| Competition: | Major Soccer League |
| Season: | 1991–92 |
| Winners: | San Diego Sockers (8th title) |
| League Topscorer: | Hector Marinaro (53 goals) |
| Matches: | 140 |
| Average Attendance: | 7,844 |
| Nextseason: | Final season |
The 1991–92 Major Soccer League season was the 14th and final season in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their tenth NASL or MISL title in 11 indoor seasons, and fifth MISL title in a row.
After a relatively tranquil 1990-91 season, the league's unstable finances reared their head again at season's end. Attempts to find other financiers for the Kansas City Comets failed and the club folded.[1] Both San Diego and the Dallas Sidekicks were saved by civic outpouring and new ownership groups.[2] A reborn version of the Pittsburgh Spirit was announced on April 29,[3] and the owners of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres expressed interest in putting a team in Buffalo. When faced with the instability of the league, however, both sets of potential owners decided to not put up the $350,000 line of credit needed to play in 1991–92.[4] [5]
Despite the upheaval, the seven teams left soldiered on. The regular season was wide open as playoff positioning went right down to the final game on the schedule. The Cleveland Crunch's George Fernandez scored in overtime to put Cleveland into the playoffs and knock the Wichita Wings out.[6] Wichita had been in first place at the beginning of February,[7] but a 6–13 finish doomed their chances at the postseason. Still, the playoffs themselves went according to form as San Diego defeated Baltimore and Dallas for their fifth straight MSL/MISL title.
There were early signs that the league would survive for another year. Attendance was up over 1990–91,[8] and there were reports in April that the league planned on a 1992-93 season with all seven teams returning and an expanded schedule of 44 games.[9]
However, the Tacoma Stars announced they were folding on June 5.[10] The hoped-for expansion into Buffalo never came to pass as the Buffalo Blizzard chose to join the smaller and more financially stable National Professional Soccer League on June 18.[11] Attempts to find new owners for the St. Louis Storm failed, leaving the MSL with five teams. Commissioner Earl Foreman announced the dissolution of the league on July 10.[12]
The remaining teams scattered; San Diego and Dallas joined the Continental Indoor Soccer League,[13] while Cleveland and Wichita joined the NPSL.[14] Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale decided not to join either league, folding the team instead.[15] A new ownership group was awarded an NPSL expansion franchise for Baltimore called the Spirit and signed Blast coach Kenny Cooper to lead the team.
The 1991–92 regular season schedule ran from October 19, 1991, to April 4, 1992. At 40 games, it was the shortest schedule for the league since the 1980–81 season and the seven-team lineup was its smallest since the inaugural season of 1978–79.[16]
Playoff teams in bold.
| W | L | Pct. | GB | GF | GA | Home | Road | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Sockers | 26 | 14 | .650 | – | 243 | 186 | 15–5 | 11–9 | |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 22 | 18 | .550 | 4 | 231 | 229 | 16–4 | 6–14 | |
| Cleveland Crunch | 20 | 20 | .500 | 6 | 249 | 229 | 13–7 | 7–13 | |
| Baltimore Blast | 19 | 21 | .475 | 7 | 213 | 230 | 11–9 | 8–12 | |
| 18 | 22 | .450 | 8 | 228 | 236 | 12–8 | 6–14 | ||
| 18 | 22 | .450 | 8 | 198 | 242 | 15–5 | 3–17 | ||
| 17 | 23 | .425 | 9 | 241 | 251 | 12–8 | 5–15 |
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| Club | Games | Total | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Storm | 20 | 205,323 | 10,266 | |
| San Diego Sockers | 20 | 186,962 | 9,348 | |
| Baltimore Blast | 20 | 164,129 | 8,206 | |
| Wichita Wings | 20 | 164,127 | 8,206 | |
| Cleveland Crunch | 20 | 141,120 | 7,056 | |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 20 | 140,053 | 7,003 | |
| Tacoma Stars | 20 | 96,426 | 4,821 | |
| Overall | 140 | 1,098,140 | 7,844 |
GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Zoran Karic | align=left | Cleveland Crunch | 37 | 39 | 63 | 102 | |
| align=left | Preki | align=left | St Louis Storm | 39 | 45 | 52 | 97 | |
| align=left | Hector Marinaro | align=left | Cleveland Crunch | 40 | 53 | 41 | 94 | |
| align=left | Tatu | align=left | Dallas Sidekicks | 39 | 47 | 41 | 88 | |
| align=left | Chico Borja | align=left | Wichita Wings | 33 | 32 | 52 | 84 | |
| align=left | Dale Mitchell | align=left | Tacoma Stars | 40 | 45 | 34 | 79 | |
| align=left | Paul Wright | align=left | San Diego Sockers | 39 | 50 | 27 | 77 | |
| align=left | Dale Ervine | align=left | Wichita Wings | 33 | 42 | 33 | 75 | |
| align=left | David Doyle | align=left | Dallas Sidekicks | 40 | 51 | 23 | 74 | |
| align=left | Branko Segota | align=left | St Louis Storm | 34 | 47 | 25 | 72 |
| First Team | Position | Second Team | Third Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Nogueira, San Diego | align=center | G | Joe Papaleo, Dallas | Cris Vaccaro, Baltimore | |
| Kevin Crow, San Diego | align=center | D | Ben Collins, San Diego | Danny Pena, Wichita | |
| Iain Fraser, Baltimore | align=center | D | George Fernandez, Cleveland | Wes McLeod, Dallas | |
| Zoran Karic, Cleveland | align=center | M | Chico Borja, Wichita | Branko Segota, St Louis | |
| Tatu, Dallas | align=center | F | David Doyle, Dallas | Hector Marinaro, Cleveland | |
| Preki, St Louis | align=center | F | Dale Ervine, Wichita | Paul Wright, San Diego |
Most Valuable Player: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Scoring Champion: Zoran Karic, Cleveland
Pass Master: Zoran Karic, Cleveland
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Rookie of the Year: Tommy Tanner, Cleveland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Coach of the Year[17] Gordon Jago, Dallas
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Thompson Usiyan, San Diego
Championship Series Unsung Hero: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Book: MSL Official Guide 1991-92 . Griffin, John . Major Soccer League Communications Department . 1991 . Baltimore.
Book: 1993 San Diego Sockers Media Guide . Moorhouse, Jim . San Diego Sockers . 1993 . San Diego.