Nevertheless Howard appeared in an MLS video calling on fans to “take the pledge” to end discrimination. Rooney took over operation of the team in the 1960s from his father, Art, who founded the franchise. In 1966, 20-year-old Brazilian-born Eli Durante scored six goals for Ecuadorian club Emelec in an LA tournament in 1966. On the pitch, meanwhile, L’Affaire Howard was little more than afterthought.