The 1981 New York Cosmos season was the 11th season for the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

in the now-defunct

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. Despite winning their fifth straight premiership by five points over the

Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) was an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from ...

, the Cosmos lost to the Sting in Soccer Bowl '81.

Squad

Source:

Results

Source:

Preseason

Regular season

''Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points''
6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).

Eastern Division Standings

Overall League Placing

Source:

Matches

*March 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 Spartan Stadium Attendance 20,671 *April 4, 1981:

Jacksonville Tea Men The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

1, New York Cosmos 1 (Tea Men won in Shootout) Jacksonville, Florida Attendance 12,124 *April 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 3,

Minnesota Kicks The Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). Initia ...

1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,378 *April 18, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Dallas Tornado 0

Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof (Cowboy ...

Attendance 10,181 *April 26, 1981: New York Cosmos 4,

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

1 Giants Stadium Attendance 40,238 *May 1, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Atlanta Chiefs 2 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Attendance 9,263 *May 3, 1981: New York Cosmos 1,

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor soccer, indoor home matches at the neigh ...

0 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,189 *May 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 5,

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

1 Giants Stadium Attendance 27,003 *May 15, 1981: New York Cosmos 2,

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

Skelly Stadium Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the south central United States, located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the ...

Attendance 24,231 *May 17, 1981: Chicago Sting 3, New York Cosmos 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 42,385 *May 23, 1981: Washington Diplomats 3, New York Cosmos 2

Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the ...

Attendance 27,676 *May 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 5, Dallas Tornado 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,640 *May 30, 1981: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, New York Cosmos 1

Tampa Stadium Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The faci ...

Attendance 36,765 *June 2, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

Attendance 38,667 *June 7, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Atlanta Chiefs 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,452 *June 10, 1981: New York Cosmos 2,

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

Lockhart Stadium Lockhart Stadium was a stadium used mostly for soccer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was used in a variety of sports, particularly soccer and American football. Originally designed in 1959 for high school sports, the stadium' ...

Attendance 18,089 *June 14, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Toronto Blizzard 3 Giants Stadium Attendance 31,210 *June 17, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Washington Diplomats 1 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Attendance 36,875 *June 21, 1981: New York Cosmos 3,

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs was an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1981 as well as the 1975 NASL Indoor tourn ...

0 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,362 *June 24, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 12,240 *June 28, 1981: Chicago Sting 5, New York Cosmos 5 (Sting Won in Shootout)

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

Attendance 35,501 *July 5, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, Tulsa Roughnecks 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 33,673 *July 8, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Toronto Blizzard 1

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate football stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto. Athletic events have been hosted on the site since 1898; the ...

Attendance 17,642 *July 22, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Montreal Manic 4 (Cosmos Won in Shootout) Giants stadium Attendance 27,331 *July 25, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Olympic Stadium Attendance 40,118 *July 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Portland Timbers 0 Giants Stadium Attendance 28,640 *August 2, 1981: Jacksonville Tea Men 2, New York Cosmos 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 36,408 *August 5, 1981: Minnesota Kicks 2, New York Cosmos 1

Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the north central United States, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneap ...

Attendance 28,609 *August 9, 1981: Edmonton Drillers 2, New York Cosmos 0 Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium Attendance 14,781 *August 12, 1981: New York Cosmos 4, Washington Diplomats 2 Giants Stadium Attendance 34,884 *August 16, 1981: New York Cosmos 2, Montreal Manic 1 Giants Stadium Attendance 38,123 *August 19, 1981: New York Cosmos 1, Toronto Blizzard 1 (Blizzard Won in Shootout) Varsity Stadium Attendance 12,367

Squad

Results

Preseason

Regular season

Eastern Division Standings

Overall League Placing

Matches

Postseason

Overview

=First round

=Quarter-finals

=Semi-finals

=Soccer Bowl '81

Matches

Friendlies

See also

References