1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational
The 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational was a four-team indoor soccer tournament held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida on the final weekend of January 1979.
Overview
Four North [American Soccer League |North American Soccer League] teams participated in the two-day event; the Dallas Tornado, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and the Tulsa Roughnecks. Matches were 45 minutes long and divided into three 15-minute periods with an intermission between each. Each session consisted of two games . Nearly 12,700 people attended the two sessions. Dallas and Tampa Bay each won both of their matches, but Dallas Tornado were crowned champions based on a greater goal differential. Dallas forward Jim Ryan lead the invitational in scoring with 7 goals. The tournament's final match saw goalkeeper Winston DuBose of Tampa Bay become only the second NASL goalie to record a rare indoor shut-out. Dallas goalkeeper Ken Cooper had accomplished the feat on two previous occasions.These were not the only indoor games played that winter. With a fully sanctioned season of NASL indoor soccer still eleven months away, NASL teams were free to schedule their own games at that time. Tampa Bay, for example played three Tampa Bay Rowdies indoor season|other indoor matches]. By contrast, Fort Lauderdale scheduled only the two games of the invitational. The competing Major Indoor Soccer League had already begun their first season in December 1978.
Map of clubs
Tournament results
Sessions
Session 1: January 27, 1979----
Session 2: January 28, 1979
Match reports
Session 1
Session 2
Final standings
GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential''*Dallas wins title on goal differential''
Statistical leaders
Scoring
Goals, Assists| Leading scorers | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Jimmy Ryan | 7 | 1 | 15 |
| Kai Haaskivi | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Mirandinha | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Rodney Marsh | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| George Ley | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Steve Earle | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Laurie Abrahams | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Chris Collins | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Tibor Gemeri | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Al Njie | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Roy Wiggemansen | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Goalkeeping
GA = Goals Against, GAA = Goals Against Average, SV = Saves, SF = Shots Faced, % = Save Percentage| Leading Goalkeepers | Minutes | GA | GAA | SV | SF | % | Won | Lost |
| Winston DuBose | 90 | 4 | 2.00 | 14 | 18 | .778 | 2 | 0 |
| Ken Cooper | 45 | 2 | 2.00 | 6 | 8 | .750 | 1 | 0 |
| Colin Boulton | 90 | 11 | 5.50 | 13 | 24 | .542 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Zerhusen | 90 | 13 | 6.50 | 22 | 35 | .629 | 0 | 2 |
| Billy Phillips | 45 | 7 | 7.00 | 10 | 17 | .588 | 1 | 0 |