1979 North American Soccer League season

North American Soccer League

Season	1979
Champions	Vancouver Whitecaps (1st title)
Premiers	New York Cosmos (3rd title)
Matches played	360
Goals scored	1,374 (3.82 per match)
Top goalscorer	Giorgio Chinaglia (26 goals)
Biggest home win	SEA 9–0 EDM (August 1) [1]
Biggest away win	MEM 0–6 ATL (July 21) [2] SJ 0–6 SD (August 11) [3]
Highest scoring	DET 6–5 (SO) CHI (July 7) [4] DET 8–2 FTL (June 27) [5]
Longest winning run	8, New York (July 8 – August 12) [6]
Longest losing run	14, Edmonton (May 26 – July 18) [7]
Highest attendance	76,031 (Tulsa at New York) (August 26) [8]
Lowest attendance	653 (N.E. at Houston) (April 19) [9]
Average attendance	14,201 [10]
← 1978 1980 →

The 1979 North American Soccer League season was the 67th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer and the 12th with a national first-division league in the United States and Canada.

Changes from the previous season

Rules changes

A rule modification required that each squad play two U.S. or Canadian players and that each 17-man roster carry six such players. ^[11]

New teams

• None

Teams folding

• None

Teams moving

• Colorado Caribous to Atlanta Chiefs
• Oakland Stompers to Edmonton Drillers

Name changes

• Cosmos to New York Cosmos
• Toronto Metros-Croatia to Toronto Blizzard

Season recap

Compared to the previous season's upheaval, 1979 was a relatively tranquil year. The league format remained unchanged with 24 teams divided into six divisions within two conferences, and a 16-team playoff. A slight modification to the first round of the playoffs, from a single game to the two-game format used in later rounds, was made. Also the minigame, used to decide tied playoff series, no longer ended on a golden goal (sudden death). Instead, the entire 30 minutes was played. ^[12]

Still, there were issues to be sorted out. There was a brief players' strike on April 14, as the league refused to recognize the newly formed Players Association. ^[13] However, since the majority of NASL players were foreign and unsure of American and Canadian labor laws, support was minimal. ^[14] An estimated three quarters of NASL players crossed the picket line once the Justice Department implied that foreign players would be subject to deportation. ^[15]

The Cosmos decided to put "New York" back into their name after a two-year absence. With a change in ownership, the Toronto franchise was now called the Toronto Blizzard, while Toronto Croatia (who had merged with the Metros back in 1975) returned to their old league, the National Soccer League. The Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta to become the reborn Atlanta Chiefs in October 1978, ^[16] while the Oakland Stompers would move to Edmonton just a month before the start of the season. ^[17] Both teams struggled, finishing last in their respective divisions. The new Edmonton Drillers were particularly bad, setting a record for most consecutive losses in league history with 14. ^[18]

At the other end of the table, the Houston Hurricane went from worst to first in the American Conference, going undefeated in their 15 home matches at the Astrodome and earning Timo Liekoski Coach of the Year honors. ^[19] However, the Hurricane were upset in the first round of the ASC playoffs, as the Philadelphia Fury, who were winless on the road during the regular season, won the deciding game in Houston. ^[20]

That meant the door was opened for the Tampa Bay Rowdies to win their second straight ASC title, sweeping the Fury ^[21] and outlasting the San Diego Sockers in a minigame at Tampa Stadium. ^[22] The Rowdies were led by Oscar Fabbiani's 25 goals and a defense that gave up 46 goals, the second-fewest in the league.

The two-time defending champion Cosmos kept rolling, posting another 24–6 record and surpassing their league record for points with 216. Johan Cruyff joined the team in the fall of 1978 for a few exhibitions, but the Los Angeles Aztecs bought out his NASL option for $600,000 to take him to the West Coast. ^[23] Cruyff scored two goals against the Rochester Lancers on his debut, ^[24] while leading the Aztecs to a nine-win turnaround. Despite their second-round playoff loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, ^[25] he earned league MVP honors for his efforts.

New York proved that they did not need him to score goals, as Giorgio Chinaglia led the league for the third straight year. However, he lost out on the scoring title by a point to Fabbiani. ^[26] As befitting their status within the league, the Cosmos had the honor of playing in the first game of ABC Sports' three-year TV contract with the league in May; ^[27] a Soccer Bowl '78 rematch in which they lost 3–2 at Tampa Bay. The network would cover nine regular-season and playoff games per year. This included coverage of the next three Soccer Bowls. ^[28]

However, the league's dream of the Cosmos hosting another Soccer Bowl in front of a national TV audience went up in smoke when New York lost to Vancouver in a memorable playoff matchup. After the Whitecaps won the first game of the National Conference final in Vancouver, ^[29] the teams played for three and a half hours at Giants Stadium three days later on ABC. The Cosmos won the regular game in a shootout, tying the series at one. The deciding minigame would also go to a shootout, where Derek Possee gave Vancouver the lead. After the Cosmos' Ricky Davis and the Whitecaps' Alan Ball missed on their chances, New York's Nelsi Morais was unable to beat the five-second clock and his goal was waved off, giving Vancouver the win. ^[30]

Vancouver went on to beat the Rowdies a week later in the Soccer Bowl. Trevor Whymark scored both Vancouver goals and earned game MVP honors, ^[31] while Tampa Bay suffered their second straight loss in the championship game. ^[32] Attendance at Giants Stadium was well below projections, as 50,699 showed up despite 66,843 tickets having been sold. ^[33] The Whitecaps' Alan Ball was named playoff MVP for his seven-assist effort in Vancouver's championship run. ^[34] Attendance estimates vary (they range from 60,000 to 150,000 people), ^[35] but the resulting championship parade is still considered the largest public demonstration in Vancouver civic history. ^[36]

Another positive sign for the league was that this would be the first offseason in NASL history where no franchises folded or moved.

Regular season

6 points for a win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game.

Division standings

 -Playoffs via division standings.  -Playoffs via wildcard.

American Conference East Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 Tampa Bay Rowdies 30 19 11 67 46 +21 55 169 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 30 17 13 75 64 +11 63 165 3 Philadelphia Fury 30 10 20 55 60 −5 51 111 4 New England Tea Men 30 12 18 41 56 −15 38 110 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings Central Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 Houston Hurricane 30 22 8 61 46 +15 55 187 2 Chicago Sting 30 16 14 70 61 +9 63 159 3 Detroit Express 30 14 16 60 56 +4 48 132 4 Memphis Rogues 30 6 24 38 74 −36 37 73 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings West Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 San Diego Sockers 30 15 15 59 55 +4 50 140 [lower-alpha 1] 2 California Surf 30 15 15 53 56 −3 50 140 [lower-alpha 1] 3 Edmonton Drillers 30 8 22 43 78 −35 40 88 4 San Jose Earthquakes 30 8 22 41 74 −33 38 86 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings Notes: San Diego and California finished the season with identical records and point totals. San Diego was awarded the division title due to a better goal differential. [37]

National Conference East Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 New York Cosmos 30 24 6 84 52 +32 72 216 2 Washington Diplomats 30 19 11 68 50 +18 58 172 3 Toronto Blizzard 30 14 16 52 65 −13 49 133 4 Rochester Lancers 30 15 15 43 57 −14 42 132 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings Central Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 Minnesota Kicks 30 21 9 67 48 +19 58 184 2 Dallas Tornado 30 17 13 53 51 +2 50 152 3 Tulsa Roughnecks 30 14 16 61 56 +5 55 139 4 Atlanta Chiefs 30 12 18 59 61 −2 49 121 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings West Division Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD BP Pts 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 30 20 10 54 34 +20 52 172 2 Los Angeles Aztecs 30 18 12 62 47 +15 54 162 3 Seattle Sounders 30 13 17 58 52 +6 47 125 4 Portland Timbers 30 11 19 50 75 −25 56 122 Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings

Conference standings

American Conference

American Conference standings

Pos	Div	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	BP	Pts	Qualification
1	C	Houston Hurricane	30	22	8	61	46	+15	55	187	Playoffs (division winner)
2	E	Tampa Bay Rowdies (A)	30	19	11	67	46	+21	55	169
3	W	San Diego Sockers	30	15	15	59	55	+4	50	140 [lower-alpha 1]
4	E	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	30	17	13	75	64	+11	63	165	Playoffs (division runner-up)
5	C	Chicago Sting	30	16	14	70	61	+9	63	159
6	W	California Surf	30	15	15	53	56	−3	50	140
7	C	Detroit Express	30	14	16	60	56	+4	48	132	Playoffs (wildcard berth)
8	E	Philadelphia Fury	30	10	20	55	60	−5	51	111
9	E	New England Tea Men	30	12	18	41	56	−15	38	110
10	W	Edmonton Drillers	30	8	22	43	78	−35	40	88
11	W	San Jose Earthquakes	30	8	22	41	74	−33	38	86
12	C	Memphis Rogues	30	6	24	38	74	−36	37	73

Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings
Rules for classification: 1) Division position; 2) Points; 3) Wins; 4) Goal differential
(A) Conference champion
Notes:

1. San Diego had less points than Fort Lauderdale and Chicago, but won the third seed due to being the third best team who won their division.

National Conference

National Conference standings

Pos	Div	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	BP	Pts	Qualification
1	E	New York Cosmos	30	24	6	84	52	+32	72	216	Playoffs (division winner)
2	C	Minnesota Kicks	30	21	9	67	48	+19	58	184
3	W	Vancouver Whitecaps (N)	30	20	10	54	34	+20	52	172
4	E	Washington Diplomats	30	19	11	68	50	+18	58	172	Playoffs (division runner-up)
5	W	Los Angeles Aztecs	30	18	12	62	47	+15	54	162
6	C	Dallas Tornado	30	17	13	53	51	+2	50	152
7	C	Tulsa Roughnecks	30	14	16	61	56	+5	55	139	Playoffs (wildcard berth)
8	E	Toronto Blizzard	30	14	16	52	65	−13	49	133
9	E	Rochester Lancers	30	15	15	43	57	−14	42	132
10	W	Seattle Sounders	30	13	17	58	52	+6	47	125
11	W	Portland Timbers	30	11	19	50	75	−25	56	122
12	C	Atlanta Chiefs	30	12	18	59	61	−2	49	121

Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: Overall standings
Rules for classification: 1) Division position; 2) Points; 3) Wins; 4) Goal differential
(N) Conference champion

Overall standings

Overall standings

Pos	Div	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	BP	Pts
1	NE	New York Cosmos (P)	30	24	6	84	52	+32	72	216
2	AC	Houston Hurricane	30	22	8	61	46	+15	55	187
3	NC	Minnesota Kicks	30	21	9	67	48	+19	58	184
4	NW	Vancouver Whitecaps (C)	30	20	10	54	34	+20	52	172
5	NE	Washington Diplomats	30	19	11	68	50	+18	58	172
6	AE	Tampa Bay Rowdies	30	19	11	67	46	+21	55	169
7	AE	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	30	17	13	75	64	+11	63	165
8	NW	Los Angeles Aztecs	30	18	12	62	47	+15	54	162
9	AC	Chicago Sting	30	16	14	70	61	+9	63	159
10	NC	Dallas Tornado	30	17	13	53	51	+2	50	152
11	AW	San Diego Sockers	30	15	15	59	55	+4	50	140
12	AW	California Surf	30	15	15	53	56	−3	50	140
13	NC	Tulsa Roughnecks	30	14	16	61	56	+5	55	139
14	NE	Toronto Blizzard	30	14	16	52	65	−13	49	133
15	NE	Rochester Lancers	30	15	15	43	57	−14	42	132
16	AC	Detroit Express	30	14	16	60	56	+4	48	132
17	NW	Seattle Sounders	30	13	17	58	52	+6	47	125
18	NW	Portland Timbers	30	11	19	50	75	−25	56	122
19	NC	Atlanta Chiefs	30	12	18	59	61	−2	49	121
20	AE	Philadelphia Fury	30	10	20	55	60	−5	51	111
21	AE	New England Tea Men	30	12	18	41	56	−15	38	110
22	AW	Edmonton Drillers	30	8	22	43	78	−35	40	88
23	AW	San Jose Earthquakes	30	8	22	41	74	−33	38	86
24	AC	Memphis Rogues	30	6	24	38	74	−36	37	73

Updated to match(es) played on September 2, 1979. Source: soccerstats.us
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Goal differential
(C) NASL Champions; (P) NASL Premiers

NASL League Leaders

Scoring

GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Oscar Fabbiani	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	25	8	58
Giorgio Chinaglia	New York Cosmos	27	26	5	57
Gerd Müller	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	25	19	17	55
David Robb	Philadelphia Fury	30	16	20	52
Jeff Bourne	Atlanta Chiefs	29	18	15	51
Karl-Heinz Granitza	Chicago Sting	30	20	10	50
Teófilo Cubillas	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	30	16	18	50
Alan Willey	Minnesota Kicks	29	21	7	49
Dennis Tueart	New York Cosmos	27	16	16	48
Laurie Abrahams	California/Tulsa	25	18	9	45
Johan Cruyff	Los Angeles Aztecs	23	13	16	42

Goalkeeping

Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; SO = Shutouts

Player	Team	GP	Min	SV	GA	GAA	W	L	SO
Phil Parkes	Vancouver Whitecaps	29	2704	100	29	0.96	20	9	7
Victor Nogueira	Atlanta Chiefs	17	1432	79	20	1.26	8	8	5
Željko Bilecki	Tampa Bay Rowdies	17	1549	93	22	1.28	12	5	5
Mike Ivanow	Seattle Sounders	28	2517	149	39	1.39	13	15	2
Bill Irwin	Washington Diplomats	28	2603	134	42	1.45	17	11	4
Paul Hammond	Houston Hurricane	29	2705	215	44	1.46	21	8	6
Volkmar Gross	San Diego/Minnesota	24	2132	137	38	1.604	17	7	6
Kevin Keelan	New England Tea Men	25	2242	133	40	1.605	12	13	2
Colin Boulton	Los Angeles/Tulsa	30	2746	109	49	1.606	16	14	7
Tino Lettieri	Minnesota Kicks	16	1368	95	25	1.63	10	5	2

NASL All-Stars

First Team	Position	Second Team	Honorable Mention
Phil Parkes, Vancouver	G	Paul Hammond, Houston	Alan Mayer, San Diego
Carlos Alberto, New York	D	Marinho, New York	Steve Litt, Minnesota
Bruce Wilson, Chicago	D	John Gorman, Tampa Bay	Bob Smith, San Diego
Wim Rijsbergen, New York	D	Mihalj Keri, Los Angeles	Wim Suurbier, Los Angeles
Mike Connell, Tampa Bay	D	Bob Lenarduzzi, Vancouver	Artur Correia, New England
Franz Beckenbauer, New York	M	Teófilo Cubillas, Fort Lauderdale	Rodney Marsh, Tampa Bay
Johan Neeskens, New York	M	Vladislav Bogićević, New York	Alan Hudson, Seattle
Ace Ntsoelengoe, Minnesota	M	Alan Ball, Vancouver	Gerry Daly, New England
Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles	F	Óscar Fabbiani, Tampa Bay	Jørgen Kristensen, Chicago
Trevor Francis, Detroit	F	Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago	Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay
Giorgio Chinaglia, New York	F	Gerd Müller, Fort Lauderdale	Dennis Tueart, New York

Playoffs

Main article: 1979 North American Soccer League playoffs

The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs automatically. The two teams with the highest point totals remaining in each conference filled out the field as wild cards and were given the lowest first round seeds. Playoff match-ups and home/away status were reset after each round, based on regular season point totals.

In 1979 and 1980, if a playoff series was tied at one victory each, a full 30 minute mini-game was played. If neither team held an advantage after the 30 minutes, the teams would then move on to an NASL shoot-out to determine a series winner.

Bracket

	Conference Quarterfinals							Conference Semifinals							Conference Championships							Soccer Bowl '79
	A2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	3	3	–
	A7	Detroit Express	0	1	–
								A2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	3(2)	1	–
								A8	Philadelphia Fury	2(0)	0	–
	A1	Houston Hurricane	1	1	–
	A8	Philadelphia Fury	2	2	–
															A2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	1	3(3)	1
	American Conference
															A3	San Diego Sockers	2	2(0)	0
	A4	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	0	0	–
	A5	Chicago Sting	2	1	–
								A5	Chicago Sting	0	0	–
								A3	San Diego Sockers	2	1	–
	A3	San Diego Sockers	4	7	–
	A6	California Surf	2	2	–
																						A2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	1
																						N3	Vancouver Whitecaps	2
	N1	New York Cosmos	3	2	–
	N8	Toronto Blizzard	1	0	–
								N1	New York Cosmos	0	3	3
								N7	Tulsa Roughnecks	3	0	1
	N2	Minnesota Kicks	1	1	–
	N7	Tulsa Roughnecks	2	2	–
															N1	New York Cosmos	0	3(3)	0(2)
	National Conference
															N3	Vancouver Whitecaps	2	2(1)	1(3)
	N3	Vancouver Whitecaps	3	2	–
	N6	Dallas Tornado	2	1	–
								N3	Vancouver Whitecaps	2(1)	1	1
								N5	Los Angeles Aztecs	3(2)	0	0
	N4	Washington Diplomats	1	3	–
	N5	Los Angeles Aztecs	3	4	–

First round

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
Philadelphia Fury	-	Houston Hurricane	2–1	2–1	x	August 14 • Veterans Stadium • 3,337 August 20 • Houston Astrodome • 7,530
Detroit Express	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	0–3	1–3	x	August 15 • Pontiac Silverdome • 21,539 August 19 • Tampa Stadium • 27,210
Chicago Sting	-	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	2–0	1–0	x	August 15 • Soldier Field • 10,019 August 18 • Lockhart Stadium • 13,691
California Surf	-	San Diego Sockers	2–4	2–7	x	August 16 • Anaheim Stadium • 8,460 August 18 • San Diego Stadium • 10,225
Tulsa Roughnecks	-	Minnesota Kicks	2–1 (OT)	2–1 (OT)	x	August 15 • Skelly Stadium • 14,105 August 19 • Metropolitan Stadium • 28,996
Dallas Tornado	-	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–3	1 –2	x	August 15 • Ownby Stadium • 8,829 August 18 • Empire Stadium • 30,328
Los Angeles Aztecs	-	Washington Diplomats	3–1	4–3 (OT) [38]	x	August 15 • Rose Bowl • 12,042 August 19 • RFK Stadium • 14,802
Toronto Blizzard	-	New York Cosmos	1–3	0–2	x	August 16 • Exhibition Stadium • 30,356 August 19 • Giants Stadium • 46,531

Conference semifinals

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
San Diego Sockers	-	Chicago Sting	2–0	1–0	x	August 22 • San Diego Stadium • 11,561 August 25 • Wrigley Field • 15,379
Los Angeles Aztecs	-	Vancouver Whitecaps	3–2 (SO, 2–1)	0–1	0–1	August 22 • Rose Bowl • 21,213 [39] August 25 • Empire Stadium • 32,375
Philadelphia Fury	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–3 (SO, 0–2)	0–1	x	August 23 • Franklin Field • 10,395 August 25 • Tampa Stadium • 21,112
Tulsa Roughnecks	-	New York Cosmos	3–0	0–3	1–3	August 23 • Skelly Stadium • 26,011 August 26 • Giants Stadium • 76,031

Conference Championships

Lower seed		Higher seed	Game 1	Game 2	Mini-game	(lower seed hosts Game 1)
Vancouver Whitecaps	-	New York Cosmos	2–0	2–3 (SO, 1–3)	1–0 (SO, 3–2)	August 29 • Empire Stadium • 32,875 September 1 • Giants Stadium • 44,109
San Diego Sockers	-	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–1	2–3 (SO, 0–3)	0–1	August 30 • San Diego Stadium • 20,267 September 2 • Tampa Stadium • 38,766

Soccer Bowl '79

Main article: Soccer Bowl '79

September 8

2:00 pm EDT

Vancouver Whitecaps	2–1	Tampa Bay Rowdies
Whymark 12:37 Whymark 59:37 (Ball)		Van der Veen 22:25 (Anderson)

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Attendance: 50,699

Referee: Gino D'Ippolito (USA) ^[40]

1979 NASL Champions: Vancouver Whitecaps

Post season awards

• Most Valuable Player: Johan Cruyff, Los Angeles
• Coach of the year: Timo Liekoski, Houston
• Rookie of the year: Larry Hulcer, Los Angeles
• North American Player of the Year: Rick Davis, New York
• Playoff MVP: Alan Ball, Vancouver

Average home attendance

Team	Average [41]
New York Cosmos	46,690
Tampa Bay Rowdies	28,546
Minnesota Kicks	24,580
Vancouver Whitecaps	22,962
Seattle Sounders	18,998
Tulsa Roughnecks	16,426
San Jose Earthquakes	15,092
Los Angeles Aztecs	14,334
Detroit Express	14,058
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	13,708
Washington Diplomats	11,973
Toronto Blizzard	11,821
San Diego Sockers	11,271
Portland Timbers	11,172
California Surf	10,330
Edmonton Drillers	9,924
Dallas Tornado	9,306
Rochester Lancers	8,680
Chicago Sting	8,062
Atlanta Chiefs	7,350
Memphis Rogues	7,137
New England Tea Men	6,562
Houston Hurricane	6,212
Philadelphia Fury	5,624

References

1. "Whitecaps still making waves". The Leader-Post. August 2, 1979. p. 35. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
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37. "NASL sets playoff matchups". Edmonton Journal. August 13, 1979. p. D3. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
38. "NASL: Johann Cruyff LA Aztecs Playoff Goal 1979". YouTube . Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
39. "NASL: Vancouver at Los Angeles 8/22/1979". YouTube . Retrieved July 8, 2013.
40. Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. 1979. p. 8.
41. "kenn.com". www.kenn.com.

Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1979.

KICK Magazine: Soccer Bowl '79. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1979.

1980 Official North American Soccer League Guide. New York, NY: North American Soccer League. 1980.

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, NJ: St. Johann Press.

Wangerin, David (2008). Soccer In A Football World . Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN   9781592138852.

External links

• The Year in American Soccer – 1979
• Chris Page's NASL Archive
• Complete NASL Results and Standings