North American Soccer League
1979–80 indoor season
Season1979–80
ChampionsTampa Bay Rowdies
(2nd title)
PremiersAtlanta Chiefs
Matches played60
Goals scored665 (11.08 per match)
Top goalscorerSouth Africa David Byrne
(23 goals)
Average attendance4,869
← 1979

The 1979–80 season was the North American Soccer League's first ever full indoor soccer season with playoffs. It began in November 1979, and the championship occurred in March 1980.

Overview

Only 10 of the 24 NASL member-teams chose to field a squad for the 12 game regular season and 6 team, 3 round playoffs. The league decided to make several rule modifications from the NASL indoor tournaments and indoor friendlies of previous years. The most obvious change was the goal. No longer 4 by 16 feet (h x w), the goals now measured a more proportionate 6.5 by 12,[1] with a board or plexiglass panel above the cross bar instead of netting. Rather than being divided into three 20-minute periods (like hockey) as was done previously, or the more recent three 15-minute periods, the game now featured four 15-minute quarters with an extended halftime (similar to American football) and short breaks and the end of the first and third quarters. These modifications were consistent with the rules of the competing Major Indoor Soccer League,[2] which had begun operation in December 1978.[3][4] Other changes included an extra referee at the bench to keep track of time penalties. Like most American sports, the clock would count down to 00:00 rather than up to "full time" as was done in association football. As before, (like ice hockey) there would be free substitutions, but players now had to touch the wall by their bench before a substitute player could come onto the playing floor. The floor dimensions remained, more or less 200 by 85 feet.[5] Golden goal/sudden death overtime was used to settle games tied at the end of regulation. In the playoffs, 15-minute mini-games were used to decide series that were tied at one victory apiece. Indeed, two playoff series, including the Championship Final between Tampa Bay and Memphis, would need to be settled by means of a mini-game.[6]

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games Behind 1st Place, % = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Avg Att = Average Home Attendance

Eastern DivisionWLGB%GFGAAvg Att
Atlanta Chiefs102–.83370465,069
Tampa Bay Rowdies842.66775645,910
Detroit Express753.58370693,937
Fort Lauderdale Strikers397.25058651,724
New England Tea Men2108.16752813,249
Western DivisionWLGB%GFGAAvg Att
Memphis Rogues93–.75065448,249
Minnesota Kicks841.66775529,562
Tulsa Roughnecks752.58363644,657
California Surf485.33371833,181
Los Angeles Aztecs2108.16756872,768

Regular season statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points[7]

Player Team GP G A Pts
David Byrne Atlanta12231157
Keith Furphy Detroit12211355
Laurie Abrahams California12181753
Peter Baralić Tampa Bay12211052
Iraj Danaifard Tulsa12191048
Chris Dangerfield Los Angeles1215939
Mark Lindsay California12131238
Wes McLeod Tampa Bay12131238
Steve Earle Tulsa12101838
Alan Willey Minnesota1215636

Leading goalkeepers

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins

Player Team Min Svs GA GAA W
John Houska Memphis721172433.589
Victor Nogueira Atlanta637164393.6710
Tino Lettieri Minnesota658165413.748
Nick Owcharuk Tulsa441134334.497
Željko Bilecki Tampa Bay684173544.748

Playoffs

Bracket

First round
Single game 		Division finals
Best-of-3 		Championship series
Best-of-3
E1 Atlanta Chiefs 3 5 –
E2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 12 x x E2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 7 6(OT) –
E3 Detroit Express 1 x x E2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 4 10 1
W1 Memphis Rogues 5 4 0
W1 Memphis Rogues 3 4(OT) 1
W2 Minnesota Kicks 3 x x W2 Minnesota Kicks 6 3 0
W3 Tulsa Roughnecks 2 x x

1st round

February 19 Tampa Bay Rowdies 12–1 Detroit Express Bayfront Center • 4,880
February 20 Minnesota Kicks 3–2 Tulsa Roughnecks Met Center • 3,170

Division finals

If a playoff series is tied after two games, a 15 minute, tie breaker mini-game is played.

Higher seed Lower seed Game 1 Game 2 Mini-game Attendance
Atlanta Chiefs–Tampa Bay Rowdies3–75–6 (OT)xFebruary 23 • Bayfront Center • 5,545
February 25 • The Omni • 6,141
Memphis Rogues–Minnesota Kicks3–64–3 (OT)1–0February 23 • Met Center • 3,701
February 26 • Mid-South Coliseum • 7,130

Championship finals

Higher seed Lower seed Game 1 Game 2 Mini-game Attendance
Memphis Rogues–Tampa Bay Rowdies*5–44–100–1*February 29 • Mid-South Coliseum • 9,081
March 2 • Bayfront Center • 5,545

*Memphis Rogues hosted Game 1 (instead of Game 2 and Mini-game) due to scheduling conflicts at the Mid-South Coliseum.[8]

Championship match reports

February 29, 1980 Game 1 Memphis Rogues 5–4 Tampa Bay Rowdies Memphis, Tennessee
7:30 P.M. (CST) Cooke 5:16' (Berrio, Houska)
Vazquez 18:19' (Hasanbegović)
Vazquez 44:26' (Carbognani)
Vazquez 49:27' (Berrio, Husband)
Field 52:21' (Rosul, Husband)		 Report Fabbiani 34:02'
Wegerle 34:54' (Gorman)
Fabbiani 54:44' (Anderson)
Van der Beck 56:06' (Fabbiani)		 Stadium: Mid-South Coliseum
Attendance: 9,081
March 2, 1980 Game 2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 10–4 Memphis Rogues St. Petersburg, Florida
2:00 P.M. (EST) Van der Beck 8:05' (Fabbiani)
Wegerle 9:20' (Van der Beck)
Connell 12:36' (Baralić)
Van der Beck 13:16' (Wegerle)
Fabbiani 14:54' (Gorman)
McLeod 38:00' (Baralić)
Fabbiani 41:07' (Gorman)
Anderson 41:38' (Fabbiani, McLeod)
Connell 50:54' (McLeod)
Anderson 56:04' (McLeod)		 Report Carbognani 27:10' (pen)
Field 45:53' (Husband)
Rosul 48:38'
Rosul 49:50' (Carbognani)		 Stadium: Bayfront Center
Attendance: 5,545
Referee: John Davies (USA)
March 2, 1980 Mini-game Tampa Bay Rowdies 1–0 Memphis Rogues St. Petersburg, Florida
Anderson 4:48' (McLeod) Report Stadium: Bayfront Center
Attendance: 5,545
Referee: John Davies (USA)


1979–80 NASL Indoor Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies

References

  1. ↑ "Indoor Returning, Officially This Time". Evening Independent. September 28, 1979. p. 4-C. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Kids hurt playing with Arrows indoors". The Ottawa Journal. December 23, 1978. p. 28. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. ↑ Tierney, Mike (January 25, 1979). "Rowdies hope to hold onto goalie". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Rowdies roll 6-4". St. Petersburg Times. January 26, 1979. p. 1C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Scheiber, Dave (December 7, 1979). "Indoor soccer: just like hockey without a stick". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2C. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ Scheiber, Dave (March 3, 1979). "Rowdies slam to No. 1". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1-C. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer - 1980". Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ Scheiber, Dave (February 29, 1980). "Rogues lose star for title go with Rowdies". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1, sec. C. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
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