North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
Year MVP Rookie Coach
1968 Janusz Kowalik Kaizer Motaung Phil Woosnam
1969 Pepe Fernández Pepe Fernández János Bédl
1970 Carlos Metidieri Jim Leeker Sal DeRosa
1971 Carlos Metidieri Randy Horton Ron Newman
1972 Randy Horton Mike Winter Kazimierz Frankiewicz
1973 Warren Archibald Kyle Rote , Jr Al Miller
1974 Peter Silvester Doug McMillan John Young
1975 Steve David Chris Bahr John Sewell
1976 Pelé Steve Pecher Eddie Firmani
1977 Franz Beckenbauer Jim McAlister Ron Newman
1978 Mike Flanagan Gary Etherington Tony Waiters
1979 Johan Cruyff Larry Hulcer Timo Liekoski
1980 Roger Davies Jeff Durgan Alan Hinton
1981 Giorgio Chinaglia Joe Morrone , Jr Willy Roy
1982 Peter Ward Pedro DeBrito Johnny Giles
1983 Roberto Cabañas Gregg Thompson Dragan Popović
1984 Steve Zungul Roy Wegerle Ron Newman
Annual honors -- MVP , Rookie , and Coach of the Year
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It was the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The league's popularity peaked in the late 1970s. The league averaged over 13,000 fans per game in each season from 1977 to 1983, and the league's matches were broadcast on network television from 1975 to 1980. The league's most prominent team was the New York Cosmos. During the mid-to-late 1970s, the Cosmos signed a number of the world's best players - Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto - and the Cosmos averaged over 28,000 fans for each season from 1977 to 1982 while having three seasons of the average attendance topping 40,000 spectators per game. Other internationally well-known players in the league included Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Gerd Müller, George Best, and Rodney Marsh. The league additionally sanctioned indoor soccer in various tournament forms in 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1983, and in a season format in 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1983-84.