The year, 1979; the month, July. Soft-flick hairdos and flared jeans were all the rage for women AND men.
The first ever Sony Walkman went on sale in Japan, Los Angeles passed its gay and lesbian civil rights bill and Iraqi president Hasan al-Bakr resigned and his vice-president stepped in - one Saddam Hussein.
In B.C., the dawn broke on a tournament that would morph into a celebration of immigrant nations, earning the winner inter-cultural bragging rights for the entire year.
With few suitable facilities in Richmond, the first ever Nations Cup was being staged in Strathcona Park, Vancouver and was being hosted by the Richmond Olympic Soccer Club, for no reason other than to raise funds for the season ahead.
The late Geoff Penniston, whose name now adorns the men's open trophy, was the driving force behind the inaugural Nations Cup.
One man with fond memories of the competition's birth, Canadian-born German Andy
Meyer, can recall that first ever Cup clearly - not least because, at the tender age of 17, he was the tournament's first ever MVP and Golden Boot recipient. Meyer was fresh out of high school and his dad, Berlin-born Henry, was a member of the Olympic Soccer Club.
"I guess that's how I got into it. John Klein was the coach of the German team," said Meyer, now 51, who was presented in 1999 with a Germany jersey by the Nations Cup organizers to mark the tournament's 20th anniversary.
"The one thing I do remember from that tournament was playing against guys who played in the NASL.
"Everything I touched that weekend went in the net, it was just one of those things."
With no tournament in 1980, no one seems sure why, it returned in 1981, firmly planting its roots in Richmond at Minoru and, again, it was Germany who retained the Cup.
"It was super, super hot in '81," said Meyer, who, at 50, actually turned out for the German over-30 team last year.
"We played the Italians in the final and we were huge underdogs, up against the likes of the Lenarduzzis and other big names.
"No one gave us a chance, but we scored three in the first 15 minutes and hung on." The Lenarduzzis aside, the Nations Cup turf has been graced by a plethora of stars in the twilight of their careers or in retirement from the professional game; such as George Best (Ireland), Colin Miller (Canada), Ally McCoist (Scotland) and David Xuasa (Italy). first Even British band Depeche Mode, a big deal in the '80s, sampled some Nations Cup action one year while taking a break from a North American tour.
However, depending on which end of the UK mainland you or your ancestors hail, the biggest Nations Cup story of the '80s belongs to Scotland.
From '82 to '89, the Scots rampaged on an eight-in-a-row streak that's unlikely to be beaten in today's more competitive tournament, etching their names in Nations Cup history.
"It was a great team for sure," recalls Tommy McQuade, a permanent fixture in the run and who's either played or coached in every single Nations Cup.
McQuade wasn't wrong. He played alongside a litany of ex-pros from the Scottish, English, NASL and Canadian leagues: Lindsay Henderson (CSL); Jim Gabriel (Dundee, Everton, Seattle); Jim Easton (Tampa).
"The crowds were big back then, the place was packed and England, Germany and Ireland all had great teams as well," said McQuade, who'll be available for selection for the 52s this weekend.
"There was no real secret to that run. Scotland just had great players and goal scorers; big guys that could score great goals at the right time.
"Quite often we would tie teams on points and win on goal difference; it used to drive the Germans mad."
It's been 10 years since Scotland last won the men's open section and many things have changed about the Nations Cup over the decades.
The one look the soccer sands of time will never erase is the broad smile the third weekend of July produces on thousands of players and fans every year.
"Do I look forward to it? You bet, God yes," said Nations Cup program editor George Roberts, a longtime tournament organizer until this year, who's just about to turn 79. "It's still the best weekend of the year by a mile."
.Check out the schedule at www.thenationscup.com.
