Then-NASL commissioner Phil Woosnam wanted to build excitement for the championship game.

He envisioned a week-long, neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl.

On August 24, 1975, the first Soccer Bowl was played at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California, as the Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated the Portland Timbers.

The 1968 and 1970 NASL Finals were contested with a two-game series, one in each of the two teams' stadiums, and the winner decided by aggregate goals.

The 1971 NASL Final was played in a best-of-three series, with games one and three hosted by the higher-seeded team.