Event | NASL Final | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
(Best-of-three series) | |||||||
Game 1 | |||||||
| |||||||
after extra time | |||||||
Date | September 12, 1971 | ||||||
Venue | Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||
Attendance | 3,218 | ||||||
Game 2 | |||||||
| |||||||
Date | September 15, 1971 | ||||||
Venue | Franklin Stadium, Dallas | ||||||
Attendance | 6,456 | ||||||
Game 3 | |||||||
| |||||||
Date | September 19, 1971 | ||||||
Venue | Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||
Attendance | 4,687 | ||||||
NASL Final 1971 was the championship series of the 1971 season. It was contested as a best-of-three series between the Dallas Tornado and the Atlanta Chiefs. The matches were held on September 9, 15, and 19, 1971. Games one and three were played at Atlanta Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. Game two was played at Franklin Stadium of Hillcrest High School in Dallas. A combined 14,361 people attended the three game series. [1] The Chiefs won game one, while the Tornado won games two and three to claim their first NASL championship. [2] [3]
The Dallas Tornado qualified for the playoffs by virtue of having the highest non-division-winning point total in the league (119 points). They defeated the defending league champion Rochester Lancers 2–1 in a marathon best-of-three semifinal series. The series featured two of the longest matches in the sport's history due to the NASL's adoption of a sudden death rule to replace the penalty shootout. The first leg ended shortly before midnight on September 1 with a victory for Rochester after 176 minutes and required six overtime periods; the third leg lasted 148 minutes with four overtime periods and sent the Tornado to the final with a 2–1 win. [4] [5]
The Atlanta Chiefs qualified for the playoffs by winning the Southern Division with 120 points. The Chiefs then defeated the New York Cosmos in the semifinals with two wins and no goals conceded.
Champion | Runner-up | Game 1 | Venue 1 | Game 2 | Venue 2 | Game 3 | Venue 3 | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dallas Tornado | Atlanta Chiefs | 1–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 4–1 | Franklin Stadium | 2–0 | Atlanta Stadium | 2–1 [note 1] |
Atlanta Chiefs | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Dallas Tornado |
---|---|---|
da Veiga 72' Motaung 124' | Report | Molnár 41' |
Atlanta Chiefs | Dallas Tornado |
Dallas Tornado | 4–1 | Atlanta Chiefs |
---|---|---|
Tinney 45' Juracy 54', 76' Tony McLoughlin | Report 1 Report 2 | Largie 44' |
Dallas Tornado [6] | Atlanta Chiefs |
Atlanta Chiefs | 0–2 | Dallas Tornado [7] |
---|---|---|
Report 1 Report 2 | Renshaw 3' Moffat 45' |
Atlanta Chiefs [8] | Dallas Tornado |
|
|
1971 NASL Champions: Dallas Tornado
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.
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NASL Final 1970 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship final of the 1970 season. As no championship game was played for the 1969 season, it was the first championship game since the 1968 season. The event was contested in a two-game aggregate match between the Rochester Lancers and the Washington Darts. The first leg was held on September 5, 1970 at Aquinas Memorial Stadium in Rochester, New York, with the Lancers victorious by a score of 3–0. The second leg was played on September 13, 1970 at Brookland Stadium in Washington, D.C. That day the Darts came out on top by the score of 3–1. Renato Costa, who played under the alias of "Raul Herrera" that year, scored three of Rochester's four goals. With the two-legged competition completed, the Rochester Lancers held a 4–3 aggregate lead and were crowned the 1970 NASL champions.
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