2014 PDL season

USL Premier Development League

Season	2014
Champions	Michigan Bucks
Matches played	443
Goals scored	1,381 (3.12 per match)
Biggest home win	LIR 8, NJL 0 (July 12)
Biggest away win	VIC 7, LAU 0 (June 22)
Highest scoring	LIR 8, NJL 0 (July 12) KWU 6, TOR 2 (July 16) WMA 7, WES 1 (July 19)
Longest winning run	10, Seacoast United (June 8 - July 19)
Longest unbeaten run	14, Ocala Stampede (June 5 - July 27)
Longest winless run	14, Vermont Voltage (entire season)
Longest losing run	11, NJ-LUSO Parma (May 26 - July 20)
Highest attendance	8,207 POR vs. PUG (May 30)
Lowest attendance	16 CHI vs. TOR (June 1)
Average attendance	590 (375 of 443 games reported) [1]
← 2013 2015 →

The 2014 USL Premier Development League season was the 20th season of the PDL. The regular season began on May 3 and ended July 20. The regular season was followed by a postseason tournament of conference winners to determine the league's champion. Seven teams were added to the league and seven left, keeping the total number of teams in the league at 64 across 10 divisions with the addition of the Mountain Division. The Austin Aztex were the defending champions.

Changes from 2013

New teams

Seven new clubs joined the PDL in 2014.

Team Name	Metro Area	Location	Previous Affiliation
Montreal Impact U23	Greater Montreal	Montreal, Quebec	CSL [2]
Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23	Pittsburgh metropolitan area	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	expansion [3]
Cincinnati Dutch Lions	Greater Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio	expansion [4]
Albuquerque Sol FC	Albuquerque metropolitan area	Albuquerque, New Mexico	expansion [5]
Las Vegas Mobsters	Las Vegas–Paradise, Nevada	Las Vegas, Nevada	expansion [6]
Lane United FC	Lane County, Oregon	Eugene, Oregon	expansion [7]
San Jose Earthquakes U-23	Santa Clara County, California	San Jose, California	expansion [8] [9]

Name Changes

• Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy became Floridians FC. ^[10]
• West Texas Sockers became Midland/Odessa Sockers.
• NJ-LUSO Rangers FC became NJ-LUSO Parma.
• North Sound SeaWolves became Puget Sound Gunners FC.
• OC Blues Strikers FC became OC Pateadores Blues

Folding/moving

• Central Jersey Spartans - Folded
• El Paso Patriots ^[11] - Folded
• Kansas City Brass - Folded
• Oklahoma City FC ^[11] - Withdrew - joined NPSL, new team to play in the 2015 NASL
• Ottawa Fury - Folded, new Ottawa Fury FC team plays in the NASL
• VSI Tampa Bay FC - Folded
• Virginia Beach Piranhas - Folded
• Chicago Inferno - Folded mid-season

Divisions

The schedule and divisions were announced January 31 with each team to play a 14-game schedule. The Western Conference was split into three divisions (Northwest, Southwest and Mountain). ^[12]

Standings

2014 Premier Development League standings. ^[13]

Key to colours in group tables
Team in position to win Division Title
Team in position to qualify for playoff berth

Note: The first tie-breaker in PDL standings is head-to-head results between teams tied on points, which is why some teams with inferior goal differences finish ahead in the standings.

Central Conference

Great Lakes Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Michigan Bucks	14	9	2	3	38	8	+30	30
2	K-W United FC	14	8	3	3	26	20	+6	27
3	Chicago Fire Premier	14	7	5	2	21	20	+1	23
4	Forest City London	14	6	4	4	32	25	+7	22
5	Toronto Lynx	14	2	9	3	15	35	−20	9
6	Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23	14	2	11	1	13	37	−24	7

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Heartland Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Des Moines Menace	14	12	1	1	32	7	+25	37
2	St. Louis Lions	14	6	4	4	18	16	+2	22
3	Thunder Bay Chill	14	6	7	1	22	17	+5	19
4	Springfield Demize	13	4	5	4	8	11	−3	16
5	WSA Winnipeg	14	2	10	2	10	33	−23	8
6	Chicago Inferno [a]	5	0	3	2	1	7	−6	2

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}
Notes:

1. Chicago Inferno withdrew from the league on June 20. ^{[14] [15]}

Eastern Conference

Mid Atlantic Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Jersey Express	14	10	1	3	45	15	+30	33
2	Reading United AC	14	9	1	4	30	12	+18	31
3	Long Island Rough Riders	14	8	2	4	26	13	+13	28
4	Ocean City Nor'easters	14	7	5	2	24	24	0	23
5	Baltimore Bohemians	14	6	6	2	23	21	+2	20
6	Northern Virginia Royals	14	3	9	2	17	30	−13	11
7	F.A. Euro	14	3	10	1	16	36	−20	10
8	NJ-LUSO Parma	14	1	13	0	10	40	−30	3

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Northeast Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Seacoast United Phantoms	14	11	1	2	28	7	+21	35
2	Connecticut FC Azul	14	9	2	3	27	13	+14	30
3	Western Mass Pioneers	14	8	4	2	33	16	+17	26
4	Montreal Impact U23	14	7	5	2	26	17	+9	23
5	Real Boston Rams	14	6	6	2	21	26	−5	20
6	GPS Portland Phoenix	14	4	9	1	19	32	−13	13
7	Westchester Flames	14	2	10	2	11	36	−25	8
8	Vermont Voltage	14	0	10	4	9	27	−18	4

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

South Atlantic Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	West Virginia Chaos	14	7	3	4	24	17	+7	25
2	Cincinnati Dutch Lions	14	6	4	4	27	20	+7	22
3	King's Warriors	14	6	4	4	23	20	+3	22
4	Carolina Dynamo	14	6	6	2	21	26	−5	20
5	SC United Bantams	14	4	8	2	19	23	−4	14
6	River City Rovers	14	3	7	4	19	27	−8	13

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Southern Conference

Mid South Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Austin Aztex	14	11	1	2	37	11	+26	35
2	Laredo Heat	14	7	4	3	23	16	+7	24
3	Midland/Odessa Sockers	14	7	4	3	26	19	+7	24
4	Mississippi Brilla	14	3	7	4	20	32	−12	13
5	Houston Dutch Lions	14	1	10	3	12	37	−25	6

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Southeast Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Ocala Stampede	14	9	1	4	29	16	+13	31
2	SW Florida Adrenaline	14	7	2	5	27	14	+13	26
3	IMG Academy Bradenton	14	5	7	2	15	22	−7	17
4	Panama City Beach Pirates	14	4	6	4	23	27	−4	16
5	Orlando City U-23	14	2	7	5	16	23	−7	11
6	Floridians FC	14	2	7	5	14	23	−9	11

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Western Conference

Mountain Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	FC Tucson	14	11	2	1	35	11	+24	34
2	BYU Cougars	14	7	4	3	23	25	−2	24
3	Albuquerque Sol FC	14	3	5	6	12	16	−4	15
4	Las Vegas Mobsters	14	4	9	1	17	31	−14	13
5	Real Colorado Foxes	14	2	8	4	12	18	−6	10

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Northwest Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Kitsap Pumas	14	9	1	4	25	9	+16	31
2	Victoria Highlanders (J)	14	8	3	3	32	18	+14	27
3	Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23	14	8	3	3	34	19	+15	27
4	Portland Timbers U23's	14	5	4	5	20	20	0	20
5	Seattle Sounders FC U-23	14	5	7	2	18	20	−2	17
6	Washington Crossfire	14	3	6	5	18	22	−4	14
7	Puget Sound Gunners FC	14	3	9	2	9	31	−22	11
8	Lane United FC	14	2	10	2	10	27	−17	8

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}
(J) Juan de Fuca Plate

Southwest Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Ventura County Fusion	14	8	3	3	26	17	+9	27
2	Los Angeles Misioneros	14	7	2	5	28	17	+11	26
3	San Jose Earthquakes U-23	14	7	4	3	27	18	+9	24
4	Fresno Fuego	14	6	7	1	25	18	+7	19
5	OC Pateadores Blues	14	5	7	2	20	29	−9	17
6	Southern California Seahorses	14	1	12	1	14	41	−27	4

Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Conference Championships

Participants in the four conference championships were determined according to the specific rules of each conference. In the two-division Central and Southern Conferences, the top two teams from each division meet in a conference final four. ^[16] In the Eastern and Western Conferences, both of which are broken into three divisions, additional quarterfinal matches were required. In the Western Conference, two teams from the Northwest Division advanced to the conference final four: the division champion and the winner of a match between the division's second- and third-place teams. The first-place teams from the Mountain and Southwest divisions met the second-place teams of the other division to determine the final two participants. In the Eastern Conference the winner of a match between the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic divisions' second-place teams advanced to the final four along with the three division champions. ^[17]

Inter-Divisional Playoff Eastern Conference       MA2 Reading United 0 NE2 Connecticut FC Azul 3

Northwest Division Playoff Western Conference       NW2 Victoria Highlanders 2 NW3 Vancouver Whitecaps U-23 7

Inter-Divisional Playoff Western Conference       MT1 FC Tucson 2 SW2 Los Angeles Misioneros 1

Inter-Divisional Playoff Western Conference       SW1 Ventura County Fusion 1 MT2 BYU Cougars 0

Eastern Conference Championship

Reading United v Connecticut FC Azul

July 22, 20141st Round	Reading United	0–3	Connecticut FC Azul	John Gurski Stadium West Lawn, Pennsylvania
7:30PM EDT	Campbell  58'	Report	Perry 29' Taveras 36' Weir 66' Narro  70'	Attendance: 411 Referee: Jaroslaw Werel

Jersey Express v Connecticut FC Azul

July 26, 2014Semifinal	Jersey Express	2–0	Connecticut FC Azul	Lubetkin Field Newark, New Jersey
5:00pm EDT	Hines 10' 78' Eze 57' Viaggio  65'	Report	Kinne  90'	Attendance: 175 Referee: Kris Larwa

Seacoast United Phantoms v West Virginia Chaos

July 26, 2014Semifinal	Seacoast United Phantoms	0–2	West Virginia Chaos	Lubetkin Field Newark, New Jersey
7:30pm EDT	Louchead  42'	Report	Smee 28' Fabian  30' Szabo 72' 82'	Referee: Jaime Herrera

Jersey Express v West Virginia Chaos

July 27, 2014Final	Jersey Express	3–1	West Virginia Chaos	Lubetkin Field Newark, New Jersey
5:00pm EDT	Viaggio  17' Eze 30', 53' Correa  52'57' (pen.)	Report	Peters 45' (pen.) McDonald  63' Wilson  66' Szabo  69' Smee  89'	Attendance: 107 Referee: Robert Sibiga

Central Conference Championship

Michigan Bucks v St. Louis Lions

July 25, 2014Semifinal	Michigan Bucks	3–1 (a.e.t.)	St. Louis Lions	Valley Stadium West Des Moines, Iowa
4:30pm CDT	Catic 13', 107' Ben 93' Dereis  98'	Report	Cojocov 10' Matthews  45' Edemba  81' Walsh  119'	Referee: Trent Payne

Des Moines Menace v K-W United FC

July 25, 2014Semifinal	Des Moines Menace	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	K-W United FC	Valley Stadium West Des Moines, Iowa
7:30pm CDT	Fricke  7'	Report	Whiteman  26' Robinson  69' Keely  103'	Attendance: 3,679 Referee: Jeremy Uecker
	Penalties
	Hellmann Bartlett Macadam Bales Fricke		Murrell Keely Robinson Camargo Perea

Des Moines Menace v Michigan Bucks

July 26, 2014Final	Des Moines Menace	0–2	Michigan Bucks	Valley Stadium West Des Moines, Iowa
7:30pm CDT	López  71'  90'	Report	Goldsmith 14', 23' Kaba  30' Beresford  56' Tribbett  79'	Referee: Brent Wilson

Southern Conference Championship

Ocala Stampede v Laredo Heat

July 26, 2014Semifinal	Ocala Stampede	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p)	Laredo Heat	House Park Austin, Texas
5:00pm CDT	Hilton 87' Knight  115'	Report	Luna 86' Ferreira  99'	Referee: Ismael Elfarth
	Penalties
	Walmsley Hilton Ilic Knight Clay		Fernández Moreno Ibarra Hernández

Austin Aztex v SW Florida Adrenaline

July 26, 2014Semifinal	Austin Aztex	3–1	SW Florida Adrenaline	House Park Austin, Texas
7:30pm CDT	Ambrose 15' Jobe 57' Cortes 87'	Report	Le Bras 37' Wilks  89'	Attendance: 4,754 Referee: Ledzek Stalmach

Austin Aztex v Ocala Stampede

July 27, 2014Final	Austin Aztex	0–2	Ocala Stampede	House Park Austin, Texas
7:30pm CDT	Seoane  48' Perales  87' Ambrose  89'	Report	Janneh 11' Ilic 55' Blandon  84' Bailey  90+'	Attendance: 2,228 Referee: William Tomlinson

Western Conference Championship

Kitsap Pumas v Bye

Quarterfinal

Kitsap Pumas

v

Bye

Victoria Highlanders v Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23

July 16, 2014Quarterfinal	Victoria Highlanders	2–7	Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23	Royal Athletic Park Victoria, British Columbia
7:00PM PDT	Mitrou  17' Basso  38' Barrett  45+' T. Hughes  45+'  70' Sturrock 51' J. Hughes 54' Rowley  79+'	Report Report	Cook 6', 18' (pen.) Farahani 8' Lakhan  23' Levis  40' Cousens 43', 72' Froese 53', 85'	Attendance: 1,531 Referee: Darnell Smit

Ventura County Fusion v BYU Cougars

July 19, 2014Quarterfinal	Ventura County Fusion	1–0	BYU Cougars	Peter Johann Memorial Field Las Vegas, Nevada
8:55PM PDT	Chongo  40' Stanley 41'	Report Box score		Referee: Charles Farr

FC Tucson v Los Angeles Misioneros

July 19, 2014Quarterfinal	FC Tucson	2–1	Los Angeles Misioneros	Peter Johann Memorial Field Las Vegas, Nevada
6:30PM PDT	Kelly 28' Volesky 29' Phillips  51' Velazco  53' Ramos  72'	Report Report	Christian  20' Nwabueze 49'	Referee: C. Scott

Kitsap Pumas v Ventura County Fusion

July 25, 2014Semifinal	Kitsap Pumas	3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p)	Ventura County Fusion	Kino Sports Complex Tucson, Arizona
6:00pm MST	Keitz  19' Gonzalez  41' Catalano 45+' Kelly  73' Sanchez 83' Chamberlain  86' Danciu 98'	Report	Kiffe 10' 32' Cazarez 15' Keny-Guyer  41' Argueta  82'120+' Alfaro  86' Palacios  105+'	Referee: Matt Sternheim
	Penalties
	Keitz Shelton Sanchez Danciu		Kiffe Alfaro Cazarez Colvey

FC Tucson v Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23

July 25, 2014Semifinal	FC Tucson	1–0	Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23	Kino Sports Complex Tucson, Arizona
8:00pm MST	Phillips  49' De Rada 90+'	Report	Stewart  15' Farahani  48'	Attendance: 1,853 Referee: Charles Farr

FC Tucson v Kitsap Pumas

July 26, 2014Final	FC Tucson	0–3	Kitsap Pumas	Kino Sports Complex Tucson, Arizona
7:30pm MST	Phillips  65' Ramos  72' Rookwood  90+'	Report	Keitz 7' 28' DeZorzi  9' Jensen  41' Shelton  54' Gonzalez 55' Ortinau 66' 74' Kelly  83'	Attendance: 1,411 Referee: Charles Farr

Playoff Bracket

Conference Semifinals (July 25–26)

Conference Finals (July 26–27)

Semi-Finals (August 1)

Championship (August 3)

NE1

Seacoast United Phantoms

0

SA1

West Virginia Chaos

2

SA1

West Virginia Chaos

1

Eastern Conference

MA1

Jersey Express

3

MA1

Jersey Express

2

NE2

Connecticut FC Azul

0

MA1

Jersey Express

1

GL1

Michigan Bucks

2

HL1

Des Moines Menace (PEN)

0 (4)

GL2

K-W United FC

0 (3)

HL1

Des Moines Menace

0

Central Conference

GL1

Michigan Bucks

2

GL1

Michigan Bucks (AET)

3

HL2

St. Louis Lions

1

GL1

Michigan Bucks

1

NW1

Kitsap Pumas

0

MS1

Austin Aztex

3

SE2

SW Florida Adrenaline

1

MS1

Austin Aztex

0

Southern Conference

SE1

Ocala Stampede

2

SE1

Ocala Stampede (PEN)

1 (5)

MS2

Laredo Heat

1 (4)

SE1

Ocala Stampede

1

NW1

Kitsap Pumas

2

MT1

FC Tucson

1

NW3

Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23

0

MT1

FC Tucson

0

Western Conference

NW1

Kitsap Pumas

3

NW1

Kitsap Pumas (PEN)

3 (3)

SW1

Ventura County Fusion

3 (1)

PDL Championship

Semi-finals

Kitsap Pumas v Ocala Stampede

August 1, 2014	Kitsap Pumas	2–1	Ocala Stampede	Ultimate Soccer Arenas Pontiac, Michigan
5:00pm EDT	Rivas 42' Jensen  63' Catalano  72' Sanchez 89'	Report	Hilton 45' Janneh  82'	Referee: Connor Williams

Michigan Bucks v Jersey Express

August 1, 2014	Michigan Bucks	2–1	Jersey Express	Ultimate Soccer Arenas Pontiac, Michigan
7:30pm EDT	Tribbett 54' Steinberger 78'	Report	Eze 38' Correa  50' Martínez  79' Caso  79'	Referee: Donovan Noocha

Championship

Michigan Bucks v Kitsap Pumas

August 3, 2014	Michigan Bucks	1–0	Kitsap Pumas	Ultimate Soccer Arenas Pontiac, Michigan
1:00pm EDT	Kolarac  35' Owens 58'	Report Report		Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Marc Lawrence

Championship MVP: Adam Grinwis, (MIB) ^[18]

Awards

• Most Valuable Player: Dzenan Catic, (MIB)
• Young (U21) Player of the Year: Ricardo Velazco (TUC)
• Coach of the Year: Michael Jeffries, (DMM)
• Goalkeeper of the Year: Billy Thompson, (TUC)

^[19]

All-League and All-Conference Teams

^{[20] [21]}

Eastern Conference

F: Anthony Grant (SUP) *, Jeff McClure (CIN), Alencar Junior (WMA)
M: Boluwatife Akinyode (NJL), Shaun Foster (LIR), Walter Hines (JER)
D: Kouassi Sylvain N’Guessan (JER), Jake Stovall (CIN), Tom Wharf (LIR), Travis Brent (WVA)
G: Alex Bono (REA)

Central Conference

F: Chris Hellmann (DMM) *, Moses Danto (WSA), Dzenan Catic (MIB) *
M: Zach Steinberger (MIB) *, Drew Conner (CHI), Ralph Lundy (DMM)
D: Nolan Intermoia (THU) *, Ken Tribbett (MIB), Blake Jones (STL), Dan Keller (CHI)
G: Yuta Nomura (SPR)

Western Conference

F: Javier Castro (LAM), Cody Cook (VAN), Kharlton Belmar (POR)
M: Ricardo Velazco (TUC) *, Jose Cuevas (FRE) *, Bryan de la Fuente (LAM)
D: Ramon Martin Del Campo (SJO) *, James Kiffe (VEN), Cory Keitz (KIT) *, Jordan Farahani (VAN)
G: Billy Thompson (TUC) *

Southern Conference

F: Jesus Cortes (AUS), Ilija Ilić (OCA), Adi Kavara (PAN)
M: Tony Rocha (AUS), Michael Lightbourne (PAN), Karamba Janneh (OCA)
D: Yair Hernandez (LAR) *, Walker Hume (MIO), Ben Knight (OCA), Kalen Ryden (AUS)
G: Devin Cook (AUS)

* denotes All-League player

References

1. "Taking Attendance 7/22/2014: (Mostly) Final PDL Numbers". Kenn Tomasch. www.kenn.com. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
2. "Montreal Impact U23 Joins PDL". Goal.com. January 24, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
3. "Riverhounds Add PDL Franchise". United Soccer Leagues (USL). November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
4. "Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC Joins PDL". United Soccer Leagues (USL). September 16, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
5. "Albuquerque Sol FC Joins PDL". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
6. "PDL Expands to Las Vegas for 2014". United Soccer Leagues (USL). October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
7. "Lane United FC Joins PDL". United Soccer Leagues (USL). July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
8. "Earthquakes Acquire PDL Franchise". United Soccer Leagues (USL). October 28, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
9. "Earthquakes establish PDL team for 2014 season". San Jose Earthquakes. October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
10. "Floridians F.C. Joins PDL". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 20, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
11. "Soccer Watch".
12. "PDL Alignment & Schedule Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
13. Official Standings Archived 2015-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
14. "PDL Statement Regarding the Chicago Inferno". United Soccer Leagues (USL). June 23, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
15. "Menace match 'postponed' as Chicago team shuts down". Chris Cuellar. Des Moines Register. June 23, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
16. "PDL Playoff Races Take Shape". uslpdl.com. United Soccer Leagues. July 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
17. "2014 PDL Media Guide". secureserver.net (Press release). United Soccer Leagues. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
18. "Grinwis Shines As Bucks Take Title". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 3, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
19. "PDL Award Winners Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
20. "PDL All-Conference Teams Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
21. "PDL All-League Team Announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.