1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer
The 1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer was an indoor soccer tournament staged by four franchises of the North American Soccer League.
| NASL Indoor Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | January 21, 1983 – February 20, 1983 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Rowdies (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Montreal Manic |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 199 (12.44 per match) |
| Attendance | 37,111 (2,319 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Laurie Abrahams .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Dale Mitchell(12 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Laurie Abrahams  Mehdi Cerbah |
Overview
The NASL franchises from Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, Montreal, and Tulsa opted to play the Grand Prix in early 1983 as a makeshift indoor season, because for various reasons, the eight other NASL clubs had chosen to forego playing a full 1982–83 NASL indoor season.[1] Three of those eight teams (Chicago, Golden Bay and San Diego) had joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for 1982-83 season, while the remaining five squads chose to sit out winter indoor play completely.
The tournament consisted of three weeks of double round-robin play for the purpose of seeding, followed by a Championship weekend at the Forum in Montreal.[2][3] Fort Lauderdale did not host a round because there was no suitable venue in the area that also met the minimum seating requirements. Instead, Tulsa hosted Rounds 1 and 3. The tournament would mark the third time NASL teams played in such an event, with the first two coming in 1975 and 1976. Additionally the teams participated in a season-long Shootout Challenge competition, the champions of which would split a $5,000 purse.[4]
Montreal and Tampa Bay finished tied on both points and record after the preliminary rounds, but Montreal held the head-to-head tie-breaker, and with it the top seed.[2] Tampa Bay won the championship final 5–4 on a golden goal by Mark Karpun at 1:58 of the second, seven and a half minute, overtime period.[5] This victory marked the Rowdies' third indoor trophy and fourth title overall in the NASL. Laurie Abrahams of Tulsa led all scorers (12 goals, 6 assists) and was named the offensive MVP, while Montreal goalie Mehdi Cerbah who posted a 4.36 goals-against-average was the defensive MVP of the tournament. Tampa Bay also won the $5,000 Shootout Challenge purse by defeating Ft. Lauderdale, 2–0, with Rowdies goalie Jürgen Stars stopping all three Strikers shots in the final round.[6][7][8]
Preliminary rounds
Round 1
played at Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma[9][10]
| January 21 | Montreal Manic | 6–3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Attendance: 3,522 |
| Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | 8–4 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
| January 22 | Montreal Manic | 8–6 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | Attendance: 4,341 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 7–2 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
Round 2
played at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida[11][12]
| February 4 | Montreal Manic | 6–3 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | Attendance: 4,450 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 7–6 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
| February 5 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 7–4 | Montreal Manic | Attendance: 5,545 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10–6 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | ||
Round 3
played at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma
| February 11 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 7–5 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | Attendance: 2,064 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 8–7 | Montreal Manic | ||
| February 12 | Montreal Manic | 5–4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Attendance: 3,245 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 5–4 (OT) | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | ||
Seeding
G = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential, PTS= point system
6 points awarded for a win. Beginning with the fourth goal, 1 bonus point awarded for each goal scored. Maximum of 5 bonus points per game.
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1* | Montreal Manic | 6 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 42 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 42 |
| 3 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 6 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 37 | –4 | 33 |
| 4 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | 6 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 40 | –8 | 20 |
*Montreal wins top seed based on 2–0 head-to-head edge over Tampa Bay
Grand Prix Championship rounds
Bracket
| Semifinals | Championship Final | |||||||
| 1 | Montreal Manic | 11 | ||||||
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 4 | ||||||
| 1 | Montreal Manic | 4 | ||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 5(2OT) | ||||||
| 3 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 6 | ||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 8 | Third place | |||||
| 3 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 9 | ||||||
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 4 | ||||||
Semi-finals
played at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec
| February 18 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 8–6 | Tulsa Roughnecks | Attendance: 6,049[13] |
| Montreal Manic | 11–4 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | ||
Third place match
played at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec (1:30 PM EST)
| February 20 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 9–4 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | |
Championship Final
| Montreal Manic | 4–5 (2OT) | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
|---|---|---|
Mitchell  16:17'Mitchell 19:51' (McGrane)Mitchell 24:53' (Uremovich)Lodeweges 44:01' |
Report (p. 2C) | Tatu 7:06' (McLeod, Perez) Perez 11:12'Nogly 31:46'Zequinha 58:05' (Gruber, Tatu)Karpun  69:28' (Nogly) |
1983 Indoor Grand Prix Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Tournament awards
- Most Valuable Players:
- Offensive: Laurie Abrahams (Tulsa) - Goals: 12 Assists: 6 Total Pts: 30
- Defensive: Mehdi Cerbah (Montreal) Goals-against-average: 4.36 - $5,000 Shootout Challenge:
- Semi-finals: Tampa Bay 3 – 1 Tulsa • Ft. Lauderdale 3 – 1 Montreal
- Finals: Tampa Bay 2 – 0 Ft. Lauderdale
Final rankings
G = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 8 | 6 | 2 | 51 | 41 | +10 |
| 2 | Montreal Manic | 8 | 5 | 3 | 51 | 40 | +11 |
| 3 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 8 | 4 | 4 | 48 | 49 | -1 |
| 4 | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | 8 | 1 | 7 | 40 | 60 | -20 |
Statistics
| Leading Scorers | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurie Abrahams (Tulsa) | 12 | 6 | 30 |
| Dale Mitchell (Montreal) | 12 | 4 | 28 |
| Branko Šegota (Ft. Lauderdale) | 10 | 8 | 28 |
| Dragan Vujović (Montreal) | 9 | 7 | 25 |
| Teófilo Cubillas (Ft. Lauderdale) | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| Hugo Pérez (Tampa Bay) | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| Tatu (Tampa Bay) | 9 | 5 | 23 |
| Keith Weller (Tulsa) | 8 | 7 | 23 |
| Wes McLeod (Tampa Bay) | 5 | 12 | 22 |
| Njego Pesa (Tulsa) | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| Alan Willey (Montreal) | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| Steve Wegerle (Ft. Lauderdale) | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Leading Goalkeepers | Minutes | GA | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mehdi Cerbah (Montreal) | 330 | 24 | 4.36 |
| Jürgen Stars (Tampa Bay) | 377 | 32 | 5.09 |
| Craig Scarpelli (Ft. Lauderdale) | 330 | 33 | 5.99 |
| Winston DuBose (Tulsa) | 486 | 49 | 6.05 |
Non-grand prix matches
In addition to the Grand Prix tournament, the four teams took part in other indoor matches as tune-ups for both the outdoor season and the Grand Prix itself.
Match reports
| January 14, 1983 1 | Tea Men All-Stars | 3–4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Zec |
Report | Whelan , 59:22' Bolitho Šegota |
Stadium: Jacksonville Coliseum Attendance: 5,000 |
| January 15, 1983 2 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 3–6 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Dallas, Texas |
| Belfiore 8:42' (Krupa, DuBose) Danaeifard 36:17'Pesa 55:57' (Abrahams) |
Report p. 2-C | McLeod 6:59' (Nogly, Perez) Karpun 37:23'Zequinha 39:53' (Molina, Nogly)Van der Beck 42:30' (Roe)McLeod 51:45'Pérez 56:33' (Zequinha) |
Stadium: Reunion Arena Attendance: 5,451 |
| January 18, 1983 3 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 3–5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Saldana 21:07' Saldana 21:29' (Danaiford)Saldana 52:00' (Riordan) |
Report 1 (p. 5-C) Report 2 |
Nogly 18:08' (Oliveira) Van der Beck 19:14'McLeod (Myernick)Karpun (Myernick)Roe (Karpun, Nogly) |
Stadium: Myriad Arena Attendance: 2,500 |
| January 29, 1983 4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 7–5 | Montreal Manic | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:30 PM (EST) | Karpun 7:38' (Myernick) Tatu 34:32' (Molina, Kozic)Oliveira 35:46' (Molina, Myernick)Tatu 39:05' (Molina)Pérez 40:28' (McLeod)Nogly 48:47' (Pérez)Van der Beck 58:37' |
Report p. 2-C | Mitchell 18:46' Willey 24:27' (Falzon, Knight)Usiyan 37:56' (Marcantonio, Lodeweges)Usiyan 39:40'Mitchell 40:40' (O'Brien) |
Stadium: Bayfront Center Attendance: 5,525 |
| February 25, 1983 5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 8–5 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Lakeland, Florida |
| 8:00 PM (EST) | Tatu 6:15' (Gruber, Easton) Karpun 13:04'Miller 22:55' (Pérez, Kozic)Karpun 31:35' (Fall)Gruber 44:42' (Fall)Molina 46:43' (Thompson)Bates 53:38' (Molina, McLeod)Oliveira 57:51' (Pérez, Molina) |
Report p. 2-C | Kidd 13:26' (Segota) Cubillas 23:55' (Kidd)Kidd 36:14' (Whelan)Meschbach 39:31' (Kadupski, Cubillas)Kidd 54:16' (Kadupski) |
Stadium: Lakeland Civic Center Attendance: 3,506 |
References
- "Rowdies take on Montreal". Lakeland Ledger. January 21, 1983. p. 3D. Retrieved 2014-01-23 – via Google News Archive Search.
- Beard, Randy (February 15, 1983). "Rowdies' pair united in feelings toward Team America and coach". The Evening Independent. p. 3-C. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Manic, Rowdies Clash Today". Youngstown Vindicator. February 20, 1983. p. D-4. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Rowdies enter touney". Lakeland Ledger. December 12, 1982. p. 3D. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- Johnson, Mark (February 21, 1983). "Rowdies win Grand Prix on Karpun's goal in OT". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved 4 October 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- Allen, Diane Lacy (February 23, 1983). "Rowdies meet Strikers at Civic Center". Lakeland Ledger. p. 3D. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- Beard, Randy (February 21, 1983). "Championship effort carried Rowdies to title". The Evening Independent. p. 1-C. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Miller resigns as Rowdies coach". Lakeland Ledger. October 4, 1983. p. 1D. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Manic win opener". The Montreal Gazette. October 4, 1983. p. H-2. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Injury takes edge off Rowdies' victory". The Evening Independent. January 24, 1983. p. 8-C. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Rowdies whip Strikers in Grand Prix Soccer". Lakeland Ledger. February 7, 1983. p. 6D. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- "Manic triumph". The Montreal Gazette. February 5, 1983. p. H-1. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
- Beard, Randy (February 19, 1983). "Power play went short-handed Rowdies' way". The Evening Independent. p. 3-C. Retrieved 23 January 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.