1979 NASL SOCCER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP

On September 8, 1979, the Whitecaps played the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the N.A.S.L. Championship, defeating them by a score of 2-1. The Whitecaps returned home to a parade of 100,000 fans on Robson Street with the Championship Cup in tow. It was a monumental achievement for the club, the city of Vancouver and BC soccer fans.

The road to the Soccer Bowl saw the Whitecaps match up against the Dallas Tornado, Los Angeles Aztecs and New York Cosmos before reaching the Championship game. Vancouver’s stiffest post-season opposition that year came against the heavily favoured Cosmos. The series was decided in a tie breaking game that went into extra time, and finally a shootout to determine a winner.