1977 North American Soccer League playoffs - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia

Country United States Canada Defending champions Tampa Bay Rowdies Runners-up Seattle Sounders		Teams 12 Champions Cosmos Matches played 17

The 1977 North American Soccer League playoffs began on August 10 and ended on August 28 with Soccer Bowl '77 at Civic Stadium in Portland, Oregon. 12 out of 18 teams qualified after a 26-match regular season, six from each conference.

Playoff format

The top three teams in each division would quality for the playoffs, similar to the 1976 playoffs. The first round and the Soccer Bowl were single games, but the division championships and conference championships were two-game series. If teams were tied at one win apiece at the conclusion of Game 2, there would be a 30-minute sudden death mini-game and a shootout if necessary.

Eastern Division

Fort Lauderdale Strikers – Eastern Division champions, 161 points
Cosmos – 140 points
Tampa Bay Rowdies – 131 points

Northern Division

Toronto Metros-Croatia – Northern Division champions, 111 points
St. Louis Stars – 104 points
Rochester Lancers – 99 points

Southern Division

Dallas Tornado – Southern Division champions, 161 points
Los Angeles Aztecs – 147 points
San Jose Earthquakes – 119 points

Western Division

Minnesota Kicks – Western Division champions, 137 points
Vancouver Whitecaps – 124 points
Seattle Sounders – 119 points

(E1) Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. (E2) Cosmos

Cosmos win series 2-0

(N1) Toronto Metros-Croatia vs. (N3) Rochester Lancers

Rochester wins series 2-0

(S1) Dallas Tornado vs. (S2) Los Angeles Aztecs

Los Angeles wins series 2-0

(W1) Minnesota Kicks vs. (W3) Seattle Sounders

Seattle wins series 2-0

(E2) Cosmos vs. (N3) Rochester Lancers