1996_USISL_Premier_League_season
1996 USISL Premier League season
Football league season
The 1996 USISL Premier League season was its second. The season began in April 1996 and ended in August 1996.
Central Coast Roadrunners won the championship, defeating the San Francisco Bay Seals 3–2. Spokane Shadow won the regular season title, winning 14 games to 2 losses.
Name changes
- Ann Arbor Elites became the Michigan Madness.
- Arizona Cotton became the Arizona Phoenix.
- Montclair Standard Falcons moved to Fontana, CA and became the Fontana Falcons.
- Oklahoma City Slickers changed their name to the Oklahoma City Heat.
- San Francisco All-Blacks United changed their name to the San Francisco Bay Seals.
- Wichita Blue Angels changed their name to the Wichita Blue.
New teams
12 teams were added for the season.
More information Team, Area ...
| Team | Area | Location | Previous affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bellingham Orcas |
Northwest Washington area | Bellingham, WA | expansion |
 Central Coast Roadrunners |
Central West Coast area | San Luis Obispo, CA | expansion |
 Florida Strikers |
Greater Miami area | Fort Lauderdale, FL | from USISL Pro |
 Lexington Bluegrass Bandits |
Lexington area | Lexington, KY | from USISL Pro |
| Miami Tango |
Greater Miami area | Miami, FL | expansion |
 Mid-Michigan Bucks |
Flint/Tri-Cities area | Saginaw, MI | expansion |
 Omaha Flames |
Omaha-Council Bluffs area | Omaha, NE | expansion |
| San Diego Top Guns |
San Diego area | San Diego, CA | from USISL Pro |
| Southern California Gunners |
Inland Empire area | San Bernardino, CA | expansion |
| Spokane Shadow |
Spokane area | Spokane, WA | expansion |
| West Florida Fury |
Emerald Coast area | Pensacola, FL | expansion |
 Willamette Valley Firebirds |
Corvallis area | Corvallis, OR | former Portland Firebirds of the USISL Pro League |
Close
Teams leaving
Five teams folded after the 1995 season:
- Arkansas A's
- Columbia Heat
- Inland Empire Panteras
- North Bay Breakers
- Shasta Scorchers
Central Conference
Northern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington Bluegrass Bandits | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 28[lower-alpha 1] | Division champion |
| 2 | Michigan Madness | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Detroit Dynamite | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 19 | +15 | 22[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 4 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 22[lower-alpha 1] | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Kalamazoo Kingdom | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 15 | |
| 6 | Grand Rapids Explosion[lower-alpha 2] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 21 | −15 | 0 |
Close
Southern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Lone Stars | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 41 | 17 | +24 | 30 | Division champion |
| 2 | Omaha Flames | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 39 | 22 | +17 | 24 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Sioux City Breeze | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 23[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] | |
| 4 | Des Moines Menace | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 21 | |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Heat | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 21 | |
| 6 | Wichita Blue | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 33 | −15 | 15[lower-alpha 1] |
Close
Eastern Conference
Northern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roanoke River Dawgs | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 30 | Division champion |
| 2 | Jackson Chargers | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 22[lower-alpha 1] | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Nashville Metros | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 17[lower-alpha 2] | |
| 4 | Birmingham Grasshoppers | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 12 |
Close
Southern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cocoa Expos | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 28[lower-alpha 1] | Bye into semifinals as defending champion. |
| 2 | Orlando Lions | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Florida Strikers | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 19[lower-alpha 1] | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 4 | West Florida Fury | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 29 | 36 | −7 | 15 | |
| 5 | Miami Tango | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 29 | 37 | −8 | 12 | |
| 6 | South Florida Future | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 63 | −46 | 0 |
Close
Western Conference
Northern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spokane Shadow | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 34[lower-alpha 1] | Division champion |
| 2 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 15 | +20 | 30 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Colorado Springs Stampede | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 4 | Puget Sound Hammers | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 24 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Willamette Valley Firebirds | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 31 | −10 | 15 | |
| 6 | Bellingham Orcas | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 50 | −33 | 9 |
Close
Southern Division
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 16 | +22 | 34[lower-alpha 1] | Division champion |
| 2 | San Diego Top Guns | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Arizona Phoenix | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 21 | |
| 4 | Tucson Amigos | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 21 | |
| 5 | Fontana Falcons | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 31 | 32 | −1 | 15 | |
| 6 | Southern California Gunners | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 28 | −9 | 9 |
Close
Format
Central Coast received a bye to the PDL Semifinals as the defending champion.
The top four teams from every division except the Southwest earn playoff spots. With Central Coast already receiving a bye, the top two teams from the Southwest Division will play each other, however if Central Coast is in the top two, then the third place team receives a playoff spot. The Division winners would then face each other in the Conference finals.
Divisional brackets
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| NC1 | Michigan Madness
| |||||||||||||
| NC4 | Mid-Michigan Bucks
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NC1 | Mid-Michigan Bucks (AET/PSO)
| 0 (1) | ||||||||||||
| North Central Division | ||||||||||||||
| NC3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom
| 0 (0) | ||||||||||||
| NC2 | Detroit Dynamite
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NC3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom (AET)
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | Lincoln Brigade
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| C4 |  Des Moines Menace
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| C4 | Des Moines Menace
| 6 | ||||||||||||
| Central Division | ||||||||||||||
| C2 | Omaha Flames
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| C2 | Omaha Flames
| 5 | ||||||||||||
| C3 | Sioux City Breeze
| 3 | ||||||||||||
Central Conference Playoffs
More information Kalamazoo Kingdom, 4–5 (a.e.t.) ...
Close
Semifinals
Attendance: 1,142
More information Lexington Bluegrass Bandits, 0–1 (OT) ...
Close
North Division Final
More information Austin Lone Stars, 1–0 (OT) ...
| Austin Lone Stars | 1–0 (OT) | Des Moines Menace |
|---|---|---|
|
Close
Semifinals
Tranquility Park
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
More information Omaha Flames, 3–2 (OT) ...
| Omaha Flames | 3–2 (OT) | Austin Lone Stars |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Close
South Division Final
Tranquility Park
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| SE1 | Cocoa Expos
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| SE1 | Cocoa Expos
| 5 | SE3 | West Florida Fury
| 1 | |||||||||
| SE4 | Miami Tango
| 2 | SE1 | Cocoa Expos
| 2 | |||||||||
| MS2 |  Jackson Chargers
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| MS1 |  Cincinnati Riverhawks
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| SE2 | South Florida Future
| 0 | MS2 | Jackson Chargers
| 3 | |||||||||
| SE3 | West Florida Fury
| 4 | ||||||||||||
Eastern Conference Playoffs
More information Roanoke River Dawgs, 1–2 (OT) ...
| Roanoke River Dawgs | 1–2 (OT) | Nashville Metros |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Close
More information West Florida Fury, 3–4 (a.e.t.) ...
| West Florida Fury | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Florida Strikers |
|---|---|---|
Close
Play-In
Pensacola Florida
Semifinal
The Sports Club
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
More information Jackson Chargers, 3–2 (OT) ...
| Jackson Chargers | 3–2 (OT) | Nashville Metros |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Close
Eastern Conference Final
The Sports Club
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Western Finals | ||||||||||||
| NW1 | Spokane Shadow
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| NW4 | Puget Sound Hammers
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NW1 | Spokane Shadow
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| Northwest Division | ||||||||||||||
| NW2 | Yakima Reds
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NW2 | Yakima Reds
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NW3 | Cascade Surge
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NW1 | Spokane Shadow
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders
| bye | ||||||||||||
| SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| Southwest Division | ||||||||||||||
| SW2 |  Tucson Amigos
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| SW2 | Tucson Amigos
| bye | ||||||||||||
Western Conference Playoffs
More information Central Coast Roadrunners, 3–2 ...
Close
South Division Final
Attendance: 1,100
More information Spokane Shadow, 2–1 ...
| Spokane Shadow | 2–1 | Puget Sound Hammers |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Close
North Division Playoffs
Semifinals
Attendance: 1,712
More information San Francisco Bay Seals, 2–1 ...
Close
More information Spokane Shadow, 2–3 ...
| Spokane Shadow | 2–3 | San Francisco Bay Seals |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Part 1 Report Part 2 |
|
Close
North Division Final
Six teams entered the Premier Six Tournament in Cocoa, Florida the weekend of August 16–18. Each of the five division playoff champions qualified for the tournament, along with the host Cocoa Expos. The teams were seeded in this order, based on their regular season points:
- 1. Central Coast Roadrunners
- 2. San Francisco Bay Seals
- 3. Cocoa Expos
- 4. Omaha Flames
- 5. Jackson Chargers
- 6. Mid-Michigan Bucks.
The Central Coast Roadrunners played the bottom two seeds (Jackson and Mid-Michigan). The San Francisco Seals played the #4 and #6 seeds (Omaha and Mid-Michigan). The Cocoa Expos played and #4 and #5 seeds (Omaha and Jackson).
Qualification to the finals
In order to determine the two teams to qualify for the finals, the league used the following point system during the Premier Six Tournament:
- Win = 3 points
- Shootout win = 2 points
- Shootout loss = 1 point
- Bonus points: Each team scoring three or more goals in regulation or overtime received one extra point.
More information Place, Team ...
| Place | Team | W | SW | SL | L | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Cocoa Expos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Omaha Flames | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Jackson Chargers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Close
Friday
More information San Francisco Bay Seals (CA), 2-2 OT ...
| San Francisco Bay Seals (CA) | 2-2 OT | Omaha Flames (NE) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Penalties | ||
|
1-2 |
|
Close
More information Central Coast Roadrunners (CA), 3-0 ...
| Central Coast Roadrunners (CA) | 3-0 | Mid-Michigan Bucks (MI) |
|---|---|---|
Bryan Taylor  |
|
Close
More information Cocoa Expos (FL), 0-1 ...
| Cocoa Expos (FL) | 0-1 | Jackson Chargers (MS) |
|---|---|---|
| 50' Sheldon Bennett |
Close
Saturday
More information Central Coast Roadrunners (CA), 2-1 OT ...
| Central Coast Roadrunners (CA) | 2-1 OT | Jackson Chargers (MS) |
|---|---|---|
|
42' Dwyane Demmin |
Close
More information San Francisco Bay Seals (CA), 4-0 ...
| San Francisco Bay Seals (CA) | 4-0 | Mid-Michigan Bucks (MI) |
|---|---|---|
|
Close
More information Cocoa Expos (FL), 4-1 ...
| Cocoa Expos (FL) | 4-1 | Omaha Flames (NE) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Close
More information Central Coast Roadrunners (CA), 1-0 ...
Close
Cocoa Expo Sports Center, Cocoa, Florida
- MVP: Bryan Taylor
- MVP: Pasi Kinturi
- Points leader: Pasi Kinturi
- Goals leader: Pasi Kinturi
- Assists leader: Steve Freeman
- Rookie of the Year: Bryan Taylor
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Michael LaBerge
- Defender of the Year: Dwyane Demmin
- Coach of the Year: Nuno Piteira
- Organization of the Year: Central Coast Roadrunners
- All League
- Goalkeeper: Michael LaBerge
- Defenders: Steve Freeman, Dwyane Demmin, Zane Higgins, Jeremy Oetman
- Midfielders: Jude Beller, Toni Siikala
- Forwards: Pasi Kinturi, Chris McDonald, Dennis Brose, Bryan Taylor