1977 North American Soccer League season

North American Soccer League -1977 Season-
Season 1977
Champions Cosmos
(2nd Title)
Premiers Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
Matches played 234
Goals scored 752 (3.21 per match)
Top goalscorer Steve David (26)
Highest attendance 77,691
(Ft Lauderdale @ Cosmos)
Lowest attendance 1,100
(Washington @ Connecticut)
Average attendance 13,558
← 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 US or Canadian citizens.[1] The NASL began using its own variation of the penalty shoot-out procedure for tied matches. Matches tied at 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 finals on August 28 to win the championship.

Changes from the previous season

Teams folding

Teams moving

Name changes

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.

Atlantic Conference

Eastern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Fort Lauderdale Strikers19749294716111-28-5
Cosmos151160395014010-35-8
Tampa Bay Rowdies141255454713111-23-10
Washington Diplomats1016324932926-74-9
Northern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Toronto Metros-Croatia13134238371158-55-8
St. Louis Stars12143335321047-65-8
Rochester Lancers11153441339910-31-12
Chicago Sting1016314328884-96-7
Connecticut Bicentennials719346530724-93-10

Pacific Conference

Southern Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Dallas Tornado18856375316111-27-6
Los Angeles Aztecs15116554571478-57-6
San Jose Earthquakes14123744351199-45-8
Team Hawaii11154559401067-64-9
Las Vegas Quicksilvers11153844371038-53-10
Western Division W L GF GA BP Pts Home Road
Minnesota Kicks161044364113711-25-8
Vancouver Whitecaps141243364012410-34-9
Seattle Sounders14124334391239-45-8
Portland Timbers1016394238987-63-10

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, 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

Bracket

  First Round Division Championships Conference Championships Soccer Bowl '77
                                     
E2  Cosmos 3  
E3  Tampa Bay Rowdies 0  
  E1  Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0  
    E2  Cosmos 2  
      
        
  E2  Cosmos 2  
  N3  Rochester Lancers 0  
N2  St. Louis Stars 0  
N3  Rochester Lancers 1  
  N1  Toronto Metros-Croatia 0
    N3  Rochester Lancers 2  
      
        
  E2  Cosmos 2
  W3  Seattle Sounders 1
S2  Los Angeles Aztecs 2  
S3  San Jose Earthquakes 1  
  S1  Dallas Tornado 0
    S2  Los Angeles Aztecs 2  
      
        
  S2  Los Angeles Aztecs 0
  W3  Seattle Sounders 2  
W2  Vancouver Whitecaps 0  
W3  Seattle Sounders 2  
  W1  Minnesota Kicks 0
    W3  Seattle Sounders 2  
      

First Round

August 10 San Jose Earthquakes 1 – 2 (OT) Los Angeles Aztecs L.A. 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

Game 1 Game 2
Cosmos - Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 8 - 3 3 - 2 (SO, 3–0) August 14–77,691 • August 17–14,152
Los Angeles Aztecs - Dallas Tornado 3 - 1 5 - 1 August 14–5,201 • August 17–18,489
Minnesota Kicks - Seattle Sounders 1 - 2 (OT) 0 - 1 August 14–35,889 • August 17–42,091
Rochester Lancers - Toronto Metros-Croatia 1 - 0 (SO, 3–2) 1 - 0 August 13–10,556 • August 16–8,062

Conference Championships

Game 1 Game 2
Los Angeles Aztecs - Seattle Sounders 1 - 3 0 - 1 August 21–9,115 • August 25–56,256
Rochester Lancers - Cosmos 1 - 2 1 - 4 August 21–20,005 • August 24–73,669

Soccer Bowl '77

Main article: Soccer Bowl '77

August 28
4 pm EDT
Cosmos 2–1 Seattle Sounders
Hunt  19:05'
Chinaglia (Hunt)  77:19' 		Ord (Cave)  23:10'
Civic Stadium, Portland
Attendance: 35,548
Referee: Toros Kibritjan (USA)

1977 NASL Champions: Cosmos

Post season awards

References

  1. ↑ "Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  2. ↑ "This Day In 1981 : Soccer Bowl Edition | Chicago Fire Confidential". Archived from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  3. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer - 1977". Archived from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  4. ↑ "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  5. ↑ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  6. ↑ "Banks, Pele, Smethurst on star team". St. Petersburg Times. August 12, 1977. p. 5C.

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. 

External links

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