The 1980–81 season was the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

's second

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

season.

Overview

A total of 19 of a possible 21 NASL teams participated.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

(who was moving from Philadelphia) were the only hold-outs this indoor season. Just as the season was getting underway, the

Jacksonville Tea Men The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

relocated from New England. Teams played an 18-game regular season. The four Canadian teams were realigned into one division and forced to play only one another during the regular season. This was due to early season litigation which restricted NASL teams' travel between the U.S. and Canada. The Edmonton Drillers won the championship in a two-game finals-sweep of the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1 ...

. This was the Drillers' first, and only, NASL indoor title.

Kai Haaskivi Kai Haaskivi (born 28 December 1955 in Lahti) is a retired Finnish soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches ...

of Edmonton won both the regular season and playoff MVP awards.

Regular season

''W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games Behind 1st Place, % = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against''

NASL All-Stars

All-star selections were made, by region, by the NASL coaches and general managers. Each voter cast ballots for one goalie and five outfield players regardless of position.

Playoffs

Bracket

1st round

''If a playoff series is tied after two games, a 15 minute, tie breaker mini-game is played.'' ''#Scheduling conflicts at the Portland Coliseum forced both games to be played in Chicago.''

Semi-finals

Championship Finals

''*Scheduling conflicts at the

Northlands Coliseum Northlands Coliseum is a now-unused indoor arena located in Edmonton, Alberta, situated on the north side of Northlands. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and N ...

forced Game 1 of the Finals to be moved across the street to the Edmonton Gardens.''

Championship match reports

1980–81 NASL Indoor Champions: Edmonton Drillers

Post season awards

*Most Valuable Player:

, Edmonton *Finals MVP:

, Edmonton

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1980-81 NASL Indoor season NASL Indoor Season, 1980-81 NASL Indoor Season, 1980-81 1981 in Canadian sports NASL Indoor seasons