UPDATED - January 27, 2007

A-League Archives Home

Western Soccer League

1989 Season

Arizona Condors - California Kickers - Los Angeles Heat - Portland Timbers - Real Santa Barbra -

Sacramento Senators - San Francisco Bay Blackhawks - San Diego Nomads - Seattle Storm

 

1989 WSL Home - 1989 ASL Home - 1989 Results - 1989 Stats

 

Seattle Storm Museum at SoundersCentral.com!

 

If you have any information I can use on this page, please-mail me at a-leaguearchive@lycos.com

1989 FINAL STANDINGS

Before the season, Sacramento, Arizona,

and Santa Barbara were added.

San Jose moved to San Francisco Bay. 

Portland changed their nickname to the Timbers.
 

North Division               GP   W   L   PK   GF  GA  Pts

San Francisco Bay Blackhawks 16  11   5  2-2   37  26   98

Portland Timbers             16  11   5  1-2   32  15   92

Seattle Storm                16  10   6  1-1   32  23   87

Sacramento Senators          16   3  13  0-1   20  43   40

 

South Division               GP   W   L   PK   GF  GA  Pts

San Diego Nomads             16  12   4  2-2   30  18   99

Los Angeles Heat             16  10   6  2-0   35  19   81

Real Santa Barbra            16   5  11  0-1   20  35   51

Arizona Condors              16   5  11  1-1   25  39   50

California Kickers           16   5  11  2-1   17  30   42

Win-6pts, SOW-2pts, SOL-1pt, 1 bonus point per goal scored
in regulation, maximum of 3 per game

 

After the season, Sacramento folded

Playoffs

First Round

7/29/89  San Francisco Bay 1-1  Los Angeles

San Francisco advance on penalty kicks, 4-2

7/29/89  San Diego         2-1  Portland

 

WSL Championship

8/12/89  San Diego         1-0  San Francisco Bay

 

ASL/WSA Championship - at San Jose

9/9/89   San Diego         1-3  Ft. Lauderdale

1989 WSL Leading Goalscorers

Steve Corpening, San Francisco Bay    11

Jerome Watson, San Diego              10

Wes Wade, Arizona                     10

Mark Kerlin, Arizona                   9

Chance Fry, Seattle                    8

Scott Benedetti, Portland              8

Jeff Hooker, Los Angeles               7

Steve Boardman, San Diego              7

Rob Baarts, Portland                   7

David Palic, San Francisco Bay         6

Brent Goulet, Seattle                  6

 

WSL Goalkeeping Leaders                GAA

Kasey Keller, Portland                 0.38

Anton Nistl, San Diego                 1.00

Jeff Koch, Seattle                     1.09

Mark Dougherty, San Francisco Bay      1.35

 

1989 WSL Award Winners

Most Valuable Player:  Kasey Keller, F. C. Portland
 

1989 WSL First XI

G - Kasey Keller, Portland Timbers
D - John Doyle, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
D - Marcelo Balboa, San Diego Nomads
D - Mike Lapper, Los Angeles Heat
D - Cle Kooiman, California Kickers
M - Dominic Kinnear, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
M - John Bain, Portland Timbers
M - Chris Henderson, Seattle Storm
F - Scott Benedetti, Portland Timbers
F - Jeff Hooker, Los Angeles Heat
F - Mark Kerlin, Arizona Condors


 

Home Attendance     G    Total    Avg.

 

Overview of the 1989 WSL Season - From the American Soccer History Archives

The WSL adopted a new name this year, exchanging "Alliance" for "League", and adding teams in Sacramento, Arizona and Santa Barbara. Meanwhile, San Jose moved to San Francisco Bay to become the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks would go on to become one of the most successful soccer teams of the early 1990's, pre-MLS era. The WSL was even more successful at retaining National team players as well as other youngsters who would earn caps throughout the 1990s. These included Chris Henderson with Seattle, John Doyle, Marcelo Balboa with San Diego, Dominic Kinnear with San Francisco Bay, Kasey Keller with Seattle, Cle Kooiman with California, among others. The league was in a strong position when it reached a merger agreement with the American Soccer League (see details above). This gave promise to the new unified league, and made it an early favorite to be declared the new Division 1 US league, required as a condition for the US getting World Cup 1994.

With the new teams, the league split into North and South divisions, and expanded to a 16 game schedule. The biggest turnaround of the season was achieved by F. C. Portland, going from a 1-11 last place finish to a tie with the Blackhawks for the top spot in the north. San Francisco won on the basis of more points; the scoring system favored high scoring teams due to bonus points. Los Angeles improved to 10-6, on the strength of a vastly improved defense. Although they scored more goals, San Diego scored then when needed to win, and beat out the heat for the South title with 12 wins to 10. The scoring system, as complex as it was, still favored winning more than scoring.

The playoffs were simple; Only four teams qualifying. There were no surprises. Division champs San Francisco and San Diego prevailed in the semifinals, leading to a titanic battle of attrition, which was finally won by the Nomads, who shut out San Francisco 1-0 in a grueling defensive match. This may have taken too much out of the team as the Nomads fell convincingly in the ASL/WSL "National Championship", and it wasn't close; a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.

And so ended the history of the Western Soccer League. The league, starting just a month after the folding of the USL, was briefly the only outdoor professional league anywhere in the country. Now, after steady, successful growth, it would merge with the ASL, and be a major component of the largest and most powerful soccer league in the US since the fall of the north American Soccer League.

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