1979–80 NASL Indoor season

North American Soccer League -1979–80 Indoor Season-

Season	1979–80
Champions	Tampa Bay Rowdies (2nd title)
Premiers	Atlanta Chiefs
Matches played	60
Goals scored	665 (11.08 per match)
Top goalscorer	David Byrne (23 goals)
Average attendance	4,869
← 1979 1980–81 →

Beginning in November 1979, the North American Soccer League conducted their first ever full season of indoor soccer.

Overview

Only 10 of the 24 NASL member-teams chose to field a squad for the 12 game regular season and playoffs.

The league decided to make several rule modifications from the NASL indoor tournaments and indoor friendlies of years past. The most obvious change was the goal. No longer 4 by 16 feet (h x w), the goals now measured a more proportionate 6 by 12, with a board or plexiglass panel above the cross bar instead of netting. Rather than being divided into three 20-minute periods (like hockey) as was done many years ago, or the more recent three 15-minute periods, the game now featured four 15-minute quarters with an extended halftime (similar to American football) and short breaks and the end of the first and third quarters. Other changes included an extra referee at the bench to keep track of time penalties. Like most American sports, the clock would count down to 00:00 rather than up to "full time" as was done in association football. Henceforth the clock would also stop with every referee's whistle. As before, (like ice hockey) there would be free substitutions, but players now had to touch the wall by their bench before a substitute player could come onto the playing floor. The floor dimensions remained, more or less 200 by 85 feet.^[1] Golden goal/sudden death overtime was used to settle games tied at the end of regulation. In the playoffs, 15-minute mini-games were used to decide series that were tied at one victory apiece. Indeed, two playoff series, including the Championship Final between Tampa Bay and Memphis, would need to be settled by means of a mini-game.

Regular Season

W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games Behind 1st Place, % = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Av Att = Average Home Attendance

Regular Season Statistics

Scoring Leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points^[2]

Leading Goalkeepers

Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins

Playoffs

1st Round

Division Finals

If a playoff series is tied after two games, a 15 minute, tie breaker mini-game is played.

Championship Finals

References