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 ...

2011 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 postseason championship final of the 2011 season. It was the first championship match held by the new NASL and the first Soccer Bowl since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. Also known as the NASL Championship series 2011, the event was contested in a two-game aggregate match between the NSC Minnesota Stars and the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

. The first leg was held on October 22, 2011 at National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, while the second on October 29, 2011 at Lockhart Stadium in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. After a two-day competition, the NSC Minnesota Stars became the 2011 NASL champions, and the first of the new league.

Background

The NSC Minnesota Stars entered the playoffs as the number six seed and defeated the number three seed, Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1–0, in the single-match quarterfinal round. Next they faced the top-seeded, Carolina RailHawks FC in the semifinals. They won the first leg by a score of 1–0, but Carolina won the second leg, 4–3. Since the teams were tied on aggregate, they moved on to 30 minutes of extra time. Since neither side scored in extra time, on to a penalty kick shootout they went. The Stars won the shootout 5–3 to advance to the finals. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers had a much easier path to the finals. They entered the playoffs as the number four seed and defeated the fifth-seeded, FC Edmonton squad, 5–0, in the single-match quarterfinal round. Next they faced the second-seeded, Puerto Rico Islanders in the semifinals They won the first leg by a score of 3–1 and the second, 2–1, to advance to the finals.

Game summary

Championships results

First leg

Second leg

2011 NASL Champions: NSC Minnesota Stars

References

External links

NASL Soccer Bowl (official website)
* Video of gam
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{{2010–11 in North and Central America, and Caribbean football (CONCACAF)

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2011 in sports in Minnesota 2011 in sports in Florida Soccer in Florida Soccer in Minnesota