1987–88 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The 1987-88 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the tenth in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their sixth indoor title in seven years over the Cleveland Force.
| Season | 1987–88 |
|---|---|
| Champions | San Diego Sockers (4th title) |
| Matches played | 308 |
| Top goalscorer | Hector Marinaro (58 goals) |
| Average attendance | 8,439 |
← 1986–87 1988–89 → | |
Teams
| Team | City/Area | Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Blast | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Arena |
| Chicago Sting | Chicago, Illinois | Rosemont Horizon |
| Cleveland Force | Cleveland, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum |
| Dallas Sidekicks | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena |
| Kansas City Comets | Kansas City, Missouri | Kemper Arena |
| Los Angeles Lazers | Inglewood, California | The Forum |
| Minnesota Strikers | Bloomington, Minnesota | Met Center |
| San Diego Sockers | San Diego, California | San Diego Sports Arena |
| St. Louis Steamers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena |
| Tacoma Stars | Tacoma, Washington | Tacoma Dome |
| Wichita Wings | Wichita, Kansas | Kansas Coliseum |
Regular Season Schedule
The 1987-88 regular season schedule ran from November 4, 1987 to April 17, 1988. The schedule was lengthened to 56 games per team, the longest to date in MISL history.[1]
Final Standings
Playoff teams in bold.
| Eastern Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Strikers | 31 | 25 | .554 | - | 274 | 252 | 22-6 | 9-19 |
| Cleveland Force | 30 | 26 | .536 | 1 | 242 | 219 | 20-8 | 10-18 |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 28 | 28 | .500 | 3 | 200 | 204 | 22-6 | 6-22 |
| Baltimore Blast | 25 | 31 | .446 | 6 | 235 | 249 | 18-10 | 7-21 |
| Chicago Sting | 24 | 32 | .429 | 7 | 227 | 247 | 15-13 | 9-19 |
| Western Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Sockers | 42 | 14 | .750 | - | 277 | 189 | 23-5 | 19-9 |
| Los Angeles Lazers | 31 | 25 | .554 | 11 | 291 | 266 | 17-11 | 14-14 |
| Kansas City Comets | 29 | 27 | .518 | 13 | 294 | 290 | 19-9 | 10-18 |
| Tacoma Stars | 27 | 29 | .482 | 15 | 259 | 285 | 21-7 | 6-22 |
| Wichita Wings | 23 | 33 | .411 | 19 | 232 | 261 | 18-10 | 5-23 |
| St. Louis Steamers | 18 | 38 | .321 | 24 | 214 | 280 | 12-16 | 6-22 |
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Championship Series | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Minnesota Strikers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Baltimore Blast | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Minnesota Strikers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland Force | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland Force | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Dallas Sidekicks | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland Force | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Sockers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Sockers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Tacoma Stars | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Sockers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Kansas City Comets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles Lazers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Kansas City Comets | 3 | ||||||||||||
- QUARTER-FINALS:
- Minnesota defeated Baltimore, 5-3, 4-2, 1-5, 9-4
- Cleveland defeated Dallas, 3-2, 3-6, 5-4 (2OT), 5-2
- Kansas City defeated Los Angeles, 9-6, 4-2, 7-5
- San Diego defeated Tacoma, 6-2, 3-4 (OT), 7-2, 7-6
- SEMI-FINALS:
- Cleveland defeated Minnesota, 7-3, 0-7, 5-4, 5-2, 7-2
- San Diego defeated Kansas City, 4-5, 5-4, 6-7(OT), 3-7, 7-1, 6-1, 8-5
- CHAMPIONSHIP:
- San Diego defeated Cleveland, 6-5(OT), 6-1, 3-2, 7-4
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Rasmussen | Wichita Wings | 51 | 55 | 57 | 112 |
| Preki | Tacoma Stars | 56 | 53 | 58 | 111 |
| Jan Goossens | Kansas City Comets | 53 | 45 | 56 | 101 |
| Chico Borja | Los Angeles Lazers | 54 | 47 | 51 | 98 |
| Dale Mitchell | Kansas City Comets | 51 | 48 | 47 | 95 |
| Branko Segota | San Diego Sockers | 45 | 56 | 33 | 89 |
| Thompson Usiyan | Los Angeles Lazers | 51 | 52 | 36 | 88 |
| Peter Ward | Tacoma Stars | 52 | 47 | 41 | 88 |
| Steve Zungul | Tacoma Stars | 52 | 47 | 41 | 88 |
| Hector Marinaro | Minnesota Strikers | 56 | 58 | 23 | 81 |
All-MISL Teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Zoltan Toth, San Diego | G | Krys Sobieski, Dallas |
| Kevin Crow, San Diego | D | Bruce Savage, Baltimore |
| Fernando Clavijo, San Diego | D | Chris Whyte, Los Angeles |
| Branko Segota, San Diego | M | Chico Borja, Los Angeles |
| Preki, Tacoma | F | Hector Marinaro, Minnesota |
| Erik Rasmussen, Wichita | F | Jan Goossens, Kansas City |
League Awards
Most Valuable Player: Erik Rasmussen, Wichita
Scoring Champion: Erik Rasmussen, Wichita
Pass Master: Preki, Tacoma
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Rookie of the Year: David Doyle, Kansas City
Newcomer of the Year: Nanad Zigante, Wichita
Goalkeeper of the Year: Zoltan Toth, San Diego
Coach of the Year: Ron Newman, San Diego
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Hugo Perez, San Diego
Championship Series Unsung Hero: George Fernandez, San Diego
References
- MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. 1987. pp. 47–49.
Leary, Dan; Griffin, John (1987). MISL Official Tenth Anniversary Guide. New York, NY: Major Indoor Soccer League Communications Department.
Griffin, John, ed. (1988). MISL Official Guide 1988-89. Overland Park, KS: Major Indoor Soccer League Communications Department.