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 setting up Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
Millonarios Fútbol Club, known simply as Millonarios, is a Colombian professional football club based in Bogotá, that competes in the Categoría Primera A, top flight of football in Colombia.
The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 1979 to 1981. For the 1973 season, the team played as the Atlanta Apollos.
The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons.
Club Independiente Santa Fe, known simply as Santa Fe, is a Colombian professional football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Santa Fe is one of the three most successful teams in Colombia, winning eighteen titles, which include nine national championships, four Superliga Colombiana, two Copas Colombia, and international titles such as one Copa Sudamericana, one Suruga Bank Championship, and one Copa Simón Bolívar. Santa Fe is one of the three clubs that has played every championship in the Categoría Primera A.
Dino Sani is a Brazilian former footballer and coach. Sani was an experienced playmaking central midfielder with goalscoring prowess, and a "team player", who was well known for his ball skills, technique, accurate passing, creativity, and close control. Although he was not gifted with notable pace or athleticism, his positioning, keen tactical intelligence, outstanding vision, and his adeptness at long balls, in particular, made him a capable assist provider throughout his career.
Pierino Prati was an Italian footballer who played mainly as a forward. He began his career with Salernitana, and later played for several other Italian clubs, including a successful spell with AC Milan, with whom he won several titles. As of 2024, he is the second to last person to score a hat-trick in a European Cup final, having done so in 1969 against Ajax.
Albert Batteux was a French football midfielder and a manager. He is the most successful manager in the history of Ligue 1 having won eight domestic titles with Reims and Saint-Étienne at club level, as well as reaching the European Cup final twice with Reims, and also leading France to a third-place finish at the 1958 FIFA World Cup at international level.
Delio "Maravilla" Gamboa Rentería was a Colombian football player. Gamboa's career ran from 1955 to 1974 in which time he played for Atlético Nacional, Millonarios, Independiente Santa Fe, Once Caldas, and Deportes Tolima, "Maravilla" translates directly to "wonder".
José Ferreira Franco, nicknamed Zequinha, was a Brazilian association footballer who played as a midfielder.
Néstor Raúl "Pipo" Rossi was an Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder.
Janos "Jim" Benedek was a Hungarian-American soccer forward who later coached at both the collegiate and national team levels. Benedek was an All American collegiate soccer player before spending six seasons in the North American Soccer League. He earned four caps with the U.S. national team in 1968 and was a member of the team that attempted to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Michael Lawrence Renshaw was a soccer player who played as a left winger. He began as a youth player with Blackpool before moving to the United States to join the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League in 1968. He also spent time with Margate F.C. and Rhyl F.C. Born in England, he earned two caps with the United States national team in 1973 despite not being a U.S. citizen at the time. Finally, he coached the Dallas Tornado in 1981.
Kyriakos "Koulis" Apostolidis is a Greek former footballer. He began his career in the North American Soccer League and finished it with PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece. Apostolidis lead the NASL in goals in 1971 and later earned six caps with the Greece national football team. He has also coached in the Greek First Division, most recently with PAOK Thessaloniki FC.
Wílliam Ruben Martínez Carreras was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a defender. He played 54 times for the Uruguay national football team between 1950 and 1965.
Ronald Vernon Newman was an English professional association football player and coach. He was a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Carlos Roberto Aldabe was an Argentine association football player and coach. He is mostly known for leading the then prominently staffed Colombian club CD Los Millonarios as player-manager to their first championship.
North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. Beginning in 1975, the league final was called the Soccer Bowl.
Carlos Arango Medina was a Colombian football forward, often known as "El Maestro".
Henry Largie (December 31, 1940 – November, 2020) was a Jamaican footballer who played as a defender.
