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 ...

2012 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 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 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 ...

and, the defending

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 ...

NASL champions, the

Minnesota Stars 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 ...

. The first leg was held on October 20, 2012 at

National Sports Center The National Sports Center (NSC) is a multi-sport complex located in Blaine, Minnesota. Its site includes a soccer stadium, over 50 full-sized soccer fields, a golf course, a meeting and convention facility, and an eight-sheet ice rink, the Sup ...

, in

Blaine, Minnesota Blaine is a suburban city in Anoka and Ramsey counties in the State of Minnesota, United States. Once a rural town, Blaine's population has increased significantly in the last 60 years. For several years, Blaine led the Twin Cities metro region i ...

, while the second on October 27, 2012 at

Al Lang Stadium Al Lang Stadium is a 7,500-seat sports stadium along the waterfront of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, United States which was used almost exclusively as a baseball park for over 60 years. Since 2011, it has been the home pitch of the Tampa ...

, in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. After a two-day competition, both sides were tied at three points apiece. Following extra time, the game went to

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. In the end, the Tampa Bay Rowdies were victorious and became the 2012 NASL champions.

Background

The defending Soccer Bowl champion

finished sixth in league standings with 35 points and a record of 8-11-9. They qualified for the NASL playoffs as the low seed of six teams. The Stars defeated the third seeded

Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

in a single-match quarterfinal game, 2–1. In the two-legged semifinals Minnesota defeated the top-seeded

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 ...

, 2–1, on aggregate. The victory allowed them to advance to their second straight Soccer Bowl. The

finished in second position on the league table with a record of 12-9-7 for 47 points, which was two points behind San Antonio's table-topping total of 49. As the number-two seed in the playoffs the Rowdies earned a quarterfinal bye. Tampa Bay faced the fourth seeded

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 ...

in the semifinals, winning 5–4 on aggregate, which earned them the right to play in Soccer Bowl 2012.

Game summary

Minnesota won the first leg, 2–0, on goals by

Amani Walker Amani Walker (born 16 December 1989 in San Diego, California) is a Jamaican footballer. Career College and Amateur Walker attended Francis Parker High School, and played for the Surf FC club team, before going on to play four years of college ...

in the 67th minute and Martin Nunez in injury time. Without an away-goals rule, at a minimum Tampa Bay needed to win the return leg by any two-goal margin to keep hope alive. In the second leg Carl Cort scored on a rebound for the Rowdies in the 25th minute and

Keith Savage Keith Savage (born August 9, 1985 in Gulf Breeze, Florida) is a former American soccer player who is currently the head coach of the Tampa Bay Rowdies USL Academy team. Career College and Amateur Savage attended Gulf Breeze High School in Gul ...

scored in the 51st minute to level the series. The Stars quickly regained their advantage on a score by Lucas Rodríguez in the 52nd minute.

Dan Antoniuk Daniel Antoniuk (born January 23, 1981, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American soccer player who last played for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League. Career College Antoniuk attended Wheaton College, playing on the men's ...

's dramatic 86th minute goal leveled the aggregate at four apiece, and a few minutes later teammate Shane Hill was given a straight red card during injury time. With neither team able to score in extra time, the match moved to penalty kicks.

Luke Mulholland Luke Mulholland (born 7 August 1988) is a former English footballer and current scout for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. Career College and amateur Mulholland began his career with English non-league side Lancaster City. He was throw ...

Raphael Cox Raphael Cox (born July 7, 1986 in Tacoma, Washington) is an American soccer player and coach. Off the pitch, RCox is widely known for his ability to stroke his beard and chuckle. Career Youth and College Cox attended Stadium High School, and pl ...

, and

Fafà Picault Fabrice-Jean "Fafà" Picault (born 23 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC. Born in the United States, he represents the Haiti national team. Early life Picault was born ...

all converted from the spot for Tampa Bay, while Rowdies goalie

Jeff Attinella Jeff Attinella (born September 29, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who previously played as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. Career College and amateur Attinella is a product of the University ...

saved three of Minnesota's five attempts to secure the Soccer Bowl title for

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

Championship results

First leg

Second leg

2012 NASL Champions:

References

External links

NASL Soccer Bowl (official website)
*Video of gam
1
an
2
{{Football (soccer) chronology NASL Final 2012

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

* Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida

2012 in sports in Minnesota 2012 in sports in Florida Soccer in Florida