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North American Soccer League (Div. 1)
In Phil Woosnam’s six years as Commissioner, he had taken the North American Soccer league from its deathbed to being a healthy, 15-team league. Given the great success of the West Coast expansion of 1974, the time seemed right for taking a step back and solidifying the advances the NASL had made in the last few years. Woosnam’s greatest asset-and his greatest defect-was a vision that far outreached the league’s tenuous grasp. The Welshman wanted his circuit to be “major league,” and major league, in his mind, meant numbers.
Even with weak franchises in Baltimore, Toronto, and Denver, and notwithstanding some bad signs coming from the once-proud Philadelphia franchise, Woosnam added five franchises for 1975: Tampa Bay Rowdies, Chicago Sting, San Antonio Thunder, Hartford Bicentennials, and Portland Timbers. To Woosnam’s credit, this expansion was relatively well-thought out, particularly in comparison to later years; Chicago and San Antonio, with their large ethnic populations, seemed like ideal locations, and the Hartford market had been contributing to the success of not one, but three American Soccer League franchises in recent years. Toronto, for its part, solidified its dodgy situation by merging with Canadian National Soccer League power Toronto Croatia; Toronto would not only field a mostly Yugoslavian side, but would also have the unwieldy nickname “Metros-Croatia,” in spite of the league’s ban on ethnic nicknames.
Woosnam’s vision did not stop at mere numbers, however. He wanted a marquee player, one who would give the league instant credibility in the professional sports arena. Ideally, this footballer would perform in New York, the American media capital; fortunately, the Cosmos, with Warner Brothers money, could afford to acquire such a player.
So, with this in mind, New York announced in late January that it had acquired the biggest name heard in American soccer to date. Manchester United, the powerful English club, had agreed to sell high-living superstar George Best to the Cosmos for $240,000. Best, best described as the Joe Namath of Soccer, was an outstanding player just entering the prime of his career. Having agreed to a purchase price, all New York had to do was sign the temperamental forward.
Best, for his part, did not expect any problems. Appearing at a press conference in New York with Woosnam to help unveil the NASL’s new red, white and blue ball, Best said, “I haven’t had any disagreements with them. We are very close. As far as I am concerned there will be no problem.” Cosmos general manager Clive Toye was equally optimistic, explaining “there is little to do now, except put all the details in writing.” Said details were never worked out, however, and Best never would appear in a Cosmos uniform. All of this maneuvering overshadowed the NASL’s inaugural indoor soccer tournament. Mirroring the format used by college basketball, four regional tournaments were held, with the four winners meeting in “final four” fashion in San Francisco. San Jose won the tournament with an 8-5 win over the expansion Rowdies.
Although Best had slipped away, some big name stars did join NASL clubs for the 1975 season. Unlike Best, however, most of these stars were big names who were long past their prime. St. Louis acquired former England goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, whose stock had fallen so far that he was now a reservist with his English club. Seattle acquired former Welsh international Mike England, once one of the world’s best defenders. The biggest signing belonged to Boston, who nabbed Portuguese legend Eusebio. Once considered second only to Pelé as a player, knee injuries had robbed “the Black Pearl” of most of his skills. Tampa Bay tried to sign another kind of “star”; basketball player Randy Smith, who had played soccer in college before embarking on an all-star National Basketball Association career, wanted to join the Rowdies. His basketball employer, fearing injury, would not allow him to, however.
Ironically, for all Woosnam’s machinations to make the NASL seem like a “real” league, it was the clubs themselves who contributed most to a sense of identity by looking within to improve themselves for the first time. In the past, when teams needed to fill holes, they would simply sign a foreign player, resulting in much turnover and little fan identification. In 1975, however, teams began to look within the league for help. Boston, needing goalkeeping, acquired perennial backup Shep Messing from New York. Washington tried to add scoring punch by grabbing fading star Randy Horton from the Cosmos, and Hartford acquired Jim Fryatt from Philadelphia. Similarly, coaches and managers began to circulate around the league: former Dallas general manager Joe Echelle went to Denver to try to revive that club’s fortunes, and he promptly tabbed Miami’s John Young as the coach to help with the revival. Aztecs coach Alex Perolli left to helm the new San Antonio team, and was replaced by a college coach, UCLA’s 23-year old Terry Fisher. Some other familiar names returned, as well: former Oakland Clippers coach Ivan Toplak signed on to coach San Jose, and former Atlanta Chiefs star Vic Crowe returned to coach the new Portland side.
The NASL continued to treat the American Soccer League as a feeder league, with Hartford signing Rhode Island goalkeeper Arnie Mausser. Other former ASL stars dotted NASL rosters, as well.
Although the big name signings all made solid contributions to the league-Bonetti, in particular, revived his career with an outstanding showing with the Stars, getting named a first team all-star at the end of the season, as did Mike England-a group of lesser-known newcomers had outstanding years. Philadelphia rookie Chris Bahr led all Americans in scoring with 11 goals, one ahead of Denver’s native forward, Mike Flater. A young British import, Gordon Hill, used his outstanding season with Chicago as a springboard to greater fame in England. Meanwhile, finally given an opportunity to play, Shep Messing blossomed into a bona fide star with Boston, leading all goalkeepers with a 0.93 goals against average. Serving as human targets with their respective clubs were two other young Americans who would dominate the nets in coming years: Hartford’s Mausser and Baltimore’s Alan Mayer. Along with Philadelphia’s Bob Rigby, this quartet showed that the U.S. was capable of producing world-class goalkeepers, even if the development of skilled players was still somewhat lacking. Overall, the quality of NASL soccer was the highest it had been since 1968.
Many of the on-field performances were eclipsed by a major off-field event. Having missed out on George Best, New York decided to throw caution to the wind and resume a three-year old pipe dream-signing the world’s greatest player. Amazingly, on June 3, 1975, Clive Toye announced the most ground-shaking signing in soccer history: Pelé, the Brazilian legend, had agreed to come out of retirement to play for the New York Cosmos. Signing a three-year, $4.7 million dollar deal, Pelé brought instant credibility for the young league around the world.
Attendances, which had been fairly moribund with the exception of the West Coast teams and two of the new clubs, Tampa Bay and Portland, shot through the roof. Philadelphia-at one time the league’s flagship but now dying as a result of owner Tom McCloskey’s greater interest in his Tampa Bay football franchise-drew over 20,000 just to see Pelé in street clothes. In Washington, the Brazilian attracted 35,620 people, a league record. Record crowds followed in Boston (which was dangerously oversold and ended in a riot) and Los Angeles; wherever Pelé played, attendances would spike only to return to more typical levels. Even with the inflated figures, attendance was only up 2% from 1974, at 7,930 per game.
Notably, the crowds came to see Pelé, and not necessarily the Cosmos; his new club was pretty weak, notwithstanding the midseason addition of goalscorer Tommy Ord from Rochester, and they would not make the playoffs. Expansionists Tampa Bay and Portland faced off in the first Soccer Bowl, yet another “event” revealing Woosnam’s obsession with American gridiron football. Attempting to emulate the Super Bowl, the first Soccer Bowl was played before a capacity crowd in San Jose. Tampa Bay became the third consecutive expansion team to grab the NASL crown, blanking the all-British Timbers, 2-0.
The New York Cosmos embarked on the first of what would be a long series of overseas tours designed to showcase the US league to the rest of the world. In ten games, the Cosmos came away with four victories, a draw and five losses. The results were inconsistent; strong performances against Gothenberg (3-1) and Stockholm (1-2) contrasted sharply against feeble performances like Violette, Haiti (1-2 and 0-0). More impressive was their 4-2 victory over Oslo, or even their 1-3 loss against Roma, a perennial Serie ‘A’ powerhouse.
Chris Bahr was named Rookie of the Year before departing for a career kicking field goals in the National Football League; teammate Bobby Smith became the first American to be named a first team NASL all-star. Miami’s Steve David paced all goalscorers, earning the Most Valuable Player award in the process. John Sewell won Coach of the Year honors for his fine job in St. Louis; still fielding a predominantly American side, 1975 would be the franchise’s last hurrah.
Final League Standings, 1975
Before the season, Hartford, Portland, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and San Antonio were added. Toronto changed its name to Metros-Croatia.
G W L GF GA PTS % Att.
Northern Division
Boston Minutemen 22 13 9 41 29 116 .590 4,422
Toronto Metros-Croatia 22 13 9 39 28 114 .590 6,271
New York Cosmos 22 10 12 39 38 91 .454 10,450
Rochester Lancers 22 6 16 29 49 64 .272 5,333
Hartford Bicentennials 22 6 16 27 51 61 .272 3,720
Eastern Division
Tampa Bay Rowdies 22 16 6 46 27 135 .727 10,728
Miami Toros 22 14 8 47 30 123 .636 4,921
Washington Diplomats 22 12 10 42 47 112 .545 8,373
Philadelphia Atoms 22 10 12 33 42 90 .454 6,848
Baltimore Comets 22 9 13 34 52 87 .409 2,641
Central Division
St.Louis Stars 22 13 9 38 34 115 .590 6,071
Chicago Sting 22 12 10 39 33 106 .545 4,330
Denver Dynamos 22 9 13 37 42 85 .409 3,654
Dallas Tornado 22 9 13 33 38 83 .409 4,630
San Antonio Thunder 22 6 16 24 46 59 .272 4,412
Pacific Division
Portland Timbers 22 16 6 43 27 138 .727 14,503
Seattle Sounders 22 15 7 42 28 129 .681 16,826
Los Angeles Aztecs 22 12 10 42 33 107 .545 8,307
Vancouver Whitecaps 22 11 11 38 28 99 .500 7,579
San Jose Earthquakes 22 8 14 37 48 83 .363 17,927
Quarterfinals Miami defeated Boston 2-1 (OT)
St. Louis defeated Los Angeles 1-0 (TB)
Portland defeated Seattle 2-1 (OT)
Tampa Bay defeated Toronto 1-0
Semi-finals: Tampa Bay defeated Miami 3-0
Portland defeated St. Louis 2-1
SOCCER BOWL-75: Tampa Bay defeated Portland 2-0
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Steve David (Miami) 21 23 6 52
Derek Smethurst (Tampa Bay) 22 18 3 39
Gordon Hill (Chicago) 21 16 7 39
Peter Withe (Portland) 22 16 6 38
Uri Banhoffer (Los Angeles) 20 14 9 37
Tommy Ord (Rochester-N.Y.) 21 16 3 35
Ilija Mitic (Dallas-San Jose) 19 15 3 33
Ade Coker (Boston) 15 10 6 26
Patrick Ntsoelengoe (Denver) 21 10 5 25
John Coyne (Toronto) 22 7 11 25
John Hawley (St. Louis) 20 11 2 24
Chris Bahr (Philadelphia) 22 11 2 24
Mike Flater (Denver) 15 10 4 24
Keith Aqui (Baltimore) 20 10 3 23
John Rowlands (Seattle) 21 9 5 23
Glen Johnson (Vancouver) 21 8 7 23
David Proctor (Miami) 15 9 3 21
Stewart Scullion (Tampa Bay) 18 7 7 21
Mick Barry (Washington) 22 6 9 21
Wolfgang Suhnholz (Boston) 21 7 6 20
Geoff Davies (Boston) 17 6 8 20
Paul Crossley (Seattle) 20 4 12 20
Alvin Henderson (Baltimore) 19 9 1 19
Gary Darrell (Washington) 22 9 1 19
Gerry Ingram (Washington) 22 7 5 19
Ivan Lukacevic (Toronto) 10 8 2 18
Randy Horton (Washington) 19 7 4 18
John McLaughlin (Philadelphia) 22 7 4 18
John Sissons (Tampa Bay) 19 5 8 18
Leading Goalkeepers (1260 mins. needed to qualify)
Min Svs GA SO GAA
Shep Messing (Boston) 1639 140 17 6 0.93
Barry Watling (Seattle) 2032 140 26 6 1.15
Graham Brown (Portland) 1948 144 26 5 1.20
Zeljko Bilecki (Toronto) 1949 123 27 8 1.25
Greg Weber (Vancouver) 1273 95 19 5 1.34
Mervyn Cawston (Chicago) 1586 94 24 4 1.36
Peter Bonetti (St. Louis) 1829 189 28 5 1.38
Sam Nusum (New York) 1554 131 25 3 1.45
Ken Cooper (Dallas) 1856 130 32 4 1.55
Bob Rigby (Philadelphia) 1802 144 32 4 1.60
Mike Ivanow (San Jose) 1905 193 41 1 1.94
Ardo Perri (Rochester) 1631 155 37 2 2.04
Alan Mayer (Baltimore) 1646 132 38 3 2.08
Arnie Mausser (Hartford) 2011 223 50 2 2.24
Most Valuable Player: Steve David, Miami Toros
Coach of the Year: John Sewell, St. Louis Stars
Rookie of the Year: Chris Bahr, Philadelphia Atoms
NASL 1st All-Star team:
G Peter Bonetti St. Louis Stars
D Bob Smith Philadelphia Atoms
D Mike England Seattle Sounders
D Werner Roth New York Cosmos
D Farrukh Quraishi Tampa Bay Rowdies
M Arfon Griffiths Seattle Sounders
M Ronnie Sharp Miami Toros
M Antonio Simoes Boston Minutemen
F Steve David Miami Toros
F Pele New York Cosmos
F Gordon Hill Chicago Sting
1975 NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE INDOOR TOURNAMENT
(San Jose, California)
W L GF GA GB
San Jose Earthquakes 2 0 16 10 --
Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 1 18 13 1
Dallas Tornado 1 1 7 8 1
New York Cosmos 0 2 5 15 2
Semifinals (March 14)
Tampa Bay 13, New York 5
San Jose 8, Dallas 5
Third Place Game (March 16)
Dallas 2, New York 0
Championship Game (March 16)
San Jose 8, Tampa Bay 5
Leading Scorers G A TP
Paul Child (San Jose) 7 3 17
Doug Wark (Tampa Bay) 7 0 14
Bernard Hartze (Tampa Bay) 4 3 11
Ilija Mitic (Dallas) 4 1 9
Siggy Lezak (Tampa Bay) 4 0 8
New York Cosmos overseas tour, August 31, 1975 – September 28, 1975. Results: 4 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses.
8/31/75 New York Cosmos 1 at Malmo (Sweden) 5
9/2/75 New York Cosmos 3 at Gothenberg (Sweden) 1
9/4/75 New York Cosmos 2 at Stockholm (Sweden) 3
9/11/75 New York Cosmos 4 at Oslo (Norway) 2
9/13/75 New York Cosmos 1 at Roma (Italy) 3
9/17/75 New York Cosmos 2 at Victory Club (Haiti) 1
9/19/75 New York Cosmos 1 at Violette (Haiti) 2
9/21/75 New York Cosmos 0 at Santos (Jamaica) 1
9/26/75 New York Cosmos 12 at Puerto Rico National Team 1
9/28/75 New York Cosmos 0 at Violette (Haiti) 0
American Soccer League (Div. 2)
Prior to the 1975 season, the American Soccer League saw itself as being in a position to challenge the North American Soccer League as the country’s top league. Although Delaware and Indiana had folded, and the league’s planned West Coast expansion had been pushed back a year, successful franchises in Connecticut, Chicago, and Rhode Island shook the oft-moribund senior circuit out of its doldrums, giving it impetus for growth. However, for all of its other faults, the NASL was still light years ahead of the ASL financially, and could spend more money to keep the older league in its place. Seeing where the ASL was growing, the other league promptly expanded into Chicago and Hartford, essentially choking the three prize ASL clubs. To add insult to injury, for the second year in a row the NASL grabbed the ASL’s brightest young star, as Arnie Mausser left Rhode Island to join the NASL’s new Hartford club. Further, the architects behind the Oceaneers championship success in 1974, GM Mike Bosson and coach Manny Schellscheidt, also jumped to the NASL team.
At a crossroads, the ASL tried to acquire a big-name star to trump the NASL’s other moves. In particular, the league wanted to capitalize on the junior circuit’s failure to land George Best. To that end, Rhode Island announced that it was close to signing Eusebio, the “Black Pearl.” The Portuguese star was, at one time, considered second only to Pelé as a player, and his acquisition would be quite a coup. Besides, signing a legend like Eusebio would give Rhode Island a major leg up on its NASL competition in Hartford and Boston, particularly within the substantial New England Portuguese community.
Of course, finances would be a problem. Explaining that the entire league would benefit from Eusebio’s presence, Rhode Island tried to get the other clubs to help subsidize the signing of the star. The other owners, some of whom were such strangers to soccer that they had never even heard of Eusebio, balked, and he eventually signed with NASL’s Boston club.
Such was the beginning to a typically disorganized ASL season. Although aligned in three divisions, the ASL essentially abandoned any playoff format, instead having the top two clubs face each other in a one-off final. Boston Astros (who finished the season in Worchester) and New York Apollo met in Mt. Vernon, New York for the title. Still tied at the end of regulation, the teams played nine overtimes of 7.5 minutes each, to no avail. The last overtime put the game beyond the local curfew, and any thought of rescheduling the match was squelched when New York announced that most of its players’ contracts expired at the conclusion of the match, and they would not be able to get a team together for a replay. Thus, Commissioner Bob Cousy ended an indecisive season in an equally indecisive manner, naming the teams co-champions.
There were some notable performances on the pitch throughout the season, not that many people saw them: the league averaged a feeble 2,200 per game. Rhode Island acquired Tony DiCicco from Connecticut to replace Mausser, and he and Brad Steurer made an impressive duo in net for the Oceaneers, who again paced the league defensively. José Neto burst onto the scene with Boston, beginning his career as the “King of Minor League Soccer” with an MVP season. Ringo Cantillo continued to star with Cincinnati, being named a first team all-star. Connecticut’s Roberto Taylor was named Rookie of the Year, and Cleveland Cobras’ Herbie Haller was named Coach of the Year for guiding his side to what was essentially a third-place finish.
Final ASL League Standings, 1975
Before the season, Chicago and Pittsburgh were added. Connecticut changed
their nickname to Yankees.
G W T L GF GA PTS
North Division
Boston Astros 20 9 8 3 51 31 26
Rhode Island Oceaneers 20 8 9 3 38 24 25
Connecticut Yankees 20 9 5 6 42 30 23
South Division
New York Apollo 20 11 6 3 42 33 28
New Jersey Brewers 20 6 3 11 27 41 15
Pittsburgh Miners 20 1 3 16 17 47 5
Mid-West Division
Cleveland Cobras 20 10 3 7 39 45 23
Cincinnati Comets 20 7 4 9 38 33 18
Chicago Cats 20 7 3 10 29 45 17
Playoffs: Boston defeated Cleveland 2-2, 2-1
New York defeated Rhode Island 0-0, 1-0.
CHAMPIONSHIP: New York tied Boston 2-2, 1-1 (play suspended after
nine 7.5 min. overtimes; declared co-champions).
After the season, Worcester (who had moved from Boston late
in the season), Pittsburgh and Cincinnati folded.
Leading Scorers G A TP
Jose Neto (Boston) 23 5 51
Mohammed Attiah (Rhode Island) 16 1 33
Vito Colonna (Cleveland) 15 3 33
Robert Taylor (Connecticut) 14 4 32
Jim McMillan (Cleveland) 7 7 21
Roger St. Vil (Cincinnati) 8 4 20
Necdet Muldur (New Jersey) 8 3 19
Miguel Perrichon (Cleveland) 7 4 18
Al Reynolds (Cincinnati) 8 1 17
Pete Kouratos (Chicago) 5 7 17
Bosko Bajeski (New Jersey) 7 2 16
Joe Luxbacher (Pittsburgh) 6 4 16
Danny Budimir (Cleveland) 6 3 15
Victor Calabrese (Connecticut) 6 3 15
Jan Kayzerek (Connecticut) 6 3 15
Mullin Hall (Cincinnati) 7 0 14
Sam Vieceli (Pittsburgh) 6 1 13
Frantz Innocent (Connecticut) 5 3 13
Helio Barbosa (Boston) 5 3 13
Oliver Acquah (Rhode Island) 4 5 13
Leading Goalkeepers (900 mins. needed to qualify)
Min Svs GA GAA
Brad Steurer (Rhode Island) 900 86 11 1.10
Tony DiCicco (Rhode Island) 900 92 13 1.30
Wilner Piquant (Connecticut) 1434 151 24 1.51
Emilio Costa (Boston) 1569 128 28 1.61
Tony Cruz (Cincinnati) 1395 117 26 1.68
Manuel Munes (New Jersey) 965 84 20 1.86
Jamir Canal (New York) 1339 95 28 1.88
Chris Swain (Cleveland) 1324 125 31 2.11
Ed Yohman (Pittsburgh) 1778 180 46 2.33
Most Valuable Player: Jose Neto, Rhode Island Oceaneers
Coach of the Year: Herbie Haller, Cleveland Cobras
Rookie of the Year: Roberto Taylor, Connecticut Wildcats
The US National Team
After the ignominy of failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation decided that it needed to get its ducks in a row. Deciding that the lack of a full-time coach was the problem, the USSF persuaded Dettmar Cramer of Germany to become the first full time U.S. National Team Coach. Cramer’s 41 years of experience and impressive plans for action gave U.S. fans reason to be optimistic. However, in January 1975, Cramer broke his four-year deal-which, it turned out, was only verbal-to coach Bayern Munich in Germany. Al Miller, successful American-born coach of the NASL’s Philadelphia Atoms, replaced him on an interim basis; Manny Schellscheidt, who coached the ASL Rhode Island Oceaneers to the 1974 championship, took over for Miller in the summer. Neither coach had much success, and the program took a giant step backwards.
The main event for the United States was qualifications for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. With Dettmar Cramer gone, the US team trained under Julie Menendez, who prepared them for the first leg against Bermuda. The roster included Glenn Myernick, Kevin Welch, Bruce Hudson, John Stremlau, Chris Bahr, and Neil Cohen. Chris Bahr, then a fullback with the Philadelphia Atoms and a place kicker at Penn State, scored both goals for the US in their 2-0 shutout of Bermuda at Miami. Unfortunately, they had already lost the first game 3-2, at Hamilton, Bermuda. Winning the goal differential 4-3, the US advanced.
But in the second round, they were up against Mexico. The US had eliminated Mexico in 1972, and they vowed that would not happen again. To ensure this, the game was played at Toluca, 8000 feet above sea level. The Americans were serenaded with car horns overnight at their hotel, and possibly because they were concerned that the grass might become dehydrated, the Mexicans thoughtfully soaked the field shortly before the game and drowned it. In these conditions, and with their typical lack of adequate preparations, the US was flattened 8-0.The return match was more even: twice the US took the lead and the Mexicans tied it, before taking control in the 2nd half on their way to a 4-2 victory. Once again, the US was out of the Olympics. Ultimately, East Germany took the gold, Poland took the Silver and the Soviet Union took the bronze.
The U.S. played six full internationals in 1975, scoring only one goal (by Henry McCully, of the NASL’s Hartford club). Bob Rigby and Arnie Mausser (and San Jose’s Mike Ivanow for one match) split the U.S. goalkeeping chores; Rigby suffered through a ten-goal blowout versus Italy, but was actually outstanding in keeping the score that “low.” The United States full team participated in the Mexico City Tournament ’75, and left after three humiliating defeats. This was possibly an appropriate warmup for the humiliation the Olympic team would face as they faced their upcoming elimination.
1975 Totals: 1 win, 0 draws, 8 losses
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Aug 28 75 L 2-4 Mexico Wilmington, DE, USA (OLQ'76)*
Chapla, Pires
Aug 25 75 L 0-8 Mexico Toluca, Mexico (OLQ'76)*
Aug 24 75 L 0-2 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico (MCT'75)
Aug 21 75 L 0-6 Argentina Mexico City, Mexico (MCT'75)
Aug 19 75 L 1-3 Costa Rica Mexico City, Mexico (MCT'75)
McCully
Jun 24 75 L 0-4 Poland Seattle, WA, USA
Apr 27 75 W 2-0 Bermuda San Francisco, CA, UA (OLQ'76)*
Ch. Bahr (2)
Apr 20 75 L 2-3 Bermuda Hamilton, Bermuda (OLQ'76)*
Stremlau, Salvemini
Apr 02 75 L 0-10 Italy Rome, Italy
Mar 26 75 L 0-7 Poland Poznan, Poland
* = not full internationals
The College Game
The Mid-American Conference and the Southern California Soccer Association disbanded after this season.
In the NCAA Division 1 tournament, third round action saw Brown defeat Cornell 2-1, San Francisco defeated Cal State Fullerton 3-2, Howard defeated Philadelphia Textile 2-1, and SIU/Edwardsville defeated St.Louis 2-1. In the semifinals, San Francisco defeated Brown 2-1 (triple overtime), and SIU Edwardsville defeated Howard 3-1. The championship was held in Edwardsville, IL on December 7. In te third place game, Brown defeated Howard 2-0, and in the championship, San Francisco defeated SIU/Edwardsville 4-0.
In the NCAA Division 2 tournament, 3rd round action saw Adelphi defeat Le Mayne 6-0, Seattle Pacific defeated Cal State Hayward 2-1, Wisconsin-Green Bay defeated Missouri-St. Louis 2-1, and Baltimore defeated Old Dominion 1-0. In the semifinals, Seattle Pacific defeated Adelphi 1-0, and Baltimore defeated Wisconwin-Green Bay 5-2. The championship was played in Seattle, WA on November 29. In the third place game, Adelphi trounced Wisconsin-Green Bay 9-1, and in the championship, Baltimore defeated Seattle Pacific 3-1.
In the NCAA Division 3 tournament, third round action saw Babson defeat Plymouth State 2-1 (OT), Ohio Weslayen defeated MacMurray 1-0, Johns Hopkins defeated Elizabethtown 2-1 (OT), and Brockport State defeated Binghamton 2-1. In the semifinals, Banson defeated Ohio Weslayen 5-0 and Brockport State defeated Johns Hopkins 2-1 (OT). The Championship was played in Brockport, NY on November 30. In the third place game, Ohio Weslayen defeated Johns Hopkins 1-0, and in the championship, Babson defeated Brockport State 2-1 (OT).
NAIA Championship: Quincy 1, Simon Fraser 0
NJCAA Championship: Florissant Valley Community College 3, SUNY-Morrisville 0
NCCAA Championship: Bryan 1, Judson 1
Final Coaches' Poll: 1. Clemson 2. Quincy 3. Cornell 4. SIU-Edwardsville 5. Howard 6. Philadelphia textile 7. Connecticut 8. San Francisco 9. Adelphi 10. Akron Conference Champions: West Coast Intercollegiate Soccer Conference: San Francisco New England Intercollegiate Soccer League: Brown Ivy League: Brown, Cornell (Co-champions) Metropolitan Intercollegiate Soccer Conference: Adelphi Atlantic Coast Conference: Clemson Mid-American Conference: Bowling Green New York State Athletic Conference: Oneonta Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate League: Colorado College Southern Conference: Appalachian State Mason-Dixon Conference: Loyola Texas Intercollegiate League: North texas State Yankee Conference: Vermont Virginia Intercollegiate Soccer Conference: Madison Far Western Conference: Hayward State Carolinas Conference: Guilford Massachusetts States Conference: North Adams State New Jersey State Conference: William Patterson Pennsylvania Conference: Shippensburg Kentucky Conference: Morehead State Presidents Athletic Conference: Allegheny Independent College Athletic Conference: St. Lawrence Tennessee Conference: Bryan Michigan Intercollegiate Conference: Calvin Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference: Augsburg West Virginia Conference: Davis & Elkins Northwest Conference: Simon Fraser Midwest Conference: Lake Forest Southern California Soccer Association: Fullerton State Southern California Athletic Conference: Pomona-Pitzer Middle Atlantic States Athletic Conference: Johns Hopkins College All-Americans: G - Peter Mannos, Northern Illinois B - Dale Roth, Baltimore B - Sam Bick, Quincy B - Nimrod Dreyfus, Adelphi B - Greg Makowski, SIU-Edwardsville B - John Nusum, Philadelphia Textile F - Steve Ralbovsky, Brown F - Dale Russell, Philadelphia Textile F - Carlos Merchan, Farleigh-Dickinson F - Elson Seale, Philadelphia Textile F - George Nanchoff, Akron Hermann Trophy: Steve Ralbovsky, Brown NSCAA Coach of the Year: Paul Reinhart, Vermont
Other Action
1975 US National Challenge Open Cup Final: Los Angeles Maccabee defeated New York Inter-Giuliana 1-0 on June 15.
1975 National Amateur Cup Final: Chicago Kickers defeated Kearney Scots 1-0.
James McGuire Cup (National Junior Title): Imo’s Pizza, St. Louis
Pan-American Games:The United States lost in pool play to Mexico 3-1 and Trinidad & Tobago 1-0, and did not advance. Argentina took bronze, but the title game was deadlocked in extra time at 1-1, so the game was called and Brazil and Mexico shared the gold.
CONCACAF Champions Cup: No U.S. clubs participated. In the final, Español (Mexico) defeated Transvaal (Suriname) 5-1 to take the honors.
German-American Soccer League: Hudson-Dalmatians
Illinois State (Governor’s) Cup: WISLA
National Soccer Hall of Fame: In 1975, Ted Cordney, Joseph Gryzsik, and Alex Weir were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.