The 1972 New York Cosmos season was the second season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. In the Cosmos' second year of existence, the club finished 1st in the Northern Division and 1st in the overall league table. In the playoffs, the Cosmos defeated the Dallas Tornado in the semifinal and the St. Louis Stars in the final, winning their first league championship and completing the first double by a club in the national era.
| 1972 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Manager |  Gordon Bradley[1] | |
| Stadium | Hofstra Stadium | |
| NASL | Division: 1st Overall: 1st Playoffs: Champions | |
| National Challenge Cup | Did not enter | |
| Top goalscorer | League:  Randy Horton (9 goals)All: Randy Horton (13 goals) | |
| Highest home attendance | All: 13,205 (Aug. 30 vs. Dynamo Moscow) League: 7,324 (May 7 vs. St. Louis) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,200 (Jun. 18 vs. Toronto) | |
| Average home league attendance | 4,282[2] | |
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Squad edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Source:[3]
Results edit
Source:[4]
Regular season edit
Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, D = Draws, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
6 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).
Northern Division Standings edit
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 16 | +12 | 77 |
| 2 | Rochester Lancers | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 22 | -2 | 64 |
| 3 | Montreal Olympique | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 57 |
| 4 | Toronto Metros | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 53 |
Overall League Placing edit
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 16 | +12 | 77 |
| 2 | St. Louis Stars | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 69 |
| 3 | Rochester Lancers | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 22 | -2 | 64 |
| 4 | Dallas Tornado | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 60 |
| 5 | Montreal Olympique | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 57 |
Source:[5]
Matches edit
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1972 | St. Louis Stars | H | 3-3 | 7,324 | Young, Horton (2) |
| May 14, 1972 | Rochester Lancers | A | 1-1 | 4,100 | Stritzl |
| May 20, 1972 | Miami Gatos | H | 6-1 | 1,302 | Horton (2), Cummings (2), Jelinek, Siega |
| May 27, 1972 | Atlanta Chiefs | H | 4-2 | 4,445 | Kerr, Horton (2), Cummings |
| June 3, 1972 | Dallas Tornado | A | 1-0 | 2,157 | |
| June 18, 1972 | Toronto Metros | H | 2-1 | 1,200 | Cummings, Siega |
| June 25, 1972 | Atlanta Chiefs | A | 2-0 | N/A | |
| July 1, 1972 | Montreal Olympique | H | 2-0 | 4,571 | Kerr, Mfum |
| July 8, 1972 | Miami Gatos | A | 0-2 | 1,438 | Horton, Mfum |
| July 16, 1972 | Montreal Olympique | A | 2-2 | 2,996 | Mfum, Cummings |
| July 22, 1972 | Dallas Tornado | H | 1-0 | 6,518 | Mfum |
| July 29, 1972 | St. Louis Stars | A | 1-0 | 4,385 | |
| August 6, 1972 | Toronto Metros | A | 1-1 | 1,255 | Horton |
| August 12, 1972 | Rochester Lancers | H | 4-1 | 4,616 | Mfum, Horton, Jelinek, Kerr |
Postseason edit
Overview edit
Semi-finals edit
| August 15 | Rochester Lancers | 0–2 | St. Louis Stars | St. Louis, Busch Memorial |
| August 19 | Dallas Tornado | 0–1 | New York Cosmos | New York, Hofstra Stadium |
Final edit
| August 26 | St. Louis Stars | 1–2 | New York Cosmos | New York, Hofstra Stadium |
Matches edit
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 19, 1972 | Dallas Tornado | H | 1-0 | 5,026 | Kerr |
| August 26, 1972 | St. Louis Stars | H | 2-1 | 6,102 | Jelinek, Horton |
Friendlies edit
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 31 |  Birmingham City
|
H | 0-3 | N/A | |
| August 16 |  Maccabi Tel Aviv
|
H | 5-2 | 5,126 | Horton (3), Kerr, Stritzl |
| August 30 |  Dynamo Moscow
|
H | 1-2 | 13,205 | Zajdel |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Bell, Jack (May 2008). "Gordon Bradley, Who Nurtured U.S. Soccer, Dies at 74". The New York Times.
- ^ "North American Soccer League".
- ^ "NASL New York Cosmos Rosters".
- ^ "All-time American soccer statistics | SoccerStats.us".
- ^ "The Year in American Soccer - 1972". Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2012.