1976 North American Soccer League season

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North American Soccer League 1976 season
Season1976
Champions Toronto Metros-Croatia
Premiers Tampa Bay Rowdies
Matches played240
Goals scored760 (3.17 per match)
Top goalscorer Derek Smethurst
(20 goals)
Highest attendance58,218 (NY @ Seattle)
Lowest attendance531 (Chicago @ Boston)
Average attendance10,295
← 1975
1977 →

Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1976. This was the 9th season of the NASL.

Contents

Overview

The league's twenty teams were divided into two conferences (Atlantic or Pacific), playing a total of 240 matches. Each team's 24 matches were divided between a round-robin with other teams in the same conference and six matches against different teams in the other conference. Points were awarded for wins (six) and each goal (up to three) regardless of results; ties in regulation were decided by 15 minutes of sudden death overtime followed by a penalty shootout from 35 yards (105 ft). The playoffs were expanded from eight to twelve teams with automatic berths for the top two teams in each of the four divisions and two wild card slots per conference for the remaining best finishing teams. [1]

The Toronto Metros-Croatia defeated the Minnesota Kicks in the Soccer Bowl on August 28 to win the championship. The match was hosted at the Kingdome in Seattle, the new home of the Seattle Sounders. The Tampa Bay Rowdies finished the regular season with the best record, giving them consecutive titles in three different domestic NASL competitions. Though not in a calendar year, within 12 months they won the Soccer Bowl in August 1975, the NASL indoor cup in March 1976, and the regular season shield or premiership in August 1976. Since NASL teams at that time did not participate in the U.S. Open Cup, this would be the closest one would ever come to achieving any sort of a North American treble.

Changes from the previous season

New teams

Teams folding

Teams moving

Name changes

Regular season

Pld = Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential, BP = Bonus Points, Pts= total points

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.

 -Premiers (most points).  -Other playoff teams.

Atlantic Conference

Northern Division
TeamPldWLGFGAGDBPPts
Chicago Sting 241595232+2042132
Toronto Metros-Croatia 241593830+833123
Rochester Lancers 2413113632+436114
Hartford Bicentennials 2412123756−1935107
Boston Minutemen 247173564−293274
Source: [ citation needed ]
Eastern Division
TeamPldWLGFGAGDBPPts
Tampa Bay Rowdies 241865830+2846154
New York Cosmos 241686534+3152148
Washington Diplomats 2414104638+842126
Philadelphia Atoms 248163249−173280
Miami Toros 246182958−292763
Source: [ citation needed ]

Pacific Conference

Western Division
TeamPldWLGFGAGDBPPts
Minnesota Kicks 241595433+2148138
Seattle Sounders 2414104031+939123
Vancouver Whitecaps 2414103830+836120
Portland Timbers 248162341−182371
St. Louis Stars 245192957−282858
Source: [ citation needed ]
Southern Division
TeamPldWLGFGAGDBPPts
San Jose Earthquakes 2414104730+1739123
Dallas Tornado 2413114445−139117
Los Angeles Aztecs 2412124344−136108
San Antonio Thunder 2412123832+635107
San Diego Jaws 249152947−182882
Source: [ citation needed ]

NASL All-Stars

First Team [2]   Position  Second TeamHonorable Mention [3]
Arnie Mausser, Tampa Bay G Eric Martin, Washington Paolo Cimpiel, Toronto
Keith Eddy, New York D Stewart Jump, Tampa Bay Dave Gillett, Seattle
Bobby Moore, San AntonioD George Ley, Dallas Frank Spraggon, Minnesota
Tommy Smith, Tampa BayD Ron Webster, Minnesota Jim Holton, Miami
Mike England, SeattleD Bob Smith, Philadelphia Bruce Wilson, Vancouver
Rodney Marsh, Tampa Bay M Alan West, Minnesota Dave Clements, New York
Ramón Mifflin, New YorkM Bobby Hope, Dallas Wolfgang Sühnholz, Toronto
António Simões, San JoseM Al Trost, St. Louis Charlie Cooke, Los Angeles
Pelé, New York F Derek Smethurst, Tampa Bay Jimmy Robertson, Seattle
George Best, Los AngelesF Jeff Bourne, Dallas Mark Liveric, San Jose
Giorgio Chinaglia, New YorkF Stewart Scullion, Tampa Bay Tommy Ord, Vancouver

Playoffs

All playoff games in all rounds including Soccer Bowl '76 were single game elimination match ups.

Bracket

First RoundDivision ChampionshipsConference Championships Soccer Bowl '76
            
E2 New York Cosmos 2
E3 Washington Diplomats 0
E1 Tampa Bay Rowdies 3
E2 New York Cosmos 1
E1 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
Atlantic Conference
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia 2
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia 2
N3 Rochester Lancers 1
N1 Chicago Sting 2(1)
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia 2(3)
N2 Toronto Metros-Croatia 3
W1 Minnesota Kicks 0
S2 Dallas Tornado 2
S3 Los Angeles Aztecs 0
S1 San Jose Earthquakes 2
S2 Dallas Tornado 0
S1 San Jose Earthquakes 1
Pacific Conference
W1 Minnesota Kicks 3
W2 Seattle Sounders 1
W3 Vancouver Whitecaps 0
W1 Minnesota Kicks 3
W2 Seattle Sounders 0

First round

August 17 Washington Diplomats 0–2 New York Cosmos Shea Stadium • Att. 22,698 [4]
August 18 Los Angeles Aztecs 0–2 Dallas Tornado Ownby Stadium • Att. 9,413
August 18 Vancouver Whitecaps 0–1 Seattle Sounders Kingdome • Att. 30,406
August 18 Rochester Lancers 1–2 Toronto Metros-Croatia Varsity Stadium • Att. 6,852

Conference semifinals

August 20 Toronto Metros-Croatia 3–2(PK, 3–1) Chicago Sting Soldier Field • Att. 8,150
August 20 New York Cosmos 1–3 Tampa Bay Rowdies Tampa Stadium • Att. 36,863
August 20 Dallas Tornado 0–2 San Jose Earthquakes Spartan Stadium • Att. 15,135
August 21 Seattle Sounders 0–3 Minnesota Kicks Metropolitan Stadium • Att. 41,405

Conference Championships

August 24 Toronto Metros-Croatia 2–0 Tampa Bay Rowdies Tampa Stadium • Att. 28,046
August 25 San Jose Earthquakes 1–3 Minnesota Kicks Metropolitan Stadium • Att. 49,572

Soccer Bowl '76

Toronto Metros-Croatia 3–0 Minnesota Kicks
Eusébio Soccerball shade.svg40:28'
Lukačević Soccerball shade.svg53:57' (Ferriera)
Ferriera Soccerball shade.svg82:43'
Kingdome, Seattle [5]
Attendance: 25,765
Referee: Gordon Hill [6] (England)

1976 NASL Champions: Toronto Metros-Croatia

Post season awards

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References

  1. ↑ Holt, Gordy (April 25, 1976). "There's a New Look in the NASL". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . p. F4.
  2. ↑ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ "History of Shea Stadium | mets.com: Ballpark". Newyork.mets.mlb.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ "1976 Soccer Bowl Toronto Metro Croatia vs Minnesota Kicks highlights (Film) NASL". YouTube .
  7. ↑ "The Palm Beach Post - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved January 23, 2014.
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