The 1981 New York Cosmos season was the 11th season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. Despite winning their fifth straight premiership by five points over the Chicago Sting, the Cosmos lost to the Sting in Soccer Bowl '81.
Squad
Source:
Results Source:
Preseason
Regular season Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points 6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).
Eastern Division Standings Pos Club Pld W L GF GA GD Pts1New York Cosmos32 23 9 80 49 +312002Montreal Manic32 15 17 63 57 +61413Washington Diplomats32 15 17 59 58 +11354Toronto Blizzard32 7 25 39 82 −4377
Overall League Placing Pos Club Pld W L GF GA GD Pts1New York Cosmos32 23 9 80 49 +312002Chicago Sting32 23 9 84 50 +341953Vancouver Whitecaps32 21 11 74 43 +311864San Diego Sockers32 21 11 67 49 +181735Minnesota Kicks32 19 13 63 57 +6163 Source:
Matches March 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 Spartan Stadium Attendance 20,671 April 4, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 1, New York Cosmos 1 (Tea Men won in Shootout) Jacksonville, Florida Attendance 12,124 April 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Minnesota Kicks 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,378 April 18, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Dallas Tornado 0 Texas Stadium Attendance 10,181 April 26, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,238 May 1, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Atlanta Chiefs 2 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Attendance 9,263 May 3, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Washington Diplomats 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,189 May 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Toronto Blizzard 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 27,003 May 15, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Tulsa Roughnecks 1 Skelly Stadium Attendance 24,231 May 17, 1981: Chicago Sting 3, New York Cosmos 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 42,385 May 23, 1981: Washington Diplomats 3, New York Cosmos 2 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 27,676 May 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Dallas Tornado 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,640 May 30, 1981: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, New York Cosmos 1 Tampa Stadium Attendance 36,765 June 2, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 38,667 June 7, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Atlanta Chiefs 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,452 June 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 Lockhart Stadium Attendance 18,089 June 14, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Toronto Blizzard 3 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,210 June 17, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Washington Diplomats 1 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 36,875 June 21, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Los Angeles Aztecs 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,362 June 24, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 12,240 June 28, 1981: Chicago Sting 5, New York Cosmos 5 (Sting Won in Shootout) Wrigley Field Attendance 35,501 July 5, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Tulsa Roughnecks 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,673 July 8, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Toronto Blizzard 1 Varsity Stadium Attendance 17,642 July 22, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Montreal Manic 4 (Cosmos Won in Shootout) Giants stadium Attendance 27,331 July 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 40,118 July 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Portland Timbers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 28,640 August 2, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 2, New York Cosmos 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 36,408 August 5, 1981: Minnesota Kicks 2, New York Cosmos 1 Metropolitan Stadium Attendance 28,609 August 9, 1981: Edmonton Drillers 2, New York Cosmos 0 Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium Attendance 14,781 August 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Washington Diplomats 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,884 August 16, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,123 August 19, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Toronto Blizzard 1 (Blizzard Won in Shootout) Varsity Stadium Attendance 12,367
Postseason
Overview
First round Game 1Game 2Game 3Tulsa Roughnecks – Minnesota Kicks 1–3 0–1 August 22, 26Portland Timbers – San Diego Sockers 2–1 1–5 0–2 August 22, 26, 30Jacksonville Tea Men – Atlanta Chiefs 3–2 2–1 August 23, 25Calgary Boomers – Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1–3 0–2 August 23, 26Tampa Bay Rowdies – Vancouver Whitecaps 4–1 1–0 August 23, 26Seattle Sounders – Chicago Sting 2–3 2–0 2–3 August 22, 26, 30Montreal Manic – Los Angeles Aztecs 5–3 2–3 2–1 August 24, 27, 30
Quarter-finals Game 1Game 2Game 3Tampa Bay Rowdies – New York Cosmos 3–6 3–2 0–2 September 2, 5, 9Montreal Manic – Chicago Sting 3–2 2–4 2–4 September 2, 5, 10Fort Lauderdale Strikers – Minnesota Kicks 3–1 3–0 September 2, 6Jacksonville Tea Men – San Diego Sockers 2–1 1–2 1–3 September 2, 6, 9
Semi-finals Game 1Game 2Game 3Fort Lauderdale Strikers – New York Cosmos 3–4 1–4 September 12, 16San Diego Sockers – Chicago Sting 2–1 1–2 0–1 September 12, 16, 21
Soccer Bowl '81 September 26Chicago Sting1–0New York CosmosToronto, Exhibition Stadium
Matches
Friendlies DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer February 1 FC Birsfelden N 9–0 n/a February 16 Deportivo Morón A 2–2 25,000 February 21 Cipolletti A 4–1 8,000 February 21 Boca Juniors (B) A 9–1 10,000 February 25 Colo Colo A 0–1 45,000 March 3 Peñarol A 4–3 40,000 March 5 São Paulo A 1–3 50,000 March 8 A 5–2 45,000 March 11 Guadalajara A 0–1 45,000 March 15 América A 2–4 105,000 March 17 A 5–1 31,209 March 19 Los Angeles Aztecs A 1–0 3,534 May 20 Anderlecht H 1–2 30,512 June 4 São Paulo A 2–2 53,617 July 1 H 2–0 42,318 July 12 Celtic H 2–0 29,215 July 15 Southampton H 2–1 29,614 July 19 Seattle Sounders H 3–3 40,724 August 30 Grêmio H 1–3 30,523 October 4 A 1–1 3,000 October 7 A 0–4 10,688 October 10 Valur A 6–2 10,500 October 13 Borussia Dortmund A 2–4 10,000 October 18 Milan H 1–1 6,000 Notes
See also 1981 North American Soccer League season
References