1980–81 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The 1980–81 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the third in league history and would end with the New York Arrows repeating once again as MISL champions.
| Season | 1980–81 |
|---|---|
| Champions | New York Arrows (3rd title) |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Top goalscorer | Steve Zungul (108 goals) |
| Average attendance | 6,839 |
← 1979–80 1981–82 → | |
Recap
There were plenty of changes as the league began its third year. The Houston Summit would move to Baltimore and the Detroit Lightning moved to San Francisco. Three new clubs were added – the Chicago Horizons, the Denver Avalanche and the Phoenix Inferno.
With 12 teams, the league moved to three divisions. To accommodate the three-division setup, the playoff format was tweaked once again. The top two teams in each division would qualify, along with the next best two teams for eight qualifiers in total.[1] While the first round was a best of three series, Commissioner Earl Foreman announced in early November 1980 that there would be single-game semifinals and a final set to be played in St. Louis on the weekend of March 27, 1981.[2]
As it turned out, St. Louis pulled off a worst-to-first turnaround in their division with the second-best record in the MISL and made the championship game. In their semifinal against Wichita, the Steamers rallied from a 6-1 third quarter deficit to tie the game and win in a shootout. Over 33,000 fans attended both nights at the St. Louis Arena.[3][4]
New York's Steve Zungul won regular season MVP honors for the third time, and added the playoff MVP.[5] Zungul scored four goals and an assist in both the semifinal win over Baltimore and the championship game.[6][7] Zungul scored the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds left against St. Louis,[8] the last of his combined 123 goals (108 regular season and 15 playoff goals, respectively). The 108 goals would remain an MISL record through the end of the league in 1992.
After the season, Chicago folded. The league wanted to return to the market, but Chicago Sting owner Lee Stern paid to keep the Chicago market for himself and the Sting.[9]
Teams
| Team | City/Area | Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Blast | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Arena |
| Buffalo Stallions | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
| Chicago Horizons | Rosemont, Illinois | Rosemont Horizon |
| Cleveland Force | Cleveland, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum |
| Denver Avalanche | Denver, Colorado | McNichols Sports Arena |
| Hartford Hellions | Hartford, Connecticut | New Haven Coliseum Hartford Civic Center |
| New York Arrows | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| Philadelphia Fever | Philadelphia | The Spectrum |
| Phoenix Inferno | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| San Francisco Fog | Daly City, California | Cow Palace |
| St. Louis Steamers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena |
| Wichita Wings | Wichita, Kansas | Kansas Coliseum |
Regular Season Schedule
The 1980–81 regular season schedule ran from November 7, 1980, to March 8, 1981. The 40 games per team was an increase of eight over the 1979–80 schedule of 32 games.[10]
Final standings
Playoff teams in bold.
| Atlantic Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Arrows | 35 | 5 | .875 | -- | 285 | 176 | 17-3 | 18-2 |
| Baltimore Blast | 21 | 19 | .525 | 14 | 182 | 190 | 13-7 | 8-12 |
| Philadelphia Fever | 18 | 22 | .450 | 17 | 212 | 245 | 10-10 | 8-12 |
| Hartford Hellions | 13 | 27 | .188 | 22 | 165 | 192 | 10-10 | 3-17 |
| Central Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Steamers | 25 | 15 | .625 | -- | 222 | 196 | 15-5 | 10-10 |
| Cleveland Force | 21 | 19 | .525 | 4 | 209 | 214 | 14-6 | 7-13 |
| Chicago Horizons | 20 | 20 | .500 | 5 | 216 | 187 | 13-7 | 7-13 |
| Buffalo Stallions | 20 | 20 | .500 | 5 | 246 | 210 | 15-5 | 5-15 |
| Western Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita Wings | 23 | 17 | .575 | -- | 228 | 181 | 18-2 | 5-15 |
| Phoenix Inferno | 17 | 23 | .425 | 6 | 210 | 254 | 12-8 | 5-15 |
| Denver Avalanche | 16 | 24 | .500 | 7 | 174 | 217 | 12-8 | 4-16 |
| San Francisco Fog | 11 | 29 | .275 | 12 | 175 | 271 | 7-13 | 4-16 |
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship Game | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Arrows | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Inferno | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Arrows | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Baltimore Blast | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Baltimore Blast | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Cleveland Force | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Arrows | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis Steamers | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis Steamers | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Buffalo Stallions | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis Steamers | 7 (3) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Wichita Wings | 7 (1) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Wichita Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago Horizons | 1 | ||||||||||||
Quarterfinals
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Semifinals
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Championship Game
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Regular Season Player Statistics
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Zungul | New York Arrows | 40 | 108 | 44 | 152 |
| Branko Segota | New York Arrows | 35 | 38 | 45 | 83 |
| Charlie Cordas | Buffalo Stallions | 36 | 40 | 41 | 81 |
| Vic Davidson | Phoenix Inferno | 30 | 50 | 29 | 79 |
| Iubo Petrovic | Buffalo Stallions | 39 | 44 | 33 | 77 |
| Joe Fink | Philadelphia Fever | 39 | 51 | 18 | 69 |
| Fred Grgurev | Philadelphia Fever | 37 | 44 | 25 | 69 |
| Jorgen Kristensen | Wichita Wings | 38 | 14 | 52 | 66 |
| Don Ebert | St. Louis Steamers | 40 | 46 | 19 | 65 |
| Dave MacWilliams | Philadelphia Fever | 37 | 37 | 28 | 65 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enzo DiPede | Chicago Horizons | 16 | 931 | 63 | 4.06 | 9 | 6 |
| Mike Dowler | Wichita Wings | 28 | 1616 | 111 | 4.12 | 16 | 12 |
| Sepp Gantenhammer | Baltimore Blast | 33 | 1862 | 130 | 4.19 | 17 | 14 |
| Zoltán Tóth | New York Arrows | 22 | 1005 | 73 | 4.36 | 14 | 2 |
| Shep Messing | New York Arrows | 27 | 1411 | 103 | 4.38 | 21 | 3 |
| Aly Anderson | Denver Avalanche | 10 | 506 | 38 | 4.51 | 4 | 4 |
| Richard But | Hartford Hellions | 39 | 2262 | 175 | 4.64 | 12 | 25 |
| Slobo Ilijevski | St. Louis Steamers | 33 | 1878 | 146 | 4.66 | 21 | 11 |
| Pascal Antoine | Denver Avalanche | 13 | 698 | 56 | 4.81 | 7 | 5 |
| Scott Manning | Buffalo Stallions | 29 | 1380 | 112 | 4.87 | 13 | 12 |
Playoff Player Statistics
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Zungul | New York Arrows | 3 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| Branko Segota | New York Arrows | 3 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| Andy Chapman | Wichita Wings | 4 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Tony Glavin | St. Louis Steamers | 4 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| George Nanchoff | Phoenix Inferno | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Brown | Cleveland Force | 3 | 188 | 12 | 3.83 | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Dowler | Wichita Wings | 4 | 225 | 19 | 5.07 | 2 | 1 |
| Scott Manning | Buffalo Stallions | 2 | 94 | 8 | 5.09 | 0 | 1 |
| Slobo Ilijevski | St. Louis Steamers | 4 | 255 | 22 | 5.18 | 3 | 1 |
| Zoltán Tóth | New York Arrows | 2 | 69 | 6 | 5.22 | 1 | 0 |
All-MISL Teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Shep Messing, New York | G | Richard But, Hartford |
| Dave D'Errico, New York | D | Doc Lawson, Philadelphia |
| Steve Pecher, St. Louis | D | Jim Pollihan, Baltimore |
| Ian Anderson, Cleveland | ||
| Tony Glavin, St. Louis | M | Vic Davidson, Phoenix |
| Steve Zungul, New York | F | Paul Kitson, Chicago |
| Branko Segota, New York | F | Charlie Cordas, Buffalo |
| Honorable Mention | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Sepp Gantenhammer, Baltimore | G | Slobo Ilijevski, St. Louis |
| Ty Keough, St. Louis | D | Tony Bellinger, St. Louis |
| Adrian Brooks, Denver | M | Johnny Moore, San Francisco |
| Joe Fink, Philadelphia | F | Jorgen Kristensen, Wichita |
League awards
- Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York
- Scoring Champion: Steve Zungul, New York
- Pass Master: Jorgen Kristiansen, Wichita
- Rookie of the Year: Don Ebert, St. Louis
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Enzo DiPede, Chicago
- Coach of the Year: Don Popovic, New York
- Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York
References
- 1980-81 MISL Media Guide. 1980. p. 43.
- "Indoor soccer won't be hurt by expansion". The Day (New London). November 7, 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- "St. Louis Steamers face problem in big contest". Daily Union. March 29, 1981. p. 16. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- "St. Louis Indoor Soccer History". Jim Fossell. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- "1980-81 MISL Season Summary". Our Sports Central. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- "Steamers, Arrows triumph". The Bulletin (Bend). March 28, 1981. p. 21. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- "Arrows Were On Target". Evening Independent. March 29, 1981. p. 8C. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- 1982-83 MISL Information Guide. 1982. p. 52.
- "The Year In American Soccer - 1981". Dave Litterer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- 1980-81 MISL Media Guide. 1980. pp. 107–108.
- MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 55.
- MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. p. 82.
1980-81 MISL Media Guide. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania: Major Indoor Soccer League. 1980.
Verb, Doug; Jones-Fearnley, Alaina (1982). 1982-83 MISL Information Guide. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania: Major Indoor Soccer League.
Leary, Dan; Griffin, John (1987). MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. New York: Major Indoor Soccer League Communications Department.