The 1981 New York Cosmos season was the 11th season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. Despite winning their fifth straight premiership by five points over the Chicago Sting, the Cosmos lost to the Sting in Soccer Bowl '81.
1981 season | |||
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Manager | ![]() ![]() | ||
Stadium | Giants Stadium | ||
NASL | Division: 1st Overall: 1st Playoffs: Runners-Up | ||
National Challenge Cup | Did not enter | ||
CONCACAF Champions' Cup | Did not enter | ||
Top goalscorer | League: ![]() All: ![]() | ||
Highest home attendance | 42,385 vs. CHI (May 17) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 12,240 vs. FTL (June 24) | ||
Average home league attendance | 34,835[3] | ||
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Squad
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Source:[4]
Results
editSource:[5]
Preseason
editRegular season
editPld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).
Eastern Division Standings
editPos | Club | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Cosmos | 32 | 23 | 9 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 200 |
2 | Montreal Manic | 32 | 15 | 17 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 141 |
3 | Washington Diplomats | 32 | 15 | 17 | 59 | 58 | +1 | 135 |
4 | Toronto Blizzard | 32 | 7 | 25 | 39 | 82 | −43 | 77 |
Overall League Placing
editPos | Club | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Cosmos | 32 | 23 | 9 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 200 |
2 | Chicago Sting | 32 | 23 | 9 | 84 | 50 | +34 | 195 |
3 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 32 | 21 | 11 | 74 | 43 | +31 | 186 |
4 | San Diego Sockers | 32 | 21 | 11 | 67 | 49 | +18 | 173 |
5 | Minnesota Kicks | 32 | 19 | 13 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 163 |
Source:[6]
Matches
edit- March 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 Spartan Stadium Attendance 20,671
- April 4, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 1, New York Cosmos 1 (Tea Men won in Shootout) Jacksonville, Florida Attendance 12,124
- April 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Minnesota Kicks 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,378
- April 18, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Dallas Tornado 0 Texas Stadium Attendance 10,181
- April 26, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,238
- May 1, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Atlanta Chiefs 2 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Attendance 9,263
- May 3, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Washington Diplomats 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,189
- May 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Toronto Blizzard 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 27,003
- May 15, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Tulsa Roughnecks 1 Skelly Stadium Attendance 24,231
- May 17, 1981: Chicago Sting 3, New York Cosmos 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 42,385
- May 23, 1981: Washington Diplomats 3, New York Cosmos 2 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 27,676
- May 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Dallas Tornado 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,640
- May 30, 1981: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, New York Cosmos 1 Tampa Stadium Attendance 36,765
- June 2, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 38,667
- June 7, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Atlanta Chiefs 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,452
- June 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 Lockhart Stadium Attendance 18,089
- June 14, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Toronto Blizzard 3 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,210
- June 17, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Washington Diplomats 1 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 36,875
- June 21, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Los Angeles Aztecs 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,362
- June 24, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 12,240
- June 28, 1981: Chicago Sting 5, New York Cosmos 5 (Sting Won in Shootout) Wrigley Field Attendance 35,501
- July 5, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Tulsa Roughnecks 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,673
- July 8, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Toronto Blizzard 1 Varsity Stadium Attendance 17,642
- July 22, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Montreal Manic 4 (Cosmos Won in Shootout) Giants stadium Attendance 27,331
- July 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 40,118
- July 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Portland Timbers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 28,640
- August 2, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 2, New York Cosmos 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 36,408
- August 5, 1981: Minnesota Kicks 2, New York Cosmos 1 Metropolitan Stadium Attendance 28,609
- August 9, 1981: Edmonton Drillers 2, New York Cosmos 0 Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium Attendance 14,781
- August 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Washington Diplomats 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,884
- August 16, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,123
- August 19, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Toronto Blizzard 1 (Blizzard Won in Shootout) Varsity Stadium Attendance 12,367
Postseason
editOverview
editFirst round
editGame 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tulsa Roughnecks | – | Minnesota Kicks | 1–3 | 0–1 | August 22, 26 | |
Portland Timbers | – | San Diego Sockers | 2–1 | 1–5 | 0–2 | August 22, 26, 30 |
Jacksonville Tea Men | – | Atlanta Chiefs | 3–2 | 2–1 | August 23, 25 | |
Calgary Boomers | – | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1–3 | 0–2 | August 23, 26 | |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | – | Vancouver Whitecaps | 4–1 | 1–0 | August 23, 26 | |
Seattle Sounders | – | Chicago Sting | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | August 22, 26, 30 |
Montreal Manic | – | Los Angeles Aztecs | 5–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | August 24, 27, 30 |
Quarter-finals
editGame 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay Rowdies | – | New York Cosmos | 3–6 | 3–2 | 0–2 | September 2, 5, 9 |
Montreal Manic | – | Chicago Sting | 3–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | September 2, 5, 10 |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | – | Minnesota Kicks | 3–1 | 3–0 | September 2, 6 | |
Jacksonville Tea Men | – | San Diego Sockers | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | September 2, 6, 9 |
Semi-finals
editGame 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | – | New York Cosmos | 3–4 | 1–4 | September 12, 16 | |
San Diego Sockers | – | Chicago Sting | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | September 12, 16, 21 |
Soccer Bowl '81
editSeptember 26 | Chicago Sting | 1–0 | New York Cosmos | Toronto, Exhibition Stadium |
Matches
editFriendlies
editDate | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 1 | FC Birsfelden | N [n 1] | 9–0 | n/a | Chinaglia (5), van der Elst (3), Romero |
February 16 | Deportivo Morón | A | 2–2 | 25,000 | Chinaglia (2) |
February 21 | Cipolletti | A | 4–1 | 8,000 | Chinaglia (2), Borja, Cabañas |
February 21 | Boca Juniors (B) | A | 9–1 | 10,000 | Chinaglia (4), Romero (4), Bogicevic |
February 25 | Colo Colo | A | 0–1 | 45,000 | – |
March 3 | Peñarol | A | 4–3 | 40,000 | Chinaglia (3), Romero |
March 5 | São Paulo | A | 1–3 | 50,000 | Chinaglia |
March 8 | Paraguay | A | 5–2 | 45,000 | Romero (2), Seninho (2), Chinaglia |
March 11 | Guadalajara | A | 0–1 | 45,000 | – |
March 15 | América | A | 2–4 | 105,000 | Chinaglia, van der Elst |
March 17 | El Salvador | A | 5–1 | 31,209 | Chinaglia (2), Seninho (2), Cabañas |
March 19 | Los Angeles Aztecs | A | 1–0 | 3,534 | Cabañas |
May 20 | Anderlecht | H | 1–2 | 30,512 | van der Elst |
June 4 | São Paulo | A | 2–2 | 53,617 | Chinaglia, DiBernardo |
July 1 | Greece | H | 2–0 | 42,318 | Cabañas, Chinaglia |
July 12 | Celtic | H | 2–0 | 29,215 | Romero, Durgari |
July 15 | Southampton | H | 2–1 | 29,614 | Bogicevic, Romero |
July 19 | Seattle Sounders | H | 3–3 | 40,724 | Chinaglia (2), van der Elst |
August 30 | Grêmio | H | 1–3 | 30,523 | Chinaglia |
October 4 | Canada | A | 1–1 | 3,000 | van der Elst |
October 7 | Canada | A | 0–4 | 10,688 | – |
October 10 | Valur | A | 6–2 | 10,500 | Chinaglia (3), Bogicevic (2), Romero |
October 13 | Borussia Dortmund | A | 2–4 | 10,000 | Davis, Chinaglia |
October 18 | Milan | H | 1–1 | 6,000 | Chinaglia |
- Notes
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cosmos to Retain Mazzei". The New York Times. February 1983.
- ^ "Cosmos to Retain Mazzei". The New York Times. February 1983.
- ^ "North American Soccer League".
- ^ "NASL New York Cosmos Rosters".
- ^ "All-time American soccer statistics | SoccerStats.us".
- ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1981". Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2013.