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Soccer Bowl Series '84

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Soccer Bowl '84
Soccer Bowl Series '84
EventSoccer Bowl
Chicago Sting Toronto Blizzard
2 0
(on best-of-three series)
Game 1
Chicago Sting Toronto Blizzard
2 1
DateOctober 1, 1984 (1984-10-01)
VenueComiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois
Man of the MatchManuel Rojas
RefereeDavid Socha (United States)
Attendance8,352
Game 2
Toronto Blizzard Chicago Sting
2 3
DateOctober 3, 1984 (1984-10-03)
VenueVarsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
Man of the MatchPato Margetic
RefereeBill Maxwell (United States)
Attendance16,842
← 1983

Soccer Bowl Series '84, also known as Soccer Bowl '84, was the championship series of the 1984 NASL season, and the last championship of the original NASL. In a departure from previous years, it was a best-of-three series between the Chicago Sting and the Toronto Blizzard as opposed to a single-game championship. The first game of the series was held on Monday, October 1 at Comiskey Park, in Chicago, Illinois; the Sting won it, 2–1. The second game was played at Varsity Stadium, in Toronto, Ontario on October 3. Chicago won again, this time by a score of 3–2, to sweep the series and claim its second North American championship.[1][2]

Background

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Comiskey Park was one of the sites for Soccer Bowl '84

Chicago Sting

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The Chicago Sting finished the regular season with a 13–11 record, while the Blizzard went 14–10. However, due to the NASL's point system, the Sting were crowned the Eastern Division champions, and also won the league's regular season title with 120 points. This ensured that they would retain home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Since all series were best-of-three ties, that meant a Game 3 if necessary, would be in Chicago. The Sting defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps in their semi-finals series, two games to one.

Toronto Blizzard

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The Toronto Blizzard qualified for the playoffs as runners-up in the Eastern Division and faced the San Diego Sockers in the other semi-final series. The Blizzard earned a return trip to the finals with a two–game sweep of the Western Division champion Sockers. Games 1 and 3 of the Soccer Bowl Series were scheduled to be played at Comiskey Park, while game 2 was set for Toronto's Varsity Stadium.

Sportsvision televised the series in the Chicago area; this coverage was simulcast on the then-new TSN (which had started up a month earlier) cable channel in Canada.

Series summary

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Champion Runner-up Game 1 Venue Game 2 Venue Res.
Chicago Sting Toronto Blizzard
2–1
 Comiskey Park
3–2
 Varsity Stadium
2–0 [note 1]
Notes
  1. ^ Result on games won, as a best-of-three series

Match details

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Game 1

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Chicago Sting2–1Toronto Blizzard
Margetic 50'
Rojas 85'		 Report Wilson 15'
Attendance: 8,352
Chicago Sting
Toronto Blizzard

Assistant referees:[7]
Ulrich Strom
John Pozadzides

Game 2

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Toronto Blizzard2–3Chicago Sting
Paskin 71'
Bettega 73'		 Report 1
Report 2		 Simanton 17'
Margetic 68', 82'
Attendance: 16,842[9]
Referee: Bill Maxwell[10][11] (United States)
Toronto Blizzard
Chicago Sting

1984 NASL Champions: Chicago Sting

Series MVP:
Pato Margetic (Chicago)
Assistant referees:[12]
Dilvo DiPlacido
Michael Saunders

Championship Statistics

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Game 1[13]
Statistic Chicago Toronto
Goals scored 2 1
Total shots 16 12
Shots on target 6 9
Saves 8 4
Corner kicks 6 5
Fouls 21 26
Offsides 8 3
Yellow cards 7 5
Red cards 0 0
Game 2[14]
Statistic Chicago Toronto
Goals scored 3 2
Total shots 12 20
Shots on target 7 9
Saves 7 4
Corner kicks 5 9
Fouls 12 20
Offsides 6 2
Yellow cards 0 1
Red cards 0 0

Post-match controversy

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Earlier in the year Sting ownership had requested a one-year leave of absence from the NASL, and were denied. With only a few games remaining in the season, Sting chairman Lee Stern, believing that indoor soccer represented the future of the sport, announced that 1984 would be the Chicago Sting's last in the NASL. They, along with three other teams had been granted full admittance to the MISL.[15] The Blizzard, who were run by former Sting president Clive Toye, were one of the franchises fighting to keep the NASL going.

In the immediate aftermath of Chicago's title clinching victory, Toye's actions and subsequent words were unsporting in nature. He refused to honor the long-standing tradition of entering the winning side's locker room to congratulate the victors. He then followed that up by taking verbal jabs at both Willy Roy and Karl-Heinz Granitza to reporters, by referring to them as "cheats" and the Sting as "unworthy champions"[16] among other things. While in the midst of Chicago's post match celebration, not surprisingly, Granitza responded in kind. In the end the pettiness and lack of sportsmanship by both men mattered little, as Chicago left with the league's final trophy. The following spring, with Toye as the NASL's interim president, the league would cease operations.[8][17][18][19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
  2. ^ NASL. "NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result". North American Soccer League.
  3. ^ "Record-Journal - Google News Archive Search".
  4. ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 1 (Sting vs. Blizzard) - First Half - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  5. ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 1 (Sting vs. Blizzard) - Second Half - YouTube". YouTube.
  6. ^ a b c d Jose, Colin (1989). NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby, England: Breedon Books. pp. 311, 312.
  7. ^ "2 Oct 1984, 48 - Chicago Tribune at". Newspapers.com. October 2, 1984. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The Day - Google News Archive Search".
  9. ^ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
  10. ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 2 (Sting at Blizzard) - First Half - YouTube". YouTube.
  11. ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 2 (Sting at Blizzard) - Second Half - YouTube". YouTube.
  12. ^ "4 Oct 1984, 80 - Chicago Tribune at". Newspapers.com. October 4, 1984. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Scoreboard". Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1984. p. sec:4 p.8. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  14. ^ "Scoreboard". Chicago Tribune. October 4, 1984. p. sec:4 p.8. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Albany Herald - Google News Archive Search".
  16. ^ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
  17. ^ "The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015.
  18. ^ "The Bryan Times - Google News Archive Search".
  19. ^ "The Sun - Google News Archive Search".
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