1969 North American Soccer League season
The 1969 North American Soccer League season was the second season of the North American Soccer League, the top division in US soccer in 1969.
| Season | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kansas City Spurs |
| Premiers | Kansas City Spurs most total points *Atlanta Chiefs best Win/Loss record |
| Matches played | 40 |
| Goals scored | 82 (2.05 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Kaizer Motaung (16 goals) |
| Average attendance | 2,930 |
← 1968 1970 → | |
Five teams competed in the league's 2nd season. The season was divided into two parts; the International Cup and the regular season. The Kansas City Spurs won the International Cup. The Kansas City Spurs also won the NASL championship by finishing at the top of the table in the regular season. For the second straight year the team with the best winning percentage (Atlanta) did not win the premiership due to the NASL's points system. But unlike the previous year, the Chiefs got no opportunity to claim any title, as this would be the only year that the league did not hold a post-season Championship Final.[1]
Changes from the previous season
No new teams were added and total of 12 teams folded between the 1968 and 1969 seasons:
1969 NASL International Cup
The NASL held a double round-robin tournament that was called the International Cup. The league imported teams from England and Scotland to stand in for the U.S. clubs.
Atlanta Chiefs were represented by Aston Villa
Baltimore Bays were represented by West Ham United
Dallas Tornado were represented by Dundee United
Kansas City Spurs were represented by Wolverhampton Wanderers
St. Louis Stars were represented by Kilmarnock F.C.
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts= point system
| International Cup Standings | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Spurs | 6 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 13 | 57 |
| Baltimore Bays | 5 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 52 |
| Dallas Tornado | 2 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 31 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 28 |
| St. Louis Stars | 2 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 18 | 26 |
NASL Final 1969 season standings
| Event | NASL Final | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| (No final held) Championship awarded to team with most points in the season | |||||||
| Date | August 31, 1969 | ||||||
The regular season rosters were made of the teams' own players. With no playoff or final, Kansas City was crowned league champion.
The team with the most points in the regular season was crowned league champion. Due to the NASL's unusual points system, this was not the team with the best won-loss percentage or the most victories. The Kansas City Spurs posted a record of 10 wins, 2 losses, and 4 ties, for 110 points to claim the title, while the Atlanta Chiefs posted a superior record of 11 wins, 2 losses, and 3 ties, but managed only 109 points.
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential, Pts= point system, Avg Att= Average Attendance[2]
- -Premiers (most points). -Best record.
| 1969 NASL season standings | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Avg Att |
| Kansas City Spurs | 10 | 2 | 4 | 53 | 28 | +25 | 110 | 4,273 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 11 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 20 | +26 | 109 | 3,371 |
| Dallas Tornado | 8 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 82 | 2,923 |
| St. Louis Stars | 3 | 11 | 2 | 24 | 47 | -23 | 47 | 2,274 |
| Baltimore Bays | 2 | 13 | 1 | 27 | 56 | -29 | 42 | 1,238 |
1969 NASL Champions: Kansas City Spurs
Full year standings
| 1969 NASL combined standings | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Spurs | 16 | 4 | 4 | 78 | 41 | 167 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 13 | 6 | 5 | 56 | 36 | 137 |
| Dallas Tornado | 10 | 10 | 4 | 45 | 53 | 113 |
| Baltimore Bays | 7 | 15 | 2 | 50 | 69 | 94 |
| St. Louis Stars | 5 | 16 | 3 | 35 | 65 | 73 |
NASL All-Stars
| First Team[3][4] | Position |
|---|---|
| Leonel Conde, Kansas City | G |
| John Borodiak, Baltimore | D |
| Kirk Apostolidis, Dallas | D |
| William Quiros, Kansas City | M |
| John Best, Dallas | M |
| Joe Puls, St. Louis | M |
| Pepe Fernandez, Kansas City | F |
| Kaizer Motaung, Atlanta | F |
| Manfred Seissler, Kansas City | F |
| Ilija Mitic, Dallas | F |
| Emment Kapengwe, Atlanta • Art Welch, Baltimore | F |
Post season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Cirilio Fernandez, Kansas City
- Coach of the year: Janos Bedl, Kansas City
- Rookie of the year: Siegfried Stritzl, Baltimore
References
- "The Year in American Soccer - 1969". Homepages.sover.net. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- "Attendance Project: NASL". Kenn Tomasch. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- "NASL Homepage". May 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- "Steve Dimitry's NASL Web Page". Oocities.org. Retrieved January 13, 2014.