1976 North American Soccer League season

Overview

The league's twenty teams were divided into two conferences (Atlantic or Pacific), playing a total of 240 matches. Each team's 24 matches were divided between a round-robin with other teams in the same conference and six matches against different teams in the other conference. Points were awarded for wins (six) and each goal (up to three) regardless of results; ties in regulation were decided by 15 minutes of sudden death overtime followed by a penalty shootout from 35 yd. The playoffs were expanded from eight to twelve teams with automatic berths for the top two teams in each of the four divisions and two wild card slots per conference for the remaining best finishing teams.

The Toronto Metros-Croatia defeated the Minnesota Kicks in the Soccer Bowl on August 28 to win the championship. The match was hosted at the Kingdome in Seattle, the new home of the Seattle Sounders. The Tampa Bay Rowdies finished the regular season with the best record, giving them consecutive titles in three different domestic NASL competitions. Though not in a calendar year, within 12 months they won the Soccer Bowl in August 1975, the NASL indoor cup in March 1976, and the regular season shield or premiership in August 1976. Since NASL teams at that time did not participate in the U.S. Open Cup, this would be the closest one would ever come to achieving any sort of a North American treble.

Changes from the previous season

New teams

• None

Teams folding

• None

Teams moving

• Baltimore Comets to San Diego Jaws
• Denver Dynamos to Minnesota Kicks

Name changes

• None

Map of clubs

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Regular season

Pld = Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential, BP = Bonus Points, Pts= total points

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. :-Premiers (most points). -Other playoff teams.

Atlantic Conference

Pacific Conference

NASL All-Stars

Playoffs

All playoff games in all rounds including Soccer Bowl '76 were single game elimination match ups.

Bracket

| RD2-group1=Atlantic Conference | RD2-group2=Pacific Conference | score-width=35px | team-width=150px | RD1-seed01=E2 | RD1-team01=New York Cosmos | RD1-score01=2 | RD1-seed02=E3 | RD1-team02=Washington Diplomats | RD1-score02=0

| RD1-seed05=N2 | RD1-team05=Toronto Metros-Croatia | RD1-score05=2 | RD1-seed06=N3 | RD1-team06=Rochester Lancers | RD1-score06=1

| RD1-seed09=S2 | RD1-team09=Dallas Tornado | RD1-score09=2 | RD1-seed10=S3 | RD1-team10=Los Angeles Aztecs | RD1-score10=0

| RD1-seed13=W2 | RD1-team13=Seattle Sounders | RD1-score13=1 | RD1-seed14=W3 | RD1-team14=Vancouver Whitecaps | RD1-score14=0

| RD2-seed01=E1 | RD2-team01=Tampa Bay Rowdies | RD2-score01=3 | RD2-seed02=E2 | RD2-team02=New York Cosmos | RD2-score02=1

| RD2-seed03=N1 | RD2-team03=Chicago Sting | RD2-score03=2*(1)* | RD2-seed04=N2 | RD2-team04=Toronto Metros-Croatia | RD2-score04=2***(3)***

| RD2-seed05=S1 | RD2-team05=San Jose Earthquakes | RD2-score05=2 | RD2-seed06=S2 | RD2-team06=Dallas Tornado | RD2-score06=0

| RD2-seed07=W1 | RD2-team07=Minnesota Kicks | RD2-score07=3 | RD2-seed08=W2 | RD2-team08=Seattle Sounders | RD2-score08=0

| RD3-seed01=E1 | RD3-team01=Tampa Bay Rowdies | RD3-score01=0 | RD3-seed02=N2 | RD3-team02=Toronto Metros-Croatia | RD3-score02=2

| RD3-seed03=S1 | RD3-team03=San Jose Earthquakes | RD3-score03=1 | RD3-seed04=W1 | RD3-team04=Minnesota Kicks | RD3-score04=3

| RD4-seed01=N2 | RD4-team01=Toronto Metros-Croatia | RD4-score01=3 | RD4-seed02=W1 | RD4-team02=Minnesota Kicks | RD4-score02=0

First round

Conference semifinals

Conference Championships

Soccer Bowl '76

Main article: Soccer Bowl '76

Lukačević
Ferriera

1976 NASL Champions: Toronto Metros-Croatia

Post season awards

• Most Valuable Player: Pelé, New York
• Coach of the year: Eddie Firmani, Tampa Bay
• Rookie of the year: Steve Pecher, Dallas
• North American Player of the Year: Arnie Mausser, Tampa Bay

Attendances

Source:

References

References

1. Holt, Gordy. (April 25, 1976). "There's a New Look in the NASL". [[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]].
2. "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search".
3. "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search".
4. "History of Shea Stadium". Newyork.mets.mlb.com.
5. "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search".
6. "1976 Soccer Bowl Toronto Metro Croatia vs Minnesota Kicks highlights (Film) NASL".
7. "The Palm Beach Post - Google News Archive Search".
8. "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
9. https://kenn.com/blog/soccer/all-time-nasl-attendance-2/