The 1977 North American Soccer League playoffs began on August 10 and ended on August 28 with Soccer Bowl '77 at Civic Stadium in Portland, Oregon. 12 out of 18 teams qualified after a 26-match regular season, six from each conference.
Playoff format The top three teams in each division would quality for the playoffs, similar to the 1976 playoffs. The first round and the Soccer Bowl were single games, but the division championships and conference championships were two-game series. If teams were tied at one win apiece at the conclusion of Game 2, there would be a 30-minute sudden death mini-game and a shootout if necessary.
Playoff seeds Atlantic Conference Eastern Division Fort Lauderdale Strikers – Eastern Division champions, 161 points Cosmos – 140 points Tampa Bay Rowdies – 131 points
Northern Division Toronto Metros-Croatia – Northern Division champions, 111 points St. Louis Stars – 104 points Rochester Lancers – 99 points
Pacific Conference Southern Division Dallas Tornado – Southern Division champions, 161 points Los Angeles Aztecs – 147 points San Jose Earthquakes – 119 points
Western Division Minnesota Kicks – Western Division champions, 137 points Vancouver Whitecaps – 124 points Seattle Sounders – 119 points
Bracket
First round Atlantic Conference (E2) Cosmos vs. (E3) Tampa Bay Rowdies
(N2) St. Louis Stars vs. (N3) Rochester Lancers
Pacific Conference (S2) Los Angeles Aztecs vs. (S3) San Jose Earthquakes
(W2) Vancouver Whitecaps vs. (W3) Seattle Sounders
Division Finals Atlantic Conference (E1) Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. (E2) Cosmos
Cosmos win series 2–0
(N1) Toronto Metros-Croatia vs. (N3) Rochester Lancers
Rochester wins series 2–0
Pacific Conference (S1) Dallas Tornado vs. (S2) Los Angeles Aztecs
Los Angeles wins series 2–0
(W1) Minnesota Kicks vs. (W3) Seattle Sounders
Seattle wins series 2–0
Conference Finals Atlantic Conference (E2) Cosmos vs. (N3) Rochester Lancers
Cosmos win series 2–0
Pacific Conference (S2) Los Angeles Aztecs vs. (W3) Seattle Sounders
Seattle wins series 2–0
Soccer Bowl '77
References
External links The Year in American Soccer – 1977 Chris Page's NASL Archive Complete NASL Results and Standings