| Competition: | North American Soccer League 1974 season |
| Season: | 1974 |
| Num Teams: | 15 |
| Matches: | 150 |
| League Topscorer: | Paul Child (15 goals) |
| Total Goals: | 488 |
| Highest Attendance: | 24,093 (Denver @ Phil) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,153 (NY @ Boston) |
| Average Attendance: | 7,825 |
| Nextseason: | 1975 |
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1974. This was the 7th season of the NASL.[1]
Fifteen teams comprised the league with the Los Angeles Aztecs winning the championship in a penalty kick shootout over the Miami Toros.
The league decided to do away with tie games. If a match was tied after 90 minutes, the teams would go directly to a standard penalty shootout with no extra time played. The outcome would appear in the standings as a 'tie-win'. The tie-winner would gain three points, plus goals in regulation, while the loser of the tie-breaker received no points, except for regulation goals.[1] Including the 1974 NASL Final, 33 matches were decided using this method.
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= PK Shootout Wins, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PT= point system
6 points for a win,3 points for a PK shootout win,0 points for a loss,1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.
-Premiers (most points). -Other playoff teams.
| Northern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Boston Minutemen | 10 | 9 | 1 | 36 | 23 | 94 | |
| align=left | Toronto Metros | 9 | 10 | 1 | 30 | 31 | 87 | |
| align=left | Rochester Lancers | 8 | 10 | 2 | 23 | 30 | 77 | |
| align=left | New York Cosmos | 4 | 14 | 2 | 28 | 40 | 58 |
| Eastern Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Miami Toros | 9 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 24 | 107 | |
| align=left | Baltimore Comets | 10 | 8 | 2 | 42 | 46 | 105 | |
| align=left | Philadelphia Atoms | 8 | 11 | 1 | 25 | 25 | 74 | |
| align=left | Washington Diplomats | 7 | 12 | 1 | 29 | 36 | 70 |
| Central Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Dallas Tornado | 9 | 8 | 3 | 39 | 27 | 100 | |
| align=left | St. Louis Stars | 4 | 15 | 1 | 27 | 42 | 54 | |
| align=left | Denver Dynamos | 5 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 42 | 49 |
| Western Division | W | L | T | GF | GA | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Los Angeles Aztecs | 11 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 36 | 110 | |
| align=left | San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | 8 | 3 | 43 | 38 | 103 | |
| align=left | Seattle Sounders | 10 | 7 | 3 | 37 | 17 | 101 | |
| align=left | Vancouver Whitecaps | 5 | 11 | 4 | 29 | 31 | 70 |
| First Team[2] [3] | Position | Second Team | Honorable Mention | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Watling, Seattle | align=center | G | Bob Rigby, Philadelphia | Ian McKechnie, Boston | |
| Dick Hall, Dallas | align=center | D | Ralph Wright, Miami | Bobby Smith, Philadelphia | |
| Albert Jackson, Dallas | align=center | D | Derek Trevis, Philadelphia | Patrick Greenwood, Boston | |
| Chris Dunleavy, Philadelphia | align=center | D | Jim Gabriel, Seattle | Laurie Calloway, San Jose | |
| Geoff Butler, Baltimore | align=center | D | Brian Rowan, Toronto | Charlie Mitchell, Rochester | |
| Ronnie Sharp, Miami | align=center | M | Hank Liotart, Seattle | Alan Spavin, Washington | |
| Ilija Mitic, Dallas | align=center | M | Luis Marotte, Los Angeles | Roy Sinclair, Seattle | |
| Roberto Aguirre, Miami | align=center | M | Fernando Pinto, Toronto | Dieter Zajdel, San Jose | |
| Paul Child, San Jose | align=center | F | Ade Coker, Boston | Steve David, Miami | |
| John Rowlands, Seattle | align=center | F | Doug McMillan, Los Angeles | Jim Fryatt, Philadelphia | |
| Peter Silvester, Baltimore | align=center | F | Warren Archibald, Miami | Randy Horton, New York |
All playoff games in all rounds including the NASL Final were single game elimination match ups.
| August 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 0–3 | width=24% | Dallas Tornado | Texas Stadium • Att. 8,652 | |
| align=right valign=top | valign=top | align=left valign=top |
| August 15 | Baltimore Comets | 0–1 | width=24% | Boston Minutemen | Alumni Stadium • Att. 9,713 | |
| align=right valign=top | valign=top | align=left valign=top |
| August 17 | Boston Minutemen | 0–2 | width=24% | Los Angeles Aztecs | ELAC Stadium • Att. 5,485 | |
| align=right valign=top | valign=top | align=left valign=top |
| August 17 | Dallas Tornado | 1–3 | width=24% | Miami Toros | Tamiami Stadium[4] [5] • Att. 5,045 | |
| align=right valign=top | valign=top | align=left valign=top |
See main article: NASL Final 1974.
1974 NASL Champions: Los Angeles Aztecs