NASL. The league changed its offside rule during the season on June 26. They created a “Blue Line” which was an offside line across the field, 35 yards from the goal line. Thereafter, no player could be offside unless he had crossed the 35-yard line. This made the NASL unique in the soccer world; the league received temporary approval for the change from FIFA on an experimental basis only. The league also switched the playoff format to single-match elimination contests rather than series.
New teams
- None
Teams folding
- None
Teams moving
- Washington Darts to Miami Gatos
Name changes
- None
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.
Northern Division W L T GF GA PT
New York Cosmos 7 3 4 28 16 77
Rochester Lancers 6 5 3 20 22 64
Montreal Olympique 4 5 5 19 20 57
Toronto Metros 4 6 4 18 22 53
Southern Division W L T GF GA PT
St. Louis Stars 7 4 3 20 14 69
Dallas Tornado 6 5 3 15 12 60
Atlanta Chiefs 5 6 3 19 18 56
Miami Gatos 3 8 3 17 32 44
|
August 15 |
0–2 |
St. Louis Stars | ||
Rochester Lancers|
August 19 |
0–1 |
New York Cosmos | ||
NASL Final 1972
|
August 26 |
2–1 | |
|---|---|---|
|
The losing finalist. |
St. Louis Stars
1972 NASL Champions:New York Cosmos