1997 USISL A-League

The 1997 USISL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1997.

Overview

At the end of the 1996 A-League season, the U.S. second division A-League collapsed. Five of the six teams in the A-League then joined the USISL which had three leagues in 1996, beginning with the third division USISL Select League.^[1] With the collapse of the U.S. second division and the transfer of most of its teams to the USISL, the USISL reorganized its divisions to include the new teams. It moved most of the old second division USISL Select League, plus a few new teams, up to a second division level and merged the old A-League teams into this new U.S. second division which was renamed the USISL A-League.

Regular season

Northeast Division

Place	Team	GP	W	SW	SL	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	Montreal Impact	28	20	1	1	6	58	19	+39	61
2	Rochester Raging Rhinos	28	14	0	5	9	56	47	+9	42
3	Long Island Rough Riders	28	13	3	2	10	44	36	+8	42
4	Toronto Lynx	28	12	2	0	14	44	43	+1	38
5	Connecticut Wolves	28	8	4	1	15	31	45	-14	28
6	Worcester Wildfire	28	6	1	2	19	26	61	-35	19

Atlantic Division

Place	Team	GP	W	SW	SL	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	Hershey Wildcats	28	18	1	1	8	56	33	+23	55
2	Carolina Dynamo	28	16	2	2	8	63	33	+30	50
3	Richmond Kickers	28	15	0	2	11	41	35	+6	45
4	Charleston Battery	28	10	2	3	13	39	50	-11	32
5	Raleigh Flyers	28	8	4	3	13	34	52	-18	28
6	Jacksonville Cyclones	28	4	1	1	23	28	73	-45	13

Central Division

Place	Team	GP	W	SW	SL	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers	28	13	3	2	10	45	42	+3	42
2	Nashville Metros	28	10	7	2	9	42	34	+8	37
3	Orlando Sundogs	28	12	0	4	12	39	40	-1	36
4	Milwaukee Rampage	28	11	3	2	12	33	36	-3	36
5	Minnesota Thunder	28	11	2	5	10	22	30	-8	35
6	Atlanta Ruckus	28	9	3	1	15	39	48	-9	30

Pacific Division

Place	Team	GP	W	SW	SL	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	California Jaguars	28	17	1	0	10	48	34	+14	52
2	Seattle Sounders	28	16	2	3	7	42	19	+33	50
3	Vancouver 86ers	28	15	1	1	11	50	29	+21	46
4	Colorado Foxes	28	15	1	2	10	55	49	+6	46
5	Orange County Zodiac	28	10	1	0	17	35	62	-27	31
6	El Paso Patriots	28	5	3	3	17	30	50	-20	18

Playoffs

Division Semi-finals

Northeast Semifinal 1

September 3, 1997

Rochester Raging Rhinos (NY)	0-0	Long Island Rough Riders (NY)

	Penalties
	3 – 4

Frontier Field, Rochester, New York
Attendance: 5,160

September 6, 1997

Long Island Rough Riders (NY)	1-1	Rochester Raging Rhinos (NY)
Carlos Ledesma 63' (pen.)	(Report)	8' Nate Daligcon
	Penalties
Travis Rinker Hector Wright Daniel Leon	3 – 1

James M. Shuart Stadium, Hempstead, New York
Attendance: 4,361

Northeast Semifinal 2

September 5, 1997
8:00 PM (EST)

Toronto Lynx (ON)	1-2	Montreal Impact (QC)
Terry St. Louis 13' Peyvand Mossavat 31' Martin Dugas 42' Franco Spadafina 43' Paul Stalteri 45'	(Report)	8' Onandi Lowe 13' John Limniatis 25' Onandi Lowe 62' Mauro Biello

Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 1,254
Referee: Tony Camacho (Canada)

September 7, 1997

Montreal Impact (QC)	4-0	Toronto Lynx (ON)
Darren Tilley 17' (pen.) 25' 26' Bill Sedgewick 45'

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Quebec
Attendance: 4,138

Montreal advances to the Division final

Atlantic Semifinal 1

September 5, 1997

Richmond Kickers (VA)	1-2	Carolina Dynamo (NC)
Rob Ukrop 63'		23' Robert Rosario 31' Yari Allnutt

Attendance: 1,362

September 6, 1997

Carolina Dynamo (NC)	1-4	Richmond Kickers (VA)
Keiran Breslin 32'		14' Dian Anguelov 72' Brian Kamler 75' Mario Lone 82' Mac Cozier

Attendance: 4,562

September 6, 1997

Carolina Dynamo (NC)	0-0	Richmond Kickers (VA)

	Penalties
	3 – 1

Attendance: 4,562

Atlantic Semifinal 2

September 5, 1997
7:30 PM (EST)

Charleston Battery (CA)	1-1	Hershey Wildcats (PA)
Juan Castillo 38' Michael Anhaeuser 50' Patrick Olalere 85'	(Report)	78' Mark Waite
	Penalties
	1 – 3

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina
Attendance: 2,024
Referee: Roger Sill

September 7, 1997
6:00 PM (EST)

Hershey Wildcats (PA)	1-1	Charleston Battery (CA)
Lee Tschantret 89'	(Report)	Juan Castillo 75' Patrick Olalere
	Penalties
	0 – 1

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,104
Referee: Yanich Wejlak

September 7, 1997
8:55 PM (EST)

Hershey Wildcats (PA)	0-0	Charleston Battery (CA)
	(Report)
	Penalties
	4 – 2

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,104
Referee: Yanich Wejlak

Central Semifinal 1

September 4, 1997
7:45 PM (EST)

Orlando Sundogs (FL)	1-2	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA)
Dylan Lewis 34' Greg Brick 54'	(Report)	12' 23' Stern John

Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Referee: Robert Mann (USA)

September 7, 1997
6:00 PM (EST)

New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA)	6-2	Orlando Sundogs (FL)
Gabe Gentile 2' Stern John 10' 89' Louie Smothermon 23' Mickey Trotman 39'	(Report)	29' Sebastian Barnes 67' Sheldon Lee

Tad Gormley Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 653

Central Semifinal 2

September 4, 1997

Nashville Metros (TN)	1-2	Milwaukee Rampage (WI)
Tim Geltz 2'		81' Nick Igel 85' David Marshall

Attendance: 550

September 7, 1997

Milwaukee Rampage (WI)	3-0	Nashville Metros (TN)

Attendance: 1,229

Pacific Semifinal 1

September 4, 1997

Colorado Foxes (CO)	0-3	Seattle Sounders (WA)
Rivers Guthrie	(Report)	Vicente Figueroa 20' Erik Storkson 26' Mike Gailey 84' (pen.) David Hoggan

Mile High Greyhound Park, Commerce City, Colorado
Attendance: 786
Referee: Rudy Bettmann (USA)

September 6, 1997

Seattle Sounders (WA)	2-0	Colorado Foxes (CO)
Henry Gutierrez Vicente Figueroa Vicente Figueroa 70' Esmundo Rodriguez 89'	(Report)	Chad Ashton 87' Ray Tomlin 88' Ray Tomlin

Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 6,927
Referee: Mohammad Zarrabi-Kashani (USA)

Pacific Semifinal 2

September 5, 1997

Vancouver 86ers (BC)	4-1	California Jaguars (CA)
Domenic Mobilio 2' (pen.) 54' (pen.) Steve Kindel 35'		86' Paul Holocher

Attendance: 2,716

September 7, 1997

California Jaguars (CA)	2-2	Vancouver 86ers (BC)
Mark Baena 55' Rick Iversen 89'		22' Steve Kindel 73' Domenic Mobilio
	Penalties
	1 – 2

Attendance: 1,859

Division Finals

Northeast Division final

September 12, 1997

Long Island Rough Riders (NY)	2-2	Montreal Impact (QC)
Hector Wright 4' Flavio Ferri 55'		5' Lloyd Barker

James M. Shuart Stadium, Hempstead, New York
Attendance: 3,585

September 14, 1997

Montreal Impact (QC)	2-0	Long Island Rough Riders (NY)
Mauro Biello 34' Lyndon Hooper 77'

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Quebec
Attendance: 6,679

September 14, 1997

Montreal Impact (QC)	0-0	Long Island Rough Riders (NY)

	Penalties
	1 – 4

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Quebec
Attendance: 6,679

Atlantic Division final

September 12, 1997

Charleston Battery (SC)	3-3	Carolina Dynamo (NC)
Todd Miller 37' Juan Castillo 52' (pen.) Alvin Boisson 53'		43' Danny Care 54' John Ball 81' Mike Saunders
	Penalties
	4 – 3

Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina
Attendance: 1,422

September 14, 1997

Carolina Dynamo (NC)	2-1	Charleston Battery (SC)
Maher Atta 29' Yari Allnutt 89'		27' (pen.) Andy Schmetzer

Attendance: 1,506

September 14, 1997

Carolina Dynamo (NC)	1-0	Charleston Battery (SC)
Ed Radwanski 12'

Attendance: 1,506

Central Division final

September 12, 1997

Milwaukee Rampage (WI)	2-1 (OT)	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA)
Nick Igel 81' 92'		9' Ricardo Blanchard

Attendance: 2,818

September 14, 1997

New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA)	3-4	Milwaukee Rampage (WI)
Stern John 64' (pen.) Gabe Jones 67' Mickey Trotman 78'		51' (pen.) Jon Szczepanski 78' (pen.) 60' Dan Stebbins 74' David Marshall

Attendance: 898

Pacific Division final

September 12, 1997

Vancouver 86ers (BC)	3-0	Seattle Sounders (WA)
Craig Dalrymple Domenic Mobilio 62' Nico Berg 70' Chris Clarke 86'	(Report)	Henry Gutierrez Kieran Barton Vicente Figueroa

Swangard Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia
Attendance: 3,607
Referee: Rene Perott (Canada)

September 14, 1997

Seattle Sounders (WA)	0-0 OT	Vancouver 86ers (BC)
Neil Megson Henry Gutierrez	(Report)	Chris Franks Richie Sumner
	Penalties
Bernie James David Hoggan Henry Gutierrez Esmundo Rodriguez	1 – 0	Domenic Mobilio Ollie Heald Jason Jordan Paul Dailly Chris Franks

Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington

September 14, 1997

Seattle Sounders (WA)	1-1 OT	Vancouver 86ers (BC)
Erik Storkson 29'	(Report)	7' Domenic Mobilio
	Penalties
Bernie James David Hoggan Vicente Figueroa Esmundo Rodriguez	1 – 3	Domenic Mobilio Ian Clarke Steve Kindel Doug Muirhead

Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

September 19, 1997

Long Island Rough Riders (NY)	1-2	Carolina Dynamo (NC)
Laurence Piturro 71'		72' Brian Loftin 89' (PK) Brian Loftin

Hofstra Stadium Hempstead, New York
Attendance: 1,044

September 21, 1997
6:00 PM EST

Carolina Dynamo (NC)	2-0	Long Island Rough Riders (NY)
Brian Loftin 84' Laurence Piturro 86' (OG)

A.J. Simeon Stadium High Point, North Carolina
Attendance: 2,105

The Carolina Dynamo advance.

Western Conference

September 19, 1997

Milwaukee Rampage (WI)	3-1	Vancouver 86ers (BC)
Dan Stebbins 65' 82' 87'		51' Domenic Mobilio

Uihlein Soccer Park Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 2,888

September 21, 1997
5:00 PM

Vancouver 86ers (BC)	1-0	Milwaukee Rampage (WI)
Domenic Mobilio 63' (pen.)

Swangard Stadium Vancouver, British Columbia
Attendance: 4,323

September 21, 1997
7:00 PM

Vancouver 86ers (BC)	0-0	Milwaukee Rampage (WI)

	Penalties
	0 – 3	Dan Stebbins Eddy Berdusco Nick Igel

Swangard Stadium Vancouver, British Columbia

The Milwaukee Rampage advance, winning two out of three games.

Final

September 27, 1997
8:30 PM

Milwaukee Rampage (WI)	1-1 (OT)	Carolina Dynamo (NC)
Dan Stebbins 65'	(Report)	80' Brian Loftin
	Penalties
Jon Szczepanski Dan Stebbins Nick Igel	3 – 0	Maher Atta Yari Allnutt Ed Radwanski

Uihlein Soccer Park Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 6,381

MVP: Carmine Isacco, Milwaukee Rampage

Points leaders

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals	Assists	Points
1	Doug Miller	Rochester Rhinos	23	5	51
2	Mark Baena	California Jaguars	20	4	44
3	Stern John	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers	16	5	37
4	Steve Patterson	Colorado Foxes	16	3	35
5	Jamel Mitchell	Nashville Metros	17	0	34
5	Jimmy Glenn	Rochester Rhinos	13	8	34
7	Yari Allnutt	Carolina Dynamo	12	9	33
	Domenic Mobilio	Vancouver 86ers	14	5	33
	Darren Tilley	Montreal Impact	13	7	33
	Gustavo Leal	Orange County Zodiac	16	1	33
11	Sebastian Barnes	Orlando Sundogs	14	3	31
12	Garret Kusch	Vancouver 86ers	10	10	30
13	Mike Gailey	Seattle Sounders	10	7	27
13	Rob Ukrop	Richmond Kickers	12	3	27

Honors

MVP: Doug Miller
Leading goal scorer: Doug Miller
Leading goalkeeper: Dusty Hudock
Rookie of the Year: Stern John
Coach of the Year: Bob Lilley

First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Dusty Hudock
- Defenders: John Limniatis, Scott Schweitzer, Mark Watson, Travis Rinker
- Midfielders: Yari Allnutt, Mauro Biello, Garret Kusch
- Forwards: Mark Baena, Doug Miller, Stern John

Second Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Paolo Ceccarelli
- Defenders: Don Gramenz, Robert Rosario, Bill Sedgewick, Dian Anguelov
- Midfielders: John Smith, Nick DeSantis, Domenic Mobilio
- Forwards: Steve Patterson, Darren Tilley, Mike Gailey

References

↑ The Year in American Soccer - 1996

External links

A-League (1995–2004)

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