Saturday, July 17, 2010

Turun Palloseura (Finland)

More commonly known as TPS, or Tepsi to their fans, Turun Palloseura hail from Turku, the fifth largest city in Finland. They were formed in 1922 and have won the national title on eight occasions - although the last time as in 1975. After a period in the wilderness of the Ykkönen - the Finnish second division - they've been back in the Veikkausliiga - or Premier League to you - since 2003, finishing as high as third in the 2009 season.


The are also the proud owners of a pretty decent record in Europe, having played frequently in every major tournament, and even beating Inter Milan 1-0 at the San Siro in 1987 - although as is often the case, the Italian giants pegged them back to a 2-1 aggregate defeat in the return. Their best season though saw them make the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup the following year, where they lost to Grasshoppers of Zurich in a close fought affair.

They play at the 9372 capacity Veritas Stadium in Turku, although as the result of a poor rental agreement with its owners they are presently looking to beuild a new ground of their own, and are even thinking if moving temporarily to the Paavo Nurmi Stadion while they wait. Notable former players include the former Aston Villa and Cardiff keeper Peter Enckelman, former Luton defender Markus Heikkinen and the one time Charlton striker Jonatan Johansson. 

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