1984 NASL Season
Encyclopedia
The 1984 NASL season was the 72nd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 17th with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, as well as the 17th and final season of the North American Soccer League
. The start of this season was impacted by the loss of three teams that would reduce the total number of teams down to nine and reduce the divisions from three to two.
was in rapid decline. Much of this decline was due to financial problems that had beset the league causing many teams to fold. By 1983, the NASL had lost half of the 24 teams that existed in 1980. The NASL was also beginning to emphasise the indoor soccer
game as they realised it was easier to turn a profit in the smaller arenas, not to mention the increasing popularity of the indoor game. As a result, the NASL also reduced the outdoor season to 24 games to allow the indoor season to be longer.
The 1983 NASL season saw a surprise team emerge as the Soccer Bowl
winner – the Tulsa Roughnecks
. The Tulsa team almost didn't make it to the start of 1984 season, as it was suffering from financial hardships as well.
The league's flagship franchise, the Cosmos
, was also in decline. 1983 marked the first year the Cosmos did not lead the league in attendance since 1976. The Cosmos ownership would change, first by losing the corporate backing of Warner Brothers and then being run by a group headed by former team great Giorgio Chinaglia
. Chinaglia did not have anything similar to the financial resources that Warner Brothers had provided.
At the end of the 1983 season, three more teams folded. The league lost the Montreal Manic
, Team America, and perennial league power the Seattle Sounders
, bringing the number of teams down to nine. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers relocated to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
in Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Strikers
.
The NASL was also operating some of the franchises in indoor soccer
competition in the winter months (NASL Indoor League). By 1984, that number had declined to seven clubs.
One big change for 1984 would be that the NASL would abandon its single-game, neutral site Soccer Bowl
Championship and would switch the league championship to a best two out of three series that would be played at each team's home field.
, tied for the league lead in wins, but missed the play-offs due to low scoring, as bonus points were awarded based on goals scored as well as wins and shootout wins.
Despite bringing back legendary NASL Coach Eddie Firmani
to coach the team, the Cosmos struggled most of the season and missed the play-offs. At the same time, the 1983 NASL MVP Roberto Cabanas suffered a disappointing 1984 season. The weakness of the Cosmos, as exemplified by their missing the play-offs, played a key role in the end of the NASL. There were even rumours about the team asking Pelé
to come out of retirement again to help salvage the season; these proved to be without merit.
During the season, indoor soccer legend Steve Zungul
emerged as the MVP. Zungul, who owned many of Major Indoor Soccer League's
scoring records proved he could play outdoor soccer as well. His 20 goals and 10 assists would help him secure the MVP despite playing on the NASL's worst team, the Golden Bay Earthquakes. In fact, Zungul combined with team mate Branko Segota
(another indoor soccer legend) to become the first team mates to be 1-2 in the scoring. Meanwhile Tampa Bay's Roy Wegerle
played his rookie season and won Rookie of the Year. Wegerle would go on to become a legendary name in American soccer.
6 points for a win
1 point for a shootout win
0 points for a loss
1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game
won their second title in four years, defeating the Toronto Blizzard
two games to zero. The previous year, Toronto had lost the Soccer Bowl
to Tulsa, and many had them penciled as a favourite to return to the game. Four teams made the playoffs – two from the East (Chicago and Toronto) and two from the West (San Diego and Vancouver). Both Western teams were eliminated in the first round.
Four NASL teams (Chicago, Minnesota, New York and San Diego) joined the MISL. The Cosmos left the MISL after only 33 games and became a touring club in 1985. Eventually the Cosmos folded while San Diego, Chicago, and Minnesota continued in the MISL. Most of the other teams folded. However, Tampa Bay later joined the American Indoor Soccer Association and the American Soccer League
.
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. The start of this season was impacted by the loss of three teams that would reduce the total number of teams down to nine and reduce the divisions from three to two.
Prior to 1984
From the end of the 1980 season, the NASLNorth American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
was in rapid decline. Much of this decline was due to financial problems that had beset the league causing many teams to fold. By 1983, the NASL had lost half of the 24 teams that existed in 1980. The NASL was also beginning to emphasise the indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
game as they realised it was easier to turn a profit in the smaller arenas, not to mention the increasing popularity of the indoor game. As a result, the NASL also reduced the outdoor season to 24 games to allow the indoor season to be longer.
The 1983 NASL season saw a surprise team emerge as the Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
winner – the Tulsa Roughnecks
Tulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
. The Tulsa team almost didn't make it to the start of 1984 season, as it was suffering from financial hardships as well.
The league's flagship franchise, the Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
, was also in decline. 1983 marked the first year the Cosmos did not lead the league in attendance since 1976. The Cosmos ownership would change, first by losing the corporate backing of Warner Brothers and then being run by a group headed by former team great Giorgio Chinaglia
Giorgio Chinaglia
Giorgio Chinaglia is a former football striker from Italy. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. A year later at age 19, Chinaglia returned to Italy to play for Massese, and then Internapoli, before joining S.S. Lazio in 1969...
. Chinaglia did not have anything similar to the financial resources that Warner Brothers had provided.
At the end of the 1983 season, three more teams folded. The league lost the Montreal Manic
Montreal Manic
Montreal Manic were a soccer team based out of Montreal that played in the NASL. They played from 1981 to 1983. Their home field was Olympic Stadium...
, Team America, and perennial league power the Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (NASL)
The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial...
, bringing the number of teams down to nine. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers relocated to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Strikers
Minnesota Strikers
The Minnesota Strikers was an American professional soccer team located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The team played one season in the North American Soccer League and 4 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
.
The NASL was also operating some of the franchises in indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
competition in the winter months (NASL Indoor League). By 1984, that number had declined to seven clubs.
One big change for 1984 would be that the NASL would abandon its single-game, neutral site Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
Championship and would switch the league championship to a best two out of three series that would be played at each team's home field.
Season summary
There was much parity during the 1984 season as six teams were all within five points of each other. One team, the Minnesota StrikersMinnesota Strikers
The Minnesota Strikers was an American professional soccer team located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The team played one season in the North American Soccer League and 4 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League....
, tied for the league lead in wins, but missed the play-offs due to low scoring, as bonus points were awarded based on goals scored as well as wins and shootout wins.
Despite bringing back legendary NASL Coach Eddie Firmani
Eddie Firmani
Edwin Ronald "Eddie" Firmani is a retired football player and manager. He was born in South Africa but represented Italy internationally.-Playing career:...
to coach the team, the Cosmos struggled most of the season and missed the play-offs. At the same time, the 1983 NASL MVP Roberto Cabanas suffered a disappointing 1984 season. The weakness of the Cosmos, as exemplified by their missing the play-offs, played a key role in the end of the NASL. There were even rumours about the team asking Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
to come out of retirement again to help salvage the season; these proved to be without merit.
During the season, indoor soccer legend Steve Zungul
Steve Zungul
Slaviša Žungul, known in the United States as Steve Zungul is a retired Yugoslavian-American football striker. Žungul began his career with Hajduk Split in his native Yugoslavia before moving to the United States where he became a dominant indoor soccer striker...
emerged as the MVP. Zungul, who owned many of Major Indoor Soccer League's
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
scoring records proved he could play outdoor soccer as well. His 20 goals and 10 assists would help him secure the MVP despite playing on the NASL's worst team, the Golden Bay Earthquakes. In fact, Zungul combined with team mate Branko Segota
Branko Segota
Branimir "Branko" Šegota is a former Canadian professional soccer forward, starring in the original Major Indoor Soccer League, the North American Soccer League, the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the National Professional Soccer League, and the Canadian Soccer League.Born in Rijeka, then part...
(another indoor soccer legend) to become the first team mates to be 1-2 in the scoring. Meanwhile Tampa Bay's Roy Wegerle
Roy Wegerle
Roy Wegerle is a South African-American former soccer player, who played for the United States in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. He is one of two players who played in both the NASL and MLS; the other is Hugo Sánchez....
played his rookie season and won Rookie of the Year. Wegerle would go on to become a legendary name in American soccer.
Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts= point system6 points for a win
1 point for a shootout win
0 points for a loss
1 point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game
Eastern Division
| W | L | GF | GA | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Sting Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988... |
13 | 11 | 50 | 49 | 120 |
| Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard (NASL) The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium.... |
14 | 10 | 46 | 33 | 117 |
| New York Cosmos New York Cosmos The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history... |
13 | 11 | 43 | 42 | 115 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 15 | 43 | 61 | 87 |
Western Division
| W | L | GF | GA | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Sockers | 14 | 10 | 51 | 42 | 118 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home... |
13 | 11 | 51 | 48 | 117 |
| Minnesota Strikers Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers was an American professional soccer team located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The team played one season in the North American Soccer League and 4 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League.... |
14 | 10 | 40 | 44 | 115 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks -NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place... |
10 | 14 | 42 | 46 | 98 |
| Golden Bay Earthquakes | 8 | 16 | 61 | 62 | 95 |
The playoffs
The Chicago StingChicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
won their second title in four years, defeating the Toronto Blizzard
Toronto Blizzard (NASL)
The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
two games to zero. The previous year, Toronto had lost the Soccer Bowl
Soccer Bowl
The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....
to Tulsa, and many had them penciled as a favourite to return to the game. Four teams made the playoffs – two from the East (Chicago and Toronto) and two from the West (San Diego and Vancouver). Both Western teams were eliminated in the first round.
Semi-finals
| Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Sting Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988... |
- | Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home... |
0 - 1 (OT) | 3 - 1 | 4 - 3 | September 18 , 23 , 28 |
| Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard (NASL) The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium.... |
- | San Diego Sockers | 2 - 1 | 1 - 0 | September 18 , 21 |
Final
| Result | Game 1 | Game 2 | Dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Sting Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988... |
2 - 0 | Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard (NASL) The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium.... |
2 - 1 | 3 - 2 | October 1 , 3 |
Post season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Steve ZungulSteve ZungulSlaviša Žungul, known in the United States as Steve Zungul is a retired Yugoslavian-American football striker. Žungul began his career with Hajduk Split in his native Yugoslavia before moving to the United States where he became a dominant indoor soccer striker...
, Golden Bay - Coach of the year: Ron NewmanRon Newman (footballer)Ronald Vernon Newman is a former association football player and coach. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
, San Diego - Rookie of the year: Roy WegerleRoy WegerleRoy Wegerle is a South African-American former soccer player, who played for the United States in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. He is one of two players who played in both the NASL and MLS; the other is Hugo Sánchez....
, Tampa Bay
After the season
On March 28, 1985, the NASL suspended operations for the 1985 season, when only Minnesota and Toronto were interested in playing in 1985. At the time, the league planned to relaunch in 1986.Four NASL teams (Chicago, Minnesota, New York and San Diego) joined the MISL. The Cosmos left the MISL after only 33 games and became a touring club in 1985. Eventually the Cosmos folded while San Diego, Chicago, and Minnesota continued in the MISL. Most of the other teams folded. However, Tampa Bay later joined the American Indoor Soccer Association and the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
.