| Season | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| Premiers | Portland Timbers |
| Matches played | 220 |
| Goals scored | 750 (3.41 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Steve David (23) |
| Highest attendance | 35,620 (NY @ Washington) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,146 (Seattle @ Hartford) |
| Average attendance | 7,642 |
← 1974 1976 → | |
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1975. This was the 8th season of the NASL.
The league comprised 20 teams with the Tampa Bay Rowdies winning the championship.
Pelé joined the New York Cosmos in 1975.
1975 was the first year the league used the term Soccer Bowl for their championship game.
The 1975 season saw the removal of tie games. Matches that were level after 90 minutes would go to 15 minutes of sudden death overtime, and then onto penalty kicks if needed. [1] [2] It would not be until 2000 that a top-tier American soccer league would again allow matches to end in a draw.
*after merger with Toronto Croatia of National Soccer League
W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PT= point system
6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game.
| Northern Division | W | L | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Minutemen | 13 | 9 | 41 | 29 | 116 |
| Toronto Metros-Croatia | 13 | 9 | 39 | 28 | 114 |
| New York Cosmos | 10 | 12 | 39 | 38 | 91 |
| Rochester Lancers | 6 | 16 | 29 | 49 | 64 |
| Hartford Bicentennials | 6 | 16 | 27 | 51 | 61 |
| Eastern Division | W | L | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 16 | 6 | 46 | 27 | 135 |
| Miami Toros | 14 | 8 | 47 | 30 | 123 |
| Washington Diplomats | 12 | 10 | 42 | 47 | 112 |
| Philadelphia Atoms | 10 | 12 | 33 | 42 | 90 |
| Baltimore Comets | 9 | 13 | 34 | 52 | 87 |
| Central Division | W | L | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Stars | 13 | 9 | 38 | 34 | 115 |
| Chicago Sting | 12 | 10 | 39 | 33 | 106 |
| Denver Dynamos | 9 | 13 | 37 | 42 | 85 |
| Dallas Tornado | 9 | 13 | 33 | 38 | 83 |
| San Antonio Thunder | 6 | 16 | 24 | 46 | 59 |
| Western Division | W | L | GF | GA | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Timbers | 16 | 6 | 43 | 27 | 138 |
| Seattle Sounders | 15 | 7 | 42 | 28 | 129 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 12 | 10 | 42 | 33 | 107 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 11 | 11 | 38 | 28 | 99 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 8 | 14 | 37 | 48 | 83 |
*(2 points per goal, 1 per assist)
| Player | Team | Apps | Gls | Ast | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve David | Miami | 21 | 23 | 6 | 52 |
| Derek Smethurst | Tampa Bay | 22 | 18 | 3 | 39 |
| Gordon Hill | Chicago | 21 | 16 | 7 | 39 |
| Peter Withe | Portland | 22 | 16 | 6 | 38 |
| Uri Banhoffer | Los Angeles | 20 | 14 | 9 | 37 |
| Tommy Ord | Rochester/NY | 21 | 16 | 3 | 35 |
| Ilija Mitic | Dallas/SJ | 19 | 15 | 3 | 33 |
| Ade Coker | Boston | 15 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| Ace Ntsoelengoe | Denver | 21 | 10 | 5 | 25 |
| John Coyne | Toronto | 22 | 7 | 11 | 25 |
*(1,260 minutes minimum)
| Player | Team | Min | SV | GA | SH | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shep Messing | Boston | 1639 | 140 | 17 | 6 | 0.93 |
| Barry Watling | Seattle | 2032 | 140 | 26 | 6 | 1.15 |
| Graham Brown | Portland | 1948 | 144 | 26 | 5 | 1.20 |
| Željko Bilecki | Toronto | 1949 | 123 | 27 | 8 | 1.25 |
| Greg Weber | Vancouver | 1273 | 95 | 19 | 5 | 1.34 |
| Mervyn Cawston | Chicago | 1586 | 94 | 24 | 4 | 1.36 |
| Peter Bonetti | St. Louis | 1829 | 189 | 28 | 5 | 1.38 |
| Sam Nusum | New York | 1554 | 131 | 25 | 3 | 1.45 |
| Ken Cooper | Dallas | 1856 | 130 | 32 | 4 | 1.55 |
| Bob Rigby | Philadelphia | 1802 | 144 | 32 | 4 | 1.60 |
| First Team | Position | Second Team | Honorable Mention [3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Bonetti, St. Louis | G | Ken Cooper, Dallas | Barry Watling, Seattle |
| Bob Smith, Philadelphia | D | Tony Want, Philadelphia | Tom McConville, Washington |
| Mike England, Seattle | D | Stewart Jump, Tampa Bay | Dave Gillett, Seattle |
| Werner Roth, New York | D | Ralph Wright, Miami | Graham Day, Portland |
| Farrukh Quraishi, Tampa Bay | D | Charlie Mitchell, Rochester | Brian Rowan, Toronto |
| Arfon Griffiths, Seattle | M | Barry Powell, Portland | John Sissons, Tampa Bay |
| Ronnie Sharp, Miami | M | John Boyle, Tampa Bay | Hugh Fisher, Denver |
| António Simões, Boston | M | Bobby Hope, Philadelphia | Wolfgang Sühnholz, Boston |
| Steve David, Miami | F | Peter Withe, Portland | Clyde Best, Tampa Bay |
| Pelé, New York | F | Tommy Ord, Roch & NY | Derek Smethurst, Tampa Bay |
| Gordon Hill, Chicago | F | Stewart Scullion, Tampa Bay | Uri Banhoffer, Los Angeles |
All playoff games in all rounds including Soccer Bowl '75 were single game elimination match ups.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Soccer Bowl '75 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Portland Timbers | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Portland Timbers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | St. Louis Stars | 0 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | St. Louis Stars | 1(5) | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 1(4) | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Portland Timbers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami Toros | 2 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Boston Minutemen | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami Toros | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | ||||||||||||
| N2 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 | ||||||||||||
| August 12 | Seattle Sounders | 1–2(OT) | Portland Timbers | Civic Stadium • Att. 31,523 |
| August 13 | Miami Toros | 2–1(OT) | Boston Minutemen | Nickerson Field • Att. 2,187 |
| August 13 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 1 – 2(PK, 4–5) | St. Louis Stars | Francis Field • Att. 6,119 |
| August 13 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 0–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Tampa Stadium • Att. 16,111 |
| August 16 | Miami Toros | 0–3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Tampa Stadium • Att. 22,710 |
| August 17 | St. Louis Stars | 0–1 | Portland Timbers | Civic Stadium • Att. 33,503 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | Portland Timbers |
|---|---|---|
Auguste  66:00' (Smethurst)Best 87:40' |
1975 NASL Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The NASL laid the foundations for soccer in the United States that helped lead to the country hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the set-up of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1984 to 1988. They were North American Soccer League champions in 1981 and 1984, one of only two NASL teams to win the championship twice.
The Baltimore Comets were a professional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1974, the Comets were an expansion team that played two seasons in the North American Soccer League. The team originally played its home matches at Memorial Stadium but moved to Burdick Field located at Towson University during the 1975 season. At the conclusion of the 1975 NASL season the team moved to San Diego, California rebranding as the Jaws.
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Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1976. This was the 9th season of the NASL.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1977. This was the 10th 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.
The 1975 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the first season of the club's existence.
Soccer Bowl '78 was the North American Soccer League's championship final for the 1978 season. It was the fourth NASL championship under the Soccer Bowl name.
North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. Beginning in 1975, the league final was called the Soccer Bowl.
The 1977 season was the original Tampa Bay Rowdies third season of existence, and their third season in the North American Soccer League, the top division of soccer in the United States and Canada at that time.
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.
Soccer Bowl '75 was the championship final of the 1975 NASL season, played between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Portland Timbers. The match took place on August 24, 1975 at Spartan Stadium, in San Jose, California. It was the first North American Soccer League championship to be known as the Soccer Bowl. The Tampa Bay Rowdies won the match, 2–0, to claim their first North American championship. This was the third consecutive year that an expansion team won the NASL title.
Soccer Bowl '76 was the championship final of the 1976 NASL season, between the Toronto Metros-Croatia and the Minnesota Kicks. The match was played on August 28, 1976 at the Kingdome, in Seattle, Washington. The Toronto Metros-Croatia won the match, 3–0, to claim their first North American championship.
Soccer Bowl '81 was the championship final of the 1981 NASL season, between the Chicago Sting and the New York Cosmos. The match was played on September 26, 1981, at Exhibition Stadium, in Toronto, Ontario. Following regulation and 15 minutes of golden goal overtime, the match remained tied, 0–0. With that, the game moved to a shoot-out. The Sting won the shoot-out, 2–1, and were crowned the 1981 NASL champions. This was Chicago's first NASL title.
The 1978 North American Soccer League playoffs began on August 8 and ended on August 27 with Soccer Bowl '78 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 16 out of 24 teams qualified after a 30-match regular season, eight from each conference.
The 1983 Tulsa Roughnecks season was the club's sixth season of existence, and their fifth in the North American Soccer League, the top flight of American soccer at that time. The 1983 season was Terry Hennessey's second full NASL season as head coach of the Roughnecks.
The 1976 season was the original Tampa Bay Rowdies second season of existence, and their second season in the North American Soccer League, the top division of soccer in the United States and Canada at that time. Tampa Bay entered the season as the defending Soccer Bowl champions.
