From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Francisco Seals is an American soccer team, originally founded in 1992. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference against teams from Azusa, Bakersfield, Calabasas, Fresno, Irvine, La Mirada, Lancaster, San Jose and Ventura.
The Seals play their home games at Negoesco Stadium on the campus of the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. The team's colors are black and white.
[edit] 2008 Roster
as at June 1, 2008
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 2 |
 |
MF |
Jeff Russell |
| 3 |
|
MF |
Anthony Grillo |
| 4 |
|
MF |
Michael Balugon |
| 6 |
|
FW |
Chris Deal |
| 9 |
|
MF |
Shani Simpson |
| 11 |
|
MF |
Francisco Camacho |
| 12 |
|
FW |
Stephen Cordova |
| 13 |
|
DF |
Shea Whelan |
| 14 |
|
MF |
Victor Cortez |
| 15 |
|
MF |
Eric Lafon |
| 16 |
 |
MF |
Rawlston Masaniai |
| 17 |
|
DF |
Yousef Sami |
| 18 |
|
DF |
Doug Carr |
| 19 |
|
DF |
Richard Halvorsen |
| 22 |
|
MF |
Richard Duru |
| 23 |
|
FW |
Kellan Wilson |
|
|
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 24 |
|
MF |
Junior Burgos |
| 25 |
|
DF |
Corey Heldreth |
| 27 |
|
GK |
Eric Conner |
| 31 |
 |
FW |
Duane Saunders |
|
|
DF |
Tyler Barry |
|
|
GK |
Dan Benton |
|
|
DF |
Araia Berhane |
|
|
MF |
Omphroy Demetrius |
|
|
FW |
Jose Carlos Diaz |
|
 |
MF |
El Hadji Dieng |
|
|
MF |
Jesse Henderson |
|
|
DF |
Josh Leon |
|
|
FW |
Jovan Milojevich |
|
|
DF |
Jean Pierre Mujica-Saldana |
|
|
FW |
Corey Woolfolk |
|
[edit] Competition History
The San Francisco United Soccer Club (SFUSC) was first organized as a youth soccer club in 1985. Drawing on talented players from throughout the Bay Area, SFUSC soon became a "super club" and a dominant force in California state youth soccer. In 1990 SFUSC won the California Youth Soccer Associations (CYSA) state championship. It then continued on to take the Region IV title which put it into the National Cup final. However, the rise of the "super clubs" such as SFUSC and the La Jolla (San Diego) Nomads sparked a counter reaction from smaller California youth teams and in 1992 CYSA implemented rules to prevent these clubs from forming or competing. Faced with this opposition, the SFUSC decided to forsake the traditional path to amateur success, through the state competitions, and enter a team in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL), the forerunner of today's United Soccer Leagues.
In 1992, the SFSCU formed its team, known as the San Francisco All-Blacks based on its all black uniform, and entered it in the USISL. While the first year went poorly, the team continued to improve in the face of stiff national-level competition. In 1994, the All Blacks, now known as San Francisco United, took first place in the Pacific Conference. In 1996, the club changed the team's name to the San Francisco Bay Seals. In 1998, the Seals moved up to the A-League. In 2000, SFSCU sold the team to new ownership, which renamed the team the Bay Area Seals. However, the Seals lasted only to the end of the 2000 season before folding.
The Seals were division champions three times, in 1994, 1995 and 1997. In 1997, the Seals made an incredible and historic run to the semi finals of the US Open Cup. After winning the D3 US Open Cup, the Seals knocked out the Seattle Sounders, the previous year's Open Cup Champions. They then took out two Major League Soccer clubs. First came the Kansas City Wiz in the round of 16, and then the San Jose Clash in the quarter finals at the Clash's home field, Spartan Stadium. The Seals' Cinderella run through higher division clubs came to an end in the semi-finals when they lost 2-1 to D.C. United.
In 2006 the original owners brought the team back, this time to the PDL as the San Francisco Seals.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year |
Team Name |
Division |
League |
Regular Season |
Playoffs |
Open Cup |
| 1992 |
San Francisco All Blacks |
N/A |
USISL |
3rd, Pacific |
Did not qualify |
Did not enter |
| 1993 |
San Francisco All Blacks |
N/A |
USISL |
3rd, Pacific |
Divisional Finals |
Did not enter |
| 1994 |
San Francisco United All Blacks |
3 |
USISL |
1st, Pacific |
Divisional Semifinals |
Did not enter |
| 1995 |
San Francisco United All Blacks |
N/A |
USISL Premier League |
1st, Pacific |
3rd Place |
Did not qualify |
| 1996 |
San Francisco Bay Seals |
4 |
USISL Premier League |
2nd, Western Northern |
Final |
Did not qualify |
| 1997 |
San Francisco Bay Seals |
3 |
USISL D-3 Pro League |
1st, West |
Semifinals |
Semifinals |
| 1998 |
San Francisco Bay Seals |
2 |
USISL A-League |
6th, Pacific |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 1999 |
San Francisco Bay Seals |
2 |
USL A-League |
6th, Pacific |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 2000 |
Bay Area Seals |
2 |
USL A-League |
5th, Pacific |
Conference Quarterfinals |
2nd Round |
| 2006 |
San Francisco Seals |
4 |
USL PDL |
4th, Southwest |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 2007 |
San Francisco Seals |
4 |
USL PDL |
6th, Southwest |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 2008 |
San Francisco Seals |
4 |
USL PDL |
in progress |
|
Did not qualify |
[edit] Notable former players
[edit] External links
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San Francisco Attractions |
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| Landmarks |
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| Museums |
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| Zoos, Islands, Beaches & Parks |
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| Entertainment |
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| Sports |
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| Famous Food |
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| Shopping Centers |
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| Points of Interest |
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Espen Baardsen
