# 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational

The 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational was a four-team indoor soccer tournament held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida on the final weekend of January 1979.

## Overview

Four teams North American Soccer League teams participated in the two-day event; the Dallas Tornado, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and the Tulsa Roughnecks. Matches were 45 minutes long and divided into three 15-minute periods with an intermission between each. Each session consisted of two games (i.e. a doubleheader). Nearly 12,700 people attended the two sessions. Dallas and Tampa Bay each won both of their matches, but Dallas Tornado were crowned champions based on a greater goal differential. Dallas forward Jim Ryan lead the invitational in scoring with 7 goals. The tournament's final match saw goalkeeper Winston DuBose of Tampa Bay become only the second NASL goalie to record a rare indoor shut-out. Dallas goalkeeper Ken Cooper had accomplished the feat on two previous occasions.
These were not the only indoor games played that winter. With a fully sanctioned season of NASL indoor soccer still eleven months away, NASL teams were free to schedule their own games at that time. Tampa Bay, for example played three other indoor matches. By contrast, Fort Lauderdale scheduled only the two games of the invitational. The competing Major Indoor Soccer League had already begun their first season in December 1978.

## Tournament results
### Sessions

Session 1: January 27, 1979
| 7:00 PM EST | Dallas Tornado | 8–7 | Tulsa Roughnecks | Attendance: 6,342 |
| 8:30 PM EST | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6–4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
Session 2: January 28, 1979
| 6:00 PM EST | Dallas Tornado | 7–2 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Attendance: 6,338 |
| 7:30 PM EST | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–0 | Tulsa Roughnecks |

### Match reports
#### Session 2
## Final standings

GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential
1979 Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational :
| Team | League | Record | GF | GA | GD | Position |
| Dallas Tornado* | NASL | 2–0 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 1st place |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | NASL | 2–0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 2nd place (runners-up) |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | NASL | 0–2 | 7 | 11 | –4 | 3rd place |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | NASL | 0–2 | 6 | 13 | –7 | 4th place |
*Dallas wins title on goal differential

## Statistical leaders
### Scoring

Goals (worth 2 points), Assists (worth 1 point)
| Leading Scorers | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Jimmy Ryan (Dallas) | 7 | 1 | 15 |
| Kai Haaskivi (Dallas) | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Mirandinha (Tampa Bay) | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Rodney Marsh (Tampa Bay) | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| George Ley (Dallas) | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Steve Earle (Tulsa) | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Laurie Abrahams (Tulsa) | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Chris Collins (Dallas) | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Tibor Gemeri (Ft Lauderdale) | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Al Njie (Ft Lauderdale) | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Roy Wiggemansen (Ft Lauderdale) | 1 | 2 | 4 |

### Goalkeeping

GA = Goals Against, GAA = Goals Against Average, SV = Saves, SF = Shots Faced, % = Save Percentage
| Leading Goalkeepers | Minutes | GA | GAA | SV | SF | % | Won | Lost |
| Winston DuBose (Tampa Bay) | 90 | 4 | 2.00 | 14 | 18 | .778 | 2 | 0 |
| Ken Cooper (Dallas) | 45 | 2 | 2.00 | 6 | 8 | .750 | 1 | 0 |
| Colin Boulton (Tulsa) | 90 | 11 | 5.50 | 13 | 24 | .542 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Zerhusen (Ft. Lauderdale) | 90 | 13 | 6.50 | 22 | 35 | .629 | 0 | 2 |
| Billy Phillips (Dallas) | 45 | 7 | 7.00 | 10 | 17 | .588 | 1 | 0 |

## Non-tournament matches

In addition to the tournament itself, several NASL teams participated in international indoor friendlies, and tune-ups for both the tournament and 1979 outdoor season. Dallas and Houston played twice in December 1978. The Rowdies–Hurricane match on January 25 was played using the MISL-size goals, timing and ball, as the arena was already set up for the Hurricane's alter ego, the MISL's Houston Summit. As part of a six-match, NASL tour in February, perennial Soviet powerhouse FC Dynamo Moscow scheduled three indoor games.