1991–92 Major Soccer League season
Matches played | 140 |
---|---|
Top goalscorer | Hector Marinaro (53 goals) |
Average attendance | 7,844 |
← 1990–91 Final season → |
The 1991–92
Recap
After a relatively tranquil 1990-91 season, the league's unstable finances reared their head again at season's end. Attempts to find other financiers for the
Despite the upheaval, the seven teams left soldiered on. The regular season was wide open as playoff positioning went right down to the final game on the schedule. The Cleveland Crunch's George Fernandez scored in overtime to put Cleveland into the playoffs and knock the Wichita Wings out.[6] Wichita had been in first place at the beginning of February,[7] but a 6–13 finish doomed their chances at the postseason. Still, the playoffs themselves went according to form as San Diego defeated Baltimore and Dallas for their fifth straight MSL/MISL title.
There were early signs that the league would survive for another year. Attendance was up over 1990–91,[8] and there were reports in April that the league planned on a 1992-93 season with all seven teams returning and an expanded schedule of 44 games.[9]
However, the
The remaining teams scattered; San Diego and Dallas joined the
Teams
Team | City/Area | Arena |
---|---|---|
Baltimore Blast
|
Baltimore, Maryland
|
Baltimore Arena
|
Cleveland Crunch | Cleveland, Ohio
|
Richfield Coliseum |
Dallas Sidekicks | Dallas, Texas
|
Reunion Arena |
San Diego Sockers
|
San Diego, California
|
San Diego Sports Arena
|
St. Louis Storm | St. Louis, Missouri
|
St. Louis Arena |
Tacoma Stars
|
Tacoma, Washington | Tacoma Dome |
Wichita Wings | Wichita, Kansas | Kansas Coliseum |
Regular-season schedule
The 1991–92 regular season schedule ran from October 19, 1991, to April 4, 1992. At 40 games, it was the shortest schedule for the league since the 1980–81 season and the seven-team lineup was its smallest since the inaugural season of 1978–79.[16]
Final standings
Playoff teams in bold.
W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Diego Sockers |
26 | 14 | .650 | – | 243 | 186 | 15–5 | 11–9 |
Dallas Sidekicks | 22 | 18 | .550 | 4 | 231 | 229 | 16–4 | 6–14 |
Cleveland Crunch | 20 | 20 | .500 | 6 | 249 | 229 | 13–7 | 7–13 |
Baltimore Blast |
19 | 21 | .475 | 7 | 213 | 230 | 11–9 | 8–12 |
Wichita Wings | 18 | 22 | .450 | 8 | 228 | 236 | 12–8 | 6–14 |
Tacoma Stars |
18 | 22 | .450 | 8 | 198 | 242 | 15–5 | 3–17 |
St. Louis Storm | 17 | 23 | .425 | 9 | 241 | 251 | 12–8 | 5–15 |
Playoffs
Semifinals | Championship series | ||||||||
1 | San Diego Sockers
| 4 | |||||||
4 | Baltimore Blast
| 1 | |||||||
1 | San Diego Sockers
| 4 | |||||||
2 | Dallas Sidekicks | 2 | |||||||
2 | Dallas Sidekicks | 4 | |||||||
3 | Cleveland Crunch | 2 |
Semifinals
|
|
Championship Series
|
Team Attendance Totals
Club | Games | Total | Average |
---|---|---|---|
St. Louis Storm | 20 | 205,323 | 10,266 |
San Diego Sockers
|
20 | 186,962 | 9,348 |
Baltimore Blast
|
20 | 164,129 | 8,206 |
Wichita Wings | 20 | 164,127 | 8,206 |
Cleveland Crunch | 20 | 141,120 | 7,056 |
Dallas Sidekicks | 20 | 140,053 | 7,003 |
Tacoma Stars
|
20 | 96,426 | 4,821 |
Overall | 140 | 1,098,140 | 7,844 |
Scoring leaders
GP = Games played, G = Goals, A =
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zoran Karic | Cleveland Crunch | 37 | 39 | 63 | 102 |
Preki | St Louis Storm | 39 | 45 | 52 | 97 |
Hector Marinaro | Cleveland Crunch | 40 | 53 | 41 | 94 |
Tatu | Dallas Sidekicks | 39 | 47 | 41 | 88 |
Chico Borja | Wichita Wings | 33 | 32 | 52 | 84 |
Dale Mitchell | Tacoma Stars | 40 | 45 | 34 | 79 |
Paul Wright | San Diego Sockers | 39 | 50 | 27 | 77 |
Dale Ervine | Wichita Wings | 33 | 42 | 33 | 75 |
David Doyle | Dallas Sidekicks | 40 | 51 | 23 | 74 |
Branko Segota | St Louis Storm | 34 | 47 | 25 | 72 |
All-MISL Teams
First Team | Position | Second Team | Third Team |
---|---|---|---|
Victor Nogueira, San Diego | G | Joe Papaleo, Dallas | Cris Vaccaro, Baltimore |
Kevin Crow, San Diego | D | Ben Collins, San Diego | Danny Pena, Wichita |
Iain Fraser, Baltimore | D | George Fernandez, Cleveland | Wes McLeod, Dallas |
Zoran Karic, Cleveland | M | Chico Borja, Wichita | Branko Segota, St Louis |
Tatu, Dallas | F | David Doyle, Dallas | Hector Marinaro, Cleveland |
Preki, St Louis | F | Dale Ervine, Wichita | Paul Wright, San Diego |
League awards
Most Valuable Player: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Scoring Champion: Zoran Karic, Cleveland
Pass Master: Zoran Karic, Cleveland
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Rookie of the Year: Tommy Tanner, Cleveland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Coach of the Year[17] Gordon Jago, Dallas
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Thompson Usiyan, San Diego
Championship Series Unsung Hero: Kevin Crow, San Diego
References
- ^ "Kansas City soccer team folds". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina). July 17, 1991. p. 16. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Finnegan, Tara (June 29, 1991). "Sockers, Sidekicks get new owners". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Fink, David (April 30, 1991). "Pittsburgh to rejoin pro soccer league for 1991-92". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 19. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- Pittsburgh Press. p. E1.
- ^ "Major Soccer League Set To Open 14th Season". Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1991. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ "Fernandez's Goal Gets Crunch in Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. April 5, 1992. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Geis, John (February 15, 1992). "Sockers Mix Some Skill, Brawn to Get Past Wichita". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Geis, John (April 6, 1992). "Owners Don't Delay in Making '92 Plans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Geis, John (April 9, 1992). "Lost Quarter Is Costly to Blast". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- Seattle Times. June 6, 1992. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ McKee, Sandra (June 19, 1992). "Another summer, another scare in MSL". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Geis, John (July 11, 1992). "S.D. Sockers Due to Follow League Demise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Geis, John (October 16, 1992). "CISL Owners Discuss Expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- Milwaukee Sentinel. August 1, 1992. p. 6B. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Preston, Mike (July 11, 1992). "Now a team without a league, Blast will explore new fields". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ MSL Official Guide 1991-92. 1991. pp. 162–163.
- Wichita Eagle. April 29, 1992. p. B5.
Griffin, John, ed. (1991). MSL Official Guide 1991-92. Baltimore: Major Soccer League Communications Department.
Moorhouse, Jim, ed. (1993). 1993 San Diego Sockers Media Guide. San Diego: San Diego Sockers.