1977 North American Soccer League season

Soccer league season

Football league season
North American Soccer League 1977 season
Season1977
ChampionsCosmos
(2nd Title)
PremiersFt. Lauderdale Strikers
Matches played234
Goals scored752 (3.21 per match)
Top goalscorerSteve David (26)
Highest attendance77,691
(Ft Lauderdale @ Cosmos)
Lowest attendance1,100
(Washington @ Connecticut)
Average attendance13,558
← 1976
1978 →

Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1977. This was the 10th season of the NASL.

Overview

The league was made up of 18 teams. The schedule was expanded to 26 games and the playoffs to 12 teams. Team rosters consisted of 17 players, 6 of which had to be U.S. or Canadian citizens.[1] The NASL began using its own variation of the penalty shoot-out procedure for tied matches. Matches tied at the end of regulation would now go to a golden goal overtime period and, if still tied, on to a shoot-out. Instead of penalty kicks however, the shoot-out attempt started 35 yards from the goal and allowed the player 5 seconds to attempt a shot. The player could make as many moves as he wanted in a breakaway situation within the time frame. NASL procedure also called for the box score or score-line to show an additional "goal" given to the winning side of a shoot-out. This "victory goal" however was not credited in the "Goals For" column of the league table.[2][3] The Cosmos defeated the Seattle Sounders in the final on August 28 to win the championship.

Changes from the previous season

New teams

  • None

Teams folding

  • Boston Minutemen
  • Philadelphia Atoms

Teams moving

  • Miami Toros - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
  • San Antonio Thunder - Team Hawaii
  • San Diego Jaws - Las Vegas Quicksilvers

Name changes

  • Hartford Bicentennials to Connecticut Bicentennials
  • Cosmos drop "New York" from name

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.

Atlantic Conference

Eastern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 19 7 49 29 47 161 11-2 8-5
Cosmos 15 11 60 39 50 140 10-3 5-8
Tampa Bay Rowdies 14 12 55 45 47 131 11-2 3-10
Washington Diplomats 10 16 32 49 32 92 6-7 4-9
Northern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Toronto Metros-Croatia 13 13 42 38 37 115 8-5 5-8
St. Louis Stars 12 14 33 35 32 104 7-6 5-8
Rochester Lancers 11 15 34 41 33 99 10-3 1-12
Chicago Sting 10 16 31 43 28 88 4-9 6-7
Connecticut Bicentennials 7 19 34 65 30 72 4-9 3-10

Pacific Conference

Southern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Dallas Tornado 18 8 56 37 53 161 11-2 7-6
Los Angeles Aztecs 15 11 65 54 57 147 8-5 7-6
San Jose Earthquakes 14 12 37 44 35 119 9-4 5-8
Team Hawaii 11 15 45 59 40 106 7-6 4-9
Las Vegas Quicksilvers 11 15 38 44 37 103 8-5 3-10
Western Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Minnesota Kicks 16 10 44 36 41 137 11-2 5-8
Vancouver Whitecaps 14 12 43 36 40 124 10-3 4-9
Seattle Sounders 14 12 43 34 39 123 9-4 5-8
Portland Timbers 10 16 39 42 38 98 7-6 3-10

NASL All-Stars

First Team   Position   Second Team[4] Honorable Mention[5]
Gordon Banks, Ft. Lauderdale G Alan Mayer, Las Vegas Tony Chursky, Seattle
Franz Beckenbauer, Cosmos D Ray Evans, St. Louis Steve Litt, Minnesota
Mike England, Seattle D Steve Pecher, Dallas Jim McAlister, Seattle
Bruce Wilson, Vancouver D Humberto Coelho, Las Vegas Alan Merrick, Minnesota
Mel Machin, Seattle D George Ley, Dallas • Arsène Auguste Tampa Bay[6] Graham Day, Portland
George Best, Los Angeles M Charlie Cooke, Los Angeles Tony Simões, San Jose
Wolfgang Sühnholz, Las Vegas M Vito Dimitrijević, Cosmos Ace Ntsoelengoe, Minnesota
Alan West, Minnesota M Rodney Marsh, Tampa Bay Al Trost, St. Louis
Steve David, Los Angeles F Mike Stojanović, Rochester Willie Morgan, Chicago
Pelé, Cosmos F Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay Giorgio Chinaglia, Cosmos
Derek Smethurst, Tampa Bay F Buzz Parsons, Vancouver Jimmy Robertson, Seattle

Playoffs

The first round and the Soccer Bowl were single game match ups, while the conference semifinals and championships were all two-game series.[7]

Bracket

First Round Division Championships Conference Championships Soccer Bowl '77
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3 2(0)
Cosmos 3 Cosmos 8 3(3)
Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 Cosmos 2 4
Rochester Lancers 1 1
Toronto Metros-Croatia 0(2) 0
St. Louis Stars 0(2) Rochester Lancers 1(3) 1
Rochester Lancers 1(4) Cosmos 2
Seattle Sounders 1
Dallas Tornado 1 1
Los Angeles Aztecs 2 Los Angeles Aztecs 3 5
San Jose Earthquakes 1 Los Angeles Aztecs 1 0
Seattle Sounders 3 1
Minnesota Kicks 1 0
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 Seattle Sounders 2 1
Seattle Sounders 2

First round

August 10 San Jose Earthquakes 1–2 (OT) Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Att. 4,038
August 10 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0–3 Cosmos Giants Stadium • Att. 57,828
August 10 Rochester Lancers 1–0 (SO, 4–2) St. Louis Stars Francis Field • Att. 7,137
August 10 Seattle Sounders 2–0 Vancouver Whitecaps Empire Stadium • Att. 21,915

Division Championships

Higher seed Lower seed Game 1 Game 2 (lower seed hosts Game 1)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers - Cosmos 3–8 2–3 (SO, 0–3) August 14 • Giants Stadium • 77,691
August 17 • Lockhart Stadium 14,152
Dallas Tornado - Los Angeles Aztecs 1–3 1–5 August 14 • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • 5,201
August 17 • Ownby Stadium • 18,489
Minnesota Kicks - Seattle Sounders *1–2 (OT) 0–1 *August 14 • Metropolitan Stadium • 35,889
August 17 • Kingdome • 42,091
Toronto Metros-Croatia - Rochester Lancers 0–1 (SO, 2–3) 0–1 August 13 • Holleder Memorial Stadium • 10,556
August 16 • Varsity Stadium • 8,062

*Minnesota Kicks hosted Game 1 (instead of Game 2) due to a scheduling conflict with the Twins baseball club.

Conference Championships

Higher seed Lower seed Game 1 Game 2 (lower seed hosts Game 1)
Los Angeles Aztecs - Seattle Sounders 1–3 #0–1 August 21 • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • 9,115
#August 25 • Kingdome • 56,256
Cosmos - Rochester Lancers 2–1 4–1 August 21 • Holleder Memorial Stadium • 20,005
August 24 • Giants Stadium • 73,669

#Seattle Sounders hosted Game 2 (instead of Game 1) due to a scheduling conflict with the Mariners baseball club.

Soccer Bowl '77

Cosmos2–1Seattle Sounders
Hunt 19:05'
Chinaglia 77:19' (Hunt)		 Ord 23:13' (Cave)
Civic Stadium, Portland
Attendance: 35,548
Referee: Toros Kibritjan (USA)

1977 NASL Champions: Cosmos

Post season awards

  • Most Valuable Player: Franz Beckenbauer, Cosmos
  • Coach of the year: Ron Newman, Fort Lauderdale
  • Rookie of the year: Jim McAlister, Seattle

References

  1. ^ "Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  2. ^ "This Day In 1981 : Soccer Bowl Edition | Chicago Fire Confidential". Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Year in American Soccer - 1977". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  4. ^ "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  5. ^ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  6. ^ "Banks, Pele, Smethurst on star team". St. Petersburg Times. August 12, 1977. p. 5C.
  7. ^ 1979 Official North American Soccer League Guide. 1979. p. 367.

1979 Official North American Soccer League Guide. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1979.

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. ISBN 9781592138852.

External links

  • The Year in American Soccer – 1977
  • Chris Page's NASL Archive
  • Complete Results and Standings
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‡ National Professional Soccer League team that did not join NASL upon merger with USA
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