1996 USISL Pro League

The 1996 USISL Professional League was the second highest of the three outdoor men's leagues run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1996.

Overview

This season, the USISL introduced several changes. First, the league added a third, higher league above the professional league. Consequently, several 1995 Pro League teams moved up and did not compete in the 1996 Pro League. Second, the USISL aligned its rules with the newly created Major Soccer League. In previous seasons, the USISL had used 60 minute halves and a shootout for every foul committed after the seventh foul of each half. Both of these were gone for the 1996 season. The USISL also changed its regular season points system to match MLS. This meant each win was worth 3 points and each shootout win was worth 1 point.^[1] The average pay for Pro League players was $200 per week. The regular season began in mid-April 1996.

Prime Network provided live broadcast of the USISL All Star Game and delayed broadcast of the Pro League championship game.^[2]

All Star Game

The USISL held its All Star Game on July 17 in Blaine, Minnesota. The game pitted the USISL Select League All Stars against a team composed of USISL Professional League and USISL Premier League players. The league coaches voted to select the players.^[3] Players from the USISL Professional League included Goalkeeper Randy DeDini of the Chico Rooks, Defenders Paul Edwards (North Jersey Imperials) and Guy Norcott (Charleston Battery); Midfielders Craig Beeson (Everett BigFoot) and Pat O'Kelly (Central Jersey); Forwards Victor Medina (D/FW Toros) and Jon Payne (Charlotte Eagles).

Regular season

Regulation win = 3 points
Shootout win (SW) = 1 points
Loss = 0 points

Northeast Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Central Jersey Riptide	16	11	2	3	44	24	+20	35
2	North Jersey Imperials	16	11	0	5	42	26	+16	33
3	Rhode Island Stingrays	16	10	0	6	26	20	+6	30
4	Reading Rage	16	9	1	6	39	31	+8	28
5	Philadelphia Freedom	16	8	2	6	40	25	+15	26
6	New Hampshire Phantoms	16	8	1	7	32	40	−8	25
7	Baltimore Bays	16	5	0	11	34	15	+19	15
8	Albany Alleycats	16	4	0	12	34	44	−10	12
9	Worcester Wildfire	16	0	1	15	19	57	−38	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

South Atlantic Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Charlotte Eagles	16	12	0	4	49	25	+24	36
2	Charleston Battery	16	11	1	4	46	23	+23	34
3	Wilmington Hammerheads	16	6	1	9	20	30	−10	19
4	Washington Mustangs	16	6	0	10	25	37	−12	18
5	Mobile Revelers	16	3	2	11	15	33	−18	11
6	Chattanooga Express	16	1	0	15	18	55	−37	3

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Central Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dallas/Fort Worth Toros	16	9	0	7	33	31	+2	27
2	Rockford Raptors	16	8	1	7	34	28	+6	25
3	Tulsa Roughnecks	16	8	0	8	38	34	+4	24
4	San Antonio Pumas	16	6	0	10	25	37	−12	18
5	Houston Hurricanes	16	5	0	11	28	43	−15	15

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Western Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Hawaii Tsumani	16	10	0	6	31	19	+12	30
2	Chico Rooks	16	9	1	6	23	16	+7	28
3	Everett Bigfoot	16	7	3	6	27	20	+7	24
4	San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles	16	7	3	6	20	22	−2	24
5	Yakima Reds	16	8	0	8	29	20	+9	24
6	Cascade Surge	16	7	0	9	33	23	+10	21
7	Central Valley Hydra	16	3	0	13	16	48	−32	9

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Playoffs

The Mobile Revelers made the playoffs despite having only eleven points. This happened because the South Atlantic Conference had four guaranteed play-off spots. The Charleston Battery received a bye into the playoffs as host of the championship final. Therefore, the league went to the Revelers as the next South Atlantic Conference team in line.

Conference semifinals

North Jersey Imperials 3-1 Rhode Island Stingrays
Charlotte Eagles 1-0 Mobile Revelers (forfeit)
Wilmington Hammerheads 3-1 Washington Mustangs
D/FW Toros 1-0 (SO) Houston Hurricanes
Tulsa Roughnecks 3-2 (SO) Rockford Raptors
Chico Rooks 3-0 Valley Golden Eagles
Everete BigFoot 2-1 Hawaii Tsunami

August 16, 1996

Reading Rage (PA)	1-2	Central Jersey Riptide (NJ)
Matt Woolley 25' Eric Puls 43' Archie Moylan		4' Pat O'Kelly 74' Pete Schneiders Pete Schneiders

Conference finals

Northeast Conference

August 16, 1996

North Jersey Imperials (NJ)	5-0	Central Jersey Riptide (NJ)
Dave Fitzgerald

Mahwah, New Jersey

Attendance: 300

August 17, 1996
7:30 PM EST

Central Jersey Riptide (NJ)	2-2 OT	North Jersey Imperials (NJ)
Ozrek Crowley		DeLuca (PK) Lucey
Penalties
	2-3

Raritan, New Jersey

Attendance: 2,004

North Jersey Imperials advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals.

South Atlantic Conference

August 15, 1996

Charlotte Eagles (NC)	0-3	Wilmington Hammerheads (NC)
		31' Dewan Bader

Charlotte, North Carolina

Attendance: 1,045

Wilmington Hammerheads advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals.

Central Conference

August 16, 1996

Tulsa Roughnecks (OK)	1-3	DFW Toros (TX)
		Berti Generes Victor Medina

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Attendance: 704

Originally planned for August 17, the second game was postponed until Sunday morning, August 18, because of heavy rainfall and flooding which rendered the playing field unusable on Saturday.

August 18, 1996
7:00 AM CST

DFW Toros (TX)	1-0	Tulsa Roughnecks (OK)

Dallas, Texas

D/FW Toros advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals.

Western Conference

August 17, 1996

Chico Rooks (CA)	0-0	Everett BigFoot (WA)

Penalties
Manny Ugbah Dean Freeman	2-1

Chico, California

Attendance: 1,056

Chico Rooks advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals.

Sizzlin' Six Tournament

The Sizzlin’ Six Tournament was a six-team, two group, round robin tournament. Each of the four conference champions entered the tournament, along with national finals host Charleston Battery and the Charlotte Eagles who had the best regular-season record among the conference runners-up.

Each team received 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie and 1 bonus point for each game in which they scored three or more goals. The top two teams in each group with the most points advanced to the semifinals in Charleston, South Carolina.

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Charleston Battery	2	2	0	4	2	+2	6
2	Chico Rooks	2	1	1	3	3	0	3
3	DFW Toros	2	0	2	2	4	−2	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

August 19, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Charleston Battery (SC)	2-1	Dallas/Fort Worth Toros (TX)
Dias 66' Foley 72:07'	Report	Ortiz 11:07'

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

Attendance: 1,526

August 20, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Chico Rooks (CA)	2-1 OT	DFW Toros (TX)
Dean Freeman 27' Mauricio De Melo 120'		8' Edgar Hernandez Baltazar Ascensio Jose Bazan

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

Attendance: 320

August 21, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Charleston Battery (SC)	2-1	Chico Rooks (CA)
Patrick Olalere 12' Files 82'		45' Juan Lojas

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

Attendance: 1,539

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Charlotte Eagles	2	2	0	7	2	+5	7^[a]
2	Wilmington Hammerheads	2	1	1	3	1	+2	4^[a]
3	North Jersey Imperials	2	0	2	2	9	−7	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Charlotte and Wilmington scored three or more goals in one game each, giving them each one bonus point.

August 19, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Wilmington Hammerheads (NC)	3-0	North Jersey Imperials (NJ)

Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina

August 20, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Charlotte Eagles (NC)	6-2	North Jersey Imperials (NJ)
Keith Dakin 11' 24' 46' Jeremy Sorzano 36' Philibert Jones 50' Donovan Francis 59'		12' David Price 30' Gerry Lucey

Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina

Attendance: 236

August 21, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Wilmington Hammerheads (NC)	0-1	Charlotte Eagles (NC)
		33' Keith Dakin

Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina

Attendance: 1,250

Semifinals

August 23, 1996
6:00 PM EST

Charlotte Eagles (NC)	1-0	Chico Rooks (CA)

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

August 23, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Charleston Battery (SC)	2-0	Wilmington Hammerheads (NC)
Olalere 30' Dias 87'

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

Attendance: 2,642

Final

August 24, 1996
8:00 PM EST

Charleston Battery (SC)	2–2	Charlotte Eagles (NC)
Dias 29' Betancur 52'	Report	Farrar 44' Sorzano 74'
Penalties
Winters Olalere	2-1

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina

Attendance: 3,429

Points leaders

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals	Assists	Points
1	Philibert Jones	Charlotte Eagles	18	20	45
2	Patrick Olalere	Charleston Battery	20	5	45
3	Craig Beeson	Everette BigFoot	17	2	36
4	Jon Payne	Charlotte Eagles	14	8	36
5	Carlos Rocha	Rhode Island Stingrays	14	3	33
6	Robert DeLuca	North Jersey Imperials	14	3	31
7	Pat O'Kelly	North Jersey Imperials	12	6	30

Honors

MVP: Craig Beeson
Points leader: Patrick Olalere
Defender of the Year: Guy Norcott
Goalkeeper of the Year: Chris Carmiento
Rookie of the Year: Juan Sastoque
Coach of the Year: Nuno Piteira
Organization of the Year: Reading Rage

All-League:

Goalkeeper: Randy Dedini
Defenders: Guy Norcott, Tom Finley, Desmond Armstrong
Midfielders: David Price, Pat O'Kelly, Carlos Rocha
Forward: Craig Beeson, Patrick Olalere, Jimmy Wright, Philibert Jones

^[4]

External links

References

[table_hth_CHE0.50144232972592-4] Charlotte and Wilmington scored three or more goals in one game each, giving them each one bonus point.

[1] Owners limit rule changes

[2] USISL: TV Deal With Prime Announced

[3] USISL: rosters for 1996 All-Star game

[5] USISL: 1996 Postseason Awards

[1]

[2]

[3]

[a]

[4]

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1996 USISL Pro League

Overview

All Star Game

Regular season

Northeast Conference

South Atlantic Conference

Central Conference

Western Conference

Playoffs

Conference semifinals

Conference finals

Northeast Conference

South Atlantic Conference

Central Conference

Western Conference

Sizzlin' Six Tournament

Group A

Group B

Semifinals

Final

Points leaders

Honors

External links

References

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