Soccer Bowl 2016 is 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 match of the 2016 season which determined the NASL Champion.

Background

The

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

were the first team to earn a spot in "The Championship", when they won the Spring Championship back in June. They edged out the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

in the Spring season on the third tiebreaker (head-head). The

responded by winning the Fall Championship. They qualified with two games to spare and setting the home unbeaten record in modern NASL history. The league saw six teams fighting for the last playoff spot with four games left to play. Going into the final matchday, only two teams were left. Before their final regular season match,

Rayo OKC Rayo OKC, also known as Rayo Oklahoma City, was an American professional soccer team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) – the second tier of the American soccer pyramid – beginning w ...

qualified for "The Championship" in their first season.

Path to the final

Semi-final #1

and

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to 2017. The club went on hiatus when NASL ceased competitive operat ...

met three times in the regular season. They split the first game in the Spring season, and they each won their home match-ups in the Fall season.

Semi-final #2

The

come into the Semi-final match as the home team, having secured their spot by winning, both the Fall season and North American Supporters' Trophy on the same night, with two matches left to play. The

Cosmos The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied in ...

meet

in the 2nd Semi-Final. The two teams meet three times during the regular season. The third match was a 1—1 draw at the Cosmos' Shuart Stadium.

Stadium Controversy

Before the 2016 season began, Hofstra University told the Cosmos that there would be a scheduling conflict with the date of the 2016 Championship Final, and if the team were to host the championship game they would be forced to rent another venue. The club considered sites around the area including

MCU Park Maimonides Park (formerly MCU Park and KeySpan Park) is a minor league baseball stadium on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The home team and primary tenant is the New York Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones of ...

in Brooklyn, which was rejected because it would have cost thousands of dollars to bring in turf to cover the baseball lines. The team also considered recommending a neutral site, or even selling the hosting rights to whatever club they would be facing in the Final, but those plans were never pursued. The Cosmos tried to work out a deal with Hofstra, including moving the date of the Championship Final to a weekday, but those proposals were "shot down" by the university. The Cosmos eventually settled on

Belson Stadium Belson Stadium is a 2,168-seat soccer-specific stadium located at Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike in Queens, New York City, on the campus of St. John's University. It is the home of the St. John's Red Storm men's and women's soccer teams. T ...

on the campus of St. John's University. The announcement that the league's championship game would be played in a 2200-seat venue prompted derision from fans of the club and league, who took to social media with the hashtag ''#BiggerThanBelson''. The Final was played at Belson but failed to sell out, with only 2,150 tickets sold.

Match

Summary

Details

2016 NASL Champions:

Statistics

References

{{2016 in American soccer

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* NASL Final 2016