1979 North American Soccer League season

The 1979 North American Soccer League season was the 67th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer and the 12th with a national first-division league in the United States and Canada.

North American Soccer League

Season	1979
Champions	Vancouver Whitecaps (1st title)
Premiers	New York Cosmos (3rd title)
Matches played	360
Goals scored	1,374 (3.82 per match)
Top goalscorer	Giorgio Chinaglia (26 goals)
Biggest home win	SEA 9–0 EDM (August 1)[1]
Biggest away win	MEM 0–6 ATL (July 21)[2] SJ 0–6 SD (August 11)[3]
Highest scoring	DET 6–5 (SO) CHI (July 7)[4] DET 8–2 FTL (June 27)[5]
Longest winning run	8, New York (July 8 – August 12)[6]
Longest losing run	14, Edmonton (May 26 – July 18)[7]
Highest attendance	76,031 (Tulsa at New York) (August 26)[8]
Lowest attendance	653 (N.E. at Houston) (April 19)[9]
Average attendance	14,201[10]
← 1978 1980 →

Changes from the previous season

Rules changes

A rule modifications required that each squad play two U.S. or Canadian players and that each 17-man roster carry six such players.[11]

New teams

• None

Teams folding

• None

Teams moving

• Colorado Caribous to Atlanta Chiefs
• Oakland Stompers to Edmonton Drillers

Name changes

• Cosmos to New York Cosmos
• Toronto Metros-Croatia to Toronto Blizzard

Season recap

Compared to the previous season's upheaval, 1979 was a relatively tranquil year. The league format remained unchanged with 24 teams divided into six divisions within two conferences, and a 16-team playoff. A slight modification to the first round of the playoffs, from a single game to the two-game format used in later rounds, was made. Also the minigame, used to decide tied playoff series, no longer ended on a golden goal (sudden death). Instead, the entire 30 minutes was played.[12]

Still, there were issues to be sorted out. There was a brief players' strike on April 14, as the league refused to recognize the newly formed Players Association.[13] However, since the majority of NASL players were foreign and unsure of American and Canadian labor laws, support was minimal.[14] An estimated three quarters of NASL players crossed the picket line once the Justice Department implied that foreign players would be subject to deportation.[15]

The Cosmos decided to put "New York" back into their name after a two-year absence. With a change in ownership, the Toronto franchise was now called the Toronto Blizzard, while Toronto Croatia (who had merged with the Metros back in 1975) returned to their old league, the National Soccer League. The Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta to become the reborn Atlanta Chiefs in October 1978,[16] while the Oakland Stompers would move to Edmonton just a month before the start of the season.[17] Both teams struggled, finishing last in their respective divisions. The new Edmonton Drillers were particularly bad, setting a record for most consecutive losses in league history with 14.[18]

At the other end of the table, the Houston Hurricane went from worst to first in the American Conference, going undefeated in their 15 home matches at the Astrodome and earning Timo Liekoski Coach of the Year honors.[19] However, the Hurricane were upset in the first round of the ASC playoffs, as the Philadelphia Fury, who were winless on the road during the regular season, won the deciding game in Houston.[20]

That meant the door was opened for the Tampa Bay Rowdies to win their second straight ASC title, sweeping the Fury[21] and outlasting the San Diego Sockers in a minigame at Tampa Stadium.[22] The Rowdies were led by Oscar Fabbiani's 25 goals and a defense that gave up 46 goals, the second-fewest in the league.

The two-time defending champion Cosmos kept rolling, posting another 24-6 record and surpassing their league record for points with 216. Johan Cruyff joined the team in the fall of 1978 for a few exhibitions, but the Los Angeles Aztecs bought out his NASL option for $600,000 to take him to the West Coast.[23] Cruyff scored two goals against the Rochester Lancers on his debut,[24] while leading the Aztecs to a nine-win turnaround. Despite their second-round playoff loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps,[25] he earned league MVP honors for his efforts.

New York proved that they did not need him to score goals, as Giorgio Chinaglia led the league for the third straight year. However, he lost out on the scoring title by a point to Fabbiani.[26] As befitting their status within the league, the Cosmos had the honor of playing in the first game of ABC Sports' three-year TV contract with the league in May;[27] a Soccer Bowl '78 rematch in which they lost 3–2 at Tampa Bay. The network would cover nine regular-season and playoff games per year. This included coverage of the next three Soccer Bowls.[28]

However, the league's dream of the Cosmos hosting another Soccer Bowl in front of a national TV audience went up in smoke when New York lost to Vancouver in a memorable playoff matchup. After the Whitecaps won the first game of the National Conference final in Vancouver,[29] the teams played for three and a half hours at Giants Stadium three days later on ABC. The Cosmos won the regular game in a shootout, tying the series at one. The deciding minigame would also go to a shootout, where Derek Possee gave Vancouver the lead. After the Cosmos' Ricky Davis and the Whitecaps' Alan Ball missed on their chances, New York's Nelsi Morais was unable to beat the five-second clock and his goal was waved off, giving Vancouver the win.[30]

Vancouver went on to beat the Rowdies a week later in the Soccer Bowl. Trevor Whymark scored both Vancouver goals and earned game MVP honors,[31] while Tampa Bay suffered their second straight loss in the championship game.[32] Attendance at Giants Stadium was well below projections, as 50,699 showed up despite 66,843 tickets having been sold.[33] The Whitecaps' Alan Ball was named playoff MVP for his seven-assist effort in Vancouver's championship run.[34] Attendance estimates vary (they range from 60,000 to 150,000 people),[35] but the resulting championship parade is still considered the largest public demonstration in Vancouver civic history.[36]

Another positive sign for the league was that this would be the first offseason in NASL history where no franchises folded or moved.

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, BP = Bonus Points, Pts = Point System

6 points for a win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game.

    -Premiers (most points).     -Other playoff teams.

American Conference

Eastern Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Tampa Bay Rowdies	19	11	67	46	55	169	14-1	5-10
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	17	13	75	64	63	165	9-6	8-7
Philadelphia Fury	10	20	55	60	51	111	10-5	0-15
New England Tea Men	12	18	41	56	41	110	8-7	4-11

Central Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Houston Hurricane	22	8	61	46	55	187	15-0	7-8
Chicago Sting	16	14	70	61	63	159	9-6	7-8
Detroit Express	14	16	60	56	49	132	10-5	4-11
Memphis Rogues	6	24	38	74	37	73	3-12	3-12

Western Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
San Diego Sockers*	15	15	59	55	50	140	7-8	8-7
California Surf	15	15	53	56	50	140	9-6	6-9
Edmonton Drillers	8	22	43	78	40	88	7-8	1-14
San Jose Earthquakes	8	22	41	74	38	86	4-11	4-11

*San Diego and California finished the season with identical records and point totals. San Diego was awarded the division title due to a better goal differential.[37]

National Conference

Eastern Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
New York Cosmos	24	6	84	52	72	216	13-2	11-4
Washington Diplomats	19	11	68	50	59	172	12-3	7-8
Toronto Blizzard	14	16	52	65	49	133	9-6	5-10
Rochester Lancers	15	15	43	57	42	132	11-4	4-11

Central Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Minnesota Kicks	21	9	67	48	58	184	14-1	7-8
Dallas Tornado	17	13	53	51	50	152	9-6	8-7
Tulsa Roughnecks	14	16	61	56	55	139	11-4	3-12
Atlanta Chiefs	12	18	59	61	49	121	9-6	3-12

Western Division	W	L	GF	GA	BP	Pts	Home	Road
Vancouver Whitecaps	20	10	54	34	52	172	12-3	8-7
Los Angeles Aztecs	18	12	62	47	54	162	10-5	8-7
Seattle Sounders	13	17	58	52	47	125	9-6	4-11
Portland Timbers	11	19	50	75	46	112	6-9	5-10

NASL League Leaders

Scoring

GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Oscar Fabbiani	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	25	8	58
Giorgio Chinaglia	New York Cosmos	27	26	5	57
Gerd Müller	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	25	19	17	55
David Robb	Philadelphia Fury	30	16	20	52
Jeff Bourne	Atlanta Chiefs	29	18	15	51
Karl-Heinz Granitza	Chicago Sting	30	20	10	50
Teófilo Cubillas	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	30	16	18	50
Alan Willey	Minnesota Kicks	29	21	7	49
Dennis Tueart	New York Cosmos	27	16	16	48
Laurie Abrahams	California/Tulsa	25	18	9	45
Johan Cruyff	Los Angeles Aztecs	23	13	16	42

Goalkeeping

Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; SO = Shutouts

Player	Team	GP	Min	SV	GA	GAA	W	L	SO
Phil Parkes	Vancouver Whitecaps	29	2704	100	29	0.96	20	9	7
Victor Nogueira	Atlanta Chiefs	17	1432	79	20	1.26	8	8	5
Željko Bilecki	Tampa Bay Rowdies	17	1549	93	22	1.28	12	5	5
Mike Ivanow	Seattle Sounders	28	2517	149	39	1.39	13	15	2
Bill Irwin	Washington Diplomats	28	2603	134	42	1.45	17	11	4
Paul Hammond	Houston Hurricane	29	2705	215	44	1.46	21	8	6
Volkmar Gross	San Diego/Minnesota	24	2132	137	38	1.604	17	7	6
Kevin Keelan	New England Tea Men	25	2242	133	40	1.605	12	13	2
Colin Boulton	Los Angeles/Tulsa	30	2746	109	49	1.606	16	14	7
Tino Lettieri	Minnesota Kicks	16	1368	95	25	1.63	10	5	2

NASL All-Stars

First Team	Position	Second Team	Honorable Mention
Phil Parkes, Vancouver	G	Paul Hammond, Houston	Alan Mayer, San Diego
Carlos Alberto, New York	D	Marinho, New York	Steve Litt, Minnesota
Bruce Wilson, Chicago	D	John Gorman, Tampa Bay	Bob Smith, San Diego
Wim Rijsbergen, New York	D	Mihalj Keri, Los Angeles	Wim Suurbier, Los Angeles
Mike Connell, Tampa Bay	D	Bob Lenarduzzi, Vancouver	Artur Correia, New England
Franz Beckenbauer, New York	M	Teófilo Cubillas, Fort Lauderdale	Rodney Marsh, Tampa Bay
Johan Neeskens, New York	M	Vladislav Bogićević, New York	Alan Hudson, Seattle
Ace Ntsoelengoe, Minnesota	M	Alan Ball, Vancouver	Gerry Daly, New England
Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles	F	Óscar Fabbiani, Tampa Bay	Jørgen Kristensen, Chicago
Trevor Francis, Detroit	F	Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago	Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay
Giorgio Chinaglia, New York	F	Gerd Müller, Fort Lauderdale	Dennis Tueart, New York

Playoffs

The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs automatically. The two teams with the highest point totals remaining in each conference filled out the field as wild cards and were given the lowest first round seeds. Playoff match-ups and home/away status were reset after each round, based on regular season point totals.

In 1979 and 1980, if a playoff series was tied at one victory each, a full 30 minute mini-game was played. If neither team held an advantage after the 30 minutes, the teams would then move on to an NASL shoot-out to determine a series winner.

Bracket

	Conference Quarterfinals						Conference Semifinals						Conference Championships						Soccer Bowl '79
	Houston Hurricane	1	1	–
	Philadelphia Fury	2	2	–
							Philadelphia Fury	2(0)	0	–
							Tampa Bay Rowdies	3(2)	1	–
	Tampa Bay Rowdies	3	3	–
	Detroit Express	0	1	–
													Tampa Bay Rowdies	1	3(3)	1
												San Diego Sockers	2	2(0)	0
	San Diego Sockers	4	7	–
	California Surf	2	2	–
							San Diego Sockers	2	1	–
							Chicago Sting	0	0	–
	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	0	0	–
	Chicago Sting	2	1	–
																		Tampa Bay Rowdies	1
																			Vancouver Whitecaps	2
	New York Cosmos	3	2	–
	Toronto Blizzard	1	0	–
							New York Cosmos	0	3	3
							Tulsa Roughnecks	3	0	1
	Minnesota Kicks	1	1	–
	Tulsa Roughnecks	2	2	–
													New York Cosmos	0	3(3)	0(2)
												Vancouver Whitecaps	2	2(1)	1(3)
	Vancouver Whitecaps	3	2	–
	Dallas Tornado	2	1	–
							Vancouver Whitecaps	2(1)	1	1
							Los Angeles Aztecs	3(2)	0	0
	Washington Diplomats	1	3	–
	Los Angeles Aztecs	3	4	–

First round

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
Philadelphia Fury	-	Houston Hurricane	2–1	2–1	x	August 14 • Veterans Stadium • 3,337 August 20 • Houston Astrodome • 7,530
Detroit Express	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	0–3	1–3	x	August 15 • Pontiac Silverdome • 21,539 August 19 • Tampa Stadium • 27,210
Chicago Sting	-	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	2–0	1–0	x	August 15 • Soldier Field • 10,019 August 18 • Lockhart Stadium • 13,691
California Surf	-	San Diego Sockers	2–4	2–7	x	August 16 • Anaheim Stadium • 8,460 August 18 • San Diego Stadium • 10,225
Tulsa Roughnecks	-	Minnesota Kicks	2–1 (OT)	2–1 (OT)	x	August 15 • Skelly Stadium • 14,105 August 19 • Metropolitan Stadium • 28,996
Dallas Tornado	-	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–3	1 –2	x	August 15 • Ownby Stadium • 8,829 August 18 • Empire Stadium • 30,328
Los Angeles Aztecs	-	Washington Diplomats	3–1	4–3 (OT)[38]	x	August 15 • Rose Bowl • 12,042 August 19 • RFK Stadium • 14,802
Toronto Blizzard	-	New York Cosmos	1–3	0–2	x	August 16 • Exhibition Stadium • 30,356 August 19 • Giants Stadium • 46,531

Conference Semifinals

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
San Diego Sockers	-	Chicago Sting	2–0	1–0	x	August 22 • San Diego Stadium • 11,561 August 25 • Wrigley Field • 15,379
Los Angeles Aztecs	-	Vancouver Whitecaps	3–2 (SO, 2–1)	0–1	0–1	August 22 • Rose Bowl • 21,213[39] August 25 • Empire Stadium • 32,375
Philadelphia Fury	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–3 (SO, 0–2)	0–1	x	August 23 • Franklin Field • 10,395 August 25 • Tampa Stadium • 21,112
Tulsa Roughnecks	-	New York Cosmos	3–0	0–3	1–3	August 23 • Skelly Stadium • 26,011 August 26 • Giants Stadium • 76,031

Conference Championships

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
Vancouver Whitecaps	-	New York Cosmos	2–0	2–3 (SO, 1–3)	1–0 (SO, 3–2)	August 29 • Empire Stadium • 32,875 September 1 • Giants Stadium • 44,109
San Diego Sockers	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–1	2–3 (SO, 0–3)	0–1	August 30 • San Diego Stadium • 20,267 September 2 • Tampa Stadium • 38,766

Soccer Bowl '79

Main article: Soccer Bowl '79

September 8

2:00 pm EDT

Vancouver Whitecaps	2–1	Tampa Bay Rowdies
Whymark  12:37' Whymark  59:37' (Ball)		Van der Veen  22:25' (Anderson)

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Attendance: 50,699

Referee: Gino D'Ippolito (USA)[40]

1979 NASL Champions: Vancouver Whitecaps

Post season awards

• Most Valuable Player: Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles
• Coach of the year: Timo Liekoski, Houston
• Rookie of the year: Larry Hulcer, Los Angeles
• North American Player of the Year: Rick Davis, New York
• Playoff MVP: Alan Ball, Vancouver

Average home attendance

Team	Average[41]
New York Cosmos	46,690
Tampa Bay Rowdies	28,546
Minnesota Kicks	24,580
Vancouver Whitecaps	22,962
Seattle Sounders	18,998
Tulsa Roughnecks	16,426
San Jose Earthquakes	15,092
Los Angeles Aztecs	14,334
Detroit Express	14,058
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	13,708
Washington Diplomats	11,973
Toronto Blizzard	11,821
San Diego Sockers	11,271
Portland Timbers	11,172
California Surf	10,330
Edmonton Drillers	9,924
Dallas Tornado	9,306
Rochester Lancers	8,680
Chicago Sting	8,062
Atlanta Chiefs	7,350
Memphis Rogues	7,137
New England Tea Men	6,562
Houston Hurricane	6,212
Philadelphia Fury	5,624

References

1. "Whitecaps still making waves". The Leader-Post. August 2, 1979. p. 35. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
2. NASL: A Complete Record Of The North American Soccer League. 1989. p. 213.
3. "NASL sets playoff matchups". Edmonton Journal. August 13, 1979. p. D3. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
4. "Francis' Goal Spurs Express". Toledo Blade. July 8, 1979. p. D4. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
5. "Prati pays off for Lancers immediately". The Leader-Post. June 28, 1979. p. 26. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
6. NASL: A Complete Record Of The North American Soccer League. 1989. p. 225.
7. NASL: A Complete Record Of The North American Soccer League. 1989. p. 218.
8. "Fiery Cosmos demolish Roughnecks". St. Petersburg Times. August 27, 1979. p. 6C. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
9. "Houston overcomes flooding, Tea Men". St. Petersburg Times. April 20, 1979. p. 4C. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
10. "Attendance Project: NASL". Kenn Tomasch. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
11. http://www.nasl.com/page/slug/a-review-of-the-golden-era#.Uzqzk4WAfY0
12. "NASL Playoffs Open Tonight". The Hour. August 14, 1979. p. 49. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
13. "NASL Strike Expected". The Evening Independent. April 13, 1979. p. B3. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
14. Dorman, Larry (April 14, 1979). "NASL Strike Support Minimal". Palm Beach Post. p. B3. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
15. Soccer in a Football World. 2008. p. 197.
16. "Sale Of NASL Caribous Approved". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 4, 1978. p. 4-D. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
17. "NASL owners okay move to Edmonton". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 23, 1979. p. 7B. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
18. "Edmonton drills itself into NASL record book". The Leader-Post. July 19, 1979. p. 16. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
19. KICK Magazine: Soccer Bowl '79. 1979. p. 14.
20. "Rowdies to face Fury in playoffs". St. Petersburg Times. August 21, 1979. p. 5C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
21. Curtis, Jim (August 26, 1979). "Rowdies shut off Fury 1-0". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
22. Tierney, Mike (September 3, 1979). "On to Soccer Bowl: Rowdies win!". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
23. Soccer in a Football World. 2008. p. 194.
24. "Los Angeles Goes Dutch". The Evening Independent. May 24, 1979. p. 5-C. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
25. "Fiery Cosmos demolish Roughnecks". St. Petersburg Times. August 27, 1979. p. 6C. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
26. Tierney, Mike (August 13, 1979). "Fabbiani wins title; Rowdies lose again". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
27. Gillespie, Bob (May 12, 1979). "What It Was... Was Soccer". The News and Courier. p. 12-D. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
28. "TV deal set for U.S. pro soccer loop". Montreal Gazette. November 15, 1978. p. 12-D. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
29. "Whitecaps Capsize Cosmos Again". The Hour. August 30, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
30. "Cosmos Ousted From NASL Playoffs". Reading Eagle. September 2, 1979. p. 83. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
31. "Vancouver Champion: Whymark Soccer Bowl Hero". Toledo Blade. September 9, 1979. p. E7. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
32. Beard, Randy (September 10, 1979). "Rowdies Go Grumbling". The Evening Independent. p. 1-C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
33. "At 3,000 miles from home, Whitecaps win Soccer Bowl". Morning Record and Journal. September 9, 1979. p. 13. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
34. Chick, Bob (September 10, 1979). "A Painful Past Grates On A Great Scot". The Evening Independent. p. 3-C. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
35. "Frenzied welcome for 'Caps". Edmonton Journal. September 10, 1979. p. C1. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
36. "Whitecaps Wyn Big With Owen". Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
37. "NASL sets playoff matchups". Edmonton Journal. August 13, 1979. p. D3. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
38. "NASL: Johann Cruyff LA Aztecs Playoff Goal 1979". Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
39. "NASL: Vancouver at Los Angeles 8/22/1979". Retrieved 2013-07-08.
40. Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. 1979. p. 8.
41. http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?page_id=496

Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1979.

KICK Magazine: Soccer Bowl '79. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1979.

1980 Official North American Soccer League Guide. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1980.

Jose, Colin (1989). NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby, England: Breedon Books.

Jose, Colin (2003). North American Soccer League Encyclopedia. Haworth, NJ: St. Johann Press.

Wangerin, David (2008). Soccer In A Football World. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

External links

• The Year in American Soccer – 1979
• Chris Page's NASL Archive
• Complete NASL Results and Standings