Tournament details | |
---|---|
Country | United States Canada |
Teams | 16 |
Defending champions | Cosmos |
Final positions | |
Champions | Cosmos |
Runner-up | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 21 |
Goals scored | 81 (3.86 per match) |
Top goal scorer(s) | ![]() (7 goals) |
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 top two teams in each division would quality for the playoffs. The other spots would go to the next best two teams in the conference, regardless of division. The top three seeds went to the division winners, seeds 4-6 went to the second place teams and the last two seeds were known as 'wild-cards', a nod to the NFL's playoff format. The winners of each successive round would be reseeded within the conference by point total. The first round and the Soccer Bowl were single games, while the conference semifinals and championships were two-game series. As in the 1977 playoffs, if both teams were tied at one win apiece at the conclusion of Game 2, there would be a 30-minute sudden-death mini-game and a shootout if necessary. [1]
Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Championships | Soccer Bowl '78 | ||||||||||||||||
A1 | Detroit Express | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A8 | Philadelphia Fury | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
A1 | Detroit Express | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A7 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
A2 | New England Tea Men | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A7 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
A7 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
American Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
A4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
A3 | San Diego Sockers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
A6 | California Surf | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A3 | San Diego Sockers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
A4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
A5 | Chicago Sting | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
N1 | Cosmos | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
N1 | Cosmos | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
N8 | Seattle Sounders | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
N1 | Cosmos | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
N3 | Minnesota Kicks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
N3 | Minnesota Kicks | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
N6 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
N1 | Cosmos | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
National Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
N4 | Portland Timbers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
N2 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
N7 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
N2 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
N4 | Portland Timbers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
N4 | Portland Timbers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
N5 | Washington Diplomats | 1 |
Detroit Express | 1–0 | Philadelphia Fury |
---|---|---|
Francis ![]() |
New England Tea Men | 1–3 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
---|---|---|
Ridley ![]() | Irving ![]() Simpson ![]() Ronson ![]() |
San Diego Sockers | 2–1 | California Surf |
---|---|---|
McCall ![]() McCall ![]() | Suhnholz ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–1 | Chicago Sting |
---|---|---|
Marsh ![]() Marsh ![]() Wegerle ![]() | Report | Granitza ![]() |
Cosmos | 5–2 | Seattle Sounders |
---|---|---|
Bogicevic ![]() Bogicevic ![]() Beckenbauer ![]() Dimitrijevic ![]() Hunt ![]() | England ![]() Wallace ![]() |
Vancouver Whitecaps | 4–0 | Toronto Metros-Croatia |
---|---|---|
Campbell ![]() Hinton ![]() Campbell ![]() B. Lenarduzzi ![]() |
Minnesota Kicks | 3–1 | Tulsa Roughnecks |
---|---|---|
Futcher ![]() Willey ![]() Willey ![]() | Caskey ![]() |
Portland Timbers | 2–1(OT) | Washington Diplomats |
---|---|---|
McNeill ![]() Bain ![]() | Stokes ![]() |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 4–3(SO) | Detroit Express |
---|---|---|
Irving ![]() Whittle ![]() Irving ![]() | Francis ![]() Francis ![]() Tinnion ![]() | |
Penalties | ||
Whelan ![]() Fowles ![]() Hudson ![]() Irving ![]() Whittle ![]() | 3–2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Detroit Express | 1–0 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
---|---|---|
Brazil ![]() |
Detroit Express | 0–1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
---|---|---|
Nanchoff ![]() |
Fort Lauderdale wins series 2–1
San Diego Sockers | 0–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
---|---|---|
Report | Auguste ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–2 | San Diego Sockers |
---|---|---|
Anderson ![]() | Report | Harsanyi ![]() McCall ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | San Diego Sockers |
---|---|---|
Marsh ![]() | Report |
Tampa Bay wins series 2–1
Minnesota Kicks | 9–2 | Cosmos |
---|---|---|
George ![]() Roth ![]() Willey ![]() Ntsoelengoe ![]() Willey ![]() Willey ![]() Willey ![]() Willey ![]() Hamilton ![]() | Chinaglia ![]() Etherington ![]() |
Cosmos | 4–0 | Minnesota Kicks |
---|---|---|
Chinaglia ![]() Tueart ![]() Chinaglia ![]() Tueart ![]() |
Cosmos | 1–0(SO) | Minnesota Kicks |
---|---|---|
Penalties | ||
Bogicevic ![]() Tueart ![]() Hunt ![]() Morais ![]() Alberto ![]() Beckenbauer ![]() | 2–1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New York wins series 2–1
Portland Timbers | 1–0 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
---|---|---|
Best ![]() |
Vancouver Whitecaps | 1–2 | Portland Timbers |
---|---|---|
Kember ![]() | Best ![]() Anderson ![]() |
Portland wins series 2–0
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 3–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
---|---|---|
Whittle ![]() Irving ![]() Best ![]() | Report | Robb ![]() McLeod ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
---|---|---|
Anderson ![]() Robb ![]() Wegerle ![]() | Report | Irving ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 (SO) | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
---|---|---|
Report | ||
Penalties | ||
Anderson ![]() Wegerle ![]() Paddon ![]() Robb ![]() Marsh ![]() | 2–1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tampa Bay wins series 2–1
Portland Timbers | 0–1 | New York Cosmos |
---|---|---|
Tueart ![]() |
Cosmos | 5–0 | Portland Timbers |
---|---|---|
Chinaglia ![]() Tueart ![]() Hunt ![]() Beckenbauer ![]() Seninho ![]() |
New York wins series 2–0
Cosmos | 3–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
---|---|---|
Tueart ![]() Chinaglia ![]() Tueart ![]() | Report | Mirandinha ![]() |
1978 NASL Champions: Cosmos
Mini-games are not counted as games played when compiling individual statistics. They are included in the minutes played category.
GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dennis Tueart | Cosmos | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
Alan Willey | Minnesota Kicks | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Giorgio Chinaglia | Cosmos | 6 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
David Irving | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
Rodney Marsh | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 5 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; SO = Shutouts
Player | Team | GP | Min | GA | GAA | W | L | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phil Parkes | Vancouver Whitecaps | 3 | 270 | 3 | 1.00 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Alan Mayer | San Diego Sockers | 3 | 225 | 3 | 1.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Steve Hardwick | Detroit Express | 3 | 306 | 4 | 1.33 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Mick Poole | Portland Timbers | 5 | 457 | 8 | 1.60 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Winston DuBose | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | 574 | 10 | 1.67 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Henderson, Jim (1979). Dr. Pepper 1979 Pro Soccer Guide. Tampa, Florida: Snibbe Publications.
1979 Official North American Soccer League Guide. New York: North American Soccer League. 1979.
Jose, Colin (1989). NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby, England: Breedon Books.
Jose, Colin (2003). North American Soccer League Encyclopedia. Haworth, New Jersey: St. Johann Press.