1976 NASL Indoor tournament
| NASL Indoor Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | March 12, 1976 – March 27, 1976 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Rowdies (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Rochester Lancers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 175 (10.94 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Juli Veee (8 goals)
|
| Best player |
 Clyde Best (Tampa Bay)
|
Over the course of three weekends in March 1976, the North American Soccer League hosted its second league-wide indoor soccer tournament. Twelve of the twenty NASL teams participated.
In 1976, instead of playing a full indoor schedule (and despite the hopes of Tampa Bay owner George Strawbridge, Jr.), the North American Soccer League opted to stage a two-tiered indoor tournament for the second consecutive year. Moreover, this time only twelve teams participated in three regions, down from 16 in four regions the previous year. The regional winners along with the "best" second-place team would advance to the final four in St. Petersburg, Florida. While the goals remained 4 × 16, the games would be shortened to three 15-minute periods, instead of the 20-minute frames played the previous year. The tournament also saw the first-ever indoor overtime and penalty shootout, as Miami and Boston played to a 6–6 draw in the opening match. After 45 minutes of regulation time and two 5-minute golden goal extra sessions, the match was ultimately decided by spot kicks.
Playing on their home ground, the Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated the Rochester Lancers 6–4 in the Championship Final. Juli Veee of San Jose scored eight goals to lead the tournament, while Clyde Best of Tampa Bay earned the MVP honors.
played at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida
*Tampa Bay wins region, advances to semifinals
played at International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois
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