North American Soccer League 237757 222163566 2008-06-27T21:31:47Z SaskatchewanSenator 2611810 /* Selected former players */ sp {{Infobox sports league |logo = |pixels=163px |sport=[[Football (soccer)]] |founded=1968 |folded=1985 |teams=Maximum of 24 |country={{USA}} {{CAN}} |champion=[[Chicago Sting]], 1984 }} '''North American Soccer League''' (NASL) was a professional [[football (soccer)|soccer]] [[league]] with teams in the [[United States]] of America (U.S.) and [[Canada]] that operated from 1968 to 1984.<ref>{{citation|title=A-LEAGUE WRAP: Thunder to open in Metrodome|publisher=Soccer America |date=February 26, 2003 |url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562132961}}</ref> ==History== In 1967 two professional soccer leagues started in the United States: the [[FIFA]]-sanctioned [[United Soccer Association]] and the unsanctioned [[National Professional Soccer League I|National Professional Soccer League]]. The National Professional Soccer League had a national television contract in the U.S. with the [[CBS]] [[television network]], but the ratings for matches were unacceptable even by weekend daytime standards and the arrangement was terminated. The leagues merged in 1968 to form the '''North American Soccer League''' (NASL). It has been suggested that the timing of the merge was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the [[English (language)|English]]-speaking world to the victory by [[England national football team|England]] in the [[Football World Cup 1966|1966 FIFA World Cup]] and the resulting [[documentary film]], ''Goal''. The league lasted until the [[1984 NASL season]] when it suspended operations. However, four NASL teams (Chicago, Minnesota, New York, and San Diego) joined the [[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]] for its 1984-85 season. The NASL itself operated an [[indoor soccer]] league from 1979-80 to 1981-82 and in 1983-84. The biggest club in the league and the organization's bellwether was the [[New York Cosmos]], who drew upwards of 40,000 fans per game at their height while aging [[Brazil]]ian superstar [[Pelé]] (considered to be the greatest player in the sport's history) played for them. [[Giants Stadium]] (actually in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]) sold out (73,000+) their 1978 championship win. However, the overall average attendance of the entire league never reached 15,000, with some clubs averaging fewer than 5,000. The NASL faced obstacles in regard to selling the sport of soccer to Americans, which was then completely foreign to the majority of them. The league "Americanized" the rules in the attempt to make the game more exciting, and comprehensible, to the average American sports fan. These changes included a clock that counted time down to zero as was typical of other timed American sports, rather than upwards to 90 minutes as was traditional, a 35 yard line for offsides rather than the traditional half way line, and a shootout to decide matches that ended in a draw. The foreign image of soccer was not helped, however, by a league that brought in many older, high profile foreign players, and frequently left Americans on the bench. This effort was often doubly futile, as while many of the foreign players were perhaps "big names" in their home countries, almost none of them qualified as such in [[North America]], and they quickly absorbed most of the available payroll, such as it was, which could have otherwise been used to pay North American players better. Overexpansion was a huge factor in the death of the league. Once the league started growing, new franchises were awarded quickly, and it doubled in size in a few years, peaking at 24 teams. Many have suggested that cash-starved existing owners longed for their share of the expansion fee charged of new owners, even though ''[[Forbes|Forbes Magazine]]'' reported this amount as being only [[United States dollar|$]]100,000. This resulted in the available personnel being spread too thinly, among other problems. Additionally, many of these new owners were not "soccer people", and once the perceived popularity started to decline, they got out as quickly as they got in. They also spent millions on aging stars to try to match the success of the Cosmos, and lost significant amounts of money in doing so. Also, FIFA's decision to award the hosting of the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] to Mexico after Colombia withdrew, rather than the U.S., is considered a factor in the NASL's demise. While the NASL ultimately failed, it introduced soccer to the North American sports scene on a large scale for the first time and was a major contributing factor in soccer becoming one of the most popular sports among American youth. In the late-1980s, FIFA did award the World Cup to the U.S., which would be staged in 1994. It has also provided lessons for its successor [[Major League Soccer]], which has taken precautions against such problems. American college and high school soccer still use some NASL-style rules. ==NASL champions== *1968 [[Atlanta Chiefs]] *1969 [[Kansas City Spurs]] *1970 [[Rochester Lancers]] *1971 [[Dallas Tornado]] *1972 [[New York Cosmos]] *1973 [[Philadelphia Atoms]] *1974 [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] *1975 [[Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)|Tampa Bay Rowdies]] *1976 [[Toronto Metros-Croatia]] *1977 [[New York Cosmos]] *1978 [[New York Cosmos]] *1979 [[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] *1980 [[New York Cosmos]] *1981 [[Chicago Sting]] *1982 [[New York Cosmos]] *1983 [[Tulsa Roughnecks]] *[[1984 NASL season|1984]] [[Chicago Sting]] ==NASL indoor champions== *1975 [[San Jose Earthquakes (NASL team)|San Jose Earthquakes]] (tournament) *1976 [[Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)|Tampa Bay Rowdies]] (tournament) *1979-80 [[Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)|Tampa Bay Rowdies]] *1980-81 [[Edmonton Drillers]] *1981-82 [[San Diego Sockers]] *1983-84 [[San Diego Sockers]] ==Teams of NASL 1968-1984== {| |valign="top"| *[[Atlanta Apollos]] (1968-1973, as ''Atlanta Chiefs'' in 1968-1972) *[[Atlanta Chiefs]] (1978-1981, as [[Colorado Caribous|Caribous of Colorado]] in 1978) *[[Baltimore Bays]] (1968-1969) *[[Boston Beacons]] (1968) *[[Boston Minutemen]] (1974-1976) *[[Calgary Boomers]] (1978-1981, as [[Memphis Rogues]] in 1978-1980) *[[Chicago Mustangs]] (1967-1968) *[[California Surf]] (1975-1981) *[[Chicago Sting]] (1975-1984) *[[Cleveland Stokers]] (1968) *[[Dallas Tornado]] (1968-1981) *[[Detroit Cougars (soccer)|Detroit Cougars]] (1968) *[[Detroit Express]] (1978-1980) *[[Edmonton Drillers]] (1975-1982, as ''Hartford Centennials'' in 1975-1976, as [[Connecticut Bicentennials]] in 1977, as [[Oakland Stompers]] in 1978) *[[Houston Stars]] (1968) *[[Houston Hurricane]] (1978-1980) *[[Jacksonville Tea Men]] (1980-1982, as [[New England Tea Men]] in 1978-1980) *[[Kansas City Spurs]] (1968-1970) *[[Los Angeles Wolves]] (1968) *[[Los Angeles Aztecs]] (1974-1981) *[[Minnesota Strikers]] (1970-1984, as [[Washington Darts]] in 1970-1971, as ''Miami Gatos'' in 1972, as [[Miami Toros]] in 1973-1976, as [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] in 1977-1983) *[[Minnesota Kicks]] (1974-1981, as [[Denver Dynamos|Denver Dynamo]] in 1974-1975) *[[Montreal Olympique]] (1971-1973) *[[Montreal Manic]] (1978-1983, as [[Philadelphia Fury]] in 1978-1980) |width="50"|&nbsp; |valign="top"| *[[New York Generals]] (1968) *[[New York Cosmos]] (1971-1984, as ''Cosmos'' in 1977-1978) *[[Oakland Clippers]] (1968) *[[Philadelphia Atoms]] (1973-1976) *[[Portland Timbers (NASL)|Portland Timbers]] (1975-1982) *[[Rochester Lancers]] (1970-1980) *[[San Diego Toros]] (1968) *[[San Diego Sockers]] (1974-1984, as [[Baltimore Comets]] in 1974-1975, as [[San Diego Jaws]] in 1976, as [[Las Vegas Quicksilver]] in 1977) *[[San Jose Earthquakes (NASL team)|San Jose Earthquakes]] (1974-84, as ''Golden Bay Earthquakes'' in 1983-84) *[[Seattle Sounders (NASL)|Seattle Sounders]] (1974-1983) *[[St. Louis Stars (NASL)|St. Louis Stars]] (1968-1977), as [[California Surf]] (1978-1981) *[[Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)|Tampa Bay Rowdies]] (1975-1984) *[[Team America (soccer)|Team America]] (1983) *[[Toronto Falcons]] (1968) *[[Toronto Blizzard]] (1971-1984, as [[Toronto Metros]] in 1971-1974, as [[Toronto Metros-Croatia]] in 1975-1978) *[[Tulsa Roughnecks]] (1978-1984, as [[San Antonio Thunder]] in 1975-1976, as [[Team Hawaii]] in 1977) *[[Vancouver Royals]] (1968) *[[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] (1974-1984) *[[Washington Whips]] (1968) *[[Washington Diplomats]] (1974-1980) *[[Washington Diplomats]] (1981, as [[Detroit Express]] in 1978-1980) |} ==Annual honors== ===Scoring leaders=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Player, team !G !A !PTS |- |1967 USA |[[Roberto Boninsegna]], Chicago |11 |1 |23 |- |1967 NPSL |[[Yanko Daucik]], Toronto |20 |8 |48 |- |1968 |[[John Kowalik]], Chicago |30 |9 |69 |- |1969 |[[Kaizer Motaung]], Atlanta |16 |4 |36 |- |1970 |[[Carlos Metidieri]], Rochester |16 |3 |35 |- |1971 |[[Carlos Metidieri]], Rochester |19 |8 |46 |- |1972 |[[Randy Horton]], New York |9 |4 |22 |- |1973 |[[Kyle Rote, Jr.]], Dallas |10 |10 |30 |- |1974 |[[Paul Child]], San Jose |15 |6 |36 |- |1975 |[[Steve David]], Miami |23 |6 |52 |- |1976 |[[Giorgio Chinaglia]], New York |19 |11 |49 |- |1977 |Steve David, Los Angeles |26 |6 |58 |- |1978 |Giorgio Chinaglia, New York |34 |11 |79 |- |1979 |[[Oscar Fabbiani]], Tampa Bay |25 |8 |58 |- |1980 |Giorgio Chinaglia, New York |32 |13 |77 |- |1981 |Giorgio Chinaglia, New York |29 |16 |74 |- |1982 |Giorgio Chinaglia, New York |20 |15 |55 |- |1983 |[[Roberto Cabanas]], New York |25 |16 |66 |- |[[1984 NASL season|1984]] |[[Steve Zungul]], Golden Bay |20 |10 |50 |} ===MVP, Rookie and Coach of the Year=== {| class="wikitable" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCCC" ! Year !! MVP !! Rookie !! Coach |- |1968 ||[[John Kowalik]] || [[Kaizer Motaung]] || [[Phil Woosnam]] |- |1969 ||[[Cirilio Fernandez]] || [[Siegfried Stritzl]] || [[Janos Bedl]] |- |1970 ||[[Carlos Metidieri]] || [[Jim Leeker]] || [[Sal de Rosa]] |- |1971 ||[[Carlos Metidieri]] || [[Randy Horton]] || [[Ron Newman]] |- |1972 ||[[Randy Horton]] || [[Mike Winter]] || [[Casey Frankiewicz]] |- |1973 ||[[Warren Archibald]] || [[Kyle Rote, Jr.]] || [[Al Miller (soccer)|Al Miller]] |- |1974 ||[[Peter Silvester (footballer)|Peter Silvester]] ||[[Doug McMillan]] || [[John Young (coach)|John Young]] |- |1975 ||[[Steve David]] || [[Chris Bahr]] || [[John Sewell (footballer)|John Sewell]] |- |1976 ||[[Pelé]] || [[Steve Pecher]] || [[Eddie Firmani]] |- |1977 ||[[Franz Beckenbauer]] || [[Jimmy McAlister (soccer)|Jim McAlister]] || [[Ron Newman]] |- |1978 ||[[Mike Flanagan (footballer)|Mike Flanagan]] || [[Gary Etherington]] || [[Tony Waiters]] |- |1979 ||[[Johan Cruyff]] || [[Larry Hulcer]] || [[Timo Liekoski]] |- |1980 ||[[Roger Davies (footballer)|Roger Davies]] || [[Jeff Durgan]] || [[Alan Hinton]] |- |1981 ||[[Giorgio Chinaglia]] || [[Joe Morrone, Jr.]] || [[Willy Roy]] |- |1982 ||[[Peter Ward (English footballer)|Peter Ward]] || [[Pedro DeBrito]] || [[John Giles]] |- |1983 ||[[Roberto Cabanas]] || [[Gregg Thompson]] || [[Don Popovic]] |- |1984 ||[[Steve Zungul]] || [[Roy Wegerle]] || [[Ron Newman]] |} ==Selected former players== ''Famous and prominent players of the NASL. Players featured here are internationals, played five or more seasons in the NASL or featured prominently in NASL statistical records.'' {| |valign="top"| *{{flagicon|UK}} [[Laurie Abrahams]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Dick Advocaat]] *{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Javier Aguirre]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Roberto Aguirre]] *{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Carlos Alberto Torres|Carlos Alberto]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Sam Allardyce]] *{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Ricardo Alonso]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Willie Anderson (soccer)|Willie Anderson]] *{{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Warren Archibald]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Adrian Alston]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Michael Ash]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sonny Askew]] *{{flagicon|Haiti}} [[Arsene Auguste]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Igor Bachner]] *{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[John Bain]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Ball (footballer)|Alan Ball]] *{{flagicon|YUG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Boris Bandov]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gordon Banks]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Barry Barto]] *{{flagicon|Peru}} [[Chico Baylon]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Beardsley]] *{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Franz Beckenbauer]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Ivan Belfiore]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Colin Bell]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Bellinger]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Chris Bennett (soccer)|Chris Bennett]] *{{flagicon|Bermuda}} [[Clyde Best]] *{{flagicon|NIR}} [[George Best]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[John Best (soccer)|John Best]] *{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Roberto Bettega]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Bick]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Zeljko Bilecki]] *{{flagicon|GER}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Herbert Birkenmeier]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ray Bloomfield]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Nico Bodonczy]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Vladislav Bogićević]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bob Bolitho]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Bonetti]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jeff Bourne]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ken Bracewell]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David Bradford (footballer)|David Bradford]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gordon Bradley]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Jack Brand]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Alan Brazil]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[David Brcic]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Ian Bridge]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bill Brown (goalkeeper)|Bill Brown]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Brian Budd]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Ivan Buljan]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dave Butler]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Buttle]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[David Byrne (South African footballer)|David Byrne]] *{{flagicon|PRY}} [[Roberto Cabañas]] *{{flagicon|URU}} [[Omar Caetano]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Laurie Calloway]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Cliff Calvert]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Claude Campos]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paul Cannell]] *{{flagicon|Costa Rica}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ringo Cantillo]] *{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Billy Caskey]] *{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Carmelo Cedrún]] *{{flagicon|IND}}/{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David Chadwick (footballer)|David Chadwick]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Clive Charles]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Child]] *{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Giorgio Chinaglia]] *{{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Cho Jeung Young]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Tony Chursky]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bobby Clark (footballer)|Bobby Clark]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Joe Clarke]] *{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Dave Clements]] *{{flagicon|}} [[John Cocking]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Neil Cohen]] *{{flagicon|Nigeria}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ade Coker]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Collier (footballer)|Gary Collier]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Leonel Conde]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Connell (soccer)|Mike Connell]] *{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Jimmy Conway (footballer)|Jimmy Conway]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Charlie Cooke (footballer)|Charlie Cooke]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Kenny Cooper Sr.]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Corrigan]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dan Counce]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Crescitelli]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Johan Cruijff]] *{{flagicon|PER}} [[Teófilo Cubillas]] *{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Leonardo Cuellar]] *{{flagicon|TTO}} [[Everald Cummings]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Nelson Cupello]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Daley]] *{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Iraj Danaeifard]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Chris Dangerfield]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Benny Dargle]] *{{flagicon|Bermuda}} [[Gary Darrell]] *{{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Steve David]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Roger Davies]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Phil Davis]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rick Davis]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Graham Day (soccer)|Graham Day]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Iris DeBrito]] *{{flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Leroy DeLeon]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Buzz Demling]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Demling]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[John Dempsey (footballer)|John Dempsey]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Roberto DeOliveira]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dave D'Errico]] |width="70"| |valign="top"| *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Kazimierz Deyna]] *{{flagicon|ARG}} / {{flagicon|USA}} [[Angelo DiBernardo]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Dillon (footballer)|Mike Dillon]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Willie Donachie]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Martin Donnelly]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Don Droege]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Winston DuBose]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Gene DuChateau]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Eli Durante]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Durgan]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Kevin Eagan]] *{{flagicon|Jamaica}} [[Winston Earle]] *{{flagicon|Wales}} [[Mike England]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Francisco Escos]] *{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Andranik Eskandarian]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} / {{flagicon|USA}} [[Gary Etherington]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ray Evans (footballer)|Ray Evans]] *{{flagicon|Ghana}} [[Willie Evans (footballer)|Willie Evans]]<ref>[http://www.graphicghana.info/article.asp?artid=13334 graphicghana.info<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *{{flagicon|PRT}} [[Eusebio|Eusébio]] *{{flagicon|Argentina}}/{{flagicon|Chile}} [[Oscar Fabbiani]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bernie Fagan]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Charlie Fajkus]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Miralem Fazuc]] *{{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[Pepe Fernandez]] *{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Luis Fernando]] *{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Ivair Ferriera]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Field]] *{{flagicon|Chile}} [[Elías Figueroa]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Joey Fink|Joe Fink]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Flanagan (footballer)|Mike Flanagan]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Flater]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|IRL}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ken Fogarty]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Santiago Formoso]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Colin Fowles]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Trevor Francis]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Frank (soccer)|Steve Frank]] *{{flagicon|Poland}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Casey Frankiewicz]] *{{flagicon|}} [[William Fraser (soccer)|William Fraser]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ron Futcher]] *{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Jimmy Gabriel]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Brian Gant]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Terry Garbett]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Momcilo Gavric]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Gene Geimer]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Archie Gemmill]] *{{flagicon|}} [[George Gibbs]] *{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Johnny Giles]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rudy Glenn]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Jan Goossens]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[George Graham (footballer)|George Graham]] *{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Karl-Heinz Granitza]] *{{flagicon|SCO}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Gerry Gray]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alan Green (soccer)|Alan Green]] *{{flagicon|Rhodesia}} [[Bruce Grobbelaar]] *{{flagicon|Wales}} [[Clive Griffiths (footballer)|Clive Griffiths]] *{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Kai Haaskivi]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Bret Hall]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dick Hall (soccer)|Dick Hall]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ian Hamilton (footballer)|Ian Hamilton]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alan Hamlyn]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Hammond]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|SCO}} [[David Harvey (footballer)|David Harvey]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Jado Hasanbegovic]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Hateley]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Larry Hausmann]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Kevin Hector]] *{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Steve Heighway]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Hewitt]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gordon Hill]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Hinton]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jim Holton]] *{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Jozsef Horvath]] *{{flagicon|Bermuda}} [[Randy Horton]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Hudson]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ray Hudson]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stephen Hunt (footballer born 1956)|Steve Hunt]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Geoff Hurst]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gerry Ingram]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David Irving (footballer)|David Irving]] *{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Mark Jakobowski]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Wim Jansen]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tommy Jenkins]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Willie Johnston]] *{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Jimmy Kelly (Northern Irish footballer)|Jimmy Kelly]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Mihalj Keri]] *{{flagicon|SCO}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[John Kerr, Sr.]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brian Kidd]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Victor Kodelja]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Refik Kozic]] *{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Helmut Kremers]] *{{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Jorgen Kristensen]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Ruud Krol]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bob Lenarduzzi]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Tino Lettieri]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Ley]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Lindsay (footballer)|Mark Lindsay]] *{{flagicon|YUG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Liveric]] *{{flagicon|NLD}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Dwight Lodeweges]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Peter Lorimer]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Ivan Lukacevic]] *{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Pato Margetic]] *{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marinho Peres]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rodney Marsh (footballer)|Rodney Marsh]] *{{flagicon|URU}} [[Juan Masnik]] *{{flagicon|Haiti}} [[Frantz Mathieu]] |width="70"| |valign="top"| *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Arnie Mausser]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alan Mayer]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy McAlister (soccer)|Jimmy McAlister]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Pat McBride]] *{{flagicon|UK}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[John McGrane]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Wes McLeod]] *{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Peter McParland]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alan Merrick]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Shep Messing]] *{{flagicon|Brazil}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Carlos Metidieri]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Charlie Mitchell]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Dale Mitchell (soccer)|Dale Mitchell]] *{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[Ilija Mitic]] *{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Victor Moreland]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Willie Morgan]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bobby Moore]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Kaizer Motaung]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Moyers]] *{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Gerd Müller]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Glenn Myernick]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Johan Neeskens]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Axel Neumann]] *{{flagicon|CAN}}/{{flagicon|NIR}} [[Jimmy Nicholl]] *{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Peter Nogly]] *{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Björn Nordqvist]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Patrick Ntsoelengoe]] *{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Fran O'Brien (footballer)|Fran O'Brien]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tommy Ord]] *{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Jose Oscar Bernardi]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Osgood]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Phil Parkes (Wolves)|Phil Parkes]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Andrew Parkinson (soccer)|Andrew Parkinson]] *{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Pelé]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Peterson]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Bruno Pilas]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Harry Redknapp]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Rob Rensenbrink]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Peter Ressel]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bob Rigby]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Wim Rijsbergen]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bruce Rioch]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Neill Roberts]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jimmy Robertson]] *{{flagicon|PRY}} [[Julio César Romero]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Thomas Rongen]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Rote, Jr.]] *{{flagicon|YUG}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Werner Roth (soccer)|Werner Roth]] *{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Brian Rowan]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Rowlands (footballer)|John Rowlands]] *{{flagicon|GER}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Willy Roy]] *{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Hugo Sánchez]] *{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Stewart Scullion]] *{{flagicon|Barbados}} [[Elson Seale]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Branko Segota]] *{{flagicon|GER}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Manfred Seissler]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Short (soccer)|Peter Short]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Silvester (footballer)|Peter Silvester]] *{{flagicon|PRT}} [[Antonio Simoes]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alex Skotarek]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Derek Smethurst]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Smith (soccer)|Bobby Smith]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Jomo Sono]] *{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Graeme Souness]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Derek Spalding]] *{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Arno Steffenhagen]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Nobby Stiles]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Mike Stojanovic]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Mirko Stojanovic]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Carl Strong]] *{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Wolfgang Suhnholz]] *{{flagicon|}} [[Damir Sutevski]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Wim Suurbier]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brian Talbot]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Stanisław Terlecki]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Colin Todd]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Al Trost]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Dennis Tueart]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tim Twellman]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Carl Valentine]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Jan van Beveren]] *{{flagicon|BEL}} [[François Van Der Elst]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Perry Van der Beck]] *{{flagicon|NLD}} [[Jan van der Veen]] *{{flagicon|Hungary}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Juli Veee]] *{{flagicon|VEN}} [[Jose Velazquez]] *{{flagicon|India}}/{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Roger Verdi]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barry Wallace (footballer)|Barry Wallace]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Ward (English footballer)|Peter Ward]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Doug Wark]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barry Watling]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David Watson (footballer born 1946)|David Watson]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Roy Wegerle]] *{{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Steve Wegerle]] *{{flagicon|Jamaica}} [[Art Welch]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Keith Weller]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Whelan]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Willey]] *{{flagicon|NLD}}/{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jean Willrich]] *{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Bruce Wilson (soccer)|Bruce Wilson]] *{{flagicon|ENG}}/{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Giuseppe Wilson]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dennis Wit]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Withe]] *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank Worthington]] *{{flagicon|}}[[Ninoslav Zee]] *{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Steve Zungul]] |} ===Current professionals with parents in the NASL=== *[[Jordan Cila]], son of [[Renato Cila]] *[[Kenny Cooper]], son of [[Kenny Cooper Sr.]] *[[Jordi Cruyff]], son of [[Johan Cruijff]] *[[Alecko Eskandarian]], son of [[Andranik Eskandarian]] *[[Julie Fleeting]], daughter of [[Jim Fleeting]] *[[Sasha Gotsmanov]], son of [[Sergey Gotsmanov]] *[[Shawn Kuykendall]], son of [[Kurt Kuykendall]] *[[John Kerr, Jr. (soccer)|John Kerr, Jr.]], son of [[John Kerr, Sr.]] *[[Daniel Nardiello]], son of [[Donato Nardiello]] *[[John Barry Nusum]], son of [[John Nusum]] *[[Taylor Twellman]], son of [[Tim Twellman]] *[[Byrce Wegerle]], son of [[Steve Wegerle]] and nephew of [[Roy Wegerle]] *[[Chris Wingert]], son of [[Norm Wingert]] *[[Jamie Clark]], son of [[Bobby Clark (footballer)|Bobby Clark]] *[[Craig Ziadie]], son of [[Dennis Ziadie]] *[[David Edgar (footballer)|David Edgar]], son of [[Eddie Edgar]] *[[Leighton O'Brien]], son of [[Fran O'Brien (footballer)|Fran O'Brien]] == Average Attendance == *1968: 4,747 *1969: 4,699 *1970: 2,930 *1971: 3,163 *1972: 4,159 *1973: 4,780 *1974: 5,954 *1975: 7,770 *1976: 7,642 *1977: 10,295 *1978: 13,558 *1979: 13,084 *1980: 14,201 *1981: 14,084 *1982: 13,155 *1983: 13,258 *[[1984 NASL season|1984]]: 10,759 ==See also== *[[NASL Most Valuable Player Award]] *[[Soccer Bowl]] *[[:Category:NASL players]] ===Teams named after NASL teams=== *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Baltimore Bays (ASL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Baltimore Bays (USISL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Detroit Express (ASL)]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Edmonton Drillers (CMISL)]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Edmonton Drillers (NPSL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (APSL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (USISL)]] *{{flagicon|RSA}} [[Jomo Cosmos|Jomo Cosmos (ABSA Premier Soccer League)]] *{{flagicon|RSA}} [[Kaizer Chiefs FC|Kaizer Chiefs FC (ABSA Premier Soccer League)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Las Vegas Quicksilver (USISL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Portland Timbers (USL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[San Diego Sockers (2001-2004)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[San Jose Earthquakes|San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Seattle Sounders (USL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Seattle Sounders FC|Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tampa Bay Rowdies|Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL)]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Toronto Blizzard (1986-1993)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tulsa Roughnecks (USISL)]] *{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Vancouver Whitecaps (USL)]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Washington Diplomats (APSL)]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://home.att.net/~nasl/nasl.htm A site dedicated to the history of the NASL] *[http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm NASL All-time Player Register] *[http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/ American Soccer History Archives] *[http://www.kenn.com/sports/soccer/nasl/index.html NASL Attendance Figures] {{fb start}} {{North American Soccer League Seasons}} {{fb end}} {{USDefunctSoccer}} {{Division 1 Soccer | Prev=[[American Soccer League|ASL II]] | Years=1967-1984 | Next=[[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]]}} {{Link FA|it}} [[Category:North American Soccer League| ]] [[Category:Defunct American soccer competitions]] [[Category:Defunct Canadian soccer competitions]] [[Category:Indoor football (soccer)]] [[Category:1968 establishments]] [[Category:1984 disestablishments]] [[Category:Professional sports leagues]] [[de:North American Soccer League]] [[fr:North American Soccer League]] [[ko:북미 축구 리그]] [[it:North American Soccer League]] [[ja:北米サッカーリーグ]] [[pt:North American Soccer League]] [[sv:North American Soccer League]]