1991–92 Major Soccer League season

Recap

After a relatively tranquil 1990-91 season, the league's unstable finances reared their head again at season's end. Attempts to find other financiers for the Kansas City Comets failed and the club folded. Both San Diego and the Dallas Sidekicks were saved by civic outpouring and new ownership groups. A reborn version of the Pittsburgh Spirit was announced on April 29, and the owners of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres expressed interest in putting a team in Buffalo. When faced with the instability of the league, however, both sets of potential owners decided to not put up the $350,000 line of credit needed to play in 1991–92.

Despite the upheaval, the seven teams left soldiered on. The regular season was wide open as playoff positioning went right down to the final game on the schedule. The Cleveland Crunch's George Fernandez scored in overtime to put Cleveland into the playoffs and knock the Wichita Wings out. Wichita had been in first place at the beginning of February, but a 6–13 finish doomed their chances at the postseason. Still, the playoffs themselves went according to form as San Diego defeated Baltimore and Dallas for their fifth straight MSL/MISL title.

There were early signs that the league would survive for another year. Attendance was up over 1990–91, and there were reports in April that the league planned on a 1992-93 season with all seven teams returning and an expanded schedule of 44 games.

However, the Tacoma Stars announced they were folding on June 5. The hoped-for expansion into Buffalo never came to pass as the Buffalo Blizzard chose to join the smaller and more financially stable National Professional Soccer League on June 18. Attempts to find new owners for the St. Louis Storm failed, leaving the MSL with five teams. Commissioner Earl Foreman announced the dissolution of the league on July 10.

The remaining teams scattered; San Diego and Dallas joined the Continental Indoor Soccer League, while Cleveland and Wichita joined the NPSL. Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale decided not to join either league, folding the team instead. A new ownership group was awarded an NPSL expansion franchise for Baltimore called the Spirit and signed Blast coach Kenny Cooper to lead the team.

Teams

Map of clubs

Regular-season schedule

The 1991–92 regular season schedule ran from October 19, 1991, to April 4, 1992. At 40 games, it was the shortest schedule for the league since the 1980–81 season and the seven-team lineup was its smallest since the inaugural season of 1978–79.

Final standings

Playoff teams in bold.

Playoffs

| RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1=San Diego Sockers | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=4 | RD1-team2=Baltimore Blast | RD1-score2=1

| RD1-seed3=2 | RD1-team3=Dallas Sidekicks | RD1-score3=4 | RD1-seed4=3 | RD1-team4=Cleveland Crunch | RD1-score4=2

| RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=San Diego Sockers | RD2-score1=4 | RD2-seed2=2 | RD2-team2=Dallas Sidekicks | RD2-score2=2

Semifinals

|}

Championship Series

|}

Team Attendance Totals

Scoring leaders

GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

All-MISL Teams

League awards

Most Valuable Player: Victor Nogueira, San Diego

Scoring Champion: Zoran Karic, Cleveland

Pass Master: Zoran Karic, Cleveland

Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego

Rookie of the Year: Tommy Tanner, Cleveland

Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego

Coach of the Year Gordon Jago, Dallas

Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Thompson Usiyan, San Diego

Championship Series Unsung Hero: Kevin Crow, San Diego

References

References

1. (July 17, 1991). "Kansas City soccer team folds". [[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)]].
2. Finnegan, Tara. (June 29, 1991). "Sockers, Sidekicks get new owners". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
3. Fink, David. (April 30, 1991). "Pittsburgh to rejoin pro soccer league for 1991-92". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
4. Lawrence, Merlisa. (August 21, 1991). "Mullin Says No To Soccer". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
5. (October 20, 1991). "Major Soccer League Set To Open 14th Season". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. (April 5, 1992). "Fernandez's Goal Gets Crunch in Playoffs". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. Geis, John. (February 15, 1992). "Sockers Mix Some Skill, Brawn to Get Past Wichita". [[Los Angeles Times]].
8. Geis, John. (April 6, 1992). "Owners Don't Delay in Making '92 Plans". [[Los Angeles Times]].
9. Geis, John. (April 9, 1992). "Lost Quarter Is Costly to Blast". [[Los Angeles Times]].
10. (June 6, 1992). "Tacoma Stars Fold; Only Six Teams Left In MSL". [[Seattle Times]].
11. McKee, Sandra. (June 19, 1992). "Another summer, another scare in MSL". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
12. Geis, John. (July 11, 1992). "S.D. Sockers Due to Follow League Demise". [[Los Angeles Times]].
13. Geis, John. (October 16, 1992). "CISL Owners Discuss Expansion". [[Los Angeles Times]].
14. (August 1, 1992). "NPSL approves Cleveland, Wichita". [[Milwaukee Sentinel]].
15. Preston, Mike. (July 11, 1992). "Now a team without a league, Blast will explore new fields". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
16. (1991). "MSL Official Guide 1991-92".
17. (April 29, 1992). "Dallas' Jago Named MSL Coach Of Year". [[Wichita Eagle]].