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1980–81 NASL indoor season
Indoor soccer league season
Indoor soccer league season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| competition | North American Soccer League |
| 1980–81 indoor season | |
| season | 1980–81 |
| num_teams | 19 |
| winners | Edmonton Drillers |
| premiers | Chicago Sting |
| matches | 171 |
| league topscorer | West Germany Karl-Heinz Granitza (42 goals) |
| total goals | 1998 |
| average attendance | 5,146 |
| prevseason | [1979–80](1979-80-nasl-indoor-season) |
| nextseason | [1981–82](1981-82-nasl-indoor-season) |
1980–81 indoor season
The 1980–81 season was the North American Soccer League's second indoor soccer season.
Overview
A total of 19 of a possible 21 NASL teams participated. New York and Montreal (who was moving from Philadelphia) were the only hold-outs this indoor season. Just as the season was getting underway, the Jacksonville Tea Men relocated from New England. Teams played an 18-game regular season. The four Canadian teams were realigned into one division and forced to play only one another during the regular season. This was due to early season litigation which restricted NASL teams' travel between the U.S. and Canada. The Edmonton Drillers won the championship in a two-game finals-sweep of the Chicago Sting. This was the Drillers' first, and only, NASL indoor title. Kai Haaskivi of Edmonton won both the regular season and playoff MVP awards.
Map of clubs
quakes](san-jose-earthquakes-1974-1988)**}}
necks](tulsa-roughnecks-1978-1984)**}}
Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games behind 1st place, % = Winning percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Eastern Division | W | L | GB | % | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 13 | 5 | – | .722 | 97 | 75 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 9 | 4 | .500 | 126 | 120 |
| Jacksonville Tea Men | 8 | 10 | 5 | .444 | 96 | 102 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | 17 | 12 | .056 | 58 | 125 |
| Central Division | W | L | GB | % | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Sting | 13 | 5 | – | .722 | 146 | 103 |
| Minnesota Kicks | 12 | 6 | 1 | .667 | 93 | 73 |
| Detroit Express | 7 | 11 | 6 | .389 | 90 | 106 |
| Southern Division | W | L | GB | % | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Surf | 10 | 8 | – | .556 | 104 | 118 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 9 | 9 | 1 | .500 | 111 | 113 |
| Dallas Tornado | 7 | 11 | 3 | .389 | 110 | 125 |
| San Diego Sockers | 6 | 12 | 4 | .333 | 106 | 121 |
| Northern Division | W | L | GB | % | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 11 | 7 | – | .611 | 91 | 96 |
| Edmonton Drillers | 10 | 8 | 1 | .556 | 128 | 109 |
| Calgary Boomers | 10 | 8 | 1 | .556 | 100 | 94 |
| Toronto Blizzard | 5 | 13 | 6 | .278 | 101 | 121 |
| Western Division | W | L | GB | % | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 11 | 7 | – | .611 | 118 | 99 |
| Portland Timbers | 10 | 8 | 1 | .556 | 110 | 93 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 10 | 8 | 1 | .556 | 118 | 115 |
| Seattle Sounders | 9 | 9 | 2 | .500 | 106 | 98 |
NASL All-Stars
All-star selections were made, by region, by the NASL coaches and general managers. Each voter cast ballots for one goalie and five outfield players regardless of position.
| All-North team | Position | All-East team | Position | All-West team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Grobbelaar, Vancouver | G | Tino Lettieri, Minnesota | G | Mike Hewitt, San Jose |
| – | D | Björn Nordqvist, Minnesota | D | Mihalj Keri, Los Angeles |
| Gerry Gray, Vancouver | M | – | M | Alan Hudson, Seattle |
| Carl Valentine, Vancouver | F | Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay | F | Stuart Lee, Portland |
| Kai Haaskivi, Edmonton | F | Pato Margetic, Detroit | F | George Best, San Jose |
| Drew Ferguson, Edmonton | F | Keith Furphy, Atlanta | F | Juli Veee, San Diego |
| Juan Carlos Molina, Calgary | F | Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago | F | Chris Dangerfield, Los Angeles |
| Bobby Prentice, Toronto | F |
Playoffs
Bracket
| score-width=25 Best-of-3 Best-of-3 Best-of-3 | RD1-seed1=P1 | RD1-team1=Chicago Sting | RD1-score1-1=6 | RD1-score1-2=8*(OT)* | RD1-score1-3= – | RD1-seed2=W2 | RD1-team2=Portland Timbers | RD1-score2-1=2 | RD1-score2-2=7 | RD1-score2-3= – | RD1-seed3=E1 | RD1-team3=Atlanta Chiefs | RD1-score3-1=10 | RD1-score3-2=5*(OT)* | RD1-score3-3= – | RD1-seed4=C2 | RD1-team4=Minnesota Kicks | RD1-score4-1= 8 | RD1-score4-2= 4 | RD1-score4-3= – | RD1-seed5=N2 | RD1-team5=Edmonton Drillers | RD1-score5-1= 8 | RD1-score5-2=10 | RD1-score5-3= – | RD1-seed6=W1 | RD1-team6=Los Angeles Aztecs | RD1-score6-1=3 | RD1-score6-2=6 | RD1-score6-3= – | RD1-seed7=C1 | RD1-team7=Vancouver Whitecaps | RD1-score7-1=0 | RD1-score7-2=8 | RD1-score7-3= 4 | RD1-seed8=S1 | RD1-team8=California Surf | RD1-score8-1= 3 | RD1-score8-2= 5 | RD1-score8-3= 0 | RD2-seed1=P1 | RD2-team1=Chicago Sting | RD2-score1-1= 8 | RD2-score1-2= 5 | RD2-score1-3= 4 | RD2-seed2=E1 | RD2-team2=Atlanta Chiefs | RD2-score2-1=3 | RD2-score2-2=9 | RD2-score2-3= 2 | RD2-seed3= N2 | RD2-team3=Edmonton Drillers | RD2-score3-1= 9 | RD2-score3-2=6 | RD2-score3-3= – | RD2-seed4=C1 | RD2-team4=Vancouver Whitecaps | RD2-score4-1= 7 | RD2-score4-2= 4 | RD2-score4-3= – | RD3-seed1=P1 | RD3-team1=Chicago Sting | RD3-score1-1=6 | RD3-score1-2=4 | RD3-score1-3= – | RD3-seed2=N2 | RD3-team2=Edmonton Drillers | RD3-score2-1=9 | RD3-score2-2=5 | RD3-score2-3= –
1st round
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** | ||||
| **Edmonton Drillers** | - | Los Angeles Aztecs | 8–3 | 10–6 |
| **Vancouver Whitecaps** | - | California Surf | 0–3 | 8–5 |
| **Atlanta Chiefs** | - | Minnesota Kicks | 10–8 | 5–4 *(OT)* |
| **Chicago Sting** | - | Portland Timbers | #6–2 | 8–7 *(OT)* |
Semi-finals
| Higher seed | Lower seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Mini-game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Attendance** | ||||
| Vancouver Whitecaps | - | **Edmonton Drillers** | 7–9 | 4–6 |
| **Chicago Sting** | - | Atlanta Chiefs | 8–3 | 5–9 |
Championship finals
| Higher seed | Lower seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Mini-game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Attendance** | ||||
| Chicago Sting | - | **Edmonton Drillers** | *6–9 | 4–5 |
Championship match reports
Guðmundsson Haaskivi Haaskivi Haaskivi Oostrom Haaskivi Haaskivi Haaskivi Hall Simanton Long Fajkus Simanton Steffenhagen Hall Peter Knight Oostrom Guðmundsson Oostrom 1980–81 NASL indoor champions: Edmonton Drillers
Post season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Kai Haaskivi, Edmonton
- Finals MVP: Kai Haaskivi, Edmonton
References
References
- (November 17, 1980). "Tea Men are leaving N.E. for new home in Florida". The Day.
- Conklin, Mike. (March 3, 1981). "Sting may be in for a surprise in finals". Chicago Tribune.
- (25 November 1980). "Three NASL team fold". The Phoenix.
- (December 3, 1981). "Timbers-Sounders Game Opens NASL Indoor Season". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- Conklin, Mike. (March 7, 1981). "It's official –Arno to join Sting's uphill battle". Chicago Tribune.
- 1983 Official North American Soccer League Guide
- Henderson, Jim. (April 21, 1981). "For Keith Bailey, The Long Wait Is Finally Over". The Tampa Tribune.
- Jones, Graham L.. (February 19, 1981). "Surf Beats Whitecaps, 3–0". Los Angeles Times.
- Conklin, Mike. (February 16, 1981). "Sting home for playoff opener". Chicago Tribune.
- "Kai Haaskivi 6 goals 1981 NASL Indoor Finals Edmonton Drillers".
- Conklin, Mike. (March 3, 1981). "Finn star peppers Sting with 6 goals, Edmonton wins". Chicago Tribune.
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