In December 1963,
Scottish immigrant Norman Sutherland and soccer players in the Washington, D.C. area created the amateur team, Washington Britannica. In 1967, the team went professional when it joined the
American Soccer League. In 1968, they changed their name to the Washington Darts. Following the 1969 season, after winning two consecutive league titles, the Darts left the ASL to join the first division of the
American soccer pyramid at the time, the
North American Soccer League. After the 1971 NASL season, the team moved to Miami becoming the
Miami Gatos. In 1968, they played their home games at Woodrow Wilson Stadium on the campus of
Woodrow Wilson High School on Nebraska Avenue NW. In 1969 they moved their home games to
Brookland Stadium on the campus of Catholic University. In 1970 they also played three matches against international teams at RFK Stadium. In 1968 the Darts became the first professional soccer team to have a black coach in U.S. history when
Lincoln Phillips, the goalkeeper, became player-coach. In 1970, NASL teams rounded out their schedules by playing an assortment of foreign teams including Hoepel from Israel, Varzim from Portugal, Hertha Berlin from Germany and England's Coventry City. These games weren't just for attendance but also counted in the standings. The Washington Darts went 2-2-0 versus the international teams earning the "International Cup". Many teams also played games against
Pelé and his Brazilian squad,
Santos FC. The 1970 game against Pelé and Santos crushed the Darts previous attendance record of 6,215 against Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C., with 13,878 fans in attendance at RFK Stadium. It was the largest crowd to ever watch a Darts match. Today, a Washington club soccer team pays tribute to the Darts' legacy via their name: The D.C. Darts. ==Club colors==