With the
NASL near death in the summer of 1984, a handful of teams made plans to switch from outdoor to indoor soccer once the NASL season ended in October.[1] Along with the Sockers, the
Chicago Sting,
Minnesota Strikers and
New York Cosmos formally made the leap in late August.[2] With the addition of the
Dallas Sidekicks, the league went back to a 14-team, two-division setup.
With an influx of new teams, the league expanded the playoffs even further. 10 teams would qualify, the top three in each division and the next best four wild-card teams. The wild-card teams would play a best-of-three series. The second and third round were best-of-five series, and the championship round would be a best-of-seven series. Each successive round would see the winners reseeded, similar to the
NHL playoff format used for almost 20 years.[3]
While the Sting and Strikers made the playoffs, the Cosmos struggled. On February 22, with their record at 11-22, the team announced they were pulling out of the MISL effective immediately.[4] The league would scramble to fill out the schedule,[5] but only the
Wichita Wings would play an uneven number of games.
The Strikers would make a run from the wildcard series to the league semifinals, only falling to San Diego in a decisive fifth game. Trailing in the series two games to one, Minnesota actually lost the fourth game in a shootout,[6] but lodged a protest with commissioner Francis Dale over San Diego's shooting order. Dale upheld the protest and declared the Strikers winners.[7] Despite the Sockers only being made aware of the fifth game once they landed at the San Diego airport, they shut out Minnesota to win the series[8]
This would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.[9]
Despite having the league's third-best record, the
Las Vegas Americans would be terminated by the league after the season due to financial difficulties.[10]
The 1984β85 regular season schedule ran from November 2, 1984, to April 14, 1985.
Despite the Cosmos leaving the league in mid-season, each team played their scheduled 48 games with the exception of Wichita.[11]
**San Diego won the shootout 4-3, but Minnesota appealed the result, as the Sockers used an ineligible player. The Strikers were declared winners on May 13.
With the
NASL near death in the summer of 1984, a handful of teams made plans to switch from outdoor to indoor soccer once the NASL season ended in October.[1] Along with the Sockers, the
Chicago Sting,
Minnesota Strikers and
New York Cosmos formally made the leap in late August.[2] With the addition of the
Dallas Sidekicks, the league went back to a 14-team, two-division setup.
With an influx of new teams, the league expanded the playoffs even further. 10 teams would qualify, the top three in each division and the next best four wild-card teams. The wild-card teams would play a best-of-three series. The second and third round were best-of-five series, and the championship round would be a best-of-seven series. Each successive round would see the winners reseeded, similar to the
NHL playoff format used for almost 20 years.[3]
While the Sting and Strikers made the playoffs, the Cosmos struggled. On February 22, with their record at 11-22, the team announced they were pulling out of the MISL effective immediately.[4] The league would scramble to fill out the schedule,[5] but only the
Wichita Wings would play an uneven number of games.
The Strikers would make a run from the wildcard series to the league semifinals, only falling to San Diego in a decisive fifth game. Trailing in the series two games to one, Minnesota actually lost the fourth game in a shootout,[6] but lodged a protest with commissioner Francis Dale over San Diego's shooting order. Dale upheld the protest and declared the Strikers winners.[7] Despite the Sockers only being made aware of the fifth game once they landed at the San Diego airport, they shut out Minnesota to win the series[8]
This would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.[9]
Despite having the league's third-best record, the
Las Vegas Americans would be terminated by the league after the season due to financial difficulties.[10]
The 1984β85 regular season schedule ran from November 2, 1984, to April 14, 1985.
Despite the Cosmos leaving the league in mid-season, each team played their scheduled 48 games with the exception of Wichita.[11]
**San Diego won the shootout 4-3, but Minnesota appealed the result, as the Sockers used an ineligible player. The Strikers were declared winners on May 13.