The 2012 North American Soccer League season was the 45th season of Division II soccer in the United States and the second season of the revived

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 ...

. It was contested by eight teams including one from Canada and one from Puerto Rico. The Montreal Impact were self-promoted to Major League Soccer as an

expansion franchise An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

and the expansion San Antonio Scorpions were added to the NASL. The NASL received full sanctioning from the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

on March 3, 2012 at their annual meeting. The defending

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

champions were the

NSC Minnesota Stars NSC may refer to: Sport and competition * NSC United, an American soccer team * National Scholastics Championship, an American quiz bowl competition * National Scrabble Championship, now known as the Scrabble Players Championship * National Sho ...

, while the

Carolina Railhawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

were the defending North American Supporters' Trophy winners.

Personnel and sponsorship

Teams

Regular season

League table

Results

Final regular season results.

Playoffs

The 6 qualifying teams were seeded 1 through 6, with the top team in the standings receiving the number 1 seed. The format of the playoffs consisted of quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. The quarterfinals were single games while the semifinals and final were each a 2-game series with each team playing at home once and the team with the greater number of aggregate goals in both games winning the series. The number 1 seed and the number 2 seed received byes while the number 3 seed hosted the number 6 seed and the number 4 seed hosted the number 5 seed in the quarterfinal. For the semifinal, the number 1 seed was paired with the lowest seeded team to qualify from the quarterfinal and the number 2 seed paired with the highest seeded team to qualify from the quarterfinal. The winners of each semifinal met in the final, known as the

. In the event of a draw in either quarterfinal game, a 30-minute extra time period was to be played, with the golden goal rule not in effect). If the teams were still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner was to be determined by a penalty shootout. In each semifinal and in the final, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams were to play a 30-minute extra time period. As in the quarterfinal, the golden goal rule was not in effect. If the teams were still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series was to be determined by a penalty shootout.

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

:''Tampa Bay Rowdies win 5–4 on aggregate.''
:''Minnesota Stars win 2–1 on aggregate.''

Soccer Bowl 2012

:''Tied 3–3 on aggregate. Tampa Bay Rowdies win

Soccer Bowl 2012 Soccer Bowl 2012 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship final of the 2012 season. Also known as the NASL Championship Series 2012, the event was contested in a two-game aggregate match between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and, ...

, 3–2 on penalties.''

Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Source:

Top assists

Source:

Top goalkeepers

(Minimum of 1260 Minutes Played) Source
North American Soccer League

Awards

Monthly awards

Weekly awards

League awards

* Golden Ball (MVP): Pablo Campos (

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadiu ...

) *Golden Boot: Pablo Campos (

) * Golden Glove: Daryl Sattler (

) * Coach of the Year: Ricky Hill (

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

) * Play of the Year: Kevin Venegas (

Minnesota Stars FC Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

) * Fair Play Award:

References

External links

* {{2012 in Canadian soccer North American Soccer League seasons 2