Charlie Schiano announced his resignation but returned to the position a week later.
The Lancers defeated Dallas Tornado 2–1 in their first game in the NASL in Texas but lost their home opener against defending champions Kansas City Spurs. For the 1970 season, the NASL invited four international teams to play each American team; the results of the match would count in league standings. The Lancers lost the first two of these international matches to Hertha BSC by 3–1 on May 12, 1970, and lost 1–2 against Coventry City on 26 May 1970. On July 12, the Lancers played Israeli team Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.; the match finished in a scoreless draw; and on July 29, the Lancers defeated Portuguese club Varzim S.C. 3–2. Due to a dispute between Perolli and team management, GM Schiano coached the team in their 5–1 victory over St. Louis Stars on June 14; it was the team's first victory in eight games. Perolli coached the team for its next game in Dallas, but resigned his position on July 1, and Sal DeRosa returned from Syracuse Scorpions to take over as head coach. The Lancers finished the 1970 North American Soccer League season in first place in the Northern Division, winning the division title in the last game of the season against Kansas City Spurs, with a record of nine wins, nine losses and six draws. Facing Washington Darts in the two-legged championship final, the Lancers won the first game in Rochester 3–0 on September 5 and lost the away leg in Washington DC 3–1 on 13 September for an aggregate score of 4–3, winning the championship. The next month, Carlos Metidieri was voted the league's Player of the Year.
During the off-season, Rochester added several players from the now-defunct Kansas City Spurs, including the leading scorer Manfred Seissler, and signed defender Adolfo Gori from Juventus FC On 19 March 1971, the Lancers participated in the NASL's 1971 Hoc-Soc Tournament, the league's first foray into indoor soccer, which was hosted by St. Louis Stars. The Lancers played two games in the tournament and defeated Washington Darts 3–1 but lost to the Dallas Tornado 3–0. Due to new laws concerning tax exempt organizations, the Lancers were forced to play their first two home games at Silver Stadium, home of minor-league baseball team Rochester Red Wings, and there were rumors the Lancers might move to Miami if they if could not find a suitable stadium. Before the team's first international match of the season, however, an arrangement was made for the team to continue to use Aquinas Memorial Stadium. Scottish club Heart of Midlothian F.C. was the first team to make the trip; they played the Lancers on May 26, ending in a 0–0 draw. On June 18, the Lancers defeated Italian team L.R. Vicenza 3–2 with Metidieri scoring three goals. The following month, the Lancers defeated Greek team Apollon Smyrnis F.C. 4–0 for their seventh-consecutive victory, equaling the NASL record. In August, the Lancers secured first place in the Northern Division with a 0–0 draw against Brazilian side Bangu Atlético Clube, the Lancers' last international opponent of the season. The Lancers finished the 1971 North American Soccer League season with a record of thirteen wins, six draws and five losses—the best record in the league and also leading the league in attendance with an average of 5,871 fans per game. The Tornado evened the series with a 3–1 win in Dallas, before winning the series on September 8 by defeating the Lancers 2–1 in Rochester after 148 minutes of play, ninety minutes of regulation and four overtime periods. The day before the team was eliminated from the playoffs, league-leading scorer Carlos Metidieri was voted league MVP for the second consecutive season.
1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
By winning the 1970 NASL Championship the Lancers qualified to participate in the 1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup; they were the only NASL team to compete in the competition and the first appearance by a US professional team. At the end of regulation in the return leg in Bermuda, Pembroke had a 3–0 lead, resulting in a 4–4 aggregate score over both legs. With two minutes left in the second overtime, Manfred Seissler scored, resulting in a 5–4 Lancers victory for the series. The Lancers were set to play C.D. Guadalajara in the next round but in early October, the Mexican team informed Rochester it could not attend the scheduled match in New York. On November 29, CONCACAF awarded the Lancers the series victory due to forfeit because Guadalajara did not select a date for the match. The victory made the Lancers the first American soccer team to reach the finals of a CONCACAF tournament.
In March 1972, the Rochester Lancers were one of six teams to participate in a round-robin tournament hosted in Guatemala City. In their first match, over 42,000 people watched the Lancers defeat the Surinamese club S.V. Transvaal 2–0. In the second match on March 16, the Lancers faced Mexican Primera División side Cruz Azul—the tournament favorites and eventual winners—drawing 1–1. The team's 2–0 victory over Netherlands Antilles Championship winners SV Estrella put the Lancers in first place of the tournament standings after three match rounds. Four days later, the Lancers suffered their first defeat, losing 3–1 to home team Comunicaciones F.C. In their final match of the tournament, Rochester lost 1–0 to Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. For the tournament, the Lancers earned five points with a record of two wins, one loss and two draws, finishing in fourth place. It was the best finish by a US club until LA Galaxy finished second in the 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Decline to mediocrity
After the team's home win in the 1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup against Pembroke Hamilton, head coach Sal DeRosa announced he had tendered his resignation with the club a month earlier but agreed to stay on for the NASL playoffs and first round of the CONCACAF tournament. In February 1972, Adolfo Gori was named player-coach for the 1972 season. During the off season, the Lancers signed new players Carlo Dell'Omodarme— who had played with Gori at Juventus—and Gary Barone, who was selected in the NASL college-player draft, while releasing more than twelve players from the previous year's roster. The Lancers finished the 1972 North American Soccer League season in second place in the Northern Division with a record of six wins, five losses and three ties,
The Lancers were eliminated from the playoffs the following week after a 2–0 loss to St. Louis Stars. Defender Peter Short was the only Rochester player named a first-team all-star for the season. Shortly after the season's end, GM Charles Schiano announced he would recommend against retaining Gori as head coach of the team, a move confirmed in mid-December. It was also revealed the team had not paid several players due to financial trouble, which the team attributed to the league cutting the number of games for the season from twenty-four to fourteen, and the NASL not having scheduled three promised international friendlies for each NASL Team. On December 15, 1972, it was reported approximately $10,000 was owed to players and that the team had not yet posted the league-required $75,000 performance bond. General Manager Charles Schiano and team President Pat Dinolfo, who were part of the previous ownership group, were retained in advisory capacities. It was later revealed the previous ownership group had returned their franchise rights to the league, effectively folding the club. In the first week of March, after at least two other offers for the Lancer's open head-coaching position were rejected, the Lancers rehired Sal DeRosa as head coach. The next week, Peter Short signed a new contract with the team as a player and assistant coach. During the 1973 season, the Lancers hosted three international opponents but unlike earlier seasons, the games did not count towards the standings. Rochester Lancers defeated Irish club Finn Harps 1–0 on May 25 in the team's first win of the season. On 17 June 1973, the Lancers hosted Brazilian side Santos FC, which was led by their team captain Pelé, and the Lancers lost the match 2–1. Pelé, who had received the key to the city earlier in the day, scored on a penalty kick. The Lancers faced C.D. Veracruz, who were managed by former Rochester head coach Alex Perolli, on June 29, losing to the Mexican team 1–0, the Lancers fifth-consecutive game without a victory. The match against Veracruz was the only match against international opponents that counted in the league's final standings. The 1973 season was the last season in which games from non-league clubs counted in league standings.
A week after the team's game against Santos, it was reported the team lost $10,000 hosting the match and that FC Torpedo Moscow had declined an invitation to Rochester due to the reported field conditions. A survey of city residents also showed little interest in the Russian team. Along with the disagreements between the Lancers and the city authorities over the stadium, it was rumoredteam might need to consider moving from Rochester following the season. The Lancers finished the 1973 season in last place in the Northern Division with a record of four wins, six draws and nine losses, having scored a league-low seventeen goals. After the season, the board committed to investing more money into the club and announced the team would participate in an indoor soccer season set to begin in January 1974;
In January 1974, the Lancers announced DeRosa would switch positions and become the team's assistant general manager and that the club would hire Brockport State Bill Hughes as head coach. During the off-season, the Lancers released, sold or traded eighteen players from the previous season's roster, including two-time league MVP Carlos Metidieri, who was traded to Toronto Metros, retired and then accepted a contract from Boston Minutemen; and defender and assistance coach Peter Short, who was sold to Dallas Tornado.
During and the Lancers' home loss to Los Angeles Aztecs on June 11, fans threw rocks at the lineman after those in attendance thought an incorrect call by the official had led to a Lancers player being ejected from the game. On July 20, the Lancers' team was in first place in their division with a record of eight wins and seven losses; a disagreement between head coach Bill Hughes and general manager Jim Petrossi led to Hughes being left in Rochester and Petrossi sitting on the bench during the team's game in Boston that evening.
On July 20, 1974, Boston Minutemen defeated the Lancers 7–1, their worst loss of the season, allowing the Minuteman to take over first place in the division. A few days later, Romanian Ted Dumitru was introduced as the new head coach; Hughes was described as suspended without pay. Rochester Lancers did not win a match for the remainder of the season, finishing with a record of eight wins, ten losses and two draws, and were placed third in the Northern Division. The next day, it was revealed although the Lancers announced attendances of 60,000 for the first eleven home games, the city stadium operators estimated only 15,768 tickets were sold for those games. GM Petrossi disagreed with the city's numbers; the club stated a few days later it sold over 74,000 tickets for the season but expected to lose about $40,000 for the season.
First Indoor tournament and worst season
In December 1974, it was announced Rochester Lancers would host one of the four 1975 NASL Indoor regional tournaments at the Community War Memorial. In mid-January 1975, New York Cosmos, Boston Minutemen and the Hartford, Connecticut, expansion team were named as the other teams that would compete in the Region 2 tournament to be held in early February. On February 6, New York Cosmos beat Hartford team 6–4 and the Boston Minutemen defeated Rochester Lancers 4–3. Two days later, the first-round winners played the losing teams. In the first match of the night, the team from Hartford defeated the Minutemen 5–3 and the Lancers defeated the Cosmos 8–7. With each team in the region having one win and one loss, the Cosmos were declared the winners of the group on goal difference. A week prior to the tournament, Lancers ownership stated they expected hosting the tournament to cost approximately $50,000 and that they would need to sell 5,000 tickets for each night to break even. Attendance for the first round was only 2,191 and just 3,173 attended the second round. playing a series of friendlies against teams such as Casertana F.C., a team of players from S.S. Lazio and A.S. Roma, Ascoli F.C. and Formia Calcio. During the off-season, the Lancers added nine new players including Italian-Canadian rookie goalkeeper Ardo Perri. The Lancers' first home game of the season was postponed because the stadium's grass did not grow properly; it was estimated this would cost the team up to $6,000 to reprint tickets and programs. On June 27, 1975, the Lancers hosted New York Cosmos, who were led by Pelé, with 14,562 fans in attendance—a record for a home game. After nine games, the Lancers were in first place in the Northern division but finished the 1975 North American Soccer League season in fourth place with a record of six wins and sixteen losses,
The Lancers had struggled to score all season, having signed and released five strikers to pair with Tommy Ord by the end of June. In a shocking move, the team announced they were rebuilding for the next season and sold Ord to the Cosmos for $75,000. In late August 1975, it was revealed the Lancers had not yet posted their $100,000 performance bond with the league, the payment being due on 10 September. Club vice president and general manager John Petrossi stated it was the league rather than the Lancers that had defaulted on certain conditions and repeated a threat to move the team to Buffalo. On September 29, however, Petrossi announced he was taking a less-active role in the team and named Sal DeRosa general manager of the team. It was also announced the team board had voted to pay a performance bond of $150,000 for the 1976 season. On October 20 that year, Ted Dumitru resigned as head coach. A little over a month later, the team sold Charlie Mitchell, the last player on the roster who was a member of the original Lancers when they joined the NASL, to Washington Diplomats.
Popović era
Return to playoffs
In mid December 1975, Dragan 'Don' Popović was introduced as the Lancer's head coach, the 15th in the team's 10-year history. In January, the team president Pat Dinolfo announced a substantial increase in funding to the team boosting the payroll to over $100,000. The team's total budget for the 1976 season was $230,000, the lowest in the league. To break even for the season, Dinolfo stated, the team would need to draw between 7,000 and 8,000 fans per home game. In the first match of the tournament Final Four, the Lancers defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 6–4 in an upset over the defending indoor league champions. The Lancers suffered multiple injuries in the match including starting goalkeeper Jim May and forward Frank Odoi. The team lost the next match 6–4 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies coming in second in the tournament. In mid April, the team announced that it was reorganizing its ownership structure to seek new investors and confirmed the team had lost money the previous three seasons, with losses for the 1975 season estimated to be between $80,000 and $90,000.
Only two players who had started the 1975 season remained with the team for the 1976 season. During the offseason the team added Mike Stojanović, Jim Pollihan, as well as six Portuguese players. The Lancers hosted a single friendly during the season, losing to Roma of Italy 1–0 in late June 1976. Lancers management raised the ticket prices from $3.50 to $5.00 for the 23 July home match against the New York Cosmos with that Cosmos stars Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia would attract larger demand for tickets. With Pelé out with a groin injury and Chinaglia held to one goal, the Lancers defeated the Cosmos 2–1 for Rochester's sixth straight home victory. The Lancers would go on to win their next six games, securing a playoff berth with a 3–0 victory over the Boston Minutemen. The team finished the 1976 North American Soccer League season with a loss to the Toronto Metros-Croatia, finishing in third place of the Atlantic Conference Northern Division with a record of thirteen wins and eleven losses.
Ownership changes and 1977 season
After the season, it was reported that the Lancers had lost money every year since their founding in 1967, with a ten-year deficit estimated to be around $745,000. The bond was deposited with the league on November 12, 1976, after the team has received three extensions to the deadline. The same month, it was revealed a group from Buffalo had offered $450,000 to purchase the club and had given the Lancer's board a check for $50,000 as a down-payment. The offer was rejected after disagreements between the Lancer's board members. A few weeks later, majority owner John Petrossi died, causing a further split among the remaining owners. Ownership group members Ralph DeStephano and Ray LeChase reopened negotiations with the interested parties from Buffalo while Charles Schiano and Pat Dinolfo—members of the original ownership group who founded the club in 1967—worked to keep the team in Rochester. In January 1976, Schiano and Dinoflo acquired a 60% controlling interest in the team by agreeing to assume the outstanding debts of the other owners. The team's debts were reported to be between $180,000 and $200,000. If the Dinolof/Schiano ownership group were to default on the outstanding debt, DeStaphano and LeChase could reclaim the franchise. A week later, the team announced Don Popović would return as head coach, becoming the first coach in team history to begin two consecutive seasons, and that the team would have an expected budget of $300,000 to $350,000.
For the upcoming season, the core of the previous year's playoff team remained with team leading scorer Mike Stojanović resigning, Jim Pollihan named captain, and Francisco Escos anchoring the midfield. The team drafted Don Droege during the NASL college draft, signed German-born Goalkeeper Jack Brand, who had represented Canada during the 1976 Summer Olympics, and Messias Timula was brought over on loan from S.L. Benfica. The Lancers again only hosted one international opponent during the summer, playing Italian team S.S. Lazio to a 0–0 draw on 3 June 1977. Popovic was suspended for two games and find $500 by the league after he had an altercation with referee Bob Matthewson after the Lancers lost to the Chicago Sting. The Lancers tied the league record for most road losses in a row losing fourteen before defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3–1 on 11 June 1977. A week later, the team lost to the Portland Timbers 3–2 at home in overtime, it was the Lancers' first loss at Holleder Memorial Stadium since 11 June 1976, a span of fourteen games.
In July, after a referee refused to continue a game at Holleder Stadium unless he was guaranteed protection after fans had tried to attack, it was reported that the league hand picked match officials that could deal with the intimidation from the Rochester fans. The Lancers set a regular season attendance record on 15 July 1977, when they hosted Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia and the New York Cosmos. A crowd of 17,572 watched Rochester defeat the Cosmos 1–0 in a shootout. The Lancers finished the 1977 North American Soccer League season in third place of the Northern Division of the Atlantic Conference with eleven wins and fifteen losses, Despite having a losing record, the Lancers qualified for the post season playoffs and only lost the division title and home field advantage in the playoffs by losing the last game of the regular season against the Toronto Metros-Croatia. Facing Toronto in the Division Championships, Rochester won the home leg 1–0 in another shootout on 13 August 1977, and then defeated the Metros in Toronto 1–0 in regulation time to advance to the Conference Championships. Facing the Cosmos, the Lancers lost both legs of the playoff series, losing the first match 1–2 at home with a record 20,005 fans in attendance, and 4–1 at Giants Stadium the next week.
Bigger budgets, little success
Despite losing $340,000 during the 1977 campaign, the following off-season, the team announced it expected to increase the overall budget for the upcoming season to $600,000. The budget was later increased to $850,000. It was also reported the ownership board had rejected two offers to purchase the team; one for $750,000 and one for $1 million. Don Popović was rehired as coach on a two-year contract. The Lancers re-signed Mike Stojanović in November 1977 and signed Hungarian Midfielder József Horváth in January 1978 to a contract the club described as the most expensive in its history. During the off-season, the Lancers signed nine new players, including Francisco Bolota—a veteran of the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football—Horacio Palmieri and Hugo Nicolini. Also during the off-season, the organization established a booster club to help with fan outreach, redesigned the team's uniforms, hired a dance squad to perform at home games, and negotiated with the city for a new clock and scoreboard. A few days before the Lancers' first game of the 1978 season, Rochester was named the worst city and Holleder Memorial Stadium as the worst stadium to play in a poll of NASL players.
On 12 May 1978, seven members of the front-office staff resigned their positions after public relations director Jerry Epstein was fired, citing disagreement with board chairman Charlie Schiano. General manager Dick Kraft resigned a few days later, citing similar reasons and support for the other staff members. It was reported the team's executive board had voted to fire Kraft the previous December but Charles Schiano had retained Kraft against the board's wishes. On June 5, former Chicago Cardinals and Cleveland Browns defensive back Don Paul was named the team's new general manager. In May 1978, it was reported New York real-estate investor Bernie Rodin intended to purchase 20% of the Lancers ownership shares for $400,000. The June 21 home game against Toronto Metros-Croatia resulted in violence after Vančo Balevski scored the winning goal for Toronto. Coach Popović tried to punch lineman Steve Szabo, feeling the Toronto side's midfielder was off-side; the fans tried to storm the field, and threw rocks and other objects at match officials. Two days later, the Lancers were notified they would be fined and that coach Popović would be suspended from the sidelines for the Lancers' remaining eight home matches. Popović would coach all but one of the remaining home games from the roof of the stadium's press box, using a walkie talkie to communicate with the bench. The Lancers finished the 1978 North American Soccer League season in last place of the National Conference Eastern Division with 16 losses and 14 wins, one of which was awarded by forfeit against Tulsa Roughnecks, who used an ineligible player during the match on June 15, 1978. The lancers also missed the playoffs for the first time under Popović. After originally announcing former Washington Redskins GM Mike Menchel had been hired, Menchel decided not take the job and public relations director Harry Abraham assumed the position. On 22 October 1978, Don Popović resigned his position as head coach to take the same job at the New York Arrows in the newly founded Major Indoor Soccer League. Charlie Schiano stated the team expected Popović to return to coach the outdoor season and it was reported the resignation was a way to sidestep competition rules. The Arrows were owned by John Luciani, a business partner of Lancer's co-owner Bernie Rodin, and the organizations planned to loan and sell players between the teams. The Arrows, whose roster included several Lancers players, and new signings Slaviša Žungul and Shep Messing, would win the 1978–79 Major Indoor Soccer League Championship.
1979 season
During the offseason, the Lancers sold midfielder József Horváth for $70,000 and defender Don Droege $60,000; both to Washington Diplomats. In what was considered a coup for the club, goalkeeper Shep Messing, who was the highest-paid American soccer player the previous season with Oakland Stompers, signed with the Lancers. The team also signed Fred Grgurev who between 1973 and 1976 had earned fourteen caps with the United States men's national soccer team. Several players who won the MISL championship with New York Arrows, including Luis Alberto, Branko Šegota, Jim McLoughlin, Enzo Di Pede and Damir Šutevski, joined the Lancers. In late November, Popovic confirmed he would return to coach the 1979 season but announced it would be his last as coach of the Lancers. The Lancers opened the season on March 31, 1979, on the road against Philadelphia Fury, losing 3–0. The Arrows players had only a week between the MISL final and the Lancers' opening game.
On April 4, 1979, New York Arrows owner John Lucinai announced he was purchasing a 10% stake in the Lancers. A week later, Arrows GM Mike Menchel joined the Lancers as director of operations, having declined the Lancer's GM position the previous autumn. Due to several Lancers players honoring a short-lived players' strike, the Lancers were forced to sign eight replacement players, four of whom played in the team's 5–2 loss to Tulsa Roughnecks on April 14. The strike ended on April 18; it was the only game the Lancers played with replacement players. The Lancers' 1–0 victory over Washington Diplomats on April 22 was attended by 8,253 fans, the largest-ever crowd for a Lancer's home opener. The Lancers' largest regular-season attendance, with 18,881 fans, occurred on August 20, 1979, in a match against New York Cosmos. The 1979 season's home attendance average was 8,680, an increase of 28% over the previous season but below the 10,000-to-12,000 threshold the team's owners said they needed to make money. Throughout the season, there were rumors the team would move; Montreal was determined as the most-likely destination, and in early August, the organization stated for the Lancers to remain in Rochester, they needed to sell 6,000 season tickets for the next season. The Lancers finished the 1979 North American Soccer League season with a record of 15 wins and 15 losses, scoring 43 goals and winning seven of their last nine games, and missing the playoffs by one point, scoring 14–16 against Toronto Blizzard, who had scored 52 goals, earning 133 points for the season against Rochester's 132.