The 1968 North American Soccer League season was the 56th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, and the 1st with a national first-division league with the inaugural season of the NASL.
| Season | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Atlanta Chiefs |
| Premiers | San Diego Toros most total points *Atlanta Chiefs best Won/Loss record |
| Matches played | 271 |
| Goals scored | 924 (3.41 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Janusz Kowalik (30 goals) |
| Average attendance | 4,669 |
1969 → | |
The NASL was formed this year as a merger between the former top division soccer leagues, the United Soccer Association along with the National Professional Soccer League. In the inaugural year, the Atlanta Chiefs were the champions, by winning the NASL Final 3–0, in a two-game aggregate over the San Diego Toros. While the Chiefs were the champions for the season, the premiers for this season were the Toros, who obtained the highest point total.
Overview
17 teams competed in this inaugural season, and the Atlanta Chiefs won the championship. While San Diego won the premiership, Atlanta's winning percentage was higher because a match had been canceled. This would mark the first of five times in the league's history that the best record did not equate to a premiership. The Oakland Clippers had an identical record to the Western Division Champion Toros and a higher goal-differential, but just as with Atlanta the Toros had more league points. Oakland had won every competition in the NPSL's 1967 season, but were denied a chance to defend their title in the merged league because of this unique points system.
- 8 came from the NPSL: Atlanta, Baltimore, Kansas City (from Chicago), New York, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego ( from Los Angeles) and Toronto.
- 9 came from the USA: Boston (nickname changed), Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Vancouver (nickname shortened) and Washington.
- 2 teams from the NPSL folded (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh).
- 3 teams from the USA folded (New York, San Francisco and Toronto).
- 2 teams, Houston (USA) and St. Louis (NPSL), had the same nickname the "Stars".
Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts= point system, Avg Att= Average Attendance
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
- -Premiers (most points). -Best record. -Other playoff teams.
| Lakes Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | Avg Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Stokers | 14 | 7 | 11 | 62 | 44 | 175 | 4,305 |
| Chicago Mustangs | 13 | 10 | 9 | 68 | 68 | 164 | 2,463 |
| Toronto Falcons | 13 | 13 | 6 | 55 | 69 | 144 | 5,284 |
| Detroit Cougars | 6 | 21 | 4 | 48 | 65 | 88 | 4,266 |
Western Conference
| Gulf Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | Avg Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Spurs | 16 | 11 | 5 | 61 | 43 | 158 | 8,510^ |
| Houston Stars | 14 | 12 | 6 | 58 | 41 | 150 | 3,246 |
| St. Louis Stars | 12 | 14 | 6 | 47 | 59 | 130 | 5,388 |
| Dallas Tornado | 2 | 26 | 4 | 28 | 109 | 52 | 2,929 |
| Pacific Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | Avg Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Toros | 18 | 8 | 6 | 65 | 38 | 186 | 4,245 |
| Oakland Clippers | 18 | 8 | 6 | 71 | 38 | 185 | 3,700 |
| Los Angeles Wolves | 11 | 13 | 8 | 55 | 52 | 139 | 2,441* |
| Vancouver Royals | 12 | 15 | 5 | 51 | 60 | 136 | 6,197 |
NASL All-Stars
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Mirko Stojanović, Oakland | G | Vic Rouse, Atlanta |
| Mel Scott, Oakland | D | John Worbye, Washington |
| Momcilio Gavric, Oakland | D | John Cocking, Atlanta |
| David Davidovic, Oakland | M | Dennis Viollet, Baltimore |
| Ron Crisp, San Diego | M | Milan Čop, Oakland |
| Ruben Navarro, Cleveland | M | Tony Knapp, Los Angeles |
| Janusz Kowalik, Chicago | F | Victorio Casa, Washington |
| Pepe Fernandez, San Diego | F | Mario Baesso, Oakland |
| Jorgen Kristensen, Detroit | F | Eric Barber, Kansas City |
| Casey Frankiewicz, St. Louis | F | Vavá, San Diego |
| Ilija Mitic, Oakland | F | Enrique Mateos, Cleveland |
Playoffs
Bracket
| Conference Finals (2-match aggregate) | NASL Final 1968 (2-match aggregate) | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland Stokers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| E1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Toros | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Toros | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| W2 | Kansas City Spurs | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
Conference finals
| Higher seed | Aggregate | Lower seed | First leg | Second leg | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–2 | Cleveland Stokers | 1–1 | 2–1 (OT) | September 11 • Cleveland Stadium • 3,431 September 14 • Atlanta Stadium • 6,645 |
| San Diego Toros | 2–1 | Kansas City Spurs | 1–1 | 1–0 (2OT) | September 11 • Municipal Stadium • 5,042 September 16 • Balboa Stadium • 6,271 |
NASL Final 1968
| Eastern Champion | Aggregate | Western Champion | First leg | Second leg | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–0 | San Diego Toros | 0–0 | 3–0 | September 21 • Balboa Stadium • 9,360 September 28 • Atlanta Stadium • 14,994 |
First leg
Second leg
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–0 | San Diego Toros |
|---|---|---|
| Peter McParland 22:34' (Hughes) Delroy Scott 42:53' Kaizer Motaung 79:50' | Report |
1968 NASL Champions: Atlanta Chiefs
Post season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Janusz Kowalik, Chicago
- Coach of the year: Phil Woosnam, Atlanta
- Rookie of the year: Kaizer Motaung, Atlanta