“He shaped the league with instincts, wisdom and a soft-spoken velvet touch,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. He remains a significant figure in American soccer culture, even if his best days are well in the past. It was there the Clippers captured the NPSL crown in the second leg of the final against the Baltimore Bays. o on Sunday, on 16 April 1967, professional soccer took its first bold steps in the US as the National Professional Soccer League made its debut.