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American Soccer League
The ASL, fresh off of a successful debut season, returned the same ten teams for 1989. As before, several national team players made the ASL their home during the offseason, including Tab Ramos with Miami, John Harkes, with Albany, Steve Trittschuh with Tampa Bay. The increasing success of the ASL, and the resurgent Western Soccer League, sparked merger talks and in February it was announced the leagues would merge for the 1990 season, creating a national professional soccer league for the first time since the demise of the NASL six years earlier. This came at a good time as the National team began qualifications for World Cup 1990. The league began to make serious preparations to be designated the new professional Division1 league that was required as a result of the US being awarded World Cup 1994. But they would have competition from the Major Indoor Soccer League and the rapidly growing Southwest Indoor Soccer League which had just added an outdoor division.
The big surprises in the regular season were the rise of the Boston Bolts and collapse of the new Jersey eagles in the North. The Eagles went from first to last, with the Washington Stars taking top spot, on the strength of their defense. Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa Bay battled for the Southern Division Crown, finishing in a tie, with the Rowdies winning on basis of the regular season rivalry. Tampa Bay fell to a disappointing third place, only one game behind the leaders.
In the playoffs, upsets were the order of the day. Boston defeated the Rowdies 2-0, 2-1 while the Washington Stars fell to Ft. Lauderdale 3-1, 3-1, the unstoppable offense prevailing over the impregnable defense. The championship went to Ft. Lauderdale in a harrowing series. Ft. Lauderdale shut out the bolts 1-0 in the first time, the Bolts did them one better the next time around, with a 2-0 shutout, and Ft. Lauderdale snatched the prize with a 1-0 victory in the mini-game. After the league title, Ft. Lauderdale then played the WSL champion in a “National Championship” match, which they won 3-1 before 11,000,000 cable viewers.
With the season over, unification was next on the agenda. To ease the transition, both the ASL and ASL played as separate conferences in 1990, getting together for the championship game, as they had done this season. things looked good for the future, and hopes were high that the league might eventually advance to Division 1 status.
Final 1989 ASL III Standings
G W TW L TL GF GA PTS
Northern Division
Washington Stars 20 14 7 6 2 19 14 37
Boston Bolts 20 13 5 7 3 27 19 37
Albany Capitals 20 11 1 9 4 29 19 36
Maryland Bays 20 9 5 11 5 28 32 27
New Jersey Eagles 20 6 1 14 4 21 35 21
Southern Division
Tampa Bay Rowdies 20 12 3 8 2 32 25 35
Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 20 12 2 8 1 33 25 35
Washington Diplomats 20 11 3 9 3 32 26 33
Orlando Lions 20 9 0 11 3 25 20 30
Miami Sharks 20 3 2 17 2 20 51 9
Semifinals: Ft. Lauderdale defeated Washington, 3-1, 3-1
Boston defeated Tampa Bay, 2-0, 2-1
FINALS: Ft. Lauderdale defeated Boston, 1-0, 0-2, 1-0 (MG)
WSL-ASL III "National" Championship: Ft. Lauderdale defeated San Diego 3-1.
TW = Tie-breaking win. TL = Tie-breaking loss.
Scoring System: 3 points for a regulation win, 2 for a penalty-kick win, 1 for a penalty-kick loss, 0 for a regulation loss.
Leading Scorers: G A Pts
Ricardo Alonso, Ft. Lauder. 10 7 27
Mirko Castillo, Miami 10 1 21
Martin Hill, Tampa Bay 7 6 20
Leonel Suazo, Wash. Dips 7 6 20
Jean Harbor, Wash. Dips 7 5 19
Marcello Bauza, Wash. Dips 9 0 18
Marcelo Carrera, Ft. Lauder. 4 10 18
Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay 4 10 18
Rod Castro, Orlando 8 1 17
Scott Snyder, Wash. Stars 7 3 17
Steve Kinsey, Ft. Lauder. 6 5 17
Elvis Comrie, Albany 7 2 16
Jorge Acosta, New Jersey 7 1 15
Sadri Gjonbalaj, New Jersey 6 3 15
Paul Rutenis, Maryland 6 3 15
Dan Donigan, Boston 4 7 15
Pedro Magallanes, Ft. Lauder.5 4 14
Franklin McIntosh, Orlando 4 6 14
Chico Borja, Albany 1 12 14
Patrick Hughes, Boston 4 5 13
Paul Duffy, Boston 4 4 12
D. Bujak, Maryland 4 3 11
Leading Goalkeepers: (min 800 minutes played)
Min GA PK GAA
Neil Cowley, Wash. Stars 1800 14 7-2 0.70
Dale Gaya, Penn-Jersey 1540 12 5-5 0.71
Greg Kenney, Boston 1530 13 5-3 0.76
Frank Arlasky, Orlando 1170 12 0-2 0.92
Scoop Stanisic, Albany 800 19 1-4 0.95
Winston DuBose, Tampa Bay 1800 25 3-2 1.25
Arnie Mausser, Ft. Lauder. 1800 25 2-1 1.25
ASL All-Stars:
G - Winston DuBose, Tampa Bay Rowdies
D - Neil Cowley, Washington Stars
D - Dehinde Akinlotan, Boston Bolts
D - Richard Alonso, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
D - Eric Hawkes, Maryland Bays
D - Ronald Simmons, Washington Diplomats
D - Steve Trittschuh, Tampa Bay Rowdies
M - Osvaldo Ardiles, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
M - John Harkes, Albany Capitals
M - Willington Ortiz, Miami Sharks
M - Paul Riley, New Jersey Eagles
M - Tab Ramos, Miami Sharks
F - Chico Borja, Albany Capitals
F - Michael Brady, Washington Diplomats
F - John Kerr, Jr., Washington Stars
F - Steve Kinsey, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
F - Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay Rowdies
Western Soccer League (Div. 2)
The WSL adopted a new name this year, exchanging “Alliance” for “League”, and adding teams in Sacramento, Arizona and Santa Barbara. Meanwhile, San Jose moved to San Francisco Bay to become the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks would go on to become one of the most successful soccer teams of the early 1990’s, pre-MLS era. The WSL was even more successful at retaining National team players as well as other youngsters who would earn caps throughout the 1990s. These included Chris Henderson with Seattle, John Doyle, Marcelo Balboa with San Diego, Dominic Kinnear with San Francisco Bay, Kasey Keller with Seattle, Cle Kooiman with California, among others. The league was in a strong position when it reached a merger agreement with the American Soccer League (see details above). This gave promise to the new unified league, and made it an early favorite to be declared the new Division 1 US league, required as a condition for the US getting World Cup 1994.
With the new teams, the league split into North and South divisions, and expanded to a 16 game schedule. The biggest turnaround of the season was achieved by F. C. Portland, going from a 1-11 last place finish to a tie with the Blackhawks for the top spot in the north. San Francisco won on the basis of more points; the scoring system favored high scoring teams due to bonus points. Los Angeles improved to 10-6, on the strength of a vastly improved defense. Although they scored more goals, San Diego scored then when needed to win, and beat out the heat for the South title with 12 wins to 10. The scoring system, as complex as it was, still favored winning more than scoring.
The playoffs were simple; Only four teams qualifying. There were no surprises. Division champs San Francisco and San Diego prevailed in the semifinals, leading to a titanic battle of attrition, which was finally won by the Nomads, who shut out San Francisco 1-0 in a grueling defensive match. This may have taken too much out of the team as the Nomads fell convincingly in the ASL/WSL “National Championship”, and it wasn’t close; a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.
And so ended the history of the Western Soccer League. The league, starting just a month after the folding of the USL, was briefly the only outdoor professional league anywhere in the country. Now, after steady, successful growth, it would merge with the ASL, and be a major component of the largest and most powerful soccer league in the US since the fall of the north American Soccer League.
Final WSA League Standings, 1989
Before the season, Sacramento, Arizona, and Santa Barbara were added. San Jose
moved to San Francisco Bay. Portland changed their nickname to the Timbers.
Pd W L GF GA Pts
North Division
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks 16 11 5 37 26 98
Portland Timbers 16 11 5 32 25 92
Seattle Storm 16 10 6 32 23 87
Sacramento Senators 16 3 13 20 43 40
South Division
San Diego Nomads 16 12 4 30 18 99
Los Angeles Heat 16 10 6 35 19 81
Real Santa Barbara 16 5 11 20 35 51
Arizona Condors 16 5 11 25 39 50
California Kickers 16 5 11 17 30 42
Semifinals: San Francisco Bay defeated Los Angeles 2-1(PK)
San Diego defeated Portland 2-1
FINAL: San Diego defeated San Francisco Bay 1-0
WSL-ASL II "National" Championship: Ft. Lauderdale defeated San Diego 3-1.
After the season, Sacramento folded.
Leading Scorers: G A Pts
Jerome Watson, San Diego 10 7 27
Steve Corpening, S. F. Bay 11 2 24
Mark Kerlin, Arizona 9 4 22
Wes Wade, Arizona 10 1 21
Chance Fry, Seattle 8 4 20
Jeff Hooker, Los Angeles 7 5 19
Scott Benedetti, Portland 8 1 17
Steve Boardman, San Diego 7 3 17
Rob Baarts, Portland 7 2 16
Robert Lang, Portland 7 0 14
Eddie Henderson, Seattle 5 4 14
David Palic, S. F. Bay 6 1 13
Thien Nguyen, San Diego 3 7 13
Brent Goulet, Seattle 6 0 12
Steve Petuskey, Sacramento 5 2 12
Dominic Kinnear, S. F. Bay 4 4 12
Chris John, Santa Barbara 5 1 11
Billy Thompson, Los Angeles 5 1 11
Leading Goalkeepers: (Min. 900 minutes played)
Min GA SV SO GAA
Kasey Keller, Portland 938 4 47 8 0.38
Anton. Nistl, San Diego 1430 16 61 6 1.00
Jeff Koch, Seattle 1320 16 40 3 1.09
Mark Dougherty, S. F. Bay 1139 17 56 3 1.35
Tim Harris, California 1490 27 82 3 1.63
Most Valuable Player: Kasey Keller, F. C. Portland
WSL 1st All-Star team:
G - Kasey Keller, F. C. Portland
D - John Doyle, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
D - Marcelo Balboa, San Diego Nomads
D - Mike Lapper, Los Angeles Heat
D - Cle Kooiman, California Kickers
M - Dominic Kinnear, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
M - John Bain, F. C. Portland
M - Chris Henderson, Seattle Storm
F - Scott Benedetti, F. C. Portland
F - Jeff Hooker, Los Angeles Heat
F - Mark Kerlin, Arizona Condors
Southwest Independent Soccer League (Div. 3)
The SISL expanded in several ways this year. After their success in the indoor season, the SISL added an outdoor season, which was received with great enthusiasm. To reflect their new endeavors, the league was renamed the Southwest Independent Soccer League. It was at this point that Commissioner Marcos began to expound on his philosophy of creating a grass-roots professional, regionalized league, to develop the sport from the ground up. He saw the SISL as working as a farm system for the existing upper-division professional leagues. With the success of the soon-to-be-formed APSL, the SISL was well positioned to perform such a role.
The Outdoor Season
Eight teams took to the fields for the SISL’s inaugural outdoor season, and it was a big success by all accounts. The Tulsa Roughnecks and Colorado Comets joined the circuit. Colorado, let by coach Ed Eid, made an immediate impact, taking the regular season crown with a dominating scoring punch, although Tulsa gave them a good run for the money. This was definitely the league where expansion franchises could have quick success, and this trend continued for several years. The veterans looked on in frustration as they made the adjustment from the rink to the pitch.
Addison made the adjustment by the time of the playoffs, as they knocked off Tulsa in a close three-game series. But the Comets were unstoppable, as Colorado defeated the Arrows for the first outdoor league title.
Final 1988-89 SISL Outdoor League Standings:
Before the season, Colorado, and Tulsa were added.
GP W L GF GA PTS
Colorado Comets 12 11 1 49 12 98
Tulsa Renegades 12 10 2 36 13 90
Addison Arrows 12 8 4 23 16 68
Austin Sockadillos 12 6 6 32 30 57
Albuquerque Gunners 12 5 7 31 35 52
San Antonio Heat 12 3 8 18 35 33
Lubbock Lazers 12 2 9 15 43 27
Oklahoma City Warriors 12 2 10 9 36 21
Semifinals: Addison defeated Tulsa 1-1 (PK), 1-4, 0-0 (PK)
CHAMPIONSHIP: Colorado defeated Addison 3-1.
Most Valuable Player: Kelvin Norman, Colorado Comets
Top Goal Scorer: Don Gallegos, Colorado Comets (13 goals)
Top Point scorer: Don Gallegos, Colorado Comets (31 points)
Assist Leader: Chino Melendez, Colorado Comets & Steve Hayes, Tulsa Roughnecks (8 assists each)
Top Goalkeeper: Craig Lemmering, Colorado Comets
Coach of the Year: Ed Eid, Colorado Comets
The Indoor Season
Three teams were added for the third indoor season, Houston, San Antonio and Wichita. The league divided into three divisions, and veteran teams had the immediate advantage, with Addison, Austin and Lubbock taking the three division titles. Albuquerque surpassed the rest of the circuit by far in scoring with 213 total goals, but came up just short in the West divisional race. They suffered further indignity as they were knocked out of the playoffs by their rival Lubbock in the first round. Austin cruised to the finals easily, while Lubbock and Addison, engaged in a long battle of divisional champs, with Lubbock finally prevailing in a see-saw five game series. The Championship also went the full five games, with Lubbock finally putting Austin away after the full five games and a deciding mini-game. It all came down to a single goal, but that was enough.
Final 1989 SISL Indoor Standings:
Before the season, Houston, San Antonio, and Wichita were added.
GP W L GF GA PTS
North Division
Addison Arrows 24 15 9 137 124 61
Oklahoma City Warriors 24 15 9 132 99 61
Wichita Tornado 24 6 18 99 155 22
South Division
Austin Sockadillos 24 19 5 167 98 76
Houston Express 24 11 13 144 156 44
San Antonio Heat 24 6 18 116 166 24
West Division
Lubbock Lazers 24 17 7 157 113 67
Albuquerque Gunners 24 16 8 213 120 65
Amarillo Challengers 24 3 21 106 231 12
First Round: Lubbock defeated Albuquerque 3-2, 5-4
Addison defeated Oklahoma City 3-9, 6-5, 6-3
Houston defeated San Antonio, 11-12, 5-4, 3-1
Semifinals: Lubbock defeated Addision 4-6, 8-6, 10-8, 4-10, 8-5
Austin defeated Houston 7-6(OT), 11-7, 12-9
CHAMPIONSHIP: Lubbock defeated Austin, 5-4, 6-4, 5-6 (SO), 4-7, 2-1 (Mini-game)
After the season, Wichita folded.
Most Valuable Player: Brian Monaghan, Austin Sockadillos
Top Goal Scorer: Brian Monaghan, Austin Socadillos (71 goals)
Assist Leader: Uwe Balzis, Austin Sockadillos (28 assists)
Top Goalkeeper: David Swissler, Lubbock Lazers
Rookie of the Year: Todd Hoodenpyle, Lubbock Lazers
Coach of the Year: Tony Simoes, Austin Sockadillos
Lone Star Soccer Alliance
The LSSA added a new franchise, Wichita Falls, but otherwise, much remained the same. Dallas acquired a new name, but again finished undefeated. Austin did well, San Antonio did poorly, and Wichita Falls finished somewhere in between. But the Dallas juggernaut came to a swift end in the final, as they fell to Austin 3-2.
Final 1989 LSSA League Standings
Before the season, Wichita Falls was added, and Dallas changed their name to F. C. Dallas
G W L GF GA PTS
F. C. Dallas 10 10 0 34 5 20
Austin Thunder 10 6 4 15 11 12
Houston Dynamos 10 6 4 22 14 12
Wichita Fallas Fever 10 4 6 17 22 8
Houston Alianza 10 4 6 16 23 8
San Antonio International 10 0 10 6 26 0
Playoffs: Austin defeated Houston 3-2
F. C. Dallas defeated Wichita Falls 2-1
CHAMPIONSHIP: Austin defeated F. C. Dallas 3-2
Canadian Soccer League
The CSL continued to provide Canada with top quality soccer, but financial difficulties remained off the field. Not enough, however, to disrupt the fields of play. Toronto and Hamilton battled throughout the season, with Toronto finally turning the tables and taking the divisional title. In the West, Vancouver was simply unstoppable as they won twice as many games as their closest competitor, the resurgent Edmonton Brickmen who made the long climb from last place. The playoffs were a cakewalk for both divisional winners, and Hamilton repeated as league champion. Only the victim was different, and Vancouver vowed to get revenge the next year.
Final 1989 CSL League standings
Before the season, Victoria was added.
G W T L GF GA PTS
Eastern Division
Toronto Blizzard 26 16 6 4 48 27 38
Hamilton Steelers 26 15 7 4 56 28 37
North York Rockets 26 12 9 5 35 23 33
Ottawa Intrepid 26 7 8 11 41 46 22
Montreal Supra 26 3 9 14 26 46 15
Western Division
Vancouver 86ers 26 18 6 2 65 33 42
Edmonton Brickmen 26 9 3 14 44 55 21
Calgary Strikers 26 8 3 15 36 56 19
Winnipeg Fury 26 6 7 13 35 51 19
Victoria Vistas 26 4 6 16 32 53 14
Quarterfinals: Edmonton 3 at Calgary 1
Calgary 0 at Edmonton 0
Hamilton 1 at North York 1
North York 0 at Hamilton 1
Semifinals: Vancouver 5 at Edmonton 3
Edmonton 0 at Vancouver 4
Toronto 1 at Hamilton 1
Hamilton 2 at Toronto 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: Hamilton 2 at Vancouver 3
After the season, Calgary folded.
Leading Goalscorers:
Ted Eck, Ottawa 21
Justin Fashanu, Edmonton 17
Amadeo Gasparini, Hamilton 15
Vladen Tomic, North York 14
Billy Domazetis, Hamilton 13
Andy Smith, Calgary 11
All-Star Team:
Pat Harrington, Toronto
Steve MacDonald, Vancouver
Drew Ferguson, Hamilton
Trevor McCallum, Toronto
Peter Sarantopoulos, North York
Paul James, Ottawa
Carl Valentine, Vancouver
Vladan Tomic, North York
Amadeo Gasparini, Hamilton
Ted Eck, Ottawa
Justin Fashanu, Edmonton
Major Indoor Soccer League
A greatly weakened MISL started the season with a mere seven teams, one of them a new version of the Tacoma Stars. The salary war with the AISA was taking its toll, and finances would remain precarious for the rest of the league’s existence. Nevertheless, they forged ahead. The MISL arranged a tour by Locomotiv Moscow, which was highly successful. In another positive move, Dallas’s Doc Lawson, and Los Angeles’s Jim Gabarra and A. J. Lachowecki were named to the US Five-a-Side Team in December. In a major rule change, the red lines were moved back 20 feet to widen the neutral zone to 100 feet.
The regular season saw continuing strong performances by some perennial contenders, and one major comeback. Baltimore was the big success story of the season, winning the regular season title, with San Diego (again featuring Steve Zungul) coming a close second. Parity was the word of the day — all seven teams finished within seven games of each other for the season. Offensive and defensive performances were even closer; close scores and tiebreakers were the order of the day. In the playoffs, there were no upsets, as San Diego and Baltimore cruised to the finals in a series that started tight, become ever more freewheeling, finally ending in a 6-5 7th game, with San finally prevailing with another league championship under their belt.
After the season, the league awarded new franchises to St. Louis and Cleveland, bringing two indoor hotbeds back to the league. Bill Kenting stepped down as Commissioner, leading to the return of league founder Earl Foreman. Foreman immediately began making moves to position the MISL as the possible Division 1 league required as part of the World Cup 1994 agreement. The ground was set for a major struggle between rival factions to win this coveted designation. Sadly, a long-time franchise, the Los Angeles Lazers folded, no longer able to sustain its heavy losses.
1988-89 MISL Final League Standings
A new team was added in Tacoma.
G W L GF GA % GB
Baltimore Blast 48 29 19 215 208 .604 --
San Diego Sockers 48 27 21 218 168 .563 2
Dallas Sidekicks 48 24 24 185 206 .500 5
Tacoma Stars 48 23 25 208 207 .479 6
Wichita Wings 48 23 25 213 208 .479 6
Los Angeles Lazers 48 21 27 218 222 .438 8
Kansas City Comets 48 21 27 194 233 .438 8
Wild Card Series: Wichita defeated Tacoma, 4-1, 7-4, 4-5, 6-2
Semifinals: San Diego defeated Dallas, 7-4, 4-5, 5-4(OT), 3-7,
1-4, 7-2, 1-0
Baltimore defeated Wichita, 5-4(OT), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6,
5-7, 11-1
CHAMPIONSHIP: San Diego defeated Baltimore, 3-4(OT), 5-4(OT), 5-2,
4-3, 3-6, 0-7, 6-5.
After the end of the season, Los Angeles folded.
All-Star Game: All-Stars defeated Dallas Sidekicks 8-1.
(at Dallas. Att: 10,435. MVP: Preki)
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Preki, Tacoma 48 51 53 104
Chico Borja, Wichita 45 34 53 87
Dale Mitchell, Kansas City 47 46 36 82
Erik Rasmussen, Wichita 48 42 36 78
Hector Marinaro, Los Angeles 44 47 28 75
Gary Heale, Los Angeles 48 37 29 66
Tatu, Dallas 43 35 29 64
Branko Segota, San Diego 31 29 34 63
Peter Ward, Tacoma 47 41 19 60
Carl Valentine, Baltimore 48 31 26 57
David Byrne, Baltimore 46 27 29 56
Jan Goossens, Kansas City 37 31 24 55
Godfrey Ingram, Tacoma 46 34 20 54
Domenic Mobilio, Baltimore 44 36 17 53
Michael Collins, Los Angeles 47 25 28 53
Zoran Karic, San Diego 38 37 16 53
Mark Karpun, Dallas 48 35 15 50
LEADING GOALKEEPERS (Min. 1056 minutes to qualify)
GP Min. Sho Svs GA W-L GAA
Victor Nogueira, San Diego 33 1996 826 400 95 19-13 2.86
P. J. Johns, Tacoma 31 1946 1035 471 114 18-13 3.51
Scott Manning, Baltimore 29 1596 712 345 102 17-9 3.83
Joe Papaleo, Dallas 24 1463 748 337 94 13-11 3.86
Cris Vaccaro, Wichita 40 2298 950 416 154 22-14 4.02
Krys Sobieski, Dallas 23 1416 575 231 98 11-12 4.16
Slobo Ilijevski, Baltimore 23 1232 565 260 89 12-9 4.34
Kris Peat, Los Angeles 24 1273 649 316 94 14-8 4.43
Mike Dowler, Tacoma 17 1068 440 158 82 5-12 4.60
Most Valuable Player: Preki, Tacoma Stars
Coach of the Year: Kenny Cooper, Baltimore Blast
MISL Scoring Champion: Preki, Tacoma Stars
MISL Pass Master (most Assists): Chico Borja, Wichita wings, Preki, Tacoma Stars
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego Sockers
Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego Sockers
Rookie of the Year: Rusty Troy, Baltimore Blast
Newcomer of the Year: Domenic Mobilio, Baltimore Blast
Championship Series Player of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego Sockers
Championship Series Unsung Hero: Paul Dougherty, San Diego Sockers
All-MISL team:
G - Scott Manning, Baltimore Blast
D - Wes Mcleod, Dallas Sidekicks
D - Bruce Savage, Baltimore Blast
M - Preki, Tacoma Stars
F - Jan Goossens, Kansas City Comets
F - Tatu, Dallas Sidekicks
Tour by Locomotiv Moscow, January 30, 1989 - February 13, 1989
Results: 0 wins, 6 losses.
1/30/89 Locomotiv Moscow 4, Baltimore Blast 8
2/1/89 Locomotiv Moscow 3, Wichita Wings 4
2/2/89 Locomotiv Moscow 3, Tacoma Stars 7
2/6/89 Locomotiv Moscow 5, Kansas City Comets 10 (at Cincinnati)
2/8/89 Locomotiv Moscow 1, Kansas City Comets 7
2/13/89 Locomotiv Moscow 2, Dallas Sidekicks 6
American Indoor Soccer Association
The AISA rebounded somewhat from last season, despite being in the midst of a major salary war with the MISL. The most positive result in the AISA was an increase in attendance which took a major hike this season. On the strength of two new franchises, the Chicago Power and Hershey Impact, attendance shot up to 522,500, or 3,460 per game, a per-game increase of almost 40%. The return to a full fledged regular season brought more coherence to the schedule as well. The league began counting 1-point goals, 2-point goals and 3-point goals separately in the game stats, leading to some interesting results in the leading scorers category.
The biggest catch for the league was perennial scoring power Karl-Heinz Granitza, who had distinguished himself both in the NASL and MISL. He promptly grabbed the scoring title for the season. Canton remained the class of the league, again winning the regular season as well as the playoff series. But the Chicago Power performed surprisingly well for an expansion club, with a third place finish only three games behind Canton. The other big surprise was Milwaukee, the perennial doormat, who surged to second place. Buoyed by their success, the league announces an expansion franchise for Atlanta for the following season. In another milestone, the AISA sends its first player to the National team, Jimmy Banks.
1988-89 AISA Final league Standings
Before the season, Chicago and Hershey were added.
G W L % GB GF GA
Canton Invaders 40 25 15 .625 -- 454 368
Milwaukee Wave 40 24 16 .600 1 367 355
Chicago Power 40 22 18 .550 3 375 380
Hershey Impact 40 21 19 .525 4 360 335
Fort Wayne Flames 40 20 20 .500 5 337 299
Dayton Dynamo 40 14 26 .350 11 328 350
Memphis Storm 40 14 26 .350 11 303 387
Semifinals: Canton defeated Hershey 14-8, 5-0
Chicago defeated Milwaukee 16-12, 10-14, 20-4
FINALS: Canton defeated Chicago 16-8, 6-8, 16-7, 6-22, 15-9
All-Star Game: None.
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Karl-Heintz Granitza, Chicago 38 61 25 137
Rod Castro, Memphis 39 55 19 111
Rudy Pikuzinski, Canton 32 49 21 109
Art Kramer, Milwaukee 40 38 20 94
Franklin McIntosh, Hershey 34 36 26 92
Batata, Chicago 33 30 35 86
Marcelo Carrera, Canton 31 29 27 80
Zoran Savic, Milwaukee 36 31 21 79
Ricardo Alonso, Memphis/Ft.Worth 37 29 23 79
Steve Frick, Canton 31 29 18 75
LEADING GOALKEEPERS (Min. 400 minutes to qualify)
GP Min. Sho Svs PA W-L PAA
Otto Orf, Ft. Worth 25 1069 597 295 114 10-8 6.39
Arnie Mausser, Dayton 9 431 224 112 57 3-4 7.93
Scott Molfenter, Dayton 14 506 268 132 67 3-5 7.94
Warren Lipka, Ft. Worth 24 1216 634 285 164 10-10 8.01
Tony Pierce, Milwaukee 32 1756 964 442 235 17-13 8.03
Most Valuable Player: Rudy Pikuzinski, Canton Invaders
Coach of the Year: John Dolinsky, Milwaukee Wave
Defender of the Year: Tim Tyma, Milwaukee Wave
Goalkeeper of the Year: Jamie Swanner, Canton Invaders
Rookie of the Year: Carlos Pena, Dayton Dynamo
All-AISA team:
G - Jamie Swanner, Canton Invaders
D - Tim Tyma, Milwaukee Wave
D - Bret Hall, Chicago Power
M - Charley Greene, Hershey Impact
F - Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago Power
F - Rudy Pikuzinzki, Canton Invaders
The US Men’s National Team
The year 1989 began on the heels of a momentous announcement, and ended with one of the most important games ever played by the USA Nats. The announcement came on July 4, 1988 when the United States won the right to stage the 1994 World Cup. This provided an unprecedented opportunity for the USSF to promote soccer in the country and they immediately set out to ensure a successful run to World Cup 1990. A system of grants was established to pay players a regular salary, freeing them from club commitments and allow more extensive training schedules. For now, these grants merely bound the players to the teams for their off-seasons; most remained with various MISL, AISA, WSA, WSL and college teams. In the 1990’s, however, many players would join the National Team full-time until the advent of Major League Soccer in 1996.
The team had cleared their first hurdle in 1988, cruising through the first round of CONCACAF qualifying. They were now in pool play with five other teams, with the top two teams qualifying for the Cup. As a welcome boost for US prospects, Mexico had been disqualified by FIFA for using overage players in a youth championship. They began the series with two games against Costa Rica, losing 0-1 in San jose and winning 1-0 in Fenton, MO. This was followed by a 1-1 draw against Trinidad than the US should have won, if not for surrendering a late-game goal. Not deterred, they tuned up with a 3-0 friendly victory over Peru in June before a 2-1 win over Guatemala got them back on track. They followed this with friendlies against Colombia and South Korea, both losses.
In the fall, things got serious. The 1989 CONCACAF Nations Cup served as the final World Cup qualifying round. After a 2-1 victory over El Salvador, the US suffered two straight scoreless draws, against Guatemala and El Salvador. This left the United states needing a win in their final game against Trinidad in order to advance. This was not an easy task, given the game would be held before hostile crowds at Port of Spain. The final game was a close, hard fought game going scoreless for 30 minutes. But then, the stunned Trinidad audience witnessed the second “shot heard around the world” as Paul Caligiuri fired a long-range rocket into the net, giving the US the game and their first spot at the World Cup since 1950.
The term “shot heard around the world” may be inaccurate. In fact, this goal had much more significance in US history than the Joe Gaetjens’s shot in the 1950 World Cup against England. To the rest of the world, a victory in a qualifier against two relatively weak teams was nothing special, compared to the stunning upset of England forty years previous. But for the US, the goal marked the beginning of the resurgence of the US team in the last decade of the 20th century. Had the US failed to qualify, they would have been in a significantly weaker position when World Cup 1994 arrived in American soil. But here they showed the world that the Americans were doormats no longer.
Once again, the US took part in the U-20 and U-17 World Youth Championships, and once again they failed to advance out of pool play. Success at the lowers levels was still several years away.
USA Men's National Team results (+ = not full internationals)
1989 Totals: 6W, 3D, 3L
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Nov 19 89 W 1-0 Trinidad Port of Spain, Trin.(WCQ'90)
Caligiuri
Nov 14 89 W 2-1 Bermuda Cocoa Beach, FL, USA
Eichmann, Doyle
Nov 05 89 D 0-0 El Salvador St. Louis, MO, USA (WCQ)
Oct 08 89 D 0-0 Guatemala Guatemala City, Guat.(WCQ'90)
Sep 17 89 W 1-0 El Salvador Tegucigalpa, Honduras (WCQ'90)
Perez
Aug 13 89 L 1-2 South Korea Los Angeles, CA, USA
Harkes
Jun 24 89 L 0-1 Colombia Miami, FL, USA
Jun 17 89 W 2-1 Guatemala New Britain, CT, USA(WCQ'90)
Murray, Eichmann
Jun 04 89 W 3-0 Peru East Rutherford, NJ, USA
Murray, Ramos, Bliss
May 13 89 D 1-1 Trinidad Torrance, CA, USA(WCQ'90)
Trittschuh
Apr 30 89 W 1-0 Costa Rica St. Louis, MO, USA(WCQ'90)
Ramos
Apr 16 89 L 0-1 Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica(WCQ'90)
The US Women’s National Team
The Women’s Team was virtually inactive this year, only regrouping for a single game in June, a scoreless draw against Poland in Italy.
USA Women's National Team Results
1989 results: 0W, 1D, 0L
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Jun 21 89 D 0-0 Poland Sardinia, Italy
U. S. open Cup
In the quarterfinals, St. Petersburg Kickers defeated FC Dallas 1-0, Chicago Eagles defeated St. Louis Michelob 1-0, New York Greek-American/Atlas defeated Washington Uprising 2-1 and Los Angeles Exiles defeated Fresno Oro 4-3. In the semifinals, St. Petersburg Kickers defeated Chicago Eagles on penalties after a 1-1 draw and New York Greek-American/Atlas defeated Los Angeles Exiles 2-1. In the final, played July 8 at St. Louis Soccer Park in Fenton, MO, the St. Petersburg Kickers defeated the New York Greek-American/Atlas (of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League) 2-1.
The College Game
The NCAA expanded the Men’s Division 1 tournament from 24 to 28 teams this year. In an unusual occurrence, UNC-Greensboro (Div. 2) and Greensboro College (Div. 3) both played in their respective divisional tournaments, both making it to the finals.
In the NCAA Division 1 tournament, third round action saw Rutgers defeat Vermont 2-1 in overtime. Virginia defeated South Carolina 1-0 in overtime, Indiana defeated Howard 1-0, and Santa Clara defeated UCLA 2-0. In the semifinals, Virginia defeated Rutgers 3-0 and Santa Clara defeated Indiana 1-0. The championship was held in East Rutherford, NJ on December 3, where Virginia and Santa Clara battled to a 1-1 draw which was called after 4 overtimes, and co-champions were declared.
In the NCAA Division 2 tournament, second round action saw New Hampshire College defeat Mercy 3-2. Cal State Hayward defeated Cal State Northridge 4-1, UNC-Greensboro defeated Tampa 2-1, and Gannon defeated East Stroudsberg 1-0. In the semifinals, New Hampshire College defeated Cal State Hayward 2-0 and UNC-Greensboro defeated Gannon 4-2. the championship was held in Greensboro, NC on December 3, where New Hampshire College defeated UNC-Greensboro 3-1 for the national title.
In the NCAA Division 3 tournament, third round action saw Rochester Inst. of Tech. defeat Plymouth State 2-0. Greensboro College defeated defeated Mary Washington 2-0, Elizabethtown defeated Ohio Weslayen 1-0 on penalty kicks, and UC San Diego defeated St. John’s (MN) 2-1 in overtime. In the semifinals, Greensboro defeated Rochester Inst. of Tech. 2-0 and Elizabethtown defeated UC San Diego 1-0. The championship was held in Elizabethtown, PA on November 18, where Elizabethtown defeated Greensboro 2-0 for the national championship.
In the NCAA Women’s Division 1 tournament, second round action saw North carolina defeat Hartford 9-0. North Carolina State defeated William & Mary 2-1, Santa Clara defeated UC Santa Barbara 2-0, and Colorado College defeated Massachusetts 5-2. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated North Carolina State 2-0 and Colorado College defeated Santa Clara 2-0. The championship was held in Raleigh, NC on November 19, where North Carolina defeated Colorado College for the national title.
In the NCAA Women’s Division 2 tournament, semifinal action saw Keene State defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills 1-0 and Barry defeated Adelphi 4-0. The championship was held in Miami Shores, FL on November 12, where Barry defeated Keene State 4-0 for the national title.
In the NCAA Women’s Division 3 tournament, second round action saw UC San Diego defeat St. Thomas (MN) 2-1 on penalty kicks. Plymouth State defeated William Smith 1-0 on penalty kicks, Methodist defeated Mary washington 3-0, and Ithaca defeated Rochester 2-1 on penalty kicks. In the semifinals, UC San Diego defeated Plymouth State 1-0 on penalty kicks, and Ithaca defeated Methodist 2-0. The championship was held in San Diego, CA on November 12, where UC San Diego defeated Ithaca 3-2 in overtime to take the national title.
NAIA Championship: (Men) West Virginia Weslayen defeated Boca Raton 1-0.
NAIA Championship: (Women) Pacific Lutheran defeated Berry 2-1 (OT).
NJCAA Men’s Championship: Florissant Valley Community College 2, Essex Comm. Coll. 0
NJCAA Women’s Championship: Monroe Community College 1, Florissant Valley 0
NCCAA Division 1 Championship: The Master’s College 1, Judson 0
NCCAA Division 2 Championship: Philadelphia College of Bible 5, Pillsbury Baptist Bible 2
Coaches' Final Division 1 Poll - Men: 1. Santa Clara 2. Virginia 3. Indiana 4. Wake Forest 5. Rutgers 6. Fresno State 7. Evansville 8. South Carolina 9. Southern Methodist 10. UCLA Coaches' Final Division 1 Poll - Women: 1. North Carolina 2. Colorado College 3. William & Mary 4. Santa Clara 5. Connecticut 6. North Carolina State 7. Virginia 8. UC Santa Barbara 9. Massachusetts 10. Hartford College All-Americans - Men: G - Tony Meola, Virginia D - Kevin Grimes, Southern Methodist D - Cameron Rust, Santa Clara D - Kevin Wylie, Vermont M - David Banks, Philadelphia Textile M - Tim Martin, Fresno State M - Patrick O'Kelly, Seton Hall F - Clark Brisson, South Carolina F - Peter Isaacs, Harvard F - Robert Paterson, Evansville F - Ken Snow, Indiana College All-Americans - Women: M - Joy Biefield (Fawcett), California M - Diane Hedin, George Mason M - Shannon Higgins, North Carolina M - April Kater, Massachusetts M - Robin Lotze, William & Mary M - Mary Claire Robinson, Colorado College F - Laura Anton, George Mason F - Charmaine Hooper, North Carolina State F - Kristine Lilly, North Carolina F - Terry Tashiro, Colorado College F - Gino Vasallo, Boston College
Hermann Trophy: Tony Meola, Virginia
Missouri Athletic Club Trophy: Tony Meola, Virginia
NSCAA Division 1 Coach of the Year: Steve Sampson, Santa Clara
ISAA Player of the Year: Robert Paterson, Evansville
ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year: Anton Nistl, UCLA
Other Action
1989 National Amateur Cup Final: Chicago AAC Eagles defeated Philadelphia Inter 2-0.
James P. McGuire Cup (U-19 Men): La Jolla (CA) Nomads
J. Ross Stewart Cup: (U-19 Women Livonia (Mich.) Hawks
D.J. Niotis Cup (U-16 Boys): Busch Soccer Club (St. Louis)
Patricia Masotto Cup (U-16 Girls): Fairfax (VA) Police Youth Express
U-20 World Youth Cup: The United States tied Mail 1-1, beat East Germany 2-0, and lost to Brazil 3-1. In the quarterfinals, the USA defeated Iraq 2-1, but lost to Nigeria in the semifinals. USA finished 4th. Good enough for second place in the pool, but not enough to advance. Portugal defeated Nigeria 2-0 in the final.
U-16 World Youth Cup: The USA beat Brazil 1-0, lost to East Germany 5-2 and tied Australia 2-2. The US finished 3rd and did not advance. Saudi Arabia defeated Scotland 2-2 (5-4 PK) in the final.
CONCACAF Nations Cup: The final round of qualifying constituted the CONCACAF Nations Cup. (See details in National team section above.) Costa Rica and the United States finished first and second, both thereby qualifying for the 1990 World Cup.
CONCACAF Champions Cup: It is not known if any USA teams participated. U.N.A.M. (Mexico) defeated Pinar del Río (Cuba) 4-2 in the final.
CONCACAF U-17 Championship: The United States lost to Cuba in the final.
FIFA Futsal World Championship: The USA won bronze medal at the the inaugural world Futsal championship, beating Belgium 3-2 (OT) in the third place game. The team went 5-1 in the earlier games, including a 3-1 victory Spain, a 4-1 win over Italy, and a 3-1 win over Argentina.
National Soccer Hall of Fame: In 1989, Walter Dick, George Donnelly, Bob Gormley, Werner Roth, Willy Roy, and Jerry Yeagley were inaugurated into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Joseph Bean, and Larry Starner were inducted into the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association Hall of Fame.
USSF Male Player of the Year: Mike Windischmann
USSF Female Player of the Year: April Heinrichs