Hershey Wildcats
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Hershey Wildcats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Hershey Wildcats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Wildcats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Founded | 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ground | Hersheypark Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Capacity | 15,641 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
League | A-League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997-2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Hershey Wildcats were a professional soccer team, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, that played in the A-League between 1997 and 2001. The team was owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, an affiliate of Hershey Foods. After the 2001 season, the team was folded by the ownership, having decided that the team would not be successful financially.
Their home was Hersheypark Stadium, a facility that overlooks the popular theme park. The stadium seats 16,000, but, in practice, only the east stands were used due to low attendance.
In what turned out to be their last game, they made the A-League final in 2001, losing to the Rochester Raging Rhinos. Players that played for the Wildcats and then went on to play in Major League Soccer include Jon Busch.
[edit] Year-by-year
Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
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1997 | 2 | USISL A-League | 1st, Atlantic | Division Semifinals | Round of 16 |
1998 | 2 | USISL A-League | 2nd, Atlantic | Conference Semifinals | 2nd Round |
1999 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Atlantic | Conference Semifinals | Did not qualify |
2000 | 2 | USL A-League | 3rd, Atlantic | Conference Quarterfinals | Did not qualify |
2001 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Northern | Final | 3rd Round |