NASL Final 1971

NASL Final 1971 was the championship series of the 1971 season. It was contested as a best-of-three series between the Dallas Tornado and the Atlanta Chiefs. The matches were held on September 9, 15, and 19, 1971. Games one and three were played at Atlanta Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. Game two was played at Franklin Stadium of Hillcrest High School in Dallas. A combined 14,361 people attended the three game series.[1] The Chiefs won game one, while the Tornado won games two and three to claim their first NASL championship.[2][3]

NASL Final 1971
EventNASL Final
Atlanta Chiefs Dallas Tornado
1 2
(Best-of-three series)
Game 1
Atlanta Chiefs Dallas Tornado
2 1
after extra time
DateSeptember 12, 1971 (1971-09-12)
VenueAtlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance3,218
Game 2
Dallas Tornado Atlanta Chiefs
4 1
DateSeptember 15, 1971 (1971-09-15)
VenueFranklin Stadium, Dallas
Attendance6,456
Game 3
Atlanta Chiefs Dallas Tornado
0 2
DateSeptember 19, 1971 (1971-09-19)
VenueAtlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance4,687

Background

The Dallas Tornado qualified for the playoffs by virtue of having the highest non-division-winning point total in the league (119 points). They defeated the defending league champion Rochester Lancers in a marathon semifinal series, two games to one, that featured two of the longest games ever played in the history of soccer. Game 1 lasted a record 176 minutes and Game 3 lasted 148 minutes.

The Atlanta Chiefs road to the finals was a bit smoother than their opponents' path. They qualified for the playoffs by winning the Southern Division with 120 points. The Chiefs then defeated the New York Cosmos in the semifinals, two games to none without conceding a goal.

Series summary
Champion Runner-up Game 1 Venue 1 Game 2 Venue 2 Game 3 Venue 3 Result
Dallas TornadoAtlanta Chiefs
1–2
Atlanta Stadium
4–1
Franklin Stadium
2–0
Atlanta Stadium
2–1 [note 1]
Notes
  1. Result on games won, as a best-of-three series.

Match details

First leg
Atlanta Chiefs2–1 (a.e.t.)Dallas Tornado
da Veiga 72'
Motaung gold-colored soccer ball 124' 		Report Molnár 41'
Attendance: 3,218
Atlanta Chiefs
Dallas Tornado

Second leg
Dallas Tornado4–1Atlanta Chiefs
Tinney 45'
Juracy 54', 76'
Tony McLoughlin 		Report 1
Report 2		 Largie 44'
Franklin Stadium, Dallas
Attendance: 6,456
Dallas Tornado [4]
Atlanta Chiefs

Playoff
Atlanta Chiefs0–2Dallas Tornado[5]
Report 1
Report 2		 Renshaw 3'
Moffat 45'
Attendance: 4,687
Atlanta Chiefs [6]
Dallas Tornado

1971 NASL Champions: Dallas Tornado

See also

References
  1. "Previo Campeones: Dallas Tornado Ganan Titulo en 1971". September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  2. NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
  3. NASL. "NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result". North American Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013.
  4. http://www.nasljerseys.com/images/Tornado/Tornado%2071%20Road%20Tony%20McLauglin,%20Chiefs.jpg
  5. "Previo Campeones: Dallas Tornado Ganan Titulo en 1971". September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  6. "1971 NASL Finals Highlights - YouTube". YouTube.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.