1974 North American Soccer League season

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North American Soccer League 1974 season
Season1974
Champions Los Angeles Aztecs
Premiers Los Angeles Aztecs
Matches played150
Goals scored488 (3.25 per match)
Top goalscorer Paul Child
(15 goals)
Longest winning run8, Los Angeles
Highest attendance24,093 (Denver @ Phil)
Lowest attendance1,153 (NY @ Boston)
Average attendance7,825
← 1973
1975 →

Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1974. This was the 7th season of the NASL. [1]

Contents

Overview

Fifteen teams comprised the league with the Los Angeles Aztecs winning the championship in a penalty kick shootout over the Miami Toros.

Changes from the previous season

Rules changes

The league decided to do away with tie games. If a match was tied after 90 minutes, the teams would go directly to a standard penalty shootout with no extra time played. The outcome would appear in the standings as a 'tie-win'. The tie-winner would gain three points, plus goals in regulation, while the loser of the tie-breaker received no points, except for regulation goals. [1] Including the 1974 NASL Final, 33 matches were decided using this method.

New teams

Teams folding

Teams moving

Name changes

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, T= PK Shootout Wins, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PT= point system

6 points for a win, 3 points for a PK shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.

 -Premiers (most points).  -Other playoff teams.
Northern DivisionWLTGFGAPT
Boston Minutemen 1091362394
Toronto Metros 9101303187
Rochester Lancers 8102233077
New York Cosmos 4142284058
Eastern DivisionWLTGFGAPT
Miami Toros 9563824107
Baltimore Comets 10824246105
Philadelphia Atoms 8111252574
Washington Diplomats 7121293670
Central DivisionWLTGFGAPT
Dallas Tornado 9833927100
St. Louis Stars 4151274254
Denver Dynamos 5150214249
Western DivisionWLTGFGAPT
Los Angeles Aztecs 11724136110
San Jose Earthquakes 9834338103
Seattle Sounders 10733717101
Vancouver Whitecaps 5114293170

NASL All-Stars

First Team [2] [3]   Position  Second TeamHonorable Mention
Barry Watling, Seattle G Bob Rigby, Philadelphia Ian McKechnie, Boston
Dick Hall, Dallas D Ralph Wright, Miami Bobby Smith, Philadelphia
Albert Jackson, DallasD Derek Trevis, Philadelphia Patrick Greenwood, Boston
Chris Dunleavy, PhiladelphiaD Jim Gabriel, Seattle Laurie Calloway, San Jose
Geoff Butler, BaltimoreD Brian Rowan, Toronto Charlie Mitchell, Rochester
Ronnie Sharp, Miami M Hank Liotart, Seattle Alan Spavin, Washington
Ilija Mitic, DallasM Luis Marotte, Los Angeles Roy Sinclair, Seattle
Roberto Aguirre, MiamiM Fernando Pinto, Toronto Dieter Zajdel, San Jose
Paul Child, San Jose F Ade Coker, Boston Steve David, Miami
John Rowlands, SeattleF Doug McMillan, Los Angeles Jim Fryatt, Philadelphia
Peter Silvester, BaltimoreF Warren Archibald, Miami Randy Horton, New York

Playoffs

All playoff games in all rounds including the NASL Final were single game elimination match ups.

Bracket

Quarter-finalsSemi-finals NASL Final 1974
W1 Los Angeles Aztecs 2
N1 Boston Minutemen 1N1 Boston Minutemen 0
E2 Baltimore Comets 0 W1 Los Angeles Aztecs 3(5)
E1 Miami Toros 3(3)
C1 Dallas Tornado 1
C1 Dallas Tornado 3E1 Miami Toros 3
W2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

Quarterfinals

August 14 San Jose Earthquakes 0–3 Dallas Tornado Texas Stadium • Att. 8,652
August 15 Baltimore Comets 0–1 Boston Minutemen Alumni Stadium • Att. 9,713

Semifinals

August 17 Boston Minutemen 0–2 Los Angeles Aztecs ELAC Stadium • Att. 5,485
August 17 Dallas Tornado 1–3 Miami Toros Tamiami Stadium [4] [5] • Att. 5,045

NASL Final 1974

Miami Toros 3–3 Los Angeles Aztecs
Wright Soccerball shade.svg17'
Sharp Soccerball shade cross.svg48' (pen.)
Moraldo Soccerball shade.svg72' (o.g.)
Aranguiz Soccerball shade.svg87'		 de Rienzo Soccerball shade.svg26' (pen.)
Costa Soccerball shade.svg78'
McMillan Soccerball shade.svg88'
Penalties
Aguirre Soccerball shad check.svg
Sharp Soccerball shad check.svg
Mallender Soccerball shad check.svg
Verdi Soccerball shade cross.svg		3–5Soccerball shad check.svg Zanotti
Soccerball shad check.svg Banhoffer
Soccerball shad check.svg Marotte
Soccerball shad check.svg Filotis
Soccerball shad check.svg Douglas
Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 15,507
Referee: John Davies (USA) [6] [7] [8] [9]

1974 NASL Champions: Los Angeles Aztecs

Post season awards

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Year in American Soccer - 1974". Homepages.sover.net. October 4, 2003. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ "NASL Homepage". May 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Steve Dimitry's NASL Web Page". Oocities.org. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Football in Miami and Beyond: Ft Lauderdale Strikers History: Part II: PRO SOCCER COMES TO MIAMI". October 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19740814&id=UDw0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=yesFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4217,1489454&hl=en [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "The Press-Courier - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ Dan Levin (September 2, 1974). "A bizarre overtime kicking contest enabled the Los - 09.02.74 - SI Vault". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lodi News-Sentinel - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
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