| Season | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dallas Tornado |
| Premiers | Rochester Lancers |
| Matches played | 112 |
| Goals scored | 306 (2.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Carlos Metidieri (19 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 19,437 Rochester @ NY |
| Average attendance | 4,154 |
← 1970 1972 → | |
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1971. This was the 4th season of the NASL.
Eight teams competed in the 1971 season. The Dallas Tornado won the league championship after playing several playoff matches under the new sudden death rule, which replaced the penalty shootout. In Game 1 of the best-of-three semifinal against the Rochester Lancers, league scoring champion Carlos Metidieri of Rochester scored to end the match at 2–1 in the 176th minute after six periods of overtime—shortly before midnight. Three days later, Dallas tied the series with a 3–1 regulation win. In the deciding match, the two teams ended regulation with a 1–1 tie and played four overtime periods before Bobby Moffat scored in the 148 minute for a 2–1 victory. Four days later, Dallas lost Game 1 of the NASL Championship Series, 2–1, in the 3rd overtime to the Atlanta Chiefs after 123 minutes. [1] All totaled, Dallas had played 537 minutes of soccer (3 minutes short of six games) in 13 days. The Tornado won 4–1 in Game 2 and 2–0 in Game 3 to clinch the league championship. [2]
Playoffs series switched from a two-game aggregate score to a best-two-out-of-three match format. Any playoff games tied after 90 minutes would now be settled by golden goal (or sudden death) overtime periods lasting 15 minutes each. [2]
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PT= point system
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
| Northern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Lancers | 13 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 31 | 141 |
| New York Cosmos | 9 | 10 | 5 | 51 | 55 | 117 |
| Toronto Metros | 5 | 10 | 9 | 32 | 47 | 89 |
| Montreal Olympique | 4 | 15 | 5 | 29 | 59 | 65 |
| Southern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 12 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 29 | 120 |
| Dallas Tornado | 10 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 24 | 119 |
| Washington Darts | 8 | 6 | 10 | 36 | 34 | 111 |
| St. Louis Stars | 6 | 13 | 5 | 37 | 47 | 86 |
| Semifinals Best-of-3 | NASL Final 1971 Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Rochester Lancers | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| S2 | Dallas Tornado | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
| S2 | Dallas Tornado | 1 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
| S1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| S1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 1 | 2 | – | |||||||||
| N2 | New York Cosmos | 0 | 0 | – | |||||||||
| Higher seed | Series | Lower seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Lancers | 1 - 2 | Dallas Tornado | 2–1 (6ot) | 1–3 | 1–2 (4ot) | September 1 • Aquinas Memorial Stadium • 8,309 September 4 • Franklin Stadium • 6,131 [5] September 8 • Aquinas Memorial Stadium • 7,635 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 2 - 0 | New York Cosmos | 1–0(3ot) | 2–0 | x | September 2 • Atlanta Stadium • 3,160 [6] September 5 • Hofstra Stadium • 3,800 [7] |
| Higher seed | Series | Lower seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 1 - 2 | Dallas Tornado | 2–1 (3ot) | 1–4 | 0–2 | September 12 • Atlanta Stadium • 3,218 [8] September 15 • Franklin Stadium • 6,456 September 19 • Atlanta Stadium • 4,687 |
| September 12 | Atlanta Chiefs | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Dallas Tornado | Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia |
Uriel da Veiga  71:53'Kaizer Motaung  123:58' | Report | Tibor Molnár 40:39' | Attendance: 3,218 |
| September 15 | Dallas Tornado | 4–1 | Atlanta Chiefs | Franklin Stadium, Dallas, Texas |
| Phil Tinney 45' Luiz Juracy 54'Luiz Juracy 76'Tony McLoughlin | Report 1 Report 2 | Henry Largie 44' (Paton) | Attendance: 6,456 |
| September 19 | Atlanta Chiefs | 0–2 | Dallas Tornado | Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Report | Mike Renshaw 2:34' (Tinney) Bobby Moffat 44:30' | Attendance: 4,687 |
1971 NASL Champions: Dallas Tornado
The Rochester Lancers were an American soccer team that competed in the American Soccer League (ASL) from 1967 until 1969, and in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1970 to 1980. The team was based in Rochester, New York, and played home games at Holleder Memorial Stadium. The Lancers won the 1970 NASL Championship and was the only NASL team to compete in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The Lancers could not sustain their early success, posting two winning records and a few playoff appearances before folding after the 1980 season.
The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons.
Jose Carlos Metidieri is a retired soccer player who played as a forward. He played professionally in Canada with Toronto Italia and the United States with the Rochester Lancers. He was the leading scorer of the North American Soccer League in 1970 and 1971 with the Lancers and was named the league's Most Valuable Player—the only player in the league's history to receive both awards in consecutive seasons. Born in Brazil, he earned two caps for the United States national team in 1973.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1976. This was the 9th season of the NASL.
The 1978 North American Soccer League season was the 66th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 11th with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada.
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.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1981. This was the 14th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1975. This was the 8th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1970. This was the 3rd season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1972. This was the 5th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1973. This was the 6th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1974. This was the 7th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1982. This was the 15th season of the NASL.
In early 1975, the North American Soccer League hosted its first league-wide indoor soccer tournament over the course of seven weeks. All but four NASL teams participated.
The 1980 New York Cosmos season was the tenth season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The Cosmos completed their third double, finishing 1st in the overall league table and defeating the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3–0 in Soccer Bowl '80.
Soccer Bowl '77 was the championship final of the 1977 NASL season. The New York Cosmos took on the Seattle Sounders. The match was played on August 28, 1977 at Civic Stadium, in Portland, Oregon. The game was also noteworthy as the final competitive match for Pelé, the Brazilian star widely acknowledged as the sport's greatest player. The Cosmos won the match, 2–1, to claim their second North American championship. The match was broadcast on TVS.
The 1972 NASL Final was the championship match of the 1972 season, between the New York Cosmos and the St. Louis Stars. The match was played on August 26, 1972 at Hofstra Stadium, in Hempstead, New York. The New York Cosmos won the match, 2–1, and were crowned the 1972 NASL champions.
NASL Final 1971 was the championship series of the 1971 season. It was contested as a best-of-three series between the Dallas Tornado and the Atlanta Chiefs. The matches were held on September 9, 15, and 19, 1971. Games one and three were played at Atlanta Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. Game two was played at Franklin Stadium of Hillcrest High School in Dallas. A combined 14,361 people attended the three game series. The Chiefs won game one, while the Tornado won games two and three to claim their first NASL championship.
The 1971 NASL Professional Hoc-Soc Tournament was the first indoor variant of soccer sanctioned by the North American Soccer League. It was held in St. Louis, Missouri on the evening of March 19, 1971 and involved four of the league's eight franchises.
The 1979 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the club's sixth season in the North American Soccer League.
