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North American Soccer League (Div. 1)
The NASL began its 13th season with a look of increasing stability. For the first time, there were no franchise shifts. League attendance was at an all-time high, close to 15,000 per game, and its popularity was reflected in increasing participation in youth and amateur soccer. Colleges were adding soccer at a growing rate, and it was expected that eventually the increasing domestic talent base would soon make its influence felt within the league.
As usual, well known players came and went. Rodney Marsh retired, as did Werner Roth after eight seasons. The Cosmos signed two time World Cup star Oscar from Brazil, although his tempestuous career in the States lasted for but three games. Two Dutch veterans of World Cups 1974 and 1978 made the trip to the continent. Midfielder Wim Jansen was signed by the Washington Diplomats, and Rudi Kohl was signed by the Vancouver Whitecaps in a major coup. Kohl was still in the prime of his career and would eventually play in World Cup 1982 as well. Only 31, he already had 83 caps under his belt. Unfortunately, his career in the NASL would only span 14 games. A fellow Dutchmen, with 46 caps was Rob Rensenbrink, who was signed by the Portland Timbers to man the left wing. Meanwhile, Johan Cruyff moved from Los Angeles to Washington, and Scottish international Peter Lorimer was signed by the Toronto Blizzard.
In the past, the NASL was criticized for mainly importing over-the-hill stars, but this year they also signed a number of younger people who would later have significant careers. These included the 20 year old Julio Cesar Romero of Paraguay, a high scoring midfielder, who put in three brilliant years with the Cosmos, and played until 1995, becoming one of the best players in Paraguayan history, and starring on their 1986 World Cup team. His World Cup teammate, Roberto Cabanas also was signed by the Cosmos, and would remain with them until the league’s demise. Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez made his NASL debut this season; after 1981, he went on to a successful career with Real Madrid, and finished his career with the fledgling Major League Soccer in 1996.
Interestingly enough, the new arrivals did not have as big an impact on the league as had earlier crops of recruits. This could partly be due to the large number of stars already established with the league. Some lesser known individuals were beginning to establish themselves. Giorgio Chinaglia returned to form this season, leading the league in scoring with 32 goals and 77 points. Some other top scorers, such as Roger Davies of Seattle and Laurie Abrahams of California did not have a world class international pedigree, and their accomplishments showed that in the NASL, at least, there are multiple roads to success.
The league made no rule changes this season; they retained the 35 yard offside line, sudden death overtime and the shootout tie breaker, bonus points and 6-0+3 scoring system, to the confusion of the rest of the world. Purists continued to grumble over the league’s “innovations”, but for now, the league appeared not to care.
As in the past two seasons, the Cosmos, with their all-star lineup, continued to dominate the regular season, easily winning the National East division with a 24-8 record. They scored 87 goals, nearly breaking their league record. In the Central Division, Minnesota’s dominance was ended, as the venerable Dallas Tornado won the division. They had obviously mastered the art of strategic scoring; despite an 18-14 record in the relatively soft division, they allowed 58 goals for the 57 they scored. In the National West, the Seattle Sounders had their finest hour, leading the league at 25-7, beating the resurgent Los Angeles Aztecs for the title. Vancouver had slipped to .500, despite retaining a strong roster. One positive note for the Whitecaps was the continuing development of Carl Valentine, their young striker who would go on to be a mainstay in Vancouver through the 1990’s, first staring for the Vancouver 86ers in the Canadian Soccer League from 1987-1992, and then moving with the team to the American Professional Soccer League, where he would remain as player-coach until 1998.
The comeback story of the year had to be the Chicago Sting, who surged to take the Central Division by 57 points, in their best performance since joining the league, led by the German tandem of Karl-Heinz Granitza (64 points) and Arno Steffenhagen (45 points), and supplemented by new teammate Peter Ressel of Holland. Tampa Bay and Ft. Lauderdale repeated at 1-2 in the East, while the New England tea Men rebounded on the field, if not at the gate. The American West was again a soft division, with the Edmonton Drillers gaining their first divisional title with a mundane 17-15 record.
The “second season” started in late August with only six teams excluded. Tampa Bay, Seattle, Dallas, and the Cosmos cruised over their weaker opponents, while Chicago was upset by the San Diego Sockers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles and Edmonton were forced to the mini-game to win their first round matchups. The Conference Semifinals were much closer; every series went to the mini-game after the teams split the two-leg series. The cosmos in fact would have been eliminated had their series been decided by goal differentials; their mini-game of 3-0 was more convincing as they finally downed Dallas for good. Hometown crowds went home feeling blue after Edmonton lost to Ft. Lauderdale 1-0 at home, and the situation was reversed in Florida with the Strikers losing 3-2, before turning the tables in their MG, 3-0. San Diego and Seattle had to go to the shootout to win their series against Tampa Bay and Los Angeles. A second wind allowed New York an easier time defeating the Aztecs, as they swept their series 2-1 and 3-1, while Ft. Lauderdale took the American in the mini-game after splitting the series with San Diego 1-2 and 4-2.
The Soccer Bowl was played at RFK Stadium in Washington on September 21, 1980, with the cosmos once again the prime attraction. they did not disappoint the locals, shutting out the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 3-0 off of two goals by Chinaglia and one by Julio Romero.
The NASL continued its tradition of international friendlies. With today’s economics, touring teams were relatively infrequent, and many of these games were one-shots. However, during the off-season, several tours were arranged to spread the word of the NASL globally. Overall, the NASL’s record against foreign competition was 132 wins, 16 draws and 17 losses, not bad considering the high caliber of many of their opponents. The Cosmos as the NASL’s ambassadors to the world, maintained the most extensive schedule. They traveled to South America in March, and after the regular season, both the Cosmos and the Rowdies toured Europe through October. During the season, Manchester City, A. S. Roma, and Nottingham Forest toured the US, and FC Cologne, Sunderland and Universidad of Mexico, among others, made visits to NASL cities. Possibly the biggest victories included New York’s 2-0 shutout of Santos, Brazil on March 13, their 3-1 victory over FC Cologne in April, and 3-2 win over Manchester City at home on May 21. Manchester City may have left some of their first string at home, as they lost to Vancouver 5-0 later in the week. New York in turn did not field their full team during their fall tour, as they lost 5 of 12 games, but they impressed in their 3-4 loss at Lazio, their 2-0 shutout of Napoli, 1-0 victory over Hedjuk Split, and 3-3 draw against Real Betis. San Diego Sockers had the audacity to play the Mexican National Team, and were whomped 6-0 in the first match, but managed a draw in the rejoinder in early April. Finally, in what could be considered an unofficial all-star game, a select team of NASL players defeated the Cosmos 3-2 on September 24 at Giants Stadium.
At the end of the season, there were dark clouds looming on the horizon: the continued financial drain of the league’s high-spending style was finally catching up with some of the weaker franchises. In order to compete with the cosmos, teams were forced to shell out major bucks to sign enough talent to remain competitive. Unfortunately, this financial investment was not always adequate to counteract inept management by soccer-ignorant owners. Productive players were often traded for no good reason, or after unnecessary strife, as happened with the Philadelphia Fury’s team, which inexplicably traded or sold their three top scorers, and then wondered why the team couldn’t win anymore and why the fans were deserting. Although the league attendance was at its highest, some stronger teams were losing fans; even the vaunted Cosmos attendance had fallen from 49,000 to 42,000, while Philadelphia and Atlanta were under 5,000. New England had never recovered from the loss of Mike Flanagan; even a move back to Schaefer stadium didn’t help. The Memphis Rogues were reeling after three straight seasons in the cellar, and the Atlanta Chiefs, with only Jeff Bourne and Keith Furphy providing any scoring to speak of, simply collapsed.
At the root of the problem was the rapid expansion of the league in 1978. People had rushed to join the bandwagon without having the requisite soccer and/or business experience necessary to run a fiscally sound club. Finally, the red ink simply became too much, and in November 1980, the first cuts were made. More alarmingly, the glow of national attention was beginning to fade as the novelty wore of. The Soccer Bowl was played at RFD Stadium in Washington this season, and barely 50,000 fans attended. Another ominous development was ABC’s displeasure at the low ratings for their telecasts. As a result, decided to reduce their final year’s broadcast schedule and only show the Soccer Bowl. Given this change, it appeared unlikely that the network would renew their contract after 1981. Finally, the knife fell. During the weekend that the nation found out who shot J.R. Ewing, the Washington Diplomats, Houston Hurricane and Rochester lancers folded. The Lancers’ demise was a bitter pill to swallow; that franchise had been in the league since 1971, and in the ASL since 1967. Before the 1980-81 indoor season, the New England Tea Men moved to Jacksonville and the Memphis Rogues moved to Calgary, bringing the Canadian contingent to five teams. Outside of the team moves opening up new markets, the year ended on a foreboding note: severe financial problems could no longer be hidden, and the glory years of the league were nearing their end.
Final NASL League Standings, 1980
G W L GF GA PTS % Att.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
New York Cosmos 32 24 8 87 41 213 .750 42,754
Washington Diplomats 32 17 15 72 61 159 .531 19,205
Toronto Blizzard 32 14 18 49 65 128 .437 15,043
Rochester Lancers 32 12 20 42 67 109 .375 7,757
Central Division
Dallas Tornado 32 18 14 57 58 157 .562 6,752
Minnesota Kicks 32 16 16 66 56 147 .500 18,279
Tulsa Roughnecks 32 15 17 56 62 139 .468 19,787
Atlanta Chiefs 32 7 25 34 84 74 .218 4,884
Western Division
Seattle Sounders 32 25 7 74 31 207 .781 24,246
Los Angeles Aztecs 32 20 12 61 52 174 .625 12,057
Vancouver Whitecaps 32 16 16 52 47 139 .500 26,834
Portland Timbers 32 15 17 50 53 133 .468 10,210
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
Tampa Bay Rowdies 32 19 13 61 50 168 .593 28,435
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 32 18 14 61 55 163 .562 14,279
New England Tea Men 32 18 14 54 56 154 .562 8,748
Philadelphia Fury 32 10 22 42 68 98 .312 4,465
Central Division
Chicago Sting 32 21 11 80 50 187 .656 11,672
Houston Hurricane 32 14 18 56 69 130 .437 5,818
Detroit Express 32 14 18 51 52 129 .437 11,198
Memphis Rogues 32 14 18 49 57 126 .437 9,864
Western Division
Edmonton Drillers 32 17 15 58 51 149 .531 10,920
California Surf 32 15 17 61 67 144 .468 7,593
San Diego Sockers 32 16 16 53 51 140 .500 12,690
San Jose Earthquakes 32 9 23 45 68 95 .281 13,169
1st Round: Tampa Bay defeated New England 1-0, 4-0
Ft. Lauderdale defeated California 2-1, 0-2, 1-0(SO-MG)
San Diego defeated Chicago 2-1, 2-3, 2-1(MG)
Edmonton defeated Houston 2-1, 0-1, 1-0(MG)
New York defeated Tulsa 3-1, 8-1
Seattle defeated Vancouver 2-1, 3-1
Dallas defeated Minnesota 1-0, 2-0
Los Angeles defeated Washington 0-1, 2-1(SO), 2-0(MG)
Conf. Semi-finals: New York defeated Dallas 3-2, 0-3, 3-0(MG)
Los Angeles defeated Seattle 3-0, 0-4, 2-1(SO-MG)
San Diego defeated Tampa Bay 6-3, 0-6, 2-1(SO-MG)
Ft. Lauderdale defeated Edmonton 1-0, 2-3, 3-0(MG)
Conf. Championships: Ft. Lauderdale defeated San Diego 2-1, 2-4, 3-0(MG)
New York defeated Los Angeles 2-1, 3-1
SOCCER BOWL-’80: New York defeated Ft. Lauderdale 3-0
Transatlantic Cup Champion: New York Cosmos
After the season, Houston, Washington and Rochester folded.
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Giorgio Chinaglia, New York 32 32 13 77
Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago 31 19 26 64
Roger Davies, Seattle 29 25 11 61
Luis Fernando, Los Angeles 28 28 4 60
Alan Green, Washington 31 25 9 59
Laurie Abrahams, California 28 17 15 49
Julio Romero, New York 32 14 19 47
Arno Steffenhagen, Chicago 28 15 15 45
Ace Ntsoelengoe, Minnesota 32 13 17 43
Ed Kirschner, Edmonton 31 15 12 42
Teofilo Cubillas, Ft.Lauderdale 27 14 14 42
Ray Hudson, Ft. Lauderdale 31 11 18 40
Johan Cruyff, Washington 25 10 20 40
Ricardo Alonso, Minnesota 25 17 5 39
Gerd Muller, Ft. Lauderdale 29 14 8 36
Jomo Sono, Toronto 31 14 7 35
Pato Margetic, Detroit 32 11 11 33
Edward Marasco, Houston 31 13 7 33
Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay 29 9 15 33
Trevor Whymark, Vancouver 30 15 3 33
Peter Ressel, Chicago 31 8 16 32
Johannes Edvaldsson, Tulsa 32 12 8 32
Njego Pesa, Dallas 26 13 5 31
Bob Newton, New England 21 14 3 31
Leading Goalkeepers (1440 mins. needed to qualify)
GP Min SV GA SH GAA
Jack Brand, Seattle 32 2975 169 30 15 0.91
Hubert Birkenmeier, New York 32 2993 213 38 9 1.14
Bruce Grobbelaar, Vancouver 23 2117 117 28 8 1.19
Alfredo Anhielo, Los Angeles 31 2715 156 40 7 1.32
Volkmar Gross, San Diego 31 2810 176 43 10 1.38
Phil Parkes, Chicago 30 2784 181 43 6 1.39
Jim Brown, Detroit 32 3005 162 47 9 1.407
Tino Lettieri, Minnesota 31 2806 191 44 2 1.411
Winston DuBose, Tampa Bay 31 2845 176 47 6 1.49
Bob Stetler, Memphis 27 2481 113 42 8 1.52
Most Valuable Player: Roger Davies, Seattle Sounders
Coach of the Year: Alan Hinton, Seattle Sounders
Rookie of the Year: Jeff Durgan, New York Cosmos
NASL All-Star Team - 1st Team
G Phil Parkes Chicago Sting
D Carlos Alberto New York Cosmos
D Mike Connell Tampa Bay Rowdies
D Rudi Krol Vancouver Whitecaps
D Bruce Rioch Seattle Sounders
M Franz Beckenbauer New York Cosmos
M Vladislav Bogicevic New York Cosmos
M Teofilo Cubillas Fort Lauderdale Strikers
F Giorgio Chinaglia New York Cosmos
F Johan Cruyff Washington Diplomats
F Roger Davies Seattle Sounders
The Indoor Season, 1979-80
Having regretted its decision to sit back and watch the MISL during its first season, the North American Soccer League announced that a full indoor league would be played by its clubs in the winter of 1979-80. NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam offered “we pioneered indoor soccer in this country–it’s a natural compliment to the outdoor version” as a justification for the foray. However, only 10 of the NASL’s 24 clubs participated, in what was basically a dress rehersal for the 1980-81 season, with marquee franchises New York, Washington and Vancouver taking a pass. Also, as opposed to the MISL, the older league only required that five of each team’s 14-man roster be North American. The initial NASL indoor season saw the 10 clubs divided into two divisions and playing a 12 game schedule under–ironically–MISL rules. Unlike Futsal, the teams played with hockey boards in place and recessed goals. Balls hitting the boards remained in play unless knocked into the stands. This game had a fast “pinball” type of action, which suited many US fans, accustomed to fast action, even as it game purists the fits, and provided more fodder for international detractors, who faulted the Americans for not even accepting indoor soccer as it was played in the rest of the world. As with the MISL, figures at the gate were encouraging: Memphis Rogues, who averaged a paltry 7,137 fans per game outdoors in 1979, routinely packed its arena with crowds of 8,300 or more for its indoor matches. Similarly, Atlanta also drew more indoors than out. Minnesota drew crowds of over 10,000 for its matches, while Tampa Bay continued to sell out its tiny arena. Other clubs did not draw as well, though: the California teams fared dismally, Ft. Lauderdale could only manage about 2,300 per game, and Detroit Express were regularly outdrawn by its cross-town rival, the MISL’s Lightning. All told, the league averaged 4,869 per game throughout its 60 matches.
Not all outdoor players took part, particularly the major stars, so there were some surprising twists in the divisional races. The season saw Atlanta Chiefs-on the strength of leading scorer David Byrne’s play and the acrobatic goalkeeping of 20-year old Victor Nogueira-take the Eastern Division title over Tampa Bay and Detroit, while Memphis edged Minnesota and Tulsa for the Western Division title. The preliminary round of the playoffs saw Tampa Bay crush Detroit, and Minnesota edge Tulsa. Tampa Bay then swept Atlanta to advance to the finals, where it faced Memphis for the title. Memphis edged the Rowdies in the first game, but Tampa Bay rallied to take the second game and force a “mini-game” playoff. This 15 minute “game”, immediately following the second match, found Peter Anderson drive a Wes McLeod rebound past Rogues’ keeper John Houska to give the Rowdies a 1-0 win and the title, in spite of being outshot in the mini-game, 28-9. Memphis and Atlanta had surprised pundicts by winning their respective divisions, an unexpected result given their poor outdoor performances. This gave their owners hope for a reversal of fortunes, which alas was not to be. Both teams moved after the next season.
Even with these two circuits in session, another peep was heard in the soccer wilderness when the American Soccer League announced that it, too, would enter the indoor wars. While originally planning on playing a full schedule in the winter of 1979-80, the league later postponed these plans to the next year. Ultimately, like so many of the ASL’s grand schemes outdoors, this plan never came to fruition, and the MISL and NASL would remain the only indoor combatants in what was shaping up as a rather nasty battle.
The first season was modestly successful, after a high-flying start. Crowds averaged 4,200 per game, but there was considerable enthusiasm for the concept. This was seen mainly as a rehearsal for 1980-81, when the entire league was expected to participate.
Final NASL Indoor League Standings, 1979-80
G W L GF GA GB % Att.
Eastern Division
Atlanta Chiefs 12 10 2 70 46 -- .833 5,069
Tampa Bay Rowdies 12 8 4 75 64 2 .667 5,910
Detroit Express 12 7 5 70 69 3 .583 3,937
Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 12 3 9 58 65 7 .250 1,724
New England Tea Men 12 2 10 52 81 8 .167 3,249
Western Division
Memphis Rogues 12 9 3 65 44 -- .750 8,249
Minnesota Kicks 12 8 4 75 52 1 .667 9,562
Tulsa Roughnecks 12 7 5 63 64 2 .583 4,657
California Surf 12 4 8 71 83 5 .333 3,181
Los Angeles Aztecs 12 2 10 56 87 8 .167 2,768
1st Round: Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 12-1; Minnesota defeated Tulsa, 3-2.
Semi-Finals: Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 7-3, 6-5; Memphis defeated Minnesota
3-6, 4-3 (OT; 1-0 MG)
CHAMPIONSHIP: Tampa Bay defeated Memphis 4-5, 10-4 (1-0 MG).
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
David Byrne (Atlanta) 12 23 11 57
Keith Furphy (Detroit) 12 21 13 55
Ray Abrahams (California) 12 18 17 53
Peter Baralic (Tampa Bay) 12 21 10 52
Iraj Danaifard (Tulsa) 10 19 10 48
Chris Dangerfield (L.A.) 12 15 9 39
Mark Lindsay (California) 12 13 12 38
Wes McLeod (Tampa Bay) 12 13 12 38
Steve Earle (Tulsa) 12 10 18 38
Alan Willey (Minnesota) 12 15 6 36
Leading Goalkeepers Min Svs GA Record GAA
John Houska (Memphis) 721 172 43 9-3 3.58
Victor Nogueira (Atlanta) 637 164 39 11-1 3.67
Tino Lettieri (Minnesota) 658 165 41 8-4 3.74
Nick Owcharuk (Tulsa) 441 134 33 7-5 4.49
Zeljko Bilecki (Tampa Bay) 684 173 54 8-4 4.74
American Soccer League (Div. 2)
Although the ASL, now entering its 47th season, had shown that it had potential to survive in the 1970’s soccer market, whether that would be sufficient to keep it going in the 1980’s was still a major question. two of the more financially solvent owners bailed out this season, frustrated by the perceived inadequacies of league administrators. Robert Nordskog pulled the plug on his Los Angeles Skyhawks, and Joseph Raymond, the league president in 1979, sold controlling interest in the New Jersey Americans to a London-based group which moved the team to Miami. The New York Eagles, sat out the season, and Indianapolis and Las Vegas folded after declaring bankruptcy. Las Vegas was originally to have moved to San Antonio, but the deal fell through. Bob Cousy finally gave up on the ASL, resigning after six years as league commissioner.
What was left of the league was increasingly a league of haves and have-nots. New franchises were added: The Phoenix Fire and the Golden Gate Gales, who were partially stocked with players from the recently folded teams. A third franchise in Pittsburgh folded shortly after it was awarded. The Fire was owned by Leonard Lesser, who had previously attempted to move the Memphis Rogues of the NASL to this city. He hired Seattle Sounders coach Jim Gabriel, as coach/assistant GM, and an impressive roster of players including Jimmy Rolland (1978 MVP) and Harry Redknapp. The fire looked to be one of the stronger clubs, along with New York (now renamed the United), Columbus, Miami and Pennsylvania, but inexplicably, the team folded just prior to the start of the season.
The split between stronger and weaker teams was ominous, and it appeared that the stronger teams were envisioning a merger with the NASL in a few years. An early step was the United’s move from Hempstead to Shea Stadium in New York City. Six new coaches were hired to revamp teams, including Ron Newman at Miami and Rodney Marsh with new York. The League had inaugurated an all-star game in 1979, and renewed it for this season, despite it’s shaky debut. Finally, expansion franchises were awarded to Charlotte NC and Atlanta for 1981.
On the field, the Pennsylvania Stoners continued to dominate the East. They boasted one of the best American players, in 20 year old goalkeeper Scott Manning, Roman Urbanczuk, and Art Napolitano. The Miami Americans replaced most of their roster after moving from New Jersey. Coach Ron Newman, already a legend in the NASL, was signed to an unprecedented five year contract at $200,000 per season. The New York United also made major changes in their roster during the off season. The United enjoyed a major comeback from 1979, completely rebuilding their defense and surging to 2nd place in the East. A major disappointment was the Columbus Magic, who had kept their team largely intact from 1979, and were expected to dominate. The Golden gate Gales landed stars Mal Roche and Gerald Hylkema in the dispersal draft, and nearly hired future MLS coach Laurie Calloway before legal problems intervened. This appeared to take some steam out as they struggled to last place in the West. The entire West division was weak, finishing below .500 in a rare event.
The Playoffs were limited to the two teams from each division (half the league), with Pennsylvania and Sacramento the winners in two leg series, both of which featured 1-1 ties paired with decisive victories. Pennsylvania captured their first championship by defeating Sacramento 2-1.
Final League Standings, 1980
Before the season, Golden Gate was added. Teams were awarded to
Pittsburgh (unnamed) and Phoenix (Fire), but they folded before the
beginning of the season. New York Apollo changed their nickname to United.
New Jersey moved to Miami. New York Eagles were inactive this season.
G W T L GF GA PTS
National Conference
Pennsylvania Stoners 28 19 4 5 50 29 146
New York United 28 17 0 11 48 34 128
Cleveland Cobras 28 12 2 14 47 47 102
Columbus Magic 28 11 3 14 34 31 93
American Conference
Sacramento Gold 28 11 2 16 41 40 103
California Sunshine 28 11 1 14 40 53 99
Miami Americans 28 10 3 15 54 45 97
Golden Gate Gales 28 8 5 14 60 37 93
Playoffs: Pennsylvania defeated New York 1-1, 3-1
Sacramento defeated California 4-3, 1-1
CHAMPIONSHIP: Pennsylvania defeated Sacramento 2-1.
After the season, Columbus, Sacramento, Golden Gate, California, and Miami folded.
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Mal Roche, Golden Gate 27 17 4 41
Andy Chapman, Cleveland 19 12 4 28
Jim Rolland, California 18 8 11 27
Narciso Doval, New York 17 12 2 26
Joe Fink, Cleveland 22 12 2 26
Ruben Astigarraga, Cleveland 23 10 6 26
Malcolm Filby, Sacramento 16 11 3 25
Walter Schlothauer, Cleveland 22 7 9 23
Leading Goalkeepers (1260 mins. needed to qualify)
Min Svs GA SO GAA
Scott Manning, Pennsylvania 2233 147 25 10 1.01
Tom Reynolds, Sacramento 2085 98 28 8 1.21
Jamil Canal, New York 2093 162 32 5 1.38
Marine Cano, Cleveland 2350 171 45 3 1.72
Brian Parkinson, California 1850 105 38 2 1.85
Most Valuable Player: George Gorleku, Pennsylvania Stoners
Coach of the Year: Willie Erlich, Pennsylvania Stoners
Rookie of the Year: Walter Schlothauer, Cleveland Cobras
Major Indoor Soccer League
The MISL opened its second season playing a 32 game schedule with 10 teams in two divisions; although Cincinnati had folded, the league added Buffalo, Hartford, Wichita, Detroit and St. Louis to its lineup. While there were no rule changes, the MISL now required 12 of each side’s 16-man roster to be “American,” although that designation still included Canadians and resident aliens. Over 18,000 fans attended the St. Louis club’s opener, and attendance was up all around the league, which finished with an average of 6,102 per game. Ironically, the league began to draw more attention for its theatrics–introductions of players through clouds of dry ice, eight-foot tall mascots, and music accompanying the action on the field, to name a few–than for the quality of the play on the field, which was vastly improved. While the MISL took much heat over the off-field theatrics, these tactics would later be adopted by teams in “major” sports like hockey and basketball, and with great success. The other notable off-field activity involved the MISL’s contract with a cable television network, airing selected games to over 5 million viewers in 47 states.
On the field, defending champion New York Arrows picked up where it left off, going unbeaten at home en route to a 27-5 record and easy capture of the Atlantic Division title. Pittsburgh Spirit, after starting 5-10, sacked its coach and tabbed Len Bilous as his replacement. Bilous, who had coached Cincinnati the year before, promptly led his team on a record 13-game winning streak before dropping the last four games to finish behind New York. In the Central Division, Houston–led by Kai Haaskivi, Ian Anderson, and the goalkeeping tandem of Sepp Gantenhammer and Mick Poole–compiled a 20-12 mark to finish four games ahead of runner-up Wichita Wings. St. Louis, using a squad of local pros like Steve Pecher, Dan Counce and ex-Atom Tom Galati, captured the imagination of the city’s fans, drawing over 13,000 a game despite finishing a lackluster 12-20. While St. Louis was providing a model for other clubs to follow, Philadelphia essentially abandoned the formula that had made it so successful at the gate one year earlier; an agreement with the NASL’s Philadelphia Fury, while providing the Fever with ex-Atoms Bob Rigby and Bobby Smith, also loaded the club with Yugoslavians at the expense of local players. As a result, the bloom wore off the 8,000 plus crowds at the Spectrum, never to return.
The playoffs found the second and third place finishers in each division face each other in the semifinals, with Wichita and Pittsburgh edging their opponents to meet Houston and New York, respectively, in the division finals. While Houston squeaked by the Wings to advance to the championship, New York easily swept Pittsburgh. In the championship, Arrows’ Steve Zungul scored three goals–at the time, he had netted hat tricks in each of the 6 playoff matches he had played over the two seasons–to enable New York to repeat as champions before 8,469 at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. With the championship now determined in a one-game final, the pressure was on New York to play a mistake-free game against the tenacious Houston club. Houston struck first, on a goal by defender Ian Anderson, but a power-play goal by Zungul, and another goal off a beautiful run by Damir Sutevski gave the defending champs the lead. The Arrows increased their lead to 4-1 on goals by Zungul and Branko Segota, but Houston battled back: goals by John Stemlau, Gerry Morielli and Dale Russell brought the club to within one, the difference being Renaldo Cila’s goal 1:01 into the third quarter. However, Zungul’s third goal, followed by a Julie Vee tally, put New York ahead for good. Zungul was awarded the playoff MVP award for his heroics, which complimented his season MVP award for his astounding 90 goals in 32 matches. In a scene that would be repeated several times over the history of the MISL, Zungul and linemate Branko Segota were named first team all-stars. Detroit’s Pat Ercoli was the only American to crack the top scorers’ list, although natives Alan Mayer (second team All-Star with Pittsburgh), Keith Van Eron (Wichita), Shep Messing (first team All-Star), and Bob Rigby (Philadelphia) were among the league’s top netminders. Yankee defenders Dave D’Errico (New York) and Steve Pecher (St. Louis) earned second team All-Star berths.
Having regretted its decision to sit back and watch the MISL during its first season, the North American Soccer League announced that a full indoor league would be played by its clubs in the winter of 1979-80. NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam offered “we pioneered indoor soccer in this country–it’s a natural compliment to the outdoor version” as a justification for the foray. However, only 10 of the NASL’s 24 clubs participated, with marquee franchises New York, Washington and Vancouver taking a pass. Also, as opposed to the MISL, the older league only required that five of each team’s 14-man roster be North American. The initial NASL indoor season saw the 10 clubs divided into two divisions and playing a 12 game schedule under–ironically–MISL rules. As with the MISL, figures at the gate were encouraging: Memphis Rogues, who averaged a paltry 7,137 fans per game outdoors in 1979, routinely packed its arena with crowds of 8,300 or more for its indoor matches. Similarly, Atlanta also drew more indoors than out. Minnesota drew crowds of over 10,000 for its matches, while Tampa Bay continued to sell out its tiny arena. Other clubs did not draw as well, though: the California teams fared dismally, Ft. Lauderdale could only manage about 2,300 per game, and Detroit Express were regularly outdrawn by its cross-town rival, the MISL’s Lightning. All told, the league averaged 4,869 per game throughout its 60 matches.
The season saw Atlanta Chiefs-on the strength of leading scorer David Byrne’s play and the acrobatic goalkeeping of 20-year old Victor Nogueira-take the Eastern Division title over Tampa Bay and Detroit, while Memphis edged Minnesota and Tulsa for the Western Division title. The preliminary round of the playoffs saw Tampa Bay crush Detroit, and Minnesota edge Tulsa. Tampa Bay then swept Atlanta to advance to the finals, where it faced Memphis for the title. Memphis edged the Rowdies in the first game, but Tampa Bay rallied to take the second game and force a “mini-game” playoff. This 15 minute “game”, immediately following the second match, found Peter Anderson drive a Wes McLeod rebound past Rogues’ keeper John Houska to give the Rowdies a 1-0 win and the title, in spite of being outshot in the mini-game, 28-9.
Even with these two circuits in session, another peep was heard in the soccer wilderness when the American Soccer League announced that it, too, would enter the indoor wars. While originally planning on playing a full schedule in the winter of 1979-80, the league later postponed these plans to the next year. Ultimately, like so many of the ASL’s grand schemes outdoors, this plan never came to fruition, and the MISL and NASL would remain the only indoor combatants in what was shaping up as a rather nasty battle.
Final MISL League Standings, 1979-80
Before the season, Buffalo, Hartford, Wichita, Detroit and St. Louis were added.
G W L GF GA GB %
Atlantic Division
New York Arrows 32 27 5 296 175 -- .844
Pittsburgh Spirit 32 18 14 188 191 9 .563
Buffalo Stallions 32 17 15 172 197 10 .531
Philadelphia Fever 32 17 15 201 197 10 .531
Hartford Hellions 32 6 26 151 240 21 .188
Central Division
Houston Summit Soccer 32 20 12 181 160 -- .625
Wichita Wings 32 16 16 187 173 4 .500
Detroit Lightning 32 15 17 192 201 5 .469
St. Louis Steamer 32 12 20 177 184 8 .375
Cleveland Force 32 12 20 152 179 8 .375
1st Round: Wichita defeated Detroit 6-5.
Pittsburgh def. Buffalo 5-3.
Semi-Finals: New York defeated Pittsburgh 5-3, 11-3.
Houston defeated Wichita 5-4(OT), 4-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP: New York defeated Houston 7-4.
After the season, Pittsburgh suspended operations for one year.
All-Star Game: Central Division defeated Atlantic Division 9-4.
(At St. Louis, att: 16,892. MVP = Pat Ercoli)
Leading Scorers GP G A TP
Steve Zungul, New York 32 90 46 136
Fred Grgurev, New York 31 64 40 104
Kai Haaskivi, Houston 27 51 36 87
Branko Segota, New York 31 55 31 86
Pat Ercoli, Detroit 32 44 24 68
Lubo Petrovic, Buffalo 31 46 21 67
Graham Pyle, Pittsburgh 31 37 28 65
Julie Veee, New York 26 29 35 64
Damir Sulevski, New York 30 32 26 58
Jim Ryan, Wichita 29 26 29 55
Steve Buttle, Pittsburgh 28 35 17 52
Clyde Best, Cleveland 30 33 16 49
John Stremlau, Houston 32 23 25 48
Dave MacWilliams, Philadelphia 30 25 23 48
Dale Russell, New York 32 26 19 47
Manny Cuenca, St. Louis 31 27 20 47
LEADING GOALKEEPERS (Min. 900 minutes to qualify)
GP Min. Shts Svs GA W-L GAA
Sepp Gantenhammer, Houston 14 801 555 209 59 8-5 4.42
Alan Mayer, Pittsburgh 17 952 758 310 77 13-4 4.85
Cliff Brown, Cleveland 28 1130 1002 377 95 8-10 5.04
Keith van Eron, Wichita 20 1050 805 338 89 10-8 5.09
Paul Turin, St. Louis 18 932 684 245 80 6-10 5.15
Shep Messing, New York 32 1754 1393 573 151 15-5 5.17
Mick Poole, Houston 20 1124 906 341 99 12-7 5.29
Scott Manning, Buffalo 25 1009 762 306 98 8-6 5.82
Chris Turner, Detroit 31 1716 1265 496 175 15-1 6.12
Jim May, Buffalo 21 844 662 281 88 8-8 6.25
Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York Arrows
Coach of the Year: (Tie) Len Bilous, Pittsburgh Spirit, Pat McBride, St. Louis Steamers
MISL Scoring Champion: Steve Zungul, New York Arrows
MISL Pass Master (most Assists): Steve Zungul, New York Arrows
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sepp Gantenhammer, Houston Summit Soccer
Rookie of the Year: Jim Sinclair, Buffalo Stallions
Championship Series Player of the Year: Steve Zungul, New York Arrows
All-MISL team:
G - Shep Messing, New York Arrows
D - Kai Haaskivi, Houston Summit Soccer
D - Branko Segota, New York Arrows
M - Steve Zungul, New York Arrows
F - Ian Anderson, Buffalo Stallions
F - Flemming Lund, Detroit Lightning
United States Soccer League
As if three leagues weren’t enough, a group organized to form a fourth soccer circuit, to be entitled the United States Soccer League. The effort was headed by Harry Greenberg, a Phoenix investment counselor, associated with Leonard Lesser, the former general manager of the ASL’s defunct Phoenix Fire. The philosophy behind the USSL was twofold: To return the sport to its pure roots, playing in exact accordance with FIFA rules, and to promote the development of American players by allowing only American citizens on its rosters, with an emphasis on using local players on the rosters.
The league headquarters would be at Valley forge, PA, and franchises were quickly launched in Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles and Albuquerque, with deposits for additional teams in New York, Baltimore, Hartford, Providence and Milwaukee. A 24-30 game, twice-a-week schedule was planned with the season starting in April 1981 and running through September. For the soccer purist, this was like a godsend. As Greenberg stated, “The American people deserve to see pure soccer, they’ve been fed a tailored line of product designed to satisfy appetites for high scores. In time the American fan will appreciate the purity of the 1-0 game.” Unfortunately, nothing was ever heard about the USSL after the initial November 17, 1980 press announcement. Had the league launched, it would have been interesting to see which style would have won the hearts and minds of the American fans.
The 1980 Olympics
The Nats were in the driver’s seat for the first task, having advanced to the final round of Olympic qualifications through pluck and luck, taking the space vacated by Mexico after their disqualification. The US first played lowly Bermuda in late 1979. This time, the team received consideration from the NASL. Ten league players dotted the roster, and the team had plenty of time for practice.
With 18 year old St. Louis stopper Bill McKeon on the roster, the Americans won 3-0 off goals by Pesa, Davis and DiBernardo. The return match was at Ft. Lauderdale, and the home crowd gave the Americans a second wind as they trounced Bermuda 5-0. Ricky Davis scored two, and Greg Villa, George Nanchoff, and Louis each hit the net. This sent the United States to the final round-robin, with Costa Rica and Suriname. Two of these three teams would qualify. The Americans had two full weeks of practice, an unheard luxury up to that point. However, they lost the services of Dave Brcic and Larry Hulcer after they signed professional contracts. In March 1980, they defeated Suriname 2-1 (goals by Ebert and Morrone) and Costa Rica 1-0 (goal by Morrone). In the return matches, The US tied Costa Rica 1-1 and lost to Surinam 3-2 when they were forced to travel with an incomplete team. The final US goal was scored by 17 year old Darryl Gee. With a record of 2-1-1, the US finished in 1st place, and qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 1972. But true to the long history of dashed hopes and frustrations that have plagued American Soccer, even qualifying wasn’t enough. The US boycotted the Olympics due to political disputes with the Soviet Union, and the United States was out in the cold, not even able to watch the event on television.
The US National Team
This year presented the national team with two tasks: Olympic 1980 qualifying (see above), and qualifications for the 1982 World Cup.
After the frustration of the Olympic boycott, dashing the dreams of the newly qualified Americans, the Nationals were inactive until shortly before the beginning of World Cup qualifying. The US roster was primarily NASL players, including Boris Bandov, Ricky Davis, DiBernardo, Larry Hulcer, Liveric, Ringo Cantillo, Winston DuBose, Perry van Der Beck, Steve Moyers, Bobby Smith and others. Ty Keough was by then playing for the Major indoor Soccer League.
To prepare the team, Coach Walt Czychowych took the team on a five game tour of Europe. They lost 3-0 to Nuremberg of the Bundesliga, then beat Luxembourg 2-0. At this point, a salary dispute broke out over concerns about base pay and endorsements. The dispute was put on hold while the US defeated Portugal on October 7. The players wanted a $50/week raise to $400, and the Federation would only offer $35. The dispute was inordinately bitter for such a small amount of cash, but was more of a test of power. Ultimately, the players backed down at the airport, and went on to lose the English “B” team 1-0.
The US opened against Canada at Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a venue expected to draw a pro-us crowd, but the result was disappointing: a 1-1 draw. he US controlled the game, but wasted scoring opportunities. In an amazing performance, the New York Cosmos general manager, Krikor Ypremian entered the USA locker room after the game with plane tickets for three of the Cosmos players who were expected to leave immediately and join the Cosmos for their exhibition tour of Europe. The players chose to remain with the National Team. the follow-up, in Vancouver, showed a vastly improved Canadian team which dominated the first half for a 2-1 victory. The Americans were in low spirits, partly attributable to a split that had occurred among the players after their split vote on ending their salary dispute. But some players claimed the split was actually between the native-born and naturalized citizens. Others blamed the playing style. At any rate, Czychowych had had enough and offered to resign after the Mexico game.
This trip was a disaster from the start. the bus never picked players up at the airport, forcing them to take cabs. the stadium was locked and by the time they gained entrance, they could only practice for 20 minutes. When it became dark, the stadium personnel chose to keep the lights off. he next day, in front of 80,000 hometown fans, Mexico flattened the Americans 5-1, eliminating them from yet another World Cup. The US won the return match on November 23, back at Ft. Lauderdale 2-1, but this game was little more than an exhibition. The day after that game, the first US victory over Mexico in World Cup competition since 1934, the Cosmos President Ahmet Ertegun and captain Giorgio Chinaglia called for the resignation or firing of Czychowych. They complained that he hadn’t included more Cosmos players on the team, and would not collaborate with Cosmos coach Hennes Weisweller and Rinus Michaels of the Aztecs. For now, Czychowych refused to obey this “request”, and continued to coach for one more season. However, 1981 was an inactive year for the senior team, and he devoted his efforts to developing the youth team. The 1982 World Cup itself was won by Italy, who defeated Germany 3-1.
Much better news occurred on the youth front. The United States hosted the 1980 CONCACAF U-20 Cup, which served as the qualification round for the 1981 World Youth Cup, to be held in Australia. Even though only 2 of 18 teams would qualify, the US cut through its opposition like butter, defeating Barbados 5-0, Netherlands Antilles 3-0, El Salvador 2-0, Antigua 3-1, and Bermuda 2-1. In the semifinals, they qualified by defeating Honduras 9-8 on penalty kicks. They lost to Mexico at Giants Stadium 2-0, but by then the result was academic. Both USA and Mexico were already qualified. The American team included such future professionals as John Stollmayer, Mike Menendez, Darryl Gee, and Jay Ainslie.
1980 Totals: 4W, 4D, 2L (Full internationals and Olympic Qualifying only)
=======================================================================
Nov 23 80 W 2-1 Mexico Ft. Lauderdale,FL,USA (WCQ'82)
Moyers (2)
Nov 09 80 L 1-5 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico (WCQ'82)
Davis
Nov 01 80 L 1-2 Canada Vancouver, Canada (WCQ'82)
Villa
Oct 25 80 D 0-0 Canada Ft. Lauderdale,FL,USA (WCQ'82)
Oct 07 80 D 1-1 Portugal Lisbon, Portugal
Davis
Oct 04 80 W 2-0 Luxembourg Dudelange, Luxembourg
Davis, Hulcer
Apr 02 80 D 4-4 Surinam +Paramaribo, Surinam (OLQ'80)*
Pesa, Veee
Mar 25 80 D 1-1 Costa Rica +Edwardsville, IL, USA (OLQ'80)*
Ebert
Mar 20 80 W 1-0 Costa Rica +San Jose, Costa Rica (OLQ'80)*
Ebert
Mar 16 80 W 2-1 Surinam +Orlando, FL, USA (OLQ'80)*
Morrone, Ebert
International Club Tours
New York Cosmos March 9, 1980 - March 30, 1980. Record: 4 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws
3/9/80 New York Cosmos 0 at National Fast Club (Brazil) 0
3/13/80 New York Cosmos 2 at Santos (Brazil) 1
3/16/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Uberlandia (Brazil) 1
3/18/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Cipoletti (Argentina) 1
3/21/80 New York Cosmos 2 at Argentinos Juniors (Argenti 1
3/2?/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Deportivo Morón (Argentina) 1
3/25/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Tigres (Mexico) 2
3/30/80 Cruz Azul (Mexico) 2 vs New York Cosmos 1 Los Angeles Classic
Vancouver Whitecaps March 5, 1980 - March 11, 1980. Record: 0 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw
3/5/80 Vancouver Whitecaps 1 at Leeds United (England) 2
3/10/80 Vancouver Whitecaps 0 at Bristol City (England) 0
3/11/80 Vancouver Whitecaps 1 at Southampton (England) 3
Nottingham Forest (England) July 23, 1980 - July 31, 1980. Record: 1 win, 2 draws,
0 losses, 1 unknown.
7/23/80 Nottingham Forrest (England 1 at Vancouver Whitecaps 1
7/25/80 Nottingham Forrest (England 0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
7/27/80 Nottingham Forrest (England) at Detroit Express
7/31/80 Nottingham Forrest (England 3 at Toronto Blizzard 1
A. S. Roma (Italy) May 21, 1980 - May 29, 1980. Record: 1 win, 2 losses, 0 draws.
5/21/80 Roma (Italy) 1 at Vancouver Whitecaps 1 (Trans-Atlantic Cup)
5/24/80 Roma (Italy) 3 at New York Cosmos 5 (Trans-Atlantic Cup)
5/29/80 Roma (Italy) 1 at Toronto Blizzard 2
Tampa Bay Rowdies September 28, 1980 - October 13, 1980. Record: 1 win, 2 draws, 3 losses.
9/28/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 at Luton Town (England) 0
10/1/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 at Birmingham City (England) 0
10/6/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 at Linfield (Northern Ireland) 3
10/8/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 at St. Mirren (Scotland) 4
10/11/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 at Hereford United 1
10/13/80 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 at Nottingham Forrest (England 7
New York Cosmos October 1, 1980 - November 5, 1980. Record: 3 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses.
10/1/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Hadjuk Split (Yugoslavia) 0
10/4/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) 1
10/8/80 New York Cosmos 0 at Standard Liege (Belgium) 3
10/10/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Girondins de Bordeaux (Fran 4
10/12/80 New York Cosmos 2 at Napoli (Italy) 0
10/15/80 New York Cosmos 3 at Fiorentina (Italy) 6
10/21/80 New York Cosmos 2 at Ahly of Cairo (Egypt) 3
10/24/80 New York Cosmos 0 at Zamalek of Cairo (Egypt) 0
10/28/80 New York Cosmos 3 at Lazio (Italy) 4
10/30/80 New York Cosmos 1 at Oporto (Portugal) 1
11/1/80 New York Cosmos 3 at La Louviere (Belgium) 2
11/5/80 New York Cosmos 3 at Real Betis (Spain) 3
The College Game
In 1980, the NCAA Division III tournament was expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
In the NCAA Division 1 tournament, third round action saw Hartwick defeat Connecticut 1-0 in double overtime. Indiana defeated Penn State 3-1, Alabama A&M defeated William & Mary 1-0, and San Francisco defeated St. Louis 3-2. In the semifinals, Indiana defeated Hartwick 5-0 and San Francisco defeated Alabama A&M 2-1. The Championship was held in Tampa FL. In the third place game, Alabama A&M defeated Hartwick 2-0. the championship game was held on December 14, and San Francisco defeated Indiana 4-3 in overtime to take the national title.
In the NCAA Division 2 tournament, third round action saw Southern Connecticut defeat Hartford 2-1 in double overtime. Florida International defeated Tampa 1-0, California State at Chico defeated Seattle Pacific 3-2 (triple overtime), and Lock haven defeated Missouri-St. Louis 2-1. In the semifinals, Florida International defeated Southern Connecticut 3-1, and Lock haven defeated Cal State-Chico 1-0. The Championship was held November 20 again at Miami, FL. Lock haven defeated Florida International 3-1 for the crown.
In the NCAA Division 3 tournament, third round action saw Babson defeat Binghamton 2-1. Rowan defeated Averett 5-1, Scranton defeated Calvin 1-0, and Washington (Mo.) defeated MacMurray 1-0. In the semifinals, Babson defeated Rowan 1-0 (quadruple overtime), and Scranton defeated Washington (Mo.) 4-1. the championship was held November 29 in Boston, MA. Babson defeated Scranton 1-0 in overtime for the national championship.
NAIA Championship: Quincy defeated Rockhurst 1-0.
NJCAA Championship: SUNY-Morrisille 2, Mercer County Comm. Coll. 1
NCCAA Championship: Houghton 2, Messiah 1 (OT,SO)
Coaches' Final Division 1 Poll: 1. San Francisco 2. Indiana 3. Alabama A&M 4. Hartwick 5. Connecticut 6. St. Louis 7. Penn State 8. William & Mary 9. UCLA 10. Philadelphia Textile College All-Americans: G - Randy Phillips, Southern Methodist D - Saeid Baghvardani, Southern Methodist D - Tim Gagan, Lock Haven D - Erhardt Kapp, Connecticut D - Joseph Morrone, Jr., Connecticut D - Kevin Murphy, Rhode Island F - Trevor Adair, Lock Haven F - Herman Borja, NJ Inst. of Technology F - Damien Kelly, Eastern Illinois F - Kamal Khilian, Southern Methodist F - Robert Meschbach, Virginia
Hermann Trophy: Joseph Morrone, Jr., Connecticut
NSCAA Coach of the Year: Jerry Yeagley, Indiana
Other Action
1980 US Open Cup Final: On June 15, the New York Pancyprian Freedoms (CSL) defeated Los Angeles Maccabee 3-2.
1980 National Amateur Cup Final: 1980 St. Louis Busch Bavarian defeated Atlanta Datagraphic 3-2 on June 15.
James P. McGuire (National Junior Men’s) Trophy: Fremont (CA) Celtics
Athena (National Junior Women’s) Cup: Sting, Dallas
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Brooklyn Dodgers and Sacramento Gold (ASL II) participated but did not advance. U.N.A.M. of Mexico won the final round robin to take the title.
CONCACAF U-20 Championship: The U.S. lost to Mexico 2-0 in the final (see National Team section above.)
National Soccer Hall of Fame: In 1980, John “Frenchy” Boulos, Bob Guelker, and G. K. “Joe” Guennel were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Rocco Montano was inducted into the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association hall of fame.