North American Soccer League (1968-84)
Updated August 28, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
The NPSL and USA merged to form the NASL in 1968 and the new league lasted through 1984. The NASL championship was known as the Soccer Bowl from 1975-84. One game decided the NASL title every year but five. There were no playoffs in 1969; a two-game/aggregate goals format was used in 1968 and '70; and a best-of-three games format was used in 1971 and '84; (*) indicates overtime and (â ) indicates game decided by shootout.
Multiple winners: NY Cosmos (5); Chicago (2).
| Playoff Final | Regular Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Score(s) | Loser | Leading Scorer | G | A | Pts |
| 1968 | Atlanta Chiefs | 0-0,3-0 | San Diego Toros | John Kowalik, Chicago | 30 | 9 | 69 |
| 1969 | Kansas City Spurs | No game | Atlanta Chiefs | Kaiser Motaung, Atlanta | 16 | 4 | 36 |
| 1970 | Rochester Lancers | 3-0,1-3 | Washington Darts | Kirk Apostolidis, Dallas | 16 | 3 | 35 |
| 1971 | Dallas Tornado | 1-2*,4-1,2-0 | Atlanta Chiefs | Carlos Metidieri, Rochester | 19 | 8 | 46 |
| 1972 | New York Cosmos | 2-1 | St. Louis Stars | Randy Horton, New York | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| 1973 | Philadelphia Atoms | 2-0 | Dallas Tornado | Kyle Rote Jr., Dallas | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| 1974 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 3-3â | Miami Toros | Paul Child, San Jose | 15 | 6 | 36 |
| 1975 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2-0 | Portland Timbers | Steve David, Miami | 23 | 6 | 52 |
| 1976 | Toronto Metros | 3-0 | Minnesota Kicks | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York | 19 | 11 | 49 |
| 1977 | New York Cosmos | 2-1 | Seattle Sounders | Steve David, Los Angeles | 26 | 6 | 58 |
| 1978 | New York Cosmos | 3-1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York | 34 | 11 | 79 |
| 1979 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 2-1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Oscar Fabbiani, Tampa Bay | 25 | 8 | 58 |
| 1980 | New York Cosmos | 3-0 | Ft. Laud. Strikers | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York | 32 | 13 | 77 |
| 1981 | Chicago Sting | 0-0â | New York Cosmos | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York | 29 | 16 | 74 |
| 1982 | New York Cosmos | 1-0 | Seattle Sounders | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York | 20 | 15 | 55 |
| 1983 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 2-0 | Toronto Blizzard | Roberto Cabanas, New York | 25 | 16 | 66 |
| 1984 | Chicago Sting | 2-1,3-2 | Toronto Blizzard | Steve Zungul, Golden Bay | 20 | 10 | 50 |
Note: In 1969, Kansas City won the NASL regular season championship with 110 points to 109 for Atlanta. There were no playoffs.
Regular Season MVP
Regular season Most Valuable Player as designated by the NASL.
Multiple winner: Carlos Metidieri (2).
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Rueben Navarro, Phila (NPSL) |
| 1968 | John Kowalik, Chicago |
| 1969 | Cirilio Fernandez, KC |
| 1970 | Carlos Metidieri, Rochester |
| 1971 | Carlos Metidieri, Rochester |
| 1972 | Randy Horton, New York |
| 1973 | Warren Archibald, Miami |
| 1974 | Peter Silvester, Baltimore |
| 1975 | Steve David, Miami |
| 1976 | Pelé, New York |
| 1977 | Franz Beckenbauer, New York |
| 1978 | Mike Flanagan, New England |
| 1979 | Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles |
| 1980 | Roger Davies, Seattle |
| 1981 | Giorgio Chinaglia, New York |
| 1982 | Peter Ward, Seattle |
| 1983 | Roberto Cabanas, New York |
| 1984 | Steve Zungul, Golden Bay |
| United Soccer Association (1967) | Outdoor | A-League (American Professional Soccer League) |
Trending
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
