Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1973. This was the 6th season of the NASL.
Overview Nine teams took part in the league with the Philadelphia Atoms winning the championship.
During the season, Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz from Vera Cruz, Mexico, played each of the nine NASL clubs in exhibition games that counted in the league's final standings. The 1973 season would be the last season in which games from non-league clubs counted in league standings.
A week before the NASL Final 1973, commissioner Phil Woosnam announced that no team in the league made a profit during the season.
In a unique twist, the team with home field for the NASL Championship Game determined the date and time the game was to be played. When the Dallas Tornado won their semi-final, setting up the final with Philadelphia, they chose August 25 as the date of the game. They did this because the NASL loan agreements with players from the English First Division (the precursor to today's Premier League) expired before that date.
Because of this, Philadelphia's two leading scorers, Andy "The Flea" Provan and Jim Fryatt, were on their way back to England when the championship match was played on the 25th. Despite this, Philadelphia coach, Al Miller, put Bill Straub, a defender who had not played a minute for the club prior to the championship game, into the lineup at forward. The move paid off as Straub headed home the second goal in a 2–0 win with under five minutes remaining in the final.
Changes from the previous season
New teams Philadelphia Atoms
Teams folding None
Teams moving None
Name changes Atlanta Chiefs to Atlanta Apollos Miami Gatos to Miami Toros
Map of clubs
Regular season W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, BP = Bonus Points, PTS= Total Points
POINT SYSTEM 6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 bonus point for each goal scored up to three per game. -Premiers (most points). -Other playoff teams.
Eastern DivisionWLTGFGABPPTSPhiladelphia Atoms 9 2 8291426 104New York Cosmos 7 5 7312328 91Miami Toros 8 5 6262122 88
Northern DivisionWLTGFGABPPTSToronto Metros 6 4 9 32 18 26 89Montreal Olympique 5 10 4 25 32 22 64Rochester Lancers 4 9 6 17 27 17 59
Southern DivisionWLTGFGABPPTSDallas Tornado 11 4 4 36 2533 111St. Louis Stars 7 7 5 27 27 25 82Atlanta Apollos 3 9 7 23 4023 62
NASL All-Stars
First Team Position Second Team Honorable Mention Ken Cooper, Dallas G Bob Rigby, Philadelphia Sam Nusum, Montreal John Best, Dallas D Bob Smith, Philadelphia John Sewell, St. Louis Chris Dunleavy, Philadelphia D Derek Trevis, Philadelphia Barry Barto, Philadelphia David Sadler, MiamiD Dick Hall, Dallas Werner Roth, New York Brian Rowan, Toronto D Roy Evans, Philadelphia John Collins, Dallas Ilija Mitic, Dallas M Pat McBride, St. Louis Al Trost, St. Louis Fernando Pinto, Toronto M Francisco Escos, Rochester Roy Turner, Dallas Ian McPhee, Toronto M Roberto Aguirre, Miami George O'Neill, Philadelphia Andy Provan, Philadelphia F Joey Fink, New York Paul Child, Atlanta Jim Fryatt, Philadelphia F Rick Reynolds, Dallas Kyle Rote Jr., Dallas Warren Archibald, Miami F Randy Horton, New York Nick Jennings, Dallas
Playoffs All playoff games in all rounds including the NASL Final were single game elimination match ups.
Bracket
Semifinals August 15New York Cosmos0–1Dallas TornadoTexas Stadium • Att. 9,009
August 18Toronto Metros0–3Philadelphia AtomsVeterans Stadium • Att. 18,766
NASL Final 1973
1973 NASL Champions: Philadelphia Atoms
Post season awards Most Valuable Player: Warren Archibald, Miami Coach of the year: Al Miller, Philadelphia Rookie of the year: Kyle Rote, Jr., Dallas
Average home attendance
TeamAveragePhiladelphia Atoms 11,501Dallas Tornado 7,474St. Louis Stars 6,337Toronto Metros 5,961New York Cosmos 5,593Miami Toros 5,479Rochester Lancers 4,069Montreal Olympique 3,856Atlanta Apollos 3,317
References
External links Video highlights of NASL in 1973 Complete Results and Standings