1981–82 NASL indoor season

Overview

Thirteen of a possible 14 NASL teams participated. Fort Lauderdale was the only non-participant in the 18-game regular season. The Los Angeles Aztecs and the Minnesota Kicks had been scheduled to participate but were unable to do so, due to mounting financial issues. By early December both teams had folded. Other changes in the indoor structure included the separating of the teams into two conferences, each with two divisions. The Atlantic Conference contained the East and Central Divisions, while the Pacific Conference held the West and Northwest Divisions. During the regular season teams played eighteen matches within their conference only. Four teams from each conference advanced to the playoffs, which included the two division winners, along with the two non-division winners with the best won-loss record. The championship series was broadcast live on ESPN. The San Diego Sockers won the championship with a two-game finals sweep of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. This was the Sockers' first ever NASL title. Juli Veee of San Diego won both the regular season and playoff MVP awards.

Map of clubs

necks](tulsa-roughnecks-1978-1984)**}}

quakes](san-jose-earthquakes-1974-1988)**}}

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games behind 1st place, % = Winning percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Atlantic Conference

Pacific Conference

NASL All-Stars

First team

Second team

Playoffs

Bracket

Best-of-3 Best-of-3 Best-of-3 | score-width=25 | RD1-seed1=P1 | RD1-team1=Edmonton Drillers | RD1-score1-1=8 | RD1-score1-2=12 | RD1-score1-3= – | RD1-seed2=P4 | RD1-team2=Seattle Sounders | RD1-score2-1=6 | RD1-score2-2=4 | RD1-score2-3= – | RD1-seed3=P2 | RD1-team3=San Diego Sockers | RD1-score3-1=4 | RD1-score3-2=8 | RD1-score3-3= – | RD1-seed4=P3 | RD1-team4=Vancouver Whitecaps | RD1-score4-1= 3 | RD1-score4-2= 4 | RD1-score4-3= – | RD1-seed5=A1 | RD1-team5=Chicago Sting | RD1-score5-1= 4 | RD1-score5-2='7'''''(OT) | RD1-score5-3= 1 | RD1-seed6=A4 | RD1-team6=Tulsa Roughnecks | RD1-score6-1=5 | RD1-score6-2=6 | RD1-score6-3= 3 | RD1-seed7=A2 | RD1-team7=Montreal Manic | RD1-score7-1=7 | RD1-score7-2=3 | RD1-score7-3= 1 | RD1-seed8=A3 | RD1-team8=Tampa Bay Rowdies | RD1-score8-1= '8'''''(OT) | RD1-score8-2= 2 | RD1-score8-3= '2'''''(3OT) | RD2-seed1=P1 | RD2-team1=Edmonton Drillers | RD2-score1-1= 2 | RD2-score1-2= 3 | RD2-score1-3= – | RD2-seed2=P2 | RD2-team2=San Diego Sockers | RD2-score2-1=8 | RD2-score2-2=12 | RD2-score2-3= – | RD2-seed3= A4 | RD2-team3=Tulsa Roughnecks | RD2-score3-1= 4 | RD2-score3-2=4 | RD2-score3-3= 0 | RD2-seed4=A3 | RD2-team4=Tampa Bay Rowdies | RD2-score4-1= 5 | RD2-score4-2= 3 | RD2-score4-3= 1 | RD3-seed1=P2 | RD3-team1=San Diego Sockers | RD3-score1-1=9 | RD3-score1-2=10 | RD3-score1-3= – | RD3-seed2=A3 | RD3-team2=Tampa Bay Rowdies | RD3-score2-1=7 | 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.

Semi-finals

Championship finals

Championship match reports

Veee Coker Hilkes Veee Deyna Coker Willrich Willrich Roe Pérez McLeod Pérez Gruber Gruber McLeod Tatu Zequinha Roberts Veee Deyna Deyna Fernandez Hilkes Willrich Coker Willrich Veee 1981–82 NASL Indoor Champions: San Diego Sockers

Postseason awards

• Most Valuable Player: Juli Veee, San Diego
• Playoff MVP: Juli Veee, San Diego

References

References

1. Beard, Randy. (March 5, 1982). "Veee: Future of soccer is indoors". The Evening Independent.
2. (November 5, 1981). "NASL to proceed with season sans three". Ellensburg Daily Record.
3. (November 5, 1981). "NASL cuts indoor entries". The Spokesman-Review.
4. Brockmann, John. (December 5, 1981). "Rowdies Indoor Opener With Manic Is A Sellout". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
5. eddiebear60. (June 26, 2016). "San Diego Sockers vs Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1982 NASL Indoor Finals, Game 1".
6. eddiebear60. (March 23, 2013). "San Diego Sockers vs Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1982 NASL Indoor Finals, Game 2".
7. Reeves, Dave. (March 9, 1982). "Sockers sock Rowdies". Lakeland Ledger.
8. (February 2022)
9. "All-League Teams - Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame".
10. Scheiber, Dave. (March 2, 1982). "Rowdies give Tulsa the boot". St. Petersburg Times.
11. Flanagan, Mike. (March 3, 1982). "Sockers soared after they took indoor seriously". The Evening Independent.
12. (March 2, 1982). "Drillers come up empty". The Evening Independent.