1980-81 North American Soccer League season
From AthletiPedia
| 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 |
Teams and Alignment
| Division | Team | Primary Venue | Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Division | Chicago Sting | Chicago Stadium | Chicago |
| Detroit Express | Pontiac Silverdome | Pontiac, Michigan | |
| Minnesota Kicks | Met Center | Bloomington, Minnesota | |
| Eastern Division | Atlanta Chiefs | Omni Coliseum | Atlanta |
| Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | Hollywood Sportatorium | Pembroke Pines, Florida | |
| Jacksonville Tea Men (began season as New England Tea Men) | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Jacksonville, Florida | |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | Bayfront Center | St. Petersburg, Florida | |
| Northern Division | Calgary Boomers | Stampede Corral | Calgary, Alberta |
| Edmonton Drillers | Northlands Coliseum | Edmonton, Alberta | |
| Toronto Blizzard | Maple Leaf Gardens | Old Toronto, Toronto | |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | Pacific Coliseum | Vancouver, British Columbia | |
| Southern Division | California Surf | Long Beach Arena at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center | Long Beach, California |
| Dallas Tornado | Reunion Arena | Dallas | |
| San Diego Sockers | Pechanga Arena San Diego | San Diego | |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | Expo Square Pavilion | Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| Western Division | Los Angeles Aztecs | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Los Angeles |
| Portland Timbers | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Portland, Oregon | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Oakland Arena | Oakland, California | |
| Seattle Sounders | The Kingdome | Seattle |
Changes
- League realigned into Central Division, Eastern Division, Northern Division, Southern Division, and Western Division.
- California Surf relocate from Anaheim Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California to Long Beach Arena at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California and realigned from Western Division to Southern Division.
- Chicago Sting enter indoor competition in Central Division, playing at Chicago Stadium in Chicago.
- Dallas Tornado enter indoor competition in Southern Division, playing at Reunion Arena in Dallas.
- Detroit Express realigned from Eastern Division to Central Division.
- Edmonton Drillers enter indoor competition in Northern Division, playing at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta.
- Ft. Lauderdale Strikers relocate from West Palm Beach Auditorium in West Palm Beach, Florida to Hollywood Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
- Los Angeles Aztecs relocate from Kia Forum in Inglewood, California to Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles.
- Memphis Rogues relocate from Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee to Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta, renamed Calgary Boomers, and realigned from Western Division to Northern Division.
- Minnesota Kicks realigned from Western Division to Central Division.
- Portland Timbers enter indoor competition in Western Division, playing at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.
- San Diego Sockers enter indoor competition in Southern Division, playing at Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego.
- San Jose Earthquakes enter indoor competition in Western Division, playing at Oakland Arena in Oakland, California.
- Seattle Sounders enter indoor competition in Western Division, playing at The Kingdome in Seattle, sharing venue with outdoor team.
- Toronto Blizzard enter indoor competition in Northern Division, playing at Maple Leaf Gardens in Old Toronto, Toronto.
- Tulsa Roughnecks realigned from Western Division to Southern Division.
- Vancouver Whitecaps enter indoor competition in Northern Division, playing at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia.
- New England Tea Men relocate during season from Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida and renamed Jacksonville Tea Men.
Regular Season Results
| Division | Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Division | Chicago Sting | 13 | 5 | |
| Minnesota Kicks | 12 | 6 | 1 | |
| Detroit Express | 7 | 11 | 6 | |
| Eastern Division | Atlanta Chiefs | 13 | 5 | |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 9 | 4 | |
| Jacksonville Tea Men* | 8 | 10 | 5 | |
| Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | 17 | 12 | |
| Northern Division | Vancouver Whitecaps | 11 | 7 | |
| Edmonton Drillers | 10 | 8 | 1 | |
| Calgary Boomers | 10 | 8 | 1 | |
| Toronto Blizzard | 5 | 13 | 6 | |
| Southern Division | California Surf | 10 | 8 | |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 9 | 9 | 1 | |
| Dallas Tornado | 7 | 11 | 3 | |
| San Diego Sockers | 6 | 12 | 4 | |
| Western Division | Los Angeles Aztecs | 11 | 7 | |
| Portland Timbers | 10 | 8 | 1 | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 10 | 8 | 1 | |
| Seattle Sounders | 9 | 9 | 2 |
*0-1 as New England Tea Men, 7-10 as New England Tea Men.
Postseason Results
| Team (Best-of-Two-Plus-Minigame) | Team (Best-of-Two-Plus-Minigame) | Team (Best-of-Two-Plus-Minigame) | Champions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Sting | 2 | Chicago Sting | 2 | Chicago Sting | 0 | Edmonton Drillers |
| Portland Timbers | 0 | |||||
| Atlanta Chiefs | 2 | Atlanta Chiefs | 1 | |||
| Minnesota Kicks | 0 | |||||
| Edmonton Drillers | 2 | Edmonton Drillers | 2 | Edmonton Drillers | 2 | |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 0 | |||||
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 2 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 | |||
| California Surf | 1 | |||||
Markets and Venues
| Combined Statistical Area | Metropolitan Statistical Area | Metropolitan Division | County / Equivalent | Municipality | Venue | Team / Event | Regular | Postseason | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL Combined Statistical Area | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Division | Fulton County, Georgia | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | Atlanta Chiefs | Nine | Two | 11 |
| Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Providence County, Rhode Island | Providence, Rhode Island | Amica Mutual Pavilion | New England Tea Men | One | One | ||
| Calgary Census Metropolitan Area | Calgary, Alberta | Stampede Corral | Calgary Boomers | Nine | Nine | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area | Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL Metropolitan Division | Cook County, Illinois | Chicago | Chicago Stadium | Chicago Sting | Nine | Five | 14 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK Combined Statistical Area | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area | Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division | Dallas County, Texas | Dallas | Reunion Arena | Dallas Tornado | Nine | Nine | |
| Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI Combined Statistical Area | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area | Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division | Oakland County, Michigan | Pontiac, Michigan | Pontiac Silverdome | Detroit Express | Nine | Nine | |
| Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area | Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton Gardens | Edmonton Drillers | One | One | ||||
| Northlands Coliseum | Edmonton Drillers | Nine | Two | 11 | |||||
| Jacksonville-Kingsland-Palatka, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area | Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area | Duval County, Florida | Jacksonville, Florida | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Jacksonville Tea Men | Eight | Eight | ||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division | Los Angeles County, California | Long Beach, California | Long Beach Arena at Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center | California Surf | Nine | One | 10 |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Los Angeles Aztecs | Nine | One | 10 | ||||
| Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL Combined Statistical Area | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area | Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise, FL Metropolitan Division | Broward County, Florida | Pembroke Pines, Florida | Hollywood Sportatorium | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | Nine | Nine | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area | Hennepin County, Minnesota | Bloomington, Minnesota | Met Center | Minnesota Kicks | Nine | One | 10 | |
| Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA Combined Statistical Area | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Multnomah County, Oregon | Portland, Oregon | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Portland Timbers | Nine | Nine | ||
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area | San Diego County, California | San Diego | Pechanga Arena San Diego | San Diego Sockers | Nine | Nine | |||
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division | Alameda County, Calfiornia | Oakland, California | Oakland Arena | San Jose Earthquakes | Nine | Nine | |
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area | Seattle-Bellevue-Kent, WA Metropolitan Division | King County, Washington | Seattle | The Kingdome | Seattle Sounders | Nine | Nine | |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area | St. Petersburg-Clearwater-Largo, FL Metropolitan Division | Pinellas County, Florida | St. Petersburg, Florida | Bayfront Center | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Nine | Nine | ||
| Toronto Census Metropolitan Area | Old Toronto, Toronto | Maple Leaf Gardens | Toronto Blizzard | Nine | Nine | ||||
| Tulsa-Bartlesville-Muskogee, OK Combined Statistical Area | Tulsa, OK Metropolitan Statistical Area | Tulsa County, Oklahoma | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Expo Square Pavilion | Tulsa Roughnecks | Nine | Nine | ||
| Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area | Vancouver, British Columbia | Pacific Coliseum | Vancouver Whitecaps | Nine | Three | 12 | |||
| Total | 171 | 16 | 187 | ||||||
