1996 USISL Select League

Last updated

USISL Select League
Season1996
Champions California Jaguars
Premiers Carolina Dynamo
Top goalscorer Dan Stebbins
(21 goals)
← First

The 1996 USISL Select League season was the first season of a professional men's soccer league which featured teams from the United States. The league shared Division II status in the American soccer pyramid with the A-League, before the two leagues merged in 1997 as the USISL A-League.

Contents

History

The league had its origins in the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), which was the de facto second tier of American soccer during the early 1990s, and until 1995 confined itself to organising regional leagues.

The USISL Pro League, which had been at the third tier of the pyramid in 1995, split into two leagues in 1996; the best teams joined the new USISL Select League, while the remainder (plus expansion teams) remained in the USISL Pro League, which retained its Division III status. Both the A-League and the new USISL Select League had Division II status in 1996.

In an attempt to counteract the fact that a number of top A-League players had left to join MLS in 1995 and 1996 [1] six of the seven remaining A-League teams – Montreal Impact, Colorado Foxes, Seattle Sounders, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Vancouver 86ers and Atlanta Ruckus, plus two planned A-League expansion teams (Toronto Lynx and Hershey Wildcats) merged with the USISL Select League to form a consolidated Division II league before the 1997 season. The resulting merged league retained the A-League name, [2] and the USISL Select League name was abandoned.

USISL Select League teams

Champions

Regular season

Eastern Conference

North Atlantic Division

PosTeamPldWSWLGFGAGDPts
1 Long Island Rough Riders 1811073931+833
2 Richmond Kickers 1810083424+1028 [a]
3 Connecticut Wolves 187473737025
4 Delaware Wizards 1851122029−916
5 Cape Cod Crusaders 1841131324−119 [b]
6 New York/New Jersey Stallions 1820161952−336
Source: [ citation needed ]
Notes:
  1. ↑ -2?
  2. ↑ -4?

South Atlantic Division

PosTeamPldWSWLGFGAGDPts
1 Carolina Dynamo 1814133715+2243
2 South Carolina Shamrocks 1811164231+1134
3 Hampton Roads Mariners 189453215+1731
4 Tampa Bay Cyclones 189184032+828
5 Raleigh Flyers 1870112526−121
Source: [ citation needed ]

Western Conference

Central Division

PosTeamPldWSWLGFGAGDPts
1 Milwaukee Rampage 189633619+1733
2 Minnesota Thunder 1810083116+1530
3 New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers 187293136−523
4 Ohio Xoggz 1851122634−816
5 Chicago Stingers 1841132941−1213
Source: [ citation needed ]

Pacific Division

PosTeamPldWSWLGFGAGDPts
1 California Jaguars 1811163021+934
2 Sacramento Scorpions 189272322+129
3 El Paso Patriots 189183023+728
4 New Mexico Chiles 189092424027
5 Reno Rattlers 1815121333−208
Source: [ citation needed ]

Playoffs

First round

Connecticut Wolves (CT)2–3 Delaware Wizards (DE)
Ian Hennessy Soccerball shade.svg60'
Mike Saunders Soccerball shade.svg69' (pen.)		 Report Soccerball shade.svg41', 73' George Petou
Soccerball shade.svg47' Andy Logar
New Britain Stadium, New Britain, Connecticut
Attendance: 1,206




Second round

Minnesota Thunder vs Milwaukee Rampage



Hampton Roads Mariners vs Carolina Dynamos



California Jaguars vs Sacramento Scorpions


Long Island Rough Riders vs Delaware Wizards

  • The game was suspended in the 39th minute due to lightning. Play resumed on August 24, 1996, at 2:00 PM.

Select Six Tournament

The Select Six Tournament consisted of six teams. The Richmond Kickers participated as hosts. The Charleston Battery entered as the champion of the 1996 USISL Professional League. The other four teams came from the winners of the second round playoff games.

Group A

PosTeamWLGFGAGD
1 California Jaguars 2041+3
2 Richmond Kickers 1162+4
3 Charleston Battery 0229−7
Source: [ citation needed ]
Richmond Kickers (VA)6–1 Charleston Battery (SC)
City Stadium, Richmond, Virginia

Group B

PosTeamWLGFGAGD
1 Long Island Rough Riders 2042+2
2 Minnesota Thunder 11330
3 Hampton Roads Mariners 0246−2
Source: [ citation needed ]

Semifinals

California Jaguars vs Minnesota Thunder

Richmond Kickers vs Long Island Rough Riders

Final

Richmond Kickers (VA)1–1 California Jaguars (CA)
Robert Ukrop Soccerball shade.svg11'Yellow card.svg 22' Report
Penalties
1–2
City Stadium, Richmond, Virginia
Attendance: 2,500

Points leaders

RankScorerClubGoalsAssistsPoints
1 Dan Stebbins Milwaukee Rampage 21850
2Jamie Wellington New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers 18642
3Luis Murillo Tampa Bay Cyclones 16537
4 Mike Gailey Carolina Dynamo 14836
5Ron Murphy Cape Cod Crusaders 13632
6 Yari Allnut Carolina Dynamo 14331
Mike Saunders Connecticut Wolves 15131
8 Chugger Adair Carolina Dynamo 13430
9Chad Carrithers Sacramento Scorpions 13329

Honors

References

  1. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer – 1995". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Year in American Soccer – 1996". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
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