Soccer Bowl 2014
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| Event | Soccer Bowl | ||||||
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| Date | November 15, 2014 | ||||||
| Venue | Toyota Field, San Antonio, Texas | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Rafael Castillo (SAS) | ||||||
| Referee | Ted Unkel | ||||||
| Attendance | 7,847 | ||||||
Soccer Bowl 2014 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship match of the 2014 season to determine the NASL Champion. The event was contested in a one-game match between the San Antonio Scorpions (Fall Season champions) and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. San Antonio defeated the New York Cosmos 2-1 in their semi-final match while Fort Lauderdale defeated Minnesota United FC (Spring Season champions) in a penalty shootout 5–4 after a 1–1 tie in the other semi-final game. The match was played on November 15, 2014 at Toyota Field, in San Antonio, Texas and televised live on ESPN3, ONE World Sports, NASLLive.com as well as on San Antonio’s MeTV KSAT 12.2 and Fort Lauderdale’s Sofloradio.com. This was the Scorpions first Soccer Bowl championship. The Soccer Bowl trophy is the third oldest men’s professional outdoor soccer league prize in the United States.
Neither the Scorpions nor the Strikers have ever lifted the NASL Soccer Bowl trophy. The Strikers are making their third overall appearance (between NASL Golden and Modern Eras) in the league’s championship final, while the Scorpions are playing in their first ever title game. San Antonio is coming off a 2–1 victory over the visiting New York Cosmos in The Championship Semifinals. In the other semifinal match, Fort Lauderdale topped Minnesota United FC, 5–4, on penalty kicks to earn its first berth to the finals since 2011. The Strikers were on an eight-game unbeaten streak, while the Scorpions had won their last three encounters.
San Antonio leads the head-to-head series against Fort Lauderdale, however, the teams played an even series this year (1-1-1). The last meeting between the two sides took place on August 29 when goals from forward Fafà Picault and midfielder Mark Anderson gave the Strikers a 2–0 home victory at Lockhart Stadium.
Before a modern-era NASL Championship game record crowd of 7,847 on a cold and misty night at Toyota Field, the San Antonio Scorpions reached the top of the NASL mountain and raised the Soccer Bowl trophy for the first time in their history with a 2–1 win over a determined Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
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