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The 1979–80 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the second in league history and would end with the New York Arrows repeating as MISL champions.
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Expansion would double league membership to 10 teams. There would be a split into two divisions (the Atlantic and Central). The new teams were placed in Buffalo, Hartford, Wichita, Detroit and St. Louis. All but Hartford had a measure of success, as three of the new clubs would make the playoffs and St. Louis averaged over 14,000 fans despite finishing tied for the MISL's worst record.
To accommodate the expanded league, the playoff format was tweaked to include the top three teams in each division. The first round would be a single game between the second and third-place finishers, while the semifinals were a two-game series between the first-place finisher and the first round winner. If the teams were tied at one win apiece, there would be a 15-minute minigame to decide the winner. If the teams remained tied, there would be a MISL-style penalty shootout to break the tie. The winner of the Atlantic Division final would host the championship game.
The Pittsburgh Spirit would recover from a 5-10 start and a coaching change to finish second in the Atlantic, thanks to a league-record 13-game winning streak. They would be joined in the playoffs by the Buffalo Stallions, who snuck into the postseason thanks to the Philadelphia Fever's loss in the season finale. The Stallions qualified due to their 3-1 head-to-head record against the Fever.
In the end, the New York Arrows repeated as champions, thanks to the goalscoring exploits of Steve Zungul. Zungul scored a combined 100 goals (90 in the regular season, 10 in the playoffs) to lead the Arrows, winning both the regular season and playoff MVP awards in the process.
After the season, the Spirit suspended operations for one year. Pittsburgh would return for the 1981-82 season, however.
Regular season schedule
The 1979–80 regular season schedule ran from November 24, 1979, to March 9, 1980. The 32 games per team was an increase of eight over the 1978–79 schedule of 24 games.
Final standings
Playoff teams in bold.
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses
League Awards
Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York
Scoring Champion: Steve Zungul, New York
Pass Master: Steve Zungul, New York
Rookie of the Year: Jim Sinclair, Buffalo
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sepp Gantenhammer, Houston
Coach of the Year: Len Bilous, Pittsburgh and Pat McBride, St. Louis
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Steve Zungul, New York