Soccer Bowl Series '84

Soccer Bowl '84

Soccer Bowl Series '84
Event	Soccer Bowl
Chicago Sting Toronto Blizzard 2 0
(on best-of-three series)
Game 1
Chicago Sting Toronto Blizzard 2 1
Date	October 1, 1984 (1984-10-01)
Venue	Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois
Man of the Match	Manuel Rojas
Referee	David Socha (United States)
Attendance	8,352
Game 2
Toronto Blizzard Chicago Sting 2 3
Date	October 3, 1984 (1984-10-03)
Venue	Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
Man of the Match	Pato Margetic
Referee	Bill Maxwell (United States)
Attendance	16,842
← 1983

Soccer Bowl Series '84, also known as Soccer Bowl '84, was the championship series of the 1984 NASL season, and the last championship of the original NASL. In a departure from previous years, it was a best-of-three series between the Chicago Sting and the Toronto Blizzard as opposed to a single-game championship. The first game of the series was held on Monday, October 1 at Comiskey Park, in Chicago, Illinois; the Sting won it, 2–1. The second game was played at Varsity Stadium, in Toronto, Ontario on October 3. Chicago won again, this time by a score of 3–2, to sweep the series and claim its second North American championship.^[1][2]

Background[edit]

Chicago Sting[edit]

The Chicago Sting finished the regular season with a 13–11 record, while the Blizzard went 14–10. However, due to the NASL's point system, the Sting were crowned the Eastern Division champions, and also won the league's regular season title with 120 points. This ensured that they would retain home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Since all series were best-of-three ties, that meant a Game 3 if necessary, would be in Chicago. The Sting defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps in their semi-finals series, two games to one.

Toronto Blizzard[edit]

The Toronto Blizzard qualified for the playoffs as runners-up in the Eastern Division and faced the San Diego Sockers in the other semi-final series. The Blizzard earned a return trip to the finals with a two–game sweep of the Western Division champion Sockers. Games 1 and 3 of the Soccer Bowl Series were scheduled to be played at Comiskey Park, while game 2 was set for Toronto's Varsity Stadium.

Sportsvision televised the series in the Chicago area; this coverage was simulcast on the then-new TSN (which had started up a month earlier) cable channel in Canada.

Series summary[edit]

Notes

Match details[edit]

Game 1[edit]

October 1

Chicago Sting	2–1	Toronto Blizzard
Margetic 50' Rojas 85'	Report	Wilson 15'

Comiskey Park, Chicago^[3]

Attendance: 8,352

Referee: David Socha^[4][5] (United States)

Chicago Sting

Toronto Blizzard

GK 1 Victor Nogueira DF 5 Hayden Knight  77:40' DF 7 Victor Kodelja  53:05' DF 6 Dave Huson MF 9 Manny Rojas MF 4 Gerry Gray MF 8 Rudy Glenn  33:18' MF 11 Mark Simanton  86:33' FW 12 Karl-Heinz Granitza (c)  40:52' FW 10 Pato Margetic FW 3 Seninho  88:39' Substitutes:[6] FW 16 Robert Meschbach FW 20 Elvis Comrie DF 28 Frantz Mathieu Manager: Willy Roy  40:52'

GK 1 Paul Hammond DF 24 Colin Miller DF 2 Bruce Wilson (c) DF 17 Derek Spalding  76:43' DF 4 Conny Karlsson  75:19' MF 10 Cliff Calvert  33:05' MF 16 Randy Ragan  35:11' MF 12 Pasquale de Luca MF 8 Ace Ntsoelengoe FW 19 David Byrne  88:14' FW 11 Roberto Bettega  81' Substitutes:[6] MF 9 John Paskin MF 20 Charlie Falzon  81' Manager: Bob Houghton

Game 2[edit]

October 3, 1984

Toronto Blizzard	2–3	Chicago Sting
Paskin 71' Bettega 73'	Report 1 Report 2	Simanton 17' Margetic 68', 82'

Varsity Stadium, Toronto^[8]

Attendance: 16,842^[9]

Referee: Bill Maxwell^[10][11] (United States)

Toronto Blizzard

Chicago Sting

GK 1 Paul Hammond DF 2 Bruce Wilson (c) DF 17 Derek Spalding DF 4 Conny Karlsson DF 10 Cliff Calvert MF 16 Randy Ragan MF 5 Jimmy Nicholl  45' MF 12 Pasquale de Luca  71' MF 8 Ace Ntsoelengoe  12:27' FW 19 David Byrne FW 11 Roberto Bettega Substitutes:[6] MF 9 John Paskin  71' MF 20 Charlie Falzon  45' Manager: Bob Houghton

GK 1 Victor Nogueira DF 5 Hayden Knight DF 7 Victor Kodelja DF 6 Dave Huson  73' MF 9 Manny Rojas MF 4 Gerry Gray MF 8 Rudy Glenn  80' MF 11 Mark Simanton FW 12 Karl-Heinz Granitza (c) FW 10 Pato Margetic FW 3 Seninho Substitutes:[6] FW 16 Robert Meschbach  80' FW 20 Elvis Comrie DF 28 Frantz Mathieu  73' Manager: Willy Roy

1984 NASL Champions: Chicago Sting

Championship Statistics[edit]

Post-match controversy[edit]

Earlier in the year Sting ownership had requested a one-year leave of absence from the NASL, and were denied. With only a few games remaining in the season, Sting chairman Lee Stern, believing that indoor soccer represented the future of the sport, announced that 1984 would be the Chicago Sting's last in the NASL. They, along with three other teams had been granted full admittance to the MISL.^[15] The Blizzard, who were run by former Sting president Clive Toye, were one of the franchises fighting to keep the NASL going.

In the immediate aftermath of Chicago's title clinching victory, Toye's actions and subsequent words were unsporting in nature. He refused to honor the long-standing tradition of entering the winning side's locker room to congratulate the victors. He then followed that up by taking verbal jabs at both Willy Roy and Karl-Heinz Granitza to reporters, by referring to them as "cheats" and the Sting as "unworthy champions"^[16] among other things. While in the midst of Chicago's post match celebration, not surprisingly, Granitza responded in kind. In the end the pettiness and lack of sportsmanship by both men mattered little, as Chicago left with the league's final trophy. The following spring, with Toye as the NASL's interim president, the league would cease operations.^{[8][17][18][19]}

See also[edit]

• 1984 North American Soccer League season

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Video of the games (pt 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c)