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 Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1981 as well as the 1975 NASL Indoor tournament, the 1979–80 and 1980–81 NASL Indoor seasons, and won the NASL Championship in 1974. During their eight years of existence, the Aztecs played at four different venues and were controlled by four different ownership groups, European soccer legends George Best and Johan Cruyff played for the team, and from 1975 to 1977 English singer Elton John was a part-owner.
Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alliance. In 1989, it existed for a single year as the Western Soccer League before merging with the American Soccer League to form the American Professional Soccer League in 1990.
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference. As of 2023, the division of the Conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi river from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with clubs on, or west of the River in the Western Conference.
Division 1 professional soccer returned to Vancouver in 1974 with the Vancouver Whitecaps as interest began to grow in U.S. soccer, and the NASL grew after stabilizing in terms of attendance and number of teams with six to eight teams. In 1974 the Whitecaps were one of five expansion teams that were the first teams since 1968 west of Dallas, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri.
The 1976 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the third season of the Whitecaps, and third second season in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.
The 1977 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fourth season of the Whitecaps, and their fourth season in the North American Soccer League, which was at the time, the top flight of American Canadian soccer.
The 2012 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's fourth season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. For the Sounders FC organization, it was their fourth year of existence, and including all previous clubs, it was the 32nd season of a soccer team bearing the Sounders name.
The 2012 San Jose Earthquakes season was the club's 15th year of existence, as well as its 15th season in Major League Soccer and its fifth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer. Including all previous franchises, this is the 30th year with a soccer club in the San Jose area sporting the name "Earthquakes".
The 2013 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's fifth season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. For the Sounders FC organization, it was their fifth year of existence, and including all previous clubs, it was the 33rd season of soccer in Seattle.
The 2013 San Jose Earthquakes season was the club's 16th year of existence, as well as its 16th season in Major League Soccer and its sixth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer. Including all previous franchises, this is the 31st year with a soccer club in the San Jose area sporting the name "Earthquakes".
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 1978 New York Cosmos season was the eighth season for the Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. It was also the second and final year in which "New York" was dropped from their name. The double-winning club set records for most wins and points in an NASL season, thanks to their 24-6 regular-season mark and 212 points, securing their second premiership on the way to their third championship. They beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 7–0 on opening day and never looked back, scoring 88 times while losing just three games in regulation. Giorgio Chinaglia scored 34 goals and 79 points, setting league records in the process. In Soccer Bowl '78, the Cosmos defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies in front of 74,901 fans at Giants Stadium, still to this day a record for attendance at a North American championship soccer game.
The 1979 New York Cosmos season was the ninth season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. 1979 saw the club continue their premiership streak to three seasons with the league's highest point total, and match their wins record while achieving a record point total, but the Cosmos' quest for a third straight NASL championship ended with a loss in the conference finals to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The 1982 New York Cosmos season was the 12th season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The Cosmos completed their fourth double—a feat not matched by any NASL or, as yet, MLS club—finishing 37 points ahead of Seattle for the league premiership, and defeating the Sounders in Soccer Bowl '82 for the league championship.
The 1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fifth season of the Whitecaps, and their fifth year in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.
The 1977 North American Soccer League playoffs began on August 10 and ended on August 28 with Soccer Bowl '77 at Civic Stadium in Portland, Oregon. 12 out of 18 teams qualified after a 26-match regular season, six from each conference.
The 2020 season was the San Jose Earthquakes' 38th year of existence, their 23rd season in Major League Soccer and their 13th consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer.
The 2021 Minnesota United FC season was the club's fifth in Major League Soccer. Their season began on April 16, 2021 where they lost to the Seattle Sounders FC 4-0 in Seattle. The club will play its home matches at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The club reached the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive year, but lost in their first match to the Portland Timbers.
The 1979 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the club's sixth season in the North American Soccer League.
