NASL Final 1972
NASL Final 1972 was the championship match of the 1972 season, between the New York Cosmos and the St. Louis Stars. The match was played on August 26, 1972 at Hofstra Stadium, in Hempstead, New York. The New York Cosmos won the match, 2–1, and were crowned the 1972 NASL champions.[1][2]
| Event | NASL Final | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | August 26, 1972 | ||||||
| Venue | Hofstra Stadium, Hempstead, New York | ||||||
| Referee | Roger Schott (USA) | ||||||
| Attendance | 6,102 | ||||||
Background
St. Louis Stars
The St. Louis Stars qualified for the playoffs by winning the Southern Division with 69 points. This guaranteed them at least one home playoff game. They defeated the 1970 champions, the Rochester Lancers, 2–0, in a semifinal game played on August 15, 1972 to advance to the final.
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos qualified for the playoffs by winning the Northern Division with 77 points. They also had the highest point-total in the NASL, and therefore were guaranteed home field throughout the playoffs. They defeated the defending champion Dallas Tornado, 1–0, in a semifinal game played on August 19, 1972 to advance to the final.
Game summary
The Cosmos took an early lead after league MVP Randy Horton headed winger Roby Young's corner kick off the crossbar and in at 4:23. The lead would be last through the intermission, until Casey Frankiewicz, the Stars' player/coach, tied the game seven minutes after the restart.[3] Frankiewicz's goal was the source of some controversy as referee Roger Schott initially ruled the play offside. Multiple Stars players appealed to linesman Bill Maxwell who ruled the play good. Schott subsequently reversed his decision and allowed the goal to stand.[4]
Late in the rain-soaked game[5] with New York applying pressure, Cosmos' midfielder John Kerr was fouled in the penalty area by St. Louis defender Gary Rensing. Schott promptly awarded New York a penalty, which Josef Jelínek buried at 4:19 from time. Two minutes later with tempers flaring, as St. Louis pressed for the equalizer, Cosmos defender Werner Roth was sent off, leaving New York a man short for the final two minutes of the match. In a furious push at the end, forward Willy Roy found the net for St. Louis with only thirteen second remaining. Like before, Roger Schott again ruled the Stars offside. But unlike the previous occasion, the Stars' appeals to both the referee and linesman fell on deaf ears this time, giving New York the title.
Championship results
| New York Cosmos | 2–1 | St. Louis Stars |
|---|---|---|
Horton  5' (Young) Jelínek 86' (pen.) |
Report | Frankiewicz 52' (Sewell) |
          St. Louis[10]
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1972 NASL Champions: New York Cosmos
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Man of the Match:
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Statistics
| Statistic[13] | New York | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 2 | 1 |
| Total shots | 28 | 23 |
| Shots on target | 9 | 8 |
| Saves | 7 | 7 |
| Corner kicks | 5 | 10 |
| Fouls | 20 | 19 |
| Offsides | 1 | 3 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 0 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 |
References
- NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
- NASL. "NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result". North American Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013.
- "Bitter End". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 27, 1972. p. 6C. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- "Cosmos defeat Stars to win NASL title". Montreal Gazette. August 28, 1972. p. 25. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- http://www.nasljerseys.com/images/Cosmos/Cosmos%2072%20Road%20John%20Kerr.jpg
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2013-10-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Flachsbart, Harold (August 27, 1972). "Stars Lose Title Match". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1C. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- http://www.nasljerseys.com/images/Cosmos/Cosmos%2072%20Road%20Stan%20Startzell.jpg
- http://www.nasljerseys.com/images/Cosmos/Cosmos%2072%20Road%20Randy%20Horton.jpg
- http://www.nasljerseys.com/Jerseys/StarsStL_Jerseys_NASL.htm
- Jose, Colin (2003). North American Soccer League Encyclopedia. Haworth, NJ: St. Johann Press. p. 379.
- Jose, Colin (1989). NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby, England: Breedon Books. p. 92, 94.
- "Bitter End". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 27, 1972. p. 6C. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
