| Season | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States Canada |
| Champions | Atlanta Chiefs |
| Premiers | San Diego Toros most total points *Atlanta Chiefs best Won/Loss record |
| Matches | 271 |
| Goals | 924 (3.41 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Janusz Kowalik (30 goals) |
| Average attendance | 4,669 |
1969 → | |
The1968 North American Soccer League season was the 56th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, and the 1st with a national first-division league with the inaugural season of the NASL.
The NASL was formed this year as a merger between the former top division soccer leagues, theUnited Soccer Association along with theNational Professional Soccer League. In the inaugural year, theAtlanta Chiefs were the champions, by winning the NASL Final 3–0, in a two-game aggregate over theSan Diego Toros. While the Chiefs were the champions for the season, the premiers for this season were the Toros, who obtained the highest point total.[1]
17 teams competed in this inaugural season, and theAtlanta Chiefs wonthe championship. WhileSan Diego won the premiership, Atlanta's winning percentage was higher because a match had been canceled.[1] This would mark the first of five times in the league's history that the best record did not equate to a premiership. TheOakland Clippers had an identical record to the Western Division Champion Toros and a higher goal-differential, but just as with Atlanta the Toros had more league points. Oakland had won every competition in the NPSL's 1967 season, but were denied a chance to defend their title in the merged league because of this unique points system.
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts= point system, Avg Att= Average Attendance[2]
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie,0 points for a loss,1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
Eastern Conference[edit]
| Western Conference[edit]
|
| First Team[3][4] | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Mirko Stojanović, Oakland | G | Vic Rouse, Atlanta |
| Mel Scott, Oakland | D | John Worbye, Washington |
| Momcilio Gavric, Oakland | D | John Cocking, Atlanta |
| David Davidovic, Oakland | M | Dennis Viollet, Baltimore |
| Ron Crisp, San Diego | M | Milan Čop, Oakland |
| Ruben Navarro, Cleveland | M | Tony Knapp, Los Angeles |
| Janusz Kowalik, Chicago | F | Victorio Casa, Washington |
| Pepe Fernandez, San Diego | F | Mario Baesso, Oakland |
| Jorgen Kristensen, Detroit[5] | F | Eric Barber, Kansas City |
| Casey Frankiewicz, St. Louis | F | Vavá, San Diego |
| Ilija Mitic, Oakland | F | Enrique Mateos, Cleveland |
| Conference Finals[6] (2-match aggregate) | NASL Final 1968 (2-match aggregate) | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland Stokers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| E1 | Atlanta Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Toros | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| W1 | San Diego Toros | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| W2 | Kansas City Spurs | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| Higher seed | Aggregate | Lower seed | First leg | Second leg | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–2 | Cleveland Stokers | 1–1 | 2–1(OT) | September 11 •Cleveland Stadium • 3,431 September 14 •Atlanta Stadium • 6,645 |
| San Diego Toros | 2–1 | Kansas City Spurs | 1–1 | 1–0(2OT) | September 11 •Municipal Stadium • 5,042 September 16 •Balboa Stadium • 6,271[1][7][6] |
| Eastern Champion | Aggregate | Western Champion[8] | First leg | Second leg | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–0 | San Diego Toros | 0–0 | 3–0 | September 21 •Balboa Stadium • 9,360[9] September 28 •Atlanta Stadium • 14,994 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 3–0 | San Diego Toros |
|---|---|---|
Peter McParland 22:34' (Hughes)Delroy Scott 42:53'Kaizer Motaung 79:50' | Report |
1968 NASL Champions:Atlanta Chiefs
| Team | Average[10] |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Spurs | 8,510 |
| Washington Whips | 6,318 |
| Vancouver Royals | 6,197 |
| Atlanta Chiefs | 5,626 |
| New York Generals | 5,606 |
| St. Louis Stars | 5,388 |
| Toronto Falcons | 5,284 |
| Cleveland Stokers | 4,305 |
| Detroit Cougars | 4,183 |
| San Diego Toros | 4,137 |
| Baltimore Bays | 4,112 |
| Boston Beacons | 3,992 |
| Oakland Clippers | 3,690 |
| Houston Stars | 3,246 |
| Dallas Tornado | 2,929 |
| Los Angeles Wolves | 2,396 |
| Chicago Mustangs | 2,379 |
