Soccer Bowl '75


Soccer Bowl '75 was the championship final of the 1975 NASL season, played between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Portland Timbers. The match took place on August 24, 1975 at Spartan Stadium, in San Jose, California. It was the first North American Soccer League championship to be known as the Soccer Bowl. The Tampa Bay Rowdies won the match, 2–0, to claim their first North American championship. This was the third consecutive year that an expansion team won the NASL title.

Background

Tampa Bay Rowdies

The Tampa Bay Rowdies qualified for the playoffs by virtue of winning the Eastern Division with 135 points. The point total earned them the number 2 seed and the right to host all preliminary rounds of the playoffs. The Rowdies defeated the Toronto Metros-Croatia in the quarterfinal match, 1–0, on August 13, 1975. Three days later they dispatched the Miami Toros, 3–0, in their semifinal game played on August 16, 1975, to advance to the finals.

Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers qualified for the playoffs by virtue of winning the Western Division with 138 points. The point total earned them the number 1 seed and the right to host all preliminary rounds of the playoffs. The Timbers defeated the Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinal match, 2–1, in sudden death overtime on August 12, 1975. Five days later they beat the St. Louis Stars, 1–0, in a semifinal game played on August 17, 1975, to advance to the finals.

Game summary

Championship results

1975 NASL Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Television: CBS
Announcers: Frank Glieber, Jack Whitaker

Statistics


StatisticTampa BayPortland
Goals scored00
Total shots98
Shots on target26
Saves62
Offsides00
Yellow cards00
Red cards00


StatisticTampa BayPortland
Goals scored20
Total shots1010
Shots on target66
Saves64
Offsides00
Yellow cards01
Red cards00


StatisticTampa BayPortland
Goals scored20
Total shots1918
Shots on target812
Saves126
Offsides00
Yellow cards01
Red cards00
Fouls2521
Corner kicks84