1973 North American Soccer League season
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1973. This was the 6th season of the NASL.
Overview
Nine teams took part in the league with the Philadelphia Atoms winning the championship.During the season, Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz from Vera Cruz, Mexico, played each of the nine NASL clubs in exhibition games that counted in the league's final standings. The 1973 season would be the last season in which games from non-league clubs counted in league standings.
In a unique twist, the team with home field for the NASL Championship Game determined the date and time the game was to be played. When the Dallas Tornado won their semi-final, setting up the final with Philadelphia, they chose August 25 as the date of the game. They did this because the NASL loan agreements with players from the English First Division expired before that date.
Because of this, Philadelphia's two leading scorers, Andy "The Flea" Provan and Jim Fryatt, were on their way back to England when the championship match was played on the 25th. Despite this, Philadelphia coach, Al Miller, put Bill Straub, a defender who had not played a minute for the club prior to the championship game, into the lineup at forward. The move paid off as Straub headed home the second goal in a 2–0 win with under five minutes remaining in the final.
Changes from the previous season
New teams
- Philadelphia Atoms
Teams folding
- None
Teams moving
- None
Name changes
- Atlanta Chiefs to Atlanta Apollos
- Miami Gatos to Miami Toros
Regular season
POINT SYSTEM
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 bonus point for each goal scored up to three per game.
| Eastern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | BP | PTS |
| Philadelphia Atoms | 9 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 14 | 26 | 104 |
| New York Cosmos | 7 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 23 | 28 | 91 |
| Miami Toros | 8 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 21 | 22 | 88 |
| Northern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | BP | PTS |
| Toronto Metros | 6 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 18 | 26 | 89 |
| Montreal Olympique | 5 | 10 | 4 | 25 | 32 | 22 | 64 |
| Rochester Lancers | 4 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 27 | 17 | 59 |
| Southern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | BP | PTS |
| Dallas Tornado | 11 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 25 | 33 | 111 |
| St. Louis Stars | 7 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 82 |
| Atlanta Apollos | 3 | 9 | 7 | 23 | 40 | 23 | 62 |
NASL All-Stars
| First Team | Position | Second Team | Honorable Mention |
| Ken Cooper, Dallas | G | Bob Rigby, Philadelphia | Sam Nusum, Montreal |
| John Best, Dallas | D | Bob Smith, Philadelphia | John Sewell, St. Louis |
| Chris Dunleavy, Philadelphia | D | Derek Trevis, Philadelphia | Barry Barto, Philadelphia |
| David Sadler, Miami | D | Dick Hall, Dallas | Werner Roth, New York |
| Brian Rowan, Toronto | D | Roy Evans, Philadelphia | John Collins, Dallas |
| Ilija Mitic, Dallas | M | Pat McBride, St. Louis | Al Trost, St. Louis |
| Fernando Pinto, Toronto | M | Francisco Escos, Rochester | Roy Turner, Dallas |
| Ian McPhee, Toronto | M | Roberto Aguirre, Miami | George O'Neill, Philadelphia |
| Andy Provan, Philadelphia | F | Joey Fink, New York | Paul Child, Atlanta |
| Jim Fryatt, Philadelphia | F | Rick Reynolds, Dallas | Kyle Rote Jr., Dallas |
| Warren Archibald, Miami | F | Randy Horton, New York | Nick Jennings, Dallas |
Playoffs
All playoff games in all rounds including the NASL Final were single game elimination match ups.Bracket
Semifinals
----NASL Final 1973
1973 NASL Champions: Philadelphia AtomsPost season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Warren Archibald, Miami
- Coach of the year: Al Miller, Philadelphia
- Rookie of the year: Kyle Rote, Jr., Dallas