Soccer Bowl '77

Soccer Bowl '77 was the championship final of the 1977 NASL season. The Cosmos (who had dropped "New York" from their name in the off-season) took on the Seattle Sounders. The match was played on August 28, 1977 at Civic Stadium, in Portland, Oregon. The game was also noteworthy, as it was the final competitive match for Pelé, the Brazilian footballer widely acknowledged as the sport's greatest player.[1][2][3][4] The Cosmos won the match, 2–1, to claim their second North American championship.

Soccer Bowl '77
EventSoccer Bowl
DateAugust 28, 1977 (1977-08-28)
VenueCivic Stadium, Portland, Oregon
Man of the MatchStephen Hunt
RefereeToros Kibritjan (USA)
Attendance35,548

Background

Cosmos

The Cosmos qualified for the playoffs by virtue of a second-place finish in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference with 140 points. The Cosmos defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a first round single-match, 3–0, on August 10, 1977, before a home crowd of 57,828 fans. They then faced the Eastern Division winner and number one seed, Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in a best-of three-series. The first game of the series was witnessed by an all-time record NASL crowd of 77,691 and saw the Cosmos win convincingly, 8–3, on August 14, 1977. The second leg, played in Fort Lauderdale on August 17, 1977, finished regulation as a 2–2 draw. After 15 minutes of scoreless golden goal extra time the teams moved on to an NASL shoot-out, which the Cosmos won, 3–0. The win advanced them to the Conference finals. In the Atlantic Conference finals series the Cosmos went up against the upset-minded Rochester Lancers, who had already dispatched two higher seeded opponents. Game 1 of the series was played on August 21, 1977 in Rochester, and saw the Cosmos win a close-fought contest, 2–1. The second leg was played before another large Meadowlands crowd of 73,669 on August 24, 1977. In that game, as with the two previous home playoff games, the Cosmos proved to be a decisive winner, 4–1. By winning the series two games to none, the Cosmos won the Atlantic Conference title and advanced to the Soccer Bowl.

Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders qualified for the playoffs by virtue of a third-place finish in the Western Division of the Pacific Conference with 123 points. The Sounders defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps in a first round single-match, 2–0, on August 10, 1977. They then faced the Western Division winner, Minnesota Kicks in a best-of three-series. The first game of the series, which was played on August 14, 1977, saw the Sounders edge ahead, 2–1, on a sudden death goal in overtime. In the second leg, the Sounders hung on for a 1–0 win on August 17, 1977. The two victories advanced them to the conference finals. In the Pacific Conference finals series, the Sounders went up against the Los Angeles Aztecs, who themselves had just upset Dallas, the number one seed in the conference. Game 1 of the series was played on August 21, 1977 in Los Angeles, and the Sounders won, 3–1. The second leg was played before an impressive Kingdome crowd of 56,256 on August 25, 1977. In that game, the Sounders gutted out a 1–0 result. In doing so, they won the series two games to none, and the Pacific Conference title to advance to the Soccer Bowl.

Game summary

Championship results

Cosmos2–1Seattle Sounders
Hunt  19:05'
Chinaglia  77:19' (Hunt)
Ord  23:13' (Cave)
Attendance: 35,548
Referee: Toros Kibritjan (USA)
Cosmos
Seattle
GK1 Shep Messing
D12 Bobby Smith
D4 Werner Roth (c)
D25 Carlos Alberto 74:29'
M14 Nelsi Morais
M8 Terry Garbett 45:00'
M6 Franz Beckenbauer 63:21'
F7 Tony Field
F10 Pelé
F9 Giorgio Chinaglia
F11 Steve Hunt
Substitutes:
M3 Vito Dimitrijević 66:34' 45:00'
G19 Erol Yasin
Manager:
Eddie Firmani
GK1 Tony Chursky
D4 Mel Machin
D3 Jim McAlister
D5 Mike England
D17 Dave Gillett
M16 Adrian Webster (c)
M15 Steve Buttle
M19 Jimmy Robertson 79:49'
M2 Jocky Scott
F18 Tommy Ord  16:58'
F12 Micky Cave 68:07'
Substitutes:
M8 David Butler 68:07'
F6 Tommy Jenkins 79:49'
G26 Mike Ivanow
Manager:
Jim Gabriel

1977 NASL Champions: Cosmos

Soccer Bowl MVP:
Steve Hunt (Cosmos)
Assistant referees:
John Davies[5]
Bob Morgan

Television: TVS
Announcers: Jon Miller, Paul Gardner
Touchline reporter: Walt Chyzowych

Match statistics

First half[6][7]
Statistic Cosmos Seattle
Goals scored 1 1
Total shots 16 13
Shots on target 9 6
Saves 5 8
Corner kicks 8 2
Fouls x x
Offsides x x
Yellow cards 0 1
Red cards 0 0
Second half[8]
Statistic Cosmos Seattle
Goals scored 1 0
Total shots 13 13
Shots on target 1 6
Saves 6 0
Corner kicks 5 3
Fouls x x
Offsides x x
Yellow cards 3 0
Red cards 0 0
Overall[9]
Statistic Cosmos Seattle
Goals scored 2 1
Total shots 29 26
Shots on target 10 12
Saves 11 8
Corner kicks 13 6
Fouls 11 14
Offsides 1 2
Yellow cards 3 1
Red cards 0 0

See also

References

  1. Pele: The greatest of them all FIFA.com
  2. Pele tops World Cup legends poll BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2010
  3. "Pelé "The King" to be crowned in Monte Carlo at 10th edition of the "Golden Foot" Awards". GoldenFoot. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  4. "IFFHS' Century Elections". Rsssf.com. 30 January 2000. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  5. "NASL Soccer Bowl 77 (Cosmos vs. Sounders)". YouTube. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  6. TVS Broadcast footage
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8my47Z79xQ
  8. Subtracted final stats from TVS halftime stats
  9. "Cosmos knock off Sounders 2-1 in '77 Soccer Bowl III". Horse Racing and Seattle Sports. August 28, 2012. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
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