The 1991–92 Major Soccer League season was the 14th and final season in league history and would end with the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

winning their tenth NASL or MISL title in 11 indoor seasons, and fifth MISL title in a row.

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 Kansas City Comets failed and the club folded. Both San Diego and the Dallas Sidekicks were saved by civic outpouring and new ownership groups. A reborn version of the Pittsburgh Spirit was announced on April 29, and the owners of the NHL's

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

expressed interest in putting a team in Buffalo. When faced with the instability of the league, however, both sets of potential owners decided to not put up the $350,000 line of credit needed to play in 1991–92. 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 The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 i ...

's George Fernandez scored in overtime to put Cleveland into the playoffs and knock the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

out. Wichita had been in first place at the beginning of February, 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, 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. However, the Tacoma Stars announced they were folding on June 5. The hoped-for expansion into Buffalo never came to pass as the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

chose to join the smaller and more financially stable National Professional Soccer League on June 18. Attempts to find new owners for the St. Louis Storm failed, leaving the MSL with five teams. Commissioner

Earl Foreman Earl Marin Foreman (March 29, 1924 – January 23, 2017) was an American lawyer and sports executive. Foreman practiced law in the District of Columbia. He was the owner of the short-lived Washington Whips professional soccer club of the NASL an ...

announced the dissolution of the league on July 10. The remaining teams scattered; San Diego and Dallas joined the Continental Indoor Soccer League, while Cleveland and Wichita joined the NPSL.

Baltimore Blast The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

owner Ed Hale decided not to join either league, folding the team instead. A new ownership group was awarded an NPSL expansion franchise for Baltimore called the

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

and signed Blast coach Kenny Cooper to lead the team.

Teams

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.

Final standings

Playoff teams in bold.

Playoffs

Semifinals

Championship Series

Team Attendance Totals

Scoring leaders

''GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points''

All-MISL Teams

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 Gordon Jago, Dallas Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Thompson Usiyan, San Diego Championship Series Unsung Hero: Kevin Crow, San Diego

References

External links

The Year in American Soccer - 1992

{{DEFAULTSORT:1991-92 Major Soccer League season Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) seasons

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