1981 New York Cosmos season

Last updated

New York Cosmos
1981 season
Manager Flag of Germany.svg Hennes Weisweiler [1] (Joint with Özdenak)
Flag of Turkey.svg Yasin Özdenak [2] (Joint with Wiesweiler)
Stadium Giants Stadium
NASL Division: 1st
Overall:1st
Playoffs: Runners-Up
National
Challenge Cup 		Did not enter
CONCACAF
Champions' Cup 		Did not enter
Top goalscorerLeague: Flag placeholder.svg( goals)
All: Flag placeholder.svg( goals)
Highest home attendance42,385
vs. CHI (May 17)
Lowest home attendance12,240
vs. FTL (June 24)
Average home league attendance34,835 [3]
←  1980
1982  →

The 1981 New York Cosmos season was the 11th season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. Despite winning their fifth straight premiership by five points over the Chicago Sting, the Cosmos lost to the Sting in Soccer Bowl '81.

Contents

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Germany.svg  GER Hubert Birkenmeier
2 DF Flag of Iran.svg  IRN Andranik Eskandarian
3 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Robert Iarusci
4 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jeff Durgan
7 MF Flag of Paraguay.svg  PAR Julio César Romero
8 MF Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  YUG Vladislav Bogićević
9 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Giorgio Chinaglia
11 FW Flag of Portugal.svg  POR Seninho
12 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Larry Hulcer
13 MF Flag of the Netherlands.svg  NED Johan Neeskens
14 FW Flag of South Africa.svg  RSA Steve Wegerle
No.Pos.NationPlayer
15 DF Flag of the Netherlands.svg  NED Wim Rijsbergen
16 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Angelo DiBernardo
17 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Rick Davis
18 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Boris Bandov
19 FW Flag of Paraguay.svg  PAR Roberto Cabanas
20 FW Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Francois Van Der Elst
21 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA David Brcic
22 DF Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  YUG Ivan Buljan
24 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Darryl Gee
25 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Dominick Barczewski
28 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Chico Borja

Source: [4]

Results

Source: [5]

Preseason

Regular season

Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).

Eastern Division Standings

PosClubPldWLGFGAGDPts
1 New York Cosmos 322398049+31200
2 Montreal Manic 3215176357+6141
3 Washington Diplomats 3215175958+1135
4 Toronto Blizzard 327253982−4377

Overall League Placing

PosClubPldWLGFGAGDPts
1 New York Cosmos 322398049+31200
2 Chicago Sting 322398450+34195
3 Vancouver Whitecaps 3221117443+31186
4 San Diego Sockers 3221116749+18173
5 Minnesota Kicks 3219136357+6163

Source: [6]

Matches

  • March 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 Spartan Stadium Attendance 20,671
  • April 4, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 1, New York Cosmos 1 (Tea Men won in Shootout) Jacksonville, Florida Attendance 12,124
  • April 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Minnesota Kicks 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,378
  • April 18, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Dallas Tornado 0 Texas Stadium Attendance 10,181
  • April 26, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,238
  • May 1, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Atlanta Chiefs 2 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Attendance 9,263
  • May 3, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Washington Diplomats 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,189
  • May 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Toronto Blizzard 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 27,003
  • May 15, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Tulsa Roughnecks 1 Skelly Stadium Attendance 24,231
  • May 17, 1981: Chicago Sting 3, New York Cosmos 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 42,385
  • May 23, 1981: Washington Diplomats 3, New York Cosmos 2 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 27,676
  • May 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Dallas Tornado 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,640
  • May 30, 1981: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, New York Cosmos 1 Tampa Stadium Attendance 36,765
  • June 2, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 38,667
  • June 7, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Atlanta Chiefs 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,452
  • June 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 Lockhart Stadium Attendance 18,089
  • June 14, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Toronto Blizzard 3 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,210
  • June 17, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Washington Diplomats 1 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 36,875
  • June 21, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Los Angeles Aztecs 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,362
  • June 24, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 12,240
  • June 28, 1981: Chicago Sting 5, New York Cosmos 5 (Sting Won in Shootout) Wrigley Field Attendance 35,501
  • July 5, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Tulsa Roughnecks 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,673
  • July 8, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Toronto Blizzard 1 Varsity Stadium Attendance 17,642
  • July 22, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Montreal Manic 4 (Cosmos Won in Shootout) Giants stadium Attendance 27,331
  • July 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 40,118
  • July 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Portland Timbers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 28,640
  • August 2, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 2, New York Cosmos 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 36,408
  • August 5, 1981: Minnesota Kicks 2, New York Cosmos 1 Metropolitan Stadium Attendance 28,609
  • August 9, 1981: Edmonton Drillers 2, New York Cosmos 0 Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium Attendance 14,781
  • August 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Washington Diplomats 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,884
  • August 16, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,123
  • August 19, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Toronto Blizzard 1 (Blizzard Won in Shootout) Varsity Stadium Attendance 12,367


Postseason

Overview

First round
Game 1Game 2Game 3
Tulsa Roughnecks – Minnesota Kicks 1–30–1August 22, 26
Portland Timbers – San Diego Sockers 2–11–50–2August 22, 26, 30
Jacksonville Tea Men – Atlanta Chiefs 3–22–1August 23, 25
Calgary Boomers – Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1–30–2August 23, 26
Tampa Bay Rowdies – Vancouver Whitecaps 4–11–0August 23, 26
Seattle Sounders – Chicago Sting 2–32–02–3August 22, 26, 30
Montreal Manic – Los Angeles Aztecs 5–32–32–1August 24, 27, 30
Quarter-finals
Game 1Game 2Game 3
Tampa Bay Rowdies – New York Cosmos 3–63–20–2September 2, 5, 9
Montreal Manic – Chicago Sting 3–22–42–4September 2, 5, 10
Fort Lauderdale Strikers – Minnesota Kicks 3–13–0September 2, 6
Jacksonville Tea Men – San Diego Sockers 2–11–21–3September 2, 6, 9
Semi-finals
Game 1Game 2Game 3
Fort Lauderdale Strikers – New York Cosmos 3–41–4September 12, 16
San Diego Sockers – Chicago Sting 2–11–20–1September 12, 16, 21
Soccer Bowl '81
September 26 Chicago Sting 1–0 New York Cosmos Toronto, Exhibition Stadium

Matches

Friendlies

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer
February 1 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC BirsfeldenN [n 1] 9–0n/aChinaglia (5), van der Elst (3), Romero
February 16 Flag of Argentina.svg Deportivo Morón A2–225,000Chinaglia (2)
February 21 Flag of Argentina.svg Cipolletti A4–18,000Chinaglia (2), Borja, Cabañas
February 21 Flag of Argentina.svg Boca Juniors (B)A9–110,000Chinaglia (4), Romero (4), Bogicevic
February 25 Flag of Chile.svg Colo Colo A0–145,000–
March 3 Flag of Uruguay.svg Peñarol A4–340,000Chinaglia (3), Romero
March 5 Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo A1–350,000Chinaglia
March 8Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay A5–245,000Romero (2), Seninho (2), Chinaglia
March 11 Flag of Mexico.svg Guadalajara A0–145,000–
March 15 Flag of Mexico.svg América A2–4105,000Chinaglia, van der Elst
March 17Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador A5–131,209Chinaglia (2), Seninho (2), Cabañas
March 19 Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles Aztecs A1–03,534Cabañas
May 20 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Anderlecht H1–230,512van der Elst
June 4 Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo A2–253,617Chinaglia, DiBernardo
July 1Flag of Greece.svg  Greece H2–042,318Cabañas, Chinaglia
July 12 Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic H2–029,215Romero, Durgari
July 15 Flag of England.svg Southampton H2–129,614Bogicevic, Romero
July 19 Flag of the United States.svg Seattle Sounders H3–340,724Chinaglia (2), van der Elst
August 30 Flag of Brazil.svg Grêmio H1–330,523Chinaglia
October 4Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada A1–13,000van der Elst
October 7Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada A0–410,688–
October 10 Flag of Iceland.svg Valur A6–210,500Chinaglia (3), Bogicevic (2), Romero
October 13 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund A2–410,000Davis, Chinaglia
October 18 Flag of Italy.svg Milan H1–16,000Chinaglia
Notes
  1. ↑ Held in Bahamas.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Cosmos to Retain Mazzei". The New York Times. February 1983.
  2. ↑ "Cosmos to Retain Mazzei". The New York Times. February 1983.
  3. ↑ "North American Soccer League".
  4. ↑ "NASL New York Cosmos Rosters".
  5. ↑ "All-time American soccer statistics | SoccerStats.us".
  6. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer – 1981". Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
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