NEW YORK -- Giorgio Chinaglia has finally landed the one honor that had escaped him.
The league's all-time scoring champion from the New York Cosmos Tuesday was voted the Most Valuable Player of the North American Soccer League -- the first time he has received the award in his extraordinary 6-year career.
'This is the only award that had eluded me,' Chinaglia said. 'I have waited for this for a long time.'
The owner of four scoring crowns, the 34-year-old Cosmos striker finished ahead of Brian Kidd of Atlanta, Teofilo Cubillas and Jan Van Beveren of Fort Lauderdale and Roberto Cabanas of the Cosmos.
The award was voted on by the NASL players. In earlier voting by the Professional Soccer Reporters Association, Van Beveren, a goalkeeper, was named MVP.
Chinaglia has never been the most popular player among his peers. He has particularly close ties with Cosmos managment -- a relationship that disturbed many players around the league. It is perhaps one reason the MVP award has been so long in coming.
Although his ability to score has gone unquestioned, his style was never considered the most graceful or fluid among strikers.
In addition, Chinaglia was often the recipient of a Cosmos' backlash in the MVP voting by the players.
This season Chinaglia scored 29 goals and had 74 points -- a record 19 points more than his closest rival. He has scored 155 goals and 374 points during his regular-season career. He has 41 goals and 92 points in playoff competition.
The Cosmos, led by Chinaglia, can advance to the Soccer Bowl with a victory tonight against Fort Lauderdale in Game 2 of their semifinal series.
Chinaglia joined the Cosmos in May 1976 after a stellar career with Lazio of Italy. In 1978 he set league records of 34 goals and 79 points but, as in other years, the MVP award went elsewhere.
