David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy lost to Real Salt Lake during MLS Cup 2009, due in some part to Donovan's missed penalty kick. There are at least three things Major League Soccer has done to improve upon the logistics of the game as played by the NASL, or North American Soccer League, which was active from 1968 to 1984.
That league did have Pele of the New York Cosmos, but did not have many American soccer players, no soccer-only facilities, and a point system that sometimes rewarded the wrong team. MLS has addressed all three things and has improved upon the NASL, at least in these areas.
American Soccer Players
Interest in the 1966 World Cup spurred American curiosity in soccer to the point that a new professional league debuted in 1967. After one year of dueling leagues, the NASL (North American Soccer League) commenced in 1968 and ran through 1984. The Philadelphia Atoms won the league title in 1973 with a predominantly American squad.
After Pele's signing in 1975 and the rash of great (and sometimes aged) international stars that followed, it became difficult for actual North Americans to contribute in the NASL. Some clubs had an American goalie or defender, but not much else. According to Dave Litterer and Steve Holroyd at the American Soccer History Archives, a rule began during the 1981 season that mandated a minimum of Americans on the field and rosters for NASL teams.
MLS also began shortly after a World Cup, this one in 1994. This Cup was on American soil, and the US National team did better than expected. Major League Soccer began a few years later in 1996.
MLS didn't rely on as many international stars as the NASL, and instead featured many Americans. In fact the overwhelming majority of MLS players are from America. Providing a forum for good domestic players is an important goal of the league, and not just in name only, like the NASL.
MLS Stadiums
NASL teams played in many venues, most of them too big for American soccer crowds. The Cosmos were able to consistently draw big numbers in Giants Stadium and averaged almost 50,000 fans per game in 1979. However, the Houston Hurricane were only able to muster about 6,000 fans per game at the Astrodome that same year, despite finishing first in their division. Needless to say, the dispersion of attendance in the NASL was quite large.
The average attendance for MLS matches in 2008 was 16,460, per Jonathon Feyerherm at the 90th Minute Soccer Blog. This is actually more than the average attendance of NASL during its peak season of 1980, which was 14,440. The distribution of attendance is much smaller in the MLS, thanks in no small part to the smaller-sized stadiums.
In fact, Major League Soccer has seven soccer-specific stadiums in the league, including the first such facility of its kind in MLS, Columbus Crew Stadium. These stadiums hold fewer fans than cavernous, all-purpose facilities, and allow for more and better fan involvement.
A Better Soccer Points System
The points system in the NASL was very ponderous compared to the MLS system. Teams were awarded 6 points for a win, and 1 point for each goal up to a maximum of 3 per team. These "bonus goal points" were not only confusing, they sometimes led to puzzling results in the standings and subsequent playoff seedings.
For instance, the 1980 San Diego Sockers had a better record and a better goal differential than the California Surf but finished behind them in the standings. Why? The Surf, somehow, had 4 more points in the final standings, 144 to 140, due to their accumulation of more bonus points. The Surf actually had a negative goal differential that year.
This system seems strange not only in retrospect but had its contemporary doubters, too. Tampa sportswriter Dick Schneider wrote an article in the August 9th, 1978 edition of The Ledger with a headline of: "Did Larry, Curly And Moe Design NASL Playoffs?" He wrote of the NASL playoffs, "The system is not only confusing, but illogical. It almost defies description."
MLS Playoffs
MLS currently uses the same point system used by most of the major leagues around the world -- 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw. This results in more predictable, and sensible, final standings than NASL produced. MLS still lets too many teams into the playoffs, just like every major American sport, but at least the points system is more logical than the one used in the past.
NASL was great for its time and led to a resurgence in American soccer that is still felt today. MLS seems to have tweaked many things that its forebear did wrong, and strengthened the American game in the process. One obvious remaining need for MLS is forcing the Colorado Rapids to revive the uniforms of their NASL brethren, the 1978 Colorado Caribous. Coonskin caps and powder horns full of Gatorade would be optional.
References
Jose, Colin. NASL - A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League. Derby: Breedon Books, 1989. Print.
Brian Downing - Graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of Mount St Joseph with a Bachelor's Degree in Socio-Psychology. Subsequently co-authored an ...
