# American Conference (NASL)

The American Soccer Conference was one of two conferences of the original North American Soccer League between 1978 and 1980. It along with the National Conference were formed for the 1978 season as part of a realignment to accommodate an expanding league, and bolster more competitive play which had been lacking under the previous Atlantic and Pacific conferences. It is speculated, that the league decided to realign the league to be more similar to the National Football League (American football) format, with one league official stating that the league hoped that new expansions and initiatives would cause "enough demand for soccer that they [could] sell the TV rights to two networks like the NFL did." During the three seasons using the American/National alignment, American Conference teams struggled to compete against their National Conference counterparts, with the American Conference champion failing to win the Soccer Bowl in every season.

## Teams

Following the realignment, the conference was initially made up of five teams from the Atlantic Conference, two teams from the Pacific Conference, and five teams making their NASL debut. After playing just one season, the Oakland Stompers were sold and relocated to Edmonton.
| Team | Division | First season | Last season | Previous conference (division) |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | East | 1978 | 1980 | Atlantic (East) |
| New England Tea Men | East | 1978 | 1980 | 1978 debut |
| Philadelphia Fury | East | 1978 | 1980 | 1978 debut |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | East | 1978 | 1980 | Atlantic (East) |
| Chicago Sting | Central | 1978 | 1980 | Atlantic (North) |
| Detroit Express | Central | 1978 | 1980 | 1978 debut |
| Houston Hurricane | Central | 1978 | 1980 | 1978 debut |
| Memphis Rogues | Central | 1978 | 1980 | 1978 debut |
| California Surf | West | 1978 | 1980 | Atlantic (North) |
| Oakland Stompers | West | 1978 | 1978 | Atlantic (North) |
| San Diego Sockers | West | 1978 | 1980 | Pacific (South) |
| San Jose Earthquakes | West | 1978 | 1980 | Pacific (West) |
| Edmonton Drillers | West | 1979 | 1980 | American (West) |
* 1 2 Season played in the American Conference. Teams may have played before and/or after the conference existed.
* ↑ Relocated from St. Louis.
* ↑ Relocated from Connecticut.
* ↑ Relocated from Las Vegas.
* ↑ Relocated from Oakland.

## Conference honors
### American Conference championships

| Bold | Won NASL Championship |
| Season | Champions | Series | Runners-up |
| 1978 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
| 1979 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–1 | San Diego Sockers |
| 1980 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2–1 | San Diego Sockers |
* 1 2 3 Series tied 1–1, mini-game used as tiebreaker

### Regular season titles

| Bold | NASL Premiers |
| Year | Team | Division | Points (W–L) | Playoffs result |
| 1978 | Detroit Express | Central | 176 (20–10) | Conference Semifinals |
| 1978 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | East | 165 (18–12) | Lost Soccer Bowl |
| 1978 | San Diego Sockers | West | 164 (18–12) | Conference Semifinals |
| 1979 | Houston Hurricane | Central | 187 (22–8) | First Round |
| 1979 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | East | 169 (19–11) | Lost Soccer Bowl |
| 1979 | San Diego Sockers | West | 140 (15–15) | Lost Conference Final |
| 1980 | Chicago Sting | Central | 187 (21–11) | First Round |
| 1980 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | East | 168 (19–13) | Conference Semifinals |
| 1980 | Edmonton Drillers | West | 149 (17–15) | Conference Semifinals |