‘The Rookie’ was Washington Whips’ fans’ nickname for the blessed Jinky Smith when he graced the oddly-surfaced and anarchically-shaped pitches of the United Soccer Association’s President’s Cup tournament in 1967, trivia fans.
Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust published a 1997 manuscript account in a book in 1997, the 50th anniversary of the tournament. The Rookie reference was lost on the author, he told me over a pint one evening, “but I stuck it in anyway, since I’m a lazy **** and it helped the word count, get me anither pint o East Coast IPA and a Cragganmore”.
Available here:
https://afcheritagetrust.bigcartel.com/