Soccer Bowl '83

Soccer Bowl '83 was the 17th edition of the Soccer Bowl, the championship match of North American Soccer League (NASL), which took place on October 1, 1983. It was the final match of the 1983 North American Soccer League playoffs and was contested by the Tulsa Roughnecks and the Toronto Blizzard at the Stadium at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1][2]

Soccer Bowl '83
EventSoccer Bowl
Tulsa Roughnecks Toronto Blizzard
2 0
DateOctober 1, 1983 (1983-10-01)
VenueBC Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia
MVPNjego Pesa (Tulsa Roughnecks)
RefereeEd Bellion (United States)
Attendance53,326

Background
BC Place was the venue for Soccer Bowl '83

Tulsa Roughnecks

The Tulsa Roughnecks won the Southern Division with a 17–13 record and a total of 145 points. They dispatched the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the quarterfinals with a two-game sweep. By virtue of their two games to one victory In the semifinals against the Montreal Manic, the Roughnecks advanced to the Soccer Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

Toronto Blizzard

The Toronto Blizzard qualified for the playoffs as a wild card by finishing third in the Eastern Division with a 16–14 record and a total of 135 points. In the quarterfinals they were the upset-winner over the Western Division champion Vancouver Whitecaps by two games to one. Vancouver had only lost 6 matches all season. The Blizzard pulled off a second upset in their semifinal match-up by sweeping the Golden Bay Earthquakes in two games, and earning their second ever trip to the Soccer Bowl.

Pre-match controversy

During game three of their semifinal series with Montreal, Tulsa forward Ron Futcher picked up his third yellow card of the playoffs. By rule this earned him a one-match suspension, and league director of operations Ted Howard was poised to enforce it. For his part, Futcher was not only the team's leading scorer, but also a leader in the Roughnecks' locker room. Tulsa's owners appealed the yellow card and even alluded to the press, the possibility of boycotting the final if Futcher was not allowed to play. Toronto team president Clive Toye felt that bending the rules for a star player might set a bad precedent, but was nevertheless prepared to face whatever lineup Tulsa put on the pitch. Ultimately, NASL president Howard J. Samuels overruled Ted Howard and decided to allow Futcher to play, because he felt that the fans in attendance would be the ones made to suffer by Futcher's absence.[3][4]

Match details
Tulsa Roughnecks2–0Toronto Blizzard
Pesa 56'
Futcher 62'		 Report
Attendance: 53,326 [7]
Referee: Ed Bellion[8] (United States)
Tulsa Roughnecks
Toronto Blizzard
GK0United States Winston DuBose
DF5United States Val Fernandes
DF2Canada Terry Moore
DF18Northern Ireland Victor Moreland (c)
DF3England Barry Wallace
MF17Poland Adam Krupadownward-facing red arrow 56'
MF9Iran Iraj Danaifard
MF20Canada Ivan Belfioredownward-facing red arrow 56'
FW6United States Njego Pesa
FW14England Laurie Abrahams
FW9England Ron Futcher
Substitutes:[9]
GK22United States Paul Coffee
MF11Nigeria Thompson Usiyanupward-facing green arrow 56'
MF4England Pasquale Fuccilloupward-facing green arrow 56'
FW7Brazil Zequinha
MF10Republic of Ireland Gerry Reardon
MF13United States Todd Saldana
Manager:
Wales Terry Hennessey
GK1Sweden Jan Moller
DF3Canada Bruce Wilson (c)Yellow card 52'
DF4Sweden Conny Karlsson
DF17Scotland Derek SpaldingYellow card 2'
DF10England Cliff Calvert
MF16Canada Randy Ragan
MF8South Africa Patrick Ntsoelengoe
MF5Northern Ireland Jimmy Nicholl
FW19England David Byrne
FW11Italy Roberto Bettega
FW6South Africa Neill Robertsdownward-facing red arrow 81'
Substitutes:[10]
GK22Canada Sven Habermann
MF14South Africa Geoff Wegerleupward-facing green arrow 81'
DF7Canada Victor Kodelja
DF24Canada Collin Miller
MF12Canada Pasquale de Luca
Manager:
England Bob Houghton

1983 NASL Champions: Tulsa Roughnecks

Soccer Bowl MVP:
Njego Pesa

Assistant referees:
United States Howard Krollfeifer
United States Gary Shugarts
Fourth official:
Canada Dave Roach
Reserve referee:
United States Bill Maxwell

Television: Budwieser Network (syndicated)
Announcers: Bob Carpenter, Gordon Bradley
Touchline reporter: Al Miller

Match statistics
Statistic[11] Tulsa Toronto
Goals scored 2 0
Total shots 11 14
Shots on target 4 3
Saves 3 2
Corner kicks 2 5
Fouls 19 19
Offsides 4 9
Yellow cards 0 2
Red cards 0 0

See also

References
  1. NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
  2. NASL. "NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result". North American Soccer League.
  3. Stinson, Dan (October 1, 1983). "Samuels allows Futcher to play". Vancouver Sun. p. B1. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  4. "Soccer". Chicago Tribune. October 1, 1983. p. Sec.2; 5. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  5. "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  6. "Goaltenders in spotlight in NASL Championship". Red Deer Advocate. October 1, 1983. p. 9B. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  7. "Tulsa won Soccer Bowl '83 with a little assist from the - 10.10.83 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  8. "Past Winners | North American Soccer League". November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.
  9. Jose, Colin (1989). NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby, England: Breedon Books. pp. 311, 312.
  10. Jose, Colin (2003). North American Soccer League Encyclopedia. Haworth, NJ: St. Johann Press. p. 382.
  11. Phillips, Randy (October 3, 1983). "Tulsa captures Soccer Bowl with dull victory over Blizzard". Montreal Gazette. p. D-5, D-8. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
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