National Conference (NASL)

Last updated

National Conference
League North American Soccer League
Sport Soccer
First season1978
Ceased1980
DivisionsEast
Central
West
No. of teams12
Most titles New York Cosmos (2 titles)

The National Soccer Conference was one of two conferences of the original North American Soccer League between 1978 and 1980. It along with the American Conference were formed for the 1978 season as part of a realignment to accommodate an expanding league, and bolster more competitive play which had been lacking under the previous Atlantic and Pacific conferences. It is speculated, that the league decided to realign the league to be more similar to the National Football League (American football) format, with one league official stating that the league hoped that new expansions and initiatives would cause "enough demand for soccer that they [could] sell the TV rights to two networks like the NFL did." [1] During their three-season tenure, National Conference teams dominated the league, and won all three available league championships. Of these honors, two of them were won by the New York Cosmos, whose only playoff defeat in the National Conference came in 1979 where they were beaten by eventual champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, in the Conference Finals.

Contents

Teams

Following the realignment, the conference was initially made up of four teams from the Atlantic Conference, seven teams from the Pacific Conference, and one team making their NASL debut. After playing just one season, the Colorado Caribous were sold and relocated to Atlanta to revive the Atlanta Chiefs franchise.

TeamDivisionFirst season [a] Last season [a] Previous conference (division)
New York Cosmos [b] East19781980Atlantic (East)
Rochester Lancers East19781980Atlantic (North)
Toronto Blizzard East19781980Atlantic (North)
Washington Diplomats East19781980Atlantic (East)
Colorado Caribous Central197819781978 debut
Dallas Tornado Central19781980Pacific (South)
Minnesota Kicks Central19781980Pacific (West)
Tulsa Roughnecks Central19781980Pacific (South) [c]
Atlanta Chiefs Central19791980South Division [d] (1973)
Los Angeles Aztecs West19781980Pacific (South)
Portland Timbers West19781980Pacific (West)
Seattle Sounders West19781980Pacific (West)
Vancouver Whitecaps West19781980Pacific (West)
  1. 1 2 Season played in the National Conference. Teams may have played before and/or after the conference existed.
  2. ↑ The New York Cosmos were known simply as the "Cosmos" in the 1978 season.
  3. ↑ Relocated from Hawaii.
  4. ↑ The 1973 season (the most recent season played by the Atlanta Chiefs) did not have conferences.

Conference honors

National Conference championships

BoldWon NASL Championship
SeasonChampionsSeriesRunners-up
1978 Cosmos 2–0 Portland Timbers
1979 Vancouver Whitecaps 2–1 [n 1] New York Cosmos
1980 New York Cosmos 2–0 Los Angeles Aztecs
  1. ↑ Series tied 1–1, Vancouver won tiebreaking mini-game

Regular season titles

BoldMost points in NASL
YearTeamDivisionPoints (W–L)Playoffs result
1978 Cosmos East212 (24–6)Won Soccer Bowl
Vancouver Whitecaps West199 (24–6)Conference Semifinals
Minnesota Kicks Central156 (17–13)Conference Semifinals
1979 New York Cosmos East216 (24–6)Lost Conference Final
Minnesota Kicks Central184 (21–9)First Round
Vancouver Whitecaps West172 (20–10)Won Soccer Bowl
1980 New York Cosmos East213 (24–8)Won Soccer Bowl
Seattle Sounders West207 (25–7)Conference Semifinals
Dallas Tornado Central157 (18–14)Conference Semifinals

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Feinstein (March 19, 1978). "An Expanded but Pele-Less NASL Kicks Off Season April 1". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 28, 2023.
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