North American Soccer League · United States · level 1

1981

Honors
champion Chicago Sting
mvp Giorgio Chinaglia
golden boot Giorgio Chinaglia

368 games 3.35 goals / game 14,655 avg. attendance closest-club map

Standings

team GP W L pts gf ga ppg gf/ga
New York Cosmos 32 23 9 200 80 49 6.25 1.63
Chicago Sting 32 23 9 195 84 50 6.09 1.68
Vancouver Whitecaps 32 21 11 186 74 43 5.81 1.72
San Diego Sockers 32 21 11 173 67 49 5.41 1.37
Minnesota Kicks 32 19 13 163 63 57 5.09 1.11
Los Angeles Aztecs 32 19 13 160 53 55 5.00 0.96
Tulsa Roughnecks 32 17 15 154 60 49 4.81 1.22
Atlanta Chiefs 32 17 15 151 62 60 4.72 1.03
Calgary Boomers 32 17 15 151 59 54 4.72 1.09
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 32 18 14 144 54 46 4.50 1.17
Jacksonville Tea Men 32 18 14 141 51 46 4.41 1.11
Portland Timbers 32 17 15 141 52 49 4.41 1.06
Montreal Manic 32 15 17 141 63 57 4.41 1.11
Tampa Bay Rowdies 32 15 17 139 63 64 4.34 0.98
Seattle Sounders 32 15 17 137 60 62 4.28 0.97
Washington Diplomats 32 15 17 135 59 58 4.22 1.02
Edmonton Drillers 32 12 20 123 60 79 3.84 0.76
California Surf 32 11 21 117 60 77 3.66 0.78
San Jose Earthquakes 32 11 21 108 44 78 3.38 0.56
Toronto Blizzard 32 7 25 77 39 82 2.41 0.48
Dallas Tornado 32 5 27 54 27 71 1.69 0.38

Season leaders

complete stats

Goals

  1. Giorgio Chinaglia 29
  2. Mike Stojanovic 23
  3. Brian Kidd 22
  4. Franz Gerber 20
  5. Karl-Heinz Granitza 19
  6. Arno Steffenhagen 17
  7. Edi Kirschner 17
  8. Teófilo Cubillas 17
  9. Alan Green 16
  10. Gordon Hill 16

Assists

  1. Vladislav Bogicevic 22
  2. Kai Haaskivi 21
  3. Jorgen Kristensen 20
  4. Don Masson 19
  5. Karl-Heinz Granitza 17
  6. Pato Margetic 17
  7. Peter Lorimer 17
  8. Duncan McKenzie 16
  9. Frank Worthington 16
  10. Giorgio Chinaglia 16

Appearances

  1. Alan Merrick 41
  2. Bob Bolitho 32
  3. Bob Lenarduzzi 32
  4. Bob Rigby 32
  5. Brian Alderson 32
  6. Bruce Savage 32
  7. Carl Strong 32
  8. Flemming Lund 32
  9. Gary Etherington 32
  10. Giorgio Chinaglia 32

Most recent games

all games

date season team score team venue referee attendance sources
Sept. 21, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting (SO) 0 - 0 San Diego Sockers Wrigley Field 39623 1
Sept. 16, 1981 1981 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 - 4 New York Cosmos Giants Stadium 31112 1
Sept. 16, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 2 - 1 San Diego Sockers Wrigley Field 21760 1
Sept. 12, 1981 1981 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3 - 4 New York Cosmos Lockhart Stadium 18814 1
Sept. 12, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 1 - 2 San Diego Sockers Qualcomm Stadium 18192 1
Sept. 10, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 4 - 2 Montreal Manic Wrigley Field 27489 1
Sept. 9, 1981 1981 New York Cosmos 2 - 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies Giants Stadium 33754 1
Sept. 9, 1981 1981 Jacksonville Tea Men 1 - 3 San Diego Sockers Qualcomm Stadium 14015 1
Sept. 6, 1981 1981 Jacksonville Tea Men 1 - 2 San Diego Sockers Qualcomm Stadium 14428 1
Sept. 6, 1981 1981 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3 - 0 Minnesota Kicks Metropolitan Stadium 10278 1
Sept. 5, 1981 1981 New York Cosmos 2 - 2 (SO) Tampa Bay Rowdies Giants Stadium 38691 1
Sept. 5, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 4 - 2 Montreal Manic Wrigley Field 24648 1
Sept. 2, 1981 1981 New York Cosmos 6 - 3 Tampa Bay Rowdies Tampa Stadium 29224 1
Sept. 2, 1981 1981 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3 - 0 Minnesota Kicks Lockhart Stadium 11918 1
Sept. 2, 1981 1981 Jacksonville Tea Men 2 - 1 San Diego Sockers Gator Bowl 12252 1
Sept. 2, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 2 - 3 Montreal Manic Montreal Olympic Stadium 58542 1
Aug. 30, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 3 - 2 Seattle Sounders Wrigley Field 24080 1
Aug. 30, 1981 1981 Portland Timbers 0 - 2 San Diego Sockers Qualcomm Stadium 15244 1
Aug. 30, 1981 1981 Los Angeles Aztecs 1 - 2 Montreal Manic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 8812 1
Aug. 27, 1981 1981 Los Angeles Aztecs 3 - 2 Montreal Manic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 7529 1
Aug. 26, 1981 1981 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps Empire Stadium 28896 1
Aug. 26, 1981 1981 Calgary Boomers 0 - 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Lockhart Stadium 11494 1
Aug. 26, 1981 1981 Chicago Sting 0 - 2 Seattle Sounders Kingdome 15176 1
Aug. 26, 1981 1981 Portland Timbers 1 - 5 San Diego Sockers Qualcomm Stadium 12039 1
Aug. 26, 1981 1981 Minnesota Kicks (SO) 0 - 0 Tulsa Roughnecks Metropolitan Stadium 10722 1

Awards

award winner
All-Star Team Arno Steffenhagen
All-Star Team Giorgio Chinaglia
All-Star Team Frantz Mathieu
All-Star Team Brian Kidd
All-Star Team Wim Rijsbergen
All-Star Team Vladislav Bogicevic
All-Star Team Teófilo Cubillas
All-Star Team Peter Nogly
All-Star Team John Gorman
All-Star Team Jan van Beveren
All-Star Team Gordon Hill
Champion Chicago Sting
Coach of the Year Willy Roy
MVP Giorgio Chinaglia
Rookie of the Year Joe Morrone

Where the appearances came from

England: 2,195 games, 25.6%United States: 1,055 games, 12.3%United States: 1,055 games, 12.3%United States: 1,055 games, 12.3%Scotland: 536 games, 6.2%Germany: 674 games, 7.9%Canada: 755 games, 8.8%Northern Ireland: 209 games, 2.4%South Africa: 250 games, 2.9%South Africa: 250 games, 2.9%Serbia: 256 games, 3.0%Serbia: 256 games, 3.0%Italy: 219 games, 2.6%Italy: 219 games, 2.6%Italy: 219 games, 2.6%Italy: 219 games, 2.6%Croatia: 173 games, 2.0%Uruguay: 47 games, 0.5%Bermuda: 23 games, 0.3%Wales: 19 games, 0.2%Turkey: 15 games, 0.2%Sweden: 10 games, 0.1%South Korea: 25 games, 0.3%South Korea: 25 games, 0.3%South Korea: 25 games, 0.3%Slovenia: 4 games, 0.0%Portugal: 32 games, 0.4%Portugal: 32 games, 0.4%Portugal: 32 games, 0.4%Poland: 30 games, 0.3%Peru: 45 games, 0.5%Paraguay: 43 games, 0.5%Nigeria: 30 games, 0.3%Netherlands: 96 games, 1.1%Montenegro: 10 games, 0.1%Mexico: 47 games, 0.5%Kenya: 3 games, 0.0%Jamaica: 24 games, 0.3%Ireland: 93 games, 1.1%Iraq: 1 game, 0.0%Iran: 50 games, 0.6%Indonesia: 27 games, 0.3%India: 18 games, 0.2%India: 18 games, 0.2%India: 18 games, 0.2%India: 18 games, 0.2%Iceland: 32 games, 0.4%Hungary: 54 games, 0.6%Haiti: 77 games, 0.9%Guyana: 1 game, 0.0%Greece: 33 games, 0.4%Finland: 53 games, 0.6%Egypt: 15 games, 0.2%Ecuador: 25 games, 0.3%Ecuador: 25 games, 0.3%Denmark: 78 games, 0.9%Denmark: 78 games, 0.9%Costa Rica: 27 games, 0.3%Zaire: 12 games, 0.1%Chile: 22 games, 0.3%Chile: 22 games, 0.3%Chile: 22 games, 0.3%Cameroon: 23 games, 0.3%Brazil: 120 games, 1.4%Belgium: 30 games, 0.3%Belgium: 30 games, 0.3%Belgium: 30 games, 0.3%Argentina: 157 games, 1.8%Angola: 19 games, 0.2%
  • 25% and over
  • 10-25%
  • 5-10%
  • 2-5%
  • under 2%
Games played by country of origin. Each country is shaded by its share of the minutes; the bands are fixed, so one season can be compared with another. Hover or focus a country for its figures, and read the table below for all of them. A country too small to draw at this crop is marked with a dot.
games by country of origin
countrygamesshare
England 2,195 25.6%
United States 1,055 12.3%
Canada 755 8.8%
not recorded 743 8.7%
Germany 674 7.9%
Scotland 536 6.2%
Serbia 256 3.0%
South Africa 250 2.9%
Italy 219 2.6%
Northern Ireland 209 2.4%
Croatia 173 2.0%
Argentina 157 1.8%
Brazil 120 1.4%
Netherlands 96 1.1%
Ireland 93 1.1%
Denmark 78 0.9%
Haiti 77 0.9%
Hungary 54 0.6%
Finland 53 0.6%
Iran 50 0.6%
Mexico 47 0.5%
Uruguay 47 0.5%
Yugoslavia 46 0.5%
Peru 45 0.5%
Paraguay 43 0.5%
Greece 33 0.4%
Iceland 32 0.4%
Portugal 32 0.4%
Belgium 30 0.3%
Nigeria 30 0.3%
Poland 30 0.3%
Costa Rica 27 0.3%
Indonesia 27 0.3%
Ecuador 25 0.3%
South Korea 25 0.3%
Jamaica 24 0.3%
Bermuda 23 0.3%
Cameroon 23 0.3%
Chile 22 0.3%
Angola 19 0.2%
Wales 19 0.2%
India 18 0.2%
Egypt 15 0.2%
Turkey 15 0.2%
Zaire 12 0.1%
Montenegro 10 0.1%
Sweden 10 0.1%
Slovenia 4 0.0%
Kenya 3 0.0%
Guyana 1 0.0%
Iraq 1 0.0%

No birthplace is on record for 14 of these games, so they go by the player's recorded nationality instead.

No minutes are recorded here, so the shares are games played. Totals are summed from what the record holds — see the coverage note.