The American Soccer Conference was one of two conferences of the original North American Soccer League between 1978 and 1980. It along with the National Conference were formed for the 1978 season as part of a realignment to accommodate an expanding league, and bolster more competitive play which had been lacking under the previous Atlantic and Pacific conferences. It is speculated, that the league decided to realign the league to be more similar to the National Football League (American football) format, with one league official stating that the league hoped that new expansions and initiatives would cause "enough demand for soccer that they [could] sell the TV rights to two networks like the NFL did." During the three seasons using the American/National alignment, American Conference teams struggled to compete against their National Conference counterparts, with the American Conference champion failing to win the Soccer Bowl in every season.
Teams Following the realignment, the conference was initially made up of five teams from the Atlantic Conference, two teams from the Pacific Conference, and five teams making their NASL debut. After playing just one season, the Oakland Stompers were sold and relocated to Edmonton. TeamDivisionFirst seasonLast seasonPrevious conference (division) Fort Lauderdale Strikers East 1978 1980 Atlantic (East) New England Tea Men East 1978 1980 1978 debut Philadelphia Fury East 1978 1980 1978 debut Tampa Bay Rowdies East 1978 1980 Atlantic (East) Chicago Sting Central 1978 1980 Atlantic (North) Detroit Express Central 1978 1980 1978 debut Houston Hurricane Central 1978 1980 1978 debut Memphis Rogues Central 1978 1980 1978 debut California Surf West 1978 1980 Atlantic (North) Oakland Stompers West 1978 1978 Atlantic (North) San Diego Sockers West 1978 1980 Pacific (South) San Jose Earthquakes West 1978 1980 Pacific (West) Edmonton Drillers West 1979 1980 American (West)
Conference honors American Conference championships
BoldWon NASL Championship Season Champions Series Runners-up 1978 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1979 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–1 San Diego Sockers 1980 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2–1 San Diego Sockers
Regular season titles BoldMost points in NASL Year Team Division Points (W–L) Playoffs result 1978 Detroit Express Central 176 (20–10) Tampa Bay Rowdies East 165 (18–12) San Diego Sockers West 164 (18–12) 1979 Houston Hurricane Central 187 (22–8) Tampa Bay Rowdies East 169 (19–11) San Diego Sockers West 140 (15–15) 1980 Chicago Sting Central 187 (21–11) Tampa Bay Rowdies East 168 (19–13) Edmonton Drillers West 149 (17–15)
See also American Football Conference American League (baseball) Eastern Conference (MLS) Western Conference (MLS)
References
External links The Year in American Soccer – 1978 The Year in American Soccer – 1979 1979 NASL Complete Results and Standings 1980 NASL Complete Results and Standings