1990 American Professional Soccer League
Overview of the 1990 American Professional Soccer League season. Although the Western Soccer League and the American Soccer League merged to form the American Professional Soccer League in 1990, the two leagues remained essentially independent leagues, linked by name alone. During this season, they ran separate regular season schedules with two different points systems. They each had their own playoff formats, had separate league MVPs and had their own All League teams. The first game between the two leagues came in September when the Maryland Bays of the American Soccer League defeated the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the Western Soccer League for the American Professional Soccer League championship.
History
On September 9, 1989, the champions of the west coast-based Western Soccer Alliance and the east coast-based American Soccer League played each other for the national championship.[1] This was the first meeting between teams from the two leagues but was part of a larger effort to merge the two leagues.[2] This effort resulted in the creation of the American Professional Soccer League on February 22, 1990.[3] The merger remained one of name only as the two leagues played separate schedules and named separate MVPs and All League teams. However, it allowed the teams to market themselves as members of a national league.[4] During the playoffs, teams played a home and away series. However, they needed to win two games, so in the case of a tie after two games, the teams played a thirty minute mini-game. If the game remained tied, the two teams would enter a shoot out. A shoot out pitted a field player against the opposing team's goalkeeper. The field player had five seconds to take a shot on goal beginning 35 yards from the goal.
League standings
East (American Soccer League) Conference
Points:
- Win: 3
- Shoot out win: 2
- Shoot out loss: 1
North Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland Bays | 20 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 29 | 44 |
| 2 | Albany Capitals | 20 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 35 | 22 | 42 |
| 3 | Penn-Jersey Spirit | 20 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 23 | 39 |
| 4 | Boston Bolts | 20 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| 5 | Washington Stars | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 24 | 28 | 22 |
| 6 | New Jersey Eagles | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 21 | 38 | 17 |
South Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 20 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 22 | 45 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 20 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 32 | 39 | 29 |
| 3 | Orlando Lions | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 25 | 30 | 24 |
| 4 | Miami Freedom | 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 29 | 24 |
| 5 | Washington Diplomats | 20 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 40 | 16 |
West (Western Soccer League) Conference
Points:
- Win: 6
- Shoot out win: 4
- Shoot out loss: 2
- 1 bonus point per goal scored in regulation, maximum of 3 per game
North Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks | 20 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 39 | 30 | 104 |
| 2 | Salt Lake Sting | 20 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 39 | 34 | 104 |
| 3 | Colorado Foxes | 20 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 12 | 100 |
| 4 | Portland Timbers | 20 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 36 | 99 |
| 5 | Seattle Storm | 20 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 35 | 93 |
South Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Emperors | 20 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 35 | 32 | 89 |
| 2 | Real Santa Barbara | 20 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 33 | 35 | 87 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Heat | 20 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 39 | 85 |
| 4 | San Diego Nomads | 20 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 28 | 67 |
| 5 | New Mexico Chilies | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 25 | 45 | 61 |
| 6 | Arizona Condors | 20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 29 | 51 | 59 |
Eastern Conference
Semifinal 1
August 10, 1990 7:30 PM EST |
| Albany Capitals (NY) | 2-3 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FL) |
|---|---|---|
Chris Szanto  6'Paul Mariner 45' |
17' Ricardo Alonso 73' Jimmy McGeough, Jr. 78' Pedro Magallanes |
August 12, 1990 5:00 PM EST |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FL) | 2-0 | Albany Capitals (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Ricardo Alonso 37' Alvin James 85' |
Semifinal 2
August 10, 1990 8:00 PM EST |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies (FL) | 1-2 (aet) | Maryland Bays (MD) |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Wright 81' |
Jean Harbor |
August 12, 1990 7:00 PM EST |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies (FL) | 1-4 | Maryland Bays (MD) |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Jones 8' |
5' Jean Harbor 19' Philip Gyau 46' Jean Harbor 73' John Abe |
Final
August 18, 1990 8:00 PM EST |
| Maryland Bays (MD) | 3-2 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FL) |
|---|---|---|
| John Abe 13' Jean Harbor 71'Joe Barger 87' |
50' Pedro Magallanes 52' Marcelo Carrera |
August 25, 1990 5:00 PM EST |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FL) | 0-2 | Maryland Bays (MD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1' Philip Gyau 16' Scott Cook |
Western Conference
First Round Series 1
August 18, 1990 6:00 PM EST |
| Los Angeles Heat (CA) | 0-1 | Real Santa Barbara (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 68' Jim Hutchinson |
August 21, 1990 |
| Real Santa Barbara (CA) | 1-2 | Los Angeles Heat (CA) |
|---|---|---|
 Danny Pena Mike Getchell |
Referee: (USA) |
First Round Series 2
August 22, 1990 10:00 PM EST |
| Salt Lake Sting (UT) | 1-4 | Colorado Foxes (CO) |
|---|---|---|
| Barney Boyce 55' (PK) |
44' Mike Mikes 67' Robin Fraser 72' Efren Rodarte 89' Efren Rodarte |
The Colorado Foxes advance, 6-1 on aggregate.
Semifinals
August 25, 1990 |
| San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (CA) | 2-1 | Colorado Foxes (CO) |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Dayak 13' Troy Dayak 35' |
7' Larry McPhail |
Final
September 12, 1990 8:00 PM PST |
| San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (CA) | 1-1 | Los Angeles Heat (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Martin 23' Eric Wynalda 36' |
7' Nathan Sacks 28' Joe Flanagan 35' Danny Pena 71' Waldir Guerra | |
| Penalties | ||
Peter Isaacs  Steve Corpening Dave Palic  Townsend Qin Steve Petuskey |
4 – 2 | Waldir Guerra Mike Gregorian Bobby Bruch Mike Getchell |
September 12, 1990 |
| San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (CA) | 1-0 | Los Angeles Heat (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Dominic Kinnear 22' |
(Report) |  20' Mike Getchell |
Final
September 23, 1990 |
| Maryland Bays (MD) | 1–1 | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Cook 77' |
52' Eric Wynalda 83' Peter Isaacs | |
| Penalties | ||
| Jean Harbor Joe Barger Scott Cook ? John Abe |
4 – 3 | Dominic Kinnear Tim Martin Townsend Qin Marcelo Balboa Steve Petuskey |
Combined points leaders
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chance Fry | Seattle Storm | 17 | 5 | 39 |
| 2 | George Pastor | Salt Lake Sting | 14 | 9 | 37 |
| 3 | Mike Masters | Albany Capitals | 14 | 4 | 32 |
| 4 | Philip Gyau | Maryland Bays | 12 | 6 | 30 |
| 5 | Derek Sanderson | Salt Lake Sting | 11 | 6 | 37 |
| 6 | Jerry O'Hara | California Emperors | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| 7 | Shawn Medved | Portland Timbers | 10 | 2 | 22 |
| 8 | Jean Harbor | Maryland Bays | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| 9 | Jim Hutchinson | Real Santa Barbara | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| 10 | Scott Benedetti | Seattle Storm | 9 | 3 | 21 |
| 11 | Cesar Plasencia | Real Santa Barbara | 9 | 3 | 21 |
| 11 | Steve Pittman | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| 11 | David Byrne | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| 11 | Steve Corpening | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks | 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 11 | Rob Paterson | Portland Timbers | 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 11 | Mike Sweeney | Boston Bolts | 8 | 3 | 19 |
| 11 | Elvis Comrie | Albany Capitals | 8 | 2 | 18 |
| 11 | Lazlo Barna | Miami Freedom | 7 | 4 | 18 |
| 11 | Duanne Robinson | Penn-Jersey Spirit | 5 | 8 | 18 |
Honors
East (American Soccer League) Conference
- MVP: Philip Gyau
- Leading goal scorer: Mike Masters
- Leading goalkeeper: Dale Caya
- Rookie of the Year: Steve Pittman
- Coach of the Year: Thomas Rongen
First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Dale Caya
- Defenders: Steve Pittman, Paul Mariner, Brian Ainscough, George Gelnovatch
- Midfielders: Chico Borja, Marcelo Carrera, David Byrne
- Forwards: Philip Gyau, Dan Donigan
Second Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Arnie Mausser
- Defenders: Jimmy McGeough, Jr., Chris Reif, Thomas Rongen, Dave Smyth
- Midfielders: Paul Dougherty, Eric Eichmann, Pat O'Kelly
- Forwards: Mike Masters, Bruce Murray, Paul Riley
West (Western Soccer League) Conference
- MVP: Mark Dodd
- Leading goal scorer: Chance Fry
- Leading goalkeeper: Mark Dodd
First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Mark Dodd
- Defenders: Marcelo Balboa, John Doyle, Robin Fraser, Danny Pena
- Midfielders: Dominic Kinnear, Fran O'Brien, George Pastor
- Forwards: Chance Fry, Mark Kerlin, Townsend Qin
Second Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Anton Nistl
- Defenders: Steve Eise, Paul Krumpe, Derek Van Rheenen, Wade Webber
- Midfielders: John Bain, Mike Fox, Jeff Rogers, Dzung Tran
- Forwards: Scott Benedetti, Paul Wright
References
- ↑ Fort Lauderdale Rallies to Defeat San Diego
- ↑ Two outdoor leagues plan title game for fall St. Petersburg Times - Thursday, April 13, 1989
- ↑ February merger produces the American Professional Soccer League
- ↑ Merger forms one outdoor league The Washington Times - Friday, February 23, 1990
External links
- The Year in American Soccer - 1990
- USA - A-League (American Professional Soccer League) (RSSSF)
- 1990 Western Soccer League
- 1990 American Soccer League