1979–80 Major Indoor Soccer League season

Expansion would increase league membership to 10 teams. There would be a split into two divisions (the Atlantic and Central).[1] The new teams were placed in Buffalo, Hartford, Wichita, Detroit and St. Louis. All but Hartford had a measure of success, as three of the new clubs would make the playoffs and St. Louis averaged over 14,000 fans despite finishing tied for the MISL's worst record.[2]

To accommodate the expanded league, the playoff format was tweaked to include the top three teams in each division. The first round would be a single game between the second and third-place finishers, while the semifinals were a two-game series between the first-place finisher and the first round winner. If the teams were tied at one win apiece, there would be a 15-minute minigame to decide the winner. If the teams remained tied, there would be a MISL-style penalty shootout to break the tie. The winner of the Atlantic Division final would host the championship game.[3]

The Pittsburgh Spirit would recover from a 5-10 start and a coaching change to finish second in the Atlantic, thanks to a league-record 13-game winning streak.[4] They would be joined in the playoffs by the Buffalo Stallions, who snuck into the postseason thanks to the Philadelphia Fever's loss in the season finale.[5] The Stallions qualified due to their 3-1 head-to-head record against the Fever.[6]

In the end, the New York Arrows repeated as champions, thanks to the goalscoring exploits of Steve Zungul. Zungul scored a combined 100 goals (90 in the regular season, 10 in the playoffs) to lead the Arrows, winning both the regular season and playoff MVP awards in the process.

After the season, the Spirit suspended operations for one year.[7] Pittsburgh would return for the 1981-82 season, however.[8]

The first MISL All-Star game was played at the Checkerdome in St. Louis, Missouri on February 27, 1980. Players were divided up by division.[11] Rosters spots were determined by peer voting, with additional spots decided by the two coaches.[12][13] A crowd of 16,892 watched the Central Division squad upset the Atlantic, 9–4. On the strength of three goals and one assist, Pat Ercoli of Detroit was named the game's MVP, with Mick Poole of Houston finishing second, and St. Louis' Steve Pecher third.[14]

Match report

Central Division All-Stars v Atlantic Division All-Stars

February 27, 1980 All-Star Game	Central Division All-Stars	9–4	Atlantic Division All-Stars	St. Louis, Missouri
7:30 PM (CST)	Ercoli  8:29' (Pecher) Ercoli  18:41' (Stremlau) Ercoli  20:38' (Poole) Piper  21:26' (Haaskivi) Cuenca  21:58' (Lund) Pecher  47:47' (Ercoli) Ryan  53:46' (Bellinger) Haaskivi  56:31' (Piper) Garcia  58:25' (Anderson)	Report	Lawson  24:31' (Grgurev) Grgurev  25:02' (Segota) Zungul  29:14' (Veee) Veee  39:49' (Harsanyi)	Stadium: Checkerdome Attendance: 16,892 Referee: Dr. Joe Machnik

Three Stars of the Match: 1. Pat Ercoli, Detroit; 2. Mick Poole, Houston; 3. Steve Pecher, St. Louis

• Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York

• Scoring Champion: Steve Zungul, New York

• Pass Master: Steve Zungul, New York

• Rookie of the Year: Jim Sinclair, Buffalo

• Goalkeeper of the Year: Sepp Gantenhammer, Houston

• Coach of the Year: Len Bilous, Pittsburgh and Pat McBride, St. Louis

• Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York

1979-80 Buffalo Stallions Media Guide. Buffalo, New York: Buffalo Stallions. 1979.

1980-81 MISL Media Guide. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania: Major Indoor Soccer League. 1980.

Verb, Doug; Jones-Fearnley, Alaina (1982). 1982-83 MISL Information Guide. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania: Major Indoor Soccer League.

Leary, Dan; Griffin, John (1987). MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. New York: Major Indoor Soccer League Communications Department.

• The Year in American Soccer - 1980
• 1979-80 summary at The MISL: A Look Back