1984–85 Major Indoor Soccer League season

Major Indoor Soccer League
Season	1984–85
Champions	San Diego Sockers; (2nd title)
Matches played	328
Top goalscorer	Steve Zungul (68 goals)
Average attendance	8,599
	← 1983–84 1985–86 →

The 1984–85 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the seventh in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their second MISL title in three seasons over the Baltimore Blast. It was the Sockers' fourth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in the spring of 1984.

Recap

With the NASL near death in the summer of 1984, a handful of teams made plans to switch from outdoor to indoor soccer once the NASL season ended in October.^[1] Along with the Sockers, the Chicago Sting, Minnesota Strikers and New York Cosmos formally made the leap in late August.^[2] With the addition of the Dallas Sidekicks, the league went back to a 14-team, two-division setup.

With an influx of new teams, the league expanded the playoffs even further. 10 teams would qualify, the top three in each division and the next best four wild-card teams. The wild-card teams would play a best-of-three series. The second and third round were best-of-five series, and the championship round would be a best-of-seven series. Each successive round would see the winners reseeded, similar to the NHL playoff format used for almost 20 years.^[3]

While the Sting and Strikers made the playoffs, the Cosmos struggled. On February 22, with their record at 11-22, the team announced they were pulling out of the MISL effective immediately.^[4] The league would scramble to fill out the schedule,^[5] but only the Wichita Wings would play an uneven number of games.

The Strikers would make a run from the wildcard series to the league semifinals, only falling to San Diego in a decisive fifth game. Trailing in the series two games to one, Minnesota actually lost the fourth game in a shootout,^[6] but lodged a protest with commissioner Francis Dale over San Diego's shooting order. Dale upheld the protest and declared the Strikers winners.^[7] Despite the Sockers only being made aware of the fifth game once they landed at the San Diego airport, they shut out Minnesota to win the series^[8]

This would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.^[9]

Despite having the league's third-best record, the Las Vegas Americans would be terminated by the league after the season due to financial difficulties.^[10]

Teams

Team	City/Area	Arena
Baltimore Blast	Baltimore	Baltimore Arena
Chicago Sting	Chicago	Chicago Stadium
Cleveland Force	Cleveland	Richfield Coliseum
Dallas Sidekicks	Dallas	Reunion Arena
Kansas City Comets	Kansas City, Missouri	Kemper Arena
Las Vegas Americans	Paradise, Nevada	Thomas & Mack Center
Los Angeles Lazers	Inglewood, California	The Forum
Minnesota Strikers	Bloomington, Minnesota	Met Center
New York Cosmos	East Rutherford, New Jersey	Brendan Byrne Arena
Pittsburgh Spirit	Pittsburgh	Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)
San Diego Sockers	San Diego	San Diego Sports Arena
St. Louis Steamers	St. Louis	St. Louis Arena
Tacoma Stars	Tacoma, Washington	Tacoma Dome
Wichita Wings	Wichita, Kansas	Kansas Coliseum

Map of clubs

Blast

Force

Sting

Strikers

Cosmos

Spirit

Steamers

Sidekicks

Comets

Americans

Lazers

Sockers

Stars

Wings

Eastern Division Western Division

Regular season schedule

The 1984–85 regular season schedule ran from November 2, 1984, to April 14, 1985. Despite the Cosmos leaving the league in mid-season, each team played their scheduled 48 games with the exception of Wichita.^[11]

Final standings

Playoff teams in bold.

Eastern Division	W	L	Pct.	GB	GF	GA	Home	Road
Baltimore Blast	32	16	.667	--	252	190	19-5	13-11
Chicago Sting	28	20	.583	4	261	223	20-4	8-16
Cleveland Force	27	21	.563	5	239	228	15-9	12-12
Minnesota Strikers	24	24	.500	8	224	226	16-8	8-16
St. Louis Steamers	24	24	.500	8	211	207	16-8	8-16
Pittsburgh Spirit	19	29	.396	13	217	256	16-8	3-21
New York Cosmos	11	22	.333	13½	137	185	7-9	4-13

Western Division	W	L	Pct.	GB	GF	GA	Home	Road
San Diego Sockers	37	11	.771	--	302	201	18-6	19-5
Las Vegas Americans	30	18	.625	7	269	214	18-6	12-12
Los Angeles Lazers	24	24	.500	13	232	230	14-10	10-14
Kansas City Comets	22	26	.458	15	216	221	13-11	9-15
Wichita Wings	21	26	.437	15½	202	233	14-10	7-16
Tacoma Stars	17	31	.354	20	207	263	11-13	6-18
Dallas Sidekicks	12	36	.333	25	194	286	8-16	4-20

Playoffs

Wildcard Series			Division Semifinals			Division Finals			Championship Series

WC2	St. Louis Steamers	1

WC3	Kansas City Comets	2
			1	San Diego Sockers	3

			8	Kansas City Comets	0



						1	San Diego Sockers	3

						6	Minnesota Strikers	2
WC1	Minnesota Strikers	2

WC4	Wichita Wings	1
			3	Las Vegas Americans	1

			6	Minnesota Strikers	3



									1	San Diego Sockers	4

									2	Baltimore Blast	1



			2	Baltimore Blast	3

			7	Los Angeles Lazers	0



						2	Baltimore Blast	3

						5	Cleveland Force	2



			4	Chicago Sting	2

			5	Cleveland Force	3

Wildcard Series

Minnesota vs. Wichita
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 17	Wichita 1	Minnesota 2	4,233
April 19	Minnesota 3	Wichita 8	7,053
April 21	Wichita 2	Minnesota 3	4,032
	Jan Goossens scored at 2:45 of overtime
Minnesota wins series 2-1

St. Louis vs. Kansas City
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 17	Kansas City 5	St. Louis 4	7,636
	Damir Haramina scored at 8:14 of overtime
April 19	St. Louis 3	Kansas City 2	10,241
	Tasso Koutsoukos scored at 1:22 of overtime
Kansas City wins series 2-0

Quarterfinals

San Diego vs. Kansas City
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 24	Kansas City 3	San Diego 4	7,552
	Brian Quinn scored at 11:45 of overtime
April 26	Kansas City 7	San Diego 11	9,560
April 28	San Diego 3	Kansas City 2	10,458
San Diego wins series 3-0

Chicago vs. Cleveland
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 19	Cleveland 5	Chicago 4	6,550
	Peter Ward scored at 10:31 of overtime
April 21	Cleveland 4	Chicago 8	5,005
April 24	Chicago 1	Cleveland 6	8,112
April 27	Chicago 4	Cleveland 5	11,248
	Keith Furphy scored at 5:01 of overtime
Cleveland wins series 3-1

Baltimore vs. Los Angeles
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 24	Los Angeles 3	Baltimore 4	7,108
April 26	Los Angeles 3	Baltimore 11	9,493
April 28	Baltimore 5	Los Angeles 4	4,746
Baltimore wins series 3-0

Las Vegas vs. Minnesota
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
April 24	Minnesota 6	Las Vegas 5	5,278
April 26	Minnesota 4	Las Vegas 6	6,016
April 28	Las Vegas 2	Minnesota 3	7,134
May 1	Las Vegas 1	Minnesota 4	5,094
Minnesota wins series 3-1

Semifinals

San Diego vs. Minnesota
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
May 5	Minnesota 1	San Diego 8	8,494
May 8	Minnesota 5	San Diego 6	10,143
	Jean Willrich scored at 1:15 of overtime
May 10	San Diego 5	Minnesota 8	8,270
May 12	San Diego 3	Minnesota 3	7,871
	Minnesota wins shootout 3-2**
May 14	Minnesota 0	San Diego 7	10,059
San Diego wins series 3-2

Baltimore vs. Cleveland
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
May 3	Cleveland 5	Baltimore 6	7,568
May 5	Cleveland 5	Baltimore 3	8,205
May 10	Baltimore 3	Cleveland 4	13,093
May 11	Baltimore 7	Cleveland 6	13,861
May 14	Cleveland 4	Baltimore 7	9,184
Baltimore wins series 3-2

**San Diego won the shootout 4-3, but Minnesota appealed the result, as the Sockers used an ineligible player. The Strikers were declared winners on May 13.

Championship Series

San Diego vs. Baltimore
Date	Away	Home	Attendance
May 17	Baltimore 4	San Diego 5	11,639
May 19	Baltimore 3	San Diego 7	12,185
May 23	San Diego 6	Baltimore 10	11,074
May 25	San Diego 14	Baltimore 2	9,084
May 28	Baltimore 3	San Diego 5	12,948
San Diego wins series 4-1

Regular season player statistics

^[12]

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Steve Zungul	San Diego Sockers	48	68	68	136
Karl-Heinz Granitza	Chicago Sting	47	64	53	117
Branko Segota	San Diego Sockers	46	66	40	106
Stan Stamenkovic	Baltimore Blast	43	39	52	91
Tatu	Dallas Sidekicks	43	59	29	88
Dale Mitchell	Tacoma Stars	48	55	32	87
Jean Willrich	San Diego Sockers	48	43	43	86
Fred Grgurev	Las Vegas Americans	48	48	29	77
Craig Allen	Cleveland Force	42	45	30	75
Jan Goossens	Minnesota Strikers	48	49	24	73

Leading goalkeepers

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses

Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	GAA	W	L
Scott Manning	Baltimore Blast	36	2080	135	3.89	23	11
Slobo Illjevski	St. Louis Steamers	30	1681	112	4.00	11	12
Jim Gorsek	San Diego Sockers	30	1665	112	4.04	19	8
Manny Schwartz	Kansas City Comets	40	2192	152	4.16	19	15
Alan Mayer	Las Vegas Americans	30	1759	124	4.23	17	12
Victor Nogueira	Chicago Sting	43	2440	162	4.34	23	15
Tino Lettieri	Minnesota Strikers	45	2672	198	4.45	24	21
Cris Vaccaro	Cleveland Force	27	1453	108	4.46	16	8
Mike Dowler	Wichita Wings	41	2394	179	4.49	20	20
John Baretta	Tacoma Stars	31	1637	127	4.65	11	13

Playoff player statistics

^[13]

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Steve Zungul	San Diego Sockers	13	13	24	37
Branko Segota	San Diego Sockers	13	22	8	30
Jean Willrich	San Diego Sockers	13	11	12	23
Brian Quinn	San Diego Sockers	13	11	11	22
Andy Chapman	Cleveland Force	9	14	5	19
Stan Stamenkovic	Baltimore Blast	11	8	11	19

Leading goalkeepers

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses

Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	GAA	W	L
Jim Gorsek	San Diego Sockers	9	516	21	2.44	7	1
Mike Dowler	Wichita Wings	3	180	8	2.67	1	2
Cris Vaccaro	Cleveland Force	9	546	38	4.18	5	3
Slobo Ilijevski	St. Louis Steamers	2	129	9	4.19	0	2
Tino Lettieri	Minnesota Strikers	11	667	51	4.59	6	5
Manny Schwartz	Kansas City Comets	4	222	17	4.59	2	2

All-MISL teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Scott Manning, Baltimore	G	Slobo Ilijevski, St. Louis
Mike Stankovic, Baltimore	D	Jorge Espinoza, Las Vegas
Branko Segota, San Diego	D	Jean Willrich, San Diego
Kevin Crow, San Diego	M	Kim Roentved, Wichita
Steve Zungul, San Diego	F	Stan Stamenkovic, Baltimore
Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chicago	F	Tatu, Dallas

Honorable Mention	Position
Jim Gorsek, San Diego	G
Bruce Savage, Baltimore	D
Gerry Gray, Chicago	D
Benny Dargle, Cleveland	M
Dale Mitchell, Tacoma	F
Fred Grgurev, Las Vegas	F

League awards

Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, San Diego
Scoring Champion: Steve Zungul, San Diego
Pass Master: Steve Zungul, San Diego
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Rookie of the Year: Ali Kazemaini, Cleveland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Scott Manning, Baltimore
Coach of the Year: Peter Wall, Los Angeles
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, San Diego

Team attendance totals

Club	Games	Total	Average
Cleveland Force	24	310,284	12,929
Kansas City Comets	24	310,017	12,917
St. Louis Steamers	24	305,054	12,711
Baltimore Blast	24	265,224	11,051
Chicago Sting	24	255,073	10,628
San Diego Sockers	24	230,272	9,595
Wichita Wings	24	209,035	8,710
Pittsburgh Spirit	24	187,021	7,793
Tacoma Stars	24	173,317	7,222
Las Vegas Americans	24	152,083	6,337
Los Angeles Lazers	24	121,488	5,062
Dallas Sidekicks	24	119,248	4,969
Minnesota Strikers	24	115,408	4,809
New York Cosmos	16	66,900	4,181
OVERALL	328	2,820,424	8,599

References

^ Miranda, Randy (August 10, 1984). "Four NASL squads will play in MISL". Lakeland Ledger. p. D1. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ "MISL takes four NASL teams". Boca Raton News. August 31, 1984. p. 2C. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ 1984-85 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide. 1984. p. 34.
^ "Cosmos pull out of MISL, NASL". Ellensburg Daily Record. February 23, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ "MISL revises schedule after Cosmos pullout". Gainesville Sun. February 24, 1985. p. 10F. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ Dolan, Steve (May 13, 1985). "It Takes Sockers 14 Shooters in the Shootout to Win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ "Sockers' Semifinal Playoff Victory Overturned by MISL Commissioner". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ "Sockers Win, 7-0, to Gain MISL Final". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ Sarni, Jim (May 25, 1985). "Blast For Soccer Fans: CBS Airs MISL Game". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ "MISL board terminates Las Vegas franchise". Lawrence Journal-World. July 18, 1985. p. 18. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
^ 1984-85 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide. 1984. pp. 50–54.
^ MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 51.
^ MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 80.

1984-85 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide. Dallas: Dallas Sidekicks. 1984.

1985-86 MISL Media Guide. Chicago: Major Indoor Soccer League. 1985.

Leary, Dan; Griffin, John (1987). MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. New York: Major Indoor Soccer League Communications Department.

External links

[1] Miranda, Randy (August 10, 1984). "Four NASL squads will play in MISL". Lakeland Ledger. p. D1. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[2] "MISL takes four NASL teams". Boca Raton News. August 31, 1984. p. 2C. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[3] 1984-85 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide. 1984. p. 34.

[4] "Cosmos pull out of MISL, NASL". Ellensburg Daily Record. February 23, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[5] "MISL revises schedule after Cosmos pullout". Gainesville Sun. February 24, 1985. p. 10F. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[6] Dolan, Steve (May 13, 1985). "It Takes Sockers 14 Shooters in the Shootout to Win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[7] "Sockers' Semifinal Playoff Victory Overturned by MISL Commissioner". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[8] "Sockers Win, 7-0, to Gain MISL Final". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[9] Sarni, Jim (May 25, 1985). "Blast For Soccer Fans: CBS Airs MISL Game". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[10] "MISL board terminates Las Vegas franchise". Lawrence Journal-World. July 18, 1985. p. 18. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

[11] 1984-85 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide. 1984. pp. 50–54.

[12] MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 51.

[13] MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 80.

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