Washington Diplomats (1988–1990)
Washington Diplomats were a Washington, D.C. soccer team formed in 1987. They played in the American Soccer League (ASL) in 1988 and 1989 and in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) in 1990. The club was owned by Julio Pinon and largely drew players and head coach Hugo Berly from Club España.
The Diplomats won the first Ambassador Cup by tying the Honduras national team in June of their early years.
In April 1988, they joined the newly formed ASL. Ian Bain started as interim head coach. On May 6, 1988, Hugo Berly returned as head coach with the team at 2-3. He rebuilt the roster, bringing in Philip Gyau and Jean Harbor, who helped lead the team to the ASL title that season.
In 1989, the team started strong but lost top scorer Jean Harbor for a month after he was suspended for breaking Pedro Magallanes's jaw. The Diplomats finished just outside the playoff places.
In 1990, the ASL merged with the Western Soccer Alliance to form the APSL. The Diplomats finished with the fewest points in the APSL Eastern Conference. In October 1990, the league terminated the Diplomats due to significant financial problems.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:24 (CET).