| Countries | United States Canada |
|---|---|
| Confederation | USSF, CONCACAF |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Folded | 2004 |
| Conferences | 2 |
| Number of teams | 16 (2004) |
| Levels on pyramid | 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup |
| Most championships | Montreal Impact (3 season championships) Rochester Raging Rhinos (3 playoff championships) |
| Website | USLSoccer.com |
The A-League was a professional men's soccer league which featured teams from both the United States and Canada. The A-League emerged out of the restructured American Professional Soccer League in 1995 and operated until 2004, after which it was re-branded the USL First Division. During its first season, in 1995, it was the de facto top professional soccer league in both countries, before it was replaced at the top of the United States soccer pyramid by Major League Soccer in 1996.
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The origins of the league are complex. The old American Professional Soccer League changed its name to the A-League during its final two seasons in 1995 and 1996. Meanwhile, in 1995, the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), the de-facto second tier of American soccer at the time, and which had initially confined itself to organising regional leagues, began organising on a national level.
The USISL Pro League, which had been at the second tier of the pyramid in 1995, split into two leagues in 1996; the best teams joined the new USISL Select League, while the remainder (plus expansion teams) remained in the USISL Pro League, which retained its Division III status. Both the A-League and the new USISL Select League had Division II status in 1996.
In an attempt to counteract the fact that a number of top A-League players had left to join MLS in 1995 and 1996[1] six of the seven remaining A-League teams - Montreal Impact, Colorado Foxes, Seattle Sounders, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Vancouver 86ers and Atlanta Ruckus, plus two planned A-League expansion teams (Toronto Lynx and Hershey Wildcats) merged with the USISL Select League to form a consolidated Division II league before the 1997 season, and the resulting merged league retained the A-League name.[2]
The USISL eventually became the United Soccer Leagues (USL) in 1999, and the USL continued to use the A-League name until 2004, when it became the USL First Division.
It remained the top league of the Canadian soccer pyramid throughout its existence, with Canadian teams vying for the Canadian Championship (which awarded the Voyageurs Cup), until 2004 which saw Toronto FC debut in MLS, subsequently splitting Division 1 status in Canada between the two leagues.
| Season | Winner | Record (W-L-T) | Points | Playoff | Results (W-L-T) | Runners-Up | Record (W-L-T) | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Portland Timbers | 18-7-3 | 57 | Lost in conference semifinal series overtime | 1-1-0 | Montreal Impact | 17-6-5 | 56 | |
| 2003 | Milwaukee Wave United | 18-10-0 | 54 | Lost in division final series overtime | 1-1-0 | Montreal Impact | 16-6-6 | 54 | |
| 2002 | Seattle Sounders | 23-4-1 | 107 | Lost in conference semifinal series | 0-2-0 | Charleston Battery | 19-3-6 | 89 | |
| 2001 | Richmond Kickers | 16-7-3 | 76 | Lost in quarterfinal series | 0-2-0 | Hershey Wildcats | 16-7-3 | 75 | |
| 2000 | Minnesota Thunder | 20-4-4 | 99 | Lost in final | 4-2-0 | Milwaukee Rampage | 18-9-1 | 89 | |
| 1999 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 22-6 | 92 | Lost in final | 5-3 | San Diego Flash | 20-8 | 90 | |
| 1998 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 24-4 | 70 | Won Championship | 6-0 | San Diego Flash | 21-7 | 61 | |
| 1997 | Montreal Impact | 21-7 | 61 | Lost in conference final series | 3-2 | Hershey Wildcats | 19-9 | 55 | |
| 1996 | Montreal Impact | 21-6 | 55 | Lost in semifinal | 0-1 | Colorado Foxes | 16-11 | 44 | |
| 1995 | Montreal Impact | 17-7 | 51 | Lost in semifinal series | 1-2 | Seattle Sounders | 18-6 | 51 |