1999 USL A-League
The 1999 USL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Soccer League during the summer of 1999.
Regular season
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | SW | SL | GF | GA | GD | BP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Rhinos | 28 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 7 | 92 |
| 2 | Staten Island Vipers | 28 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 53 | 31 | +22 | 9 | 82 |
| 3 | Long Island Rough Riders | 28 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 8 | 74 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 28 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 9 | 72 |
| 5 | Lehigh Valley Steam | 28 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 6 | 63 |
| 6 | Boston Bulldogs | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 8 | 61 |
| 7 | Toronto Lynx | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 8 | 51 |
| 8 | Connecticut Wolves | 28 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 68 | -36 | 5 | 34 |
Atlantic Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | SW | SL | GF | GA | GD | BP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hershey Wildcats | 28 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 10 | 75 |
| 2 | Richmond Kickers | 28 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 6 | 69 |
| 3 | Charleston Battery | 28 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 6 | 62 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Cyclones | 28 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 61 | -10 | 9 | 59 |
| 5 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 28 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 61 | -10 | 9 | 59 |
| 6 | Hampton Roads Mariners | 28 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 5 | 57 |
| 7 | Raleigh Express | 28 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 50 | -18 | 5 | 47 |
| 8 | Maryland Mania | 28 | 3 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 85 | -69 | 2 | 13 |
Western Conference
Central Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | SW | SL | GF | GA | GD | BP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Thunder | 28 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 57 | 17 | +40 | 6 | 88 |
| 2 | MLS Project 40 | 28 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 46 | -2 | 4 | 66 |
| 3 | New Orleans Storm | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 61 | -5 | 11 | 66 |
| 4 | Indiana Blast | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 51 | -8 | 5 | 55 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Rampage | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 49 | -5 | 5 | 54 |
| 6 | Tennessee Rhythm | 28 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 44 | 52 | -8 | 6 | 49 |
| 7 | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 28 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 45 | 71 | -26 | 7 | 34 |
Pacific Division
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | SW | SL | GF | GA | GD | BP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Flash | 28 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 65 | 30 | +35 | 11 | 90 |
| 2 | Vancouver 86ers | 28 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 77 | 31 | +46 | 10 | 84 |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders | 28 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 10 | 81 |
| 4 | Orange County Zodiac | 28 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 10 | 73 |
| 5 | El Paso Patriots | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 59 | -10 | 6 | 55 |
| 6 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 28 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 37 | 54 | -17 | 4 | 40 |
| 7 | Sacramento Geckos | 28 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 91 | -75 | 0 | 1 |
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern Conference
September 10, 1999 |
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 2-1 | Lehigh Valley Steam (PA) |
|---|---|---|
Carlos Zavala  70'Mauro Biello 72' |
89' Ian Checcio |
Frontier Field, Rochester, New York Attendance: 8,437 |
September 11, 1999 |
| Staten Island Vipers (NY) | 3-2 (OT) | Richmond Kickers (VA) |
|---|---|---|
| Ernest Inneh 27' 57' Martin Dugas 97' |
30' 80' Gary Glasgow |
Attendance: 1,452 |
September 11, 1999 |
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 3-4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Cordt Weinstein 52' Darko Kolic 68'John Wolyniec 87' |
35' Goran Vasic 40' Justin Evans 75' Joenal Castma 77' Allen Eller |
September 11, 1999 |
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 3-2 | Charleston Battery (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Gino DiFlorio 54' Greg Simmonds 70'Chris Penny  73' John Smith 90' |
58' 88' Dean Sewell 73' Mike Burke 73' Paul Conway |
Attendance: 2,299 |
Western Conference
September 10, 1999 |
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 3-1 | El Paso Patriots (TX) |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Legg 26' 70' 90' (pen.) |
9' Victor Castro |
Douglas Stadium, San Diego, California Attendance: 2,984 |
September 10, 1999 |
| Vancouver 86ers (BC) | 1-3 | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Dailly 85' |
39' Alen Kozić 69' Kirk Wilson 70' Jason Moore 84' Kirk Wilson |
Attendance: 5,050 |
September 11, 1999 |
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 4-0 | New Orleans Storm (LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Gaunt 33' (O.G.) Stoian Mladenov 65'Gerard Lagos 78' 84' |
Attendance: 1,560 |
September 11, 1999 |
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 6-3 | Orange County Zodiac (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Henderson 17' Mark Baena 26'Jose Vasquez 38' (O.G.)Sean Henderson 44' (pen.)Kieran Barton  59'Ian Russell 64' Ian Russell 87' |
(Report) | 5' Jason Boyce 9' P.J. Polowski 42' Mark Foster 52' Shawn Saunders 62' Jose Vasquez 68' Jason Boyce 71' Martín Vásquez 73' Gustavo Leal 83' Peter Lak |
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference Semifinal 1
September 16, 1999 |
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 2-0 | Staten Island Vipers (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Jamel Mitchell 65' Matthew Ford 84' |
September 18, 1999 |
| Staten Island Vipers (NY) | 0-2 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| 37' Jamel Mitchell 67' Kyle Swords 84' Jamel Mitchell |
Attendance: 1,085 |
The Hershey Wildcats advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Eastern Conference Semifinal 2
September 18, 1999 |
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 6-2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 2' Darren Tilley 9'Doug Miller 12'Yari Allnutt 18'Mauro Biello 50'Darren Tilley 71' |
39' Justin Evans 88' Goran Vasic |
Frontier Field, Rochester, New York Attendance: 9,127 |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) | 1-0 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Apple 65' |
Bethel Park High School, Bethel, Pennsylvania Attendance: 4,115 |
September 28, 1999 |
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 2-0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 35' Nate Daligcon 49' |
Tenywa Bonseu 64' Tenywa Bonseu |
Frontier Field, Rochester, New York Attendance: 6,541 |
The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Western Conference Semifinal 1
September 18, 1999 |
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 1-0 (OT) | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Schneider 105' |
National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota Attendance: 1,578 |
September 20, 1999 |
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2-0 | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Lagos 28' Stoian Mladenov 42' |
89' Judah Cooks |
National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota Attendance: 946 |
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the Western Conference final.
Western Conference Semifinal 2
September 18, 1999 |
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 6-0 | Seattle Sounders (WA) |
|---|---|---|
| Chugger Adair 3' Antonio Robles 23'Carlos Farias 34'Carlos Farias 53'Carlos Farias 60'Carlos Farias 84' (PK)Mauricio Alegre 87' |
(Report) | 23' Ollie Heald |
Merrill Douglas Stadium San Diego, California Attendance: 2,116 Referee: Kari Seitz |
September 25, 1999 |
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 0-1 | San Diego Flash (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Annicchero 82' |
(Report) | 11' Jerome Watson |
Renton Memorial Stadium Seattle, Washington Attendance: 4,426 Referee: Kevin Stott |
The San Diego Flash advanced to the Western Conference final.
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 2-1 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Simmonds 15' Jamel Mitchell 79' |
Doug Miller |
Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, Pennsylvania Attendance: 6,541 |
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 1-0 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 80' |
Frontier Field Rochester, New York Attendance: 9,024 |
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 3-1 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Mauro Biello 20' Doug Miller 81' (PK)Yari Allnutt 85' |
78' Tim Leonard |
Frontier Field Rochester, New York Attendance: 7,753 |
The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the final.
Western Conference
October 2, 1999 7:35 PM |
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 4-1 | San Diego Flash (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Paweł Nowak 10' Stoian Mladenov 58' (PK)Amos Magee 63'Amos Magee 88' |
29' Jamie Munro |
National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota Attendance: 2,072 |
October 7, 1999 7:35 PM PST |
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 1-2 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) |
|---|---|---|
| Nate Hetherington 83' |
7' Morgan Zeba 14' Morgan Zeba 27' Amos Magee 80' (PK) Kalin Bankov |
San Diego Mesa College San Diego, California Attendance: 2,983 |
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the final.
Final
October 16, 1999 7:05 PM |
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2-1 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Lagos 43' Paweł Nowak 47' |
57' Darren Tilley |
National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota Attendance: 9,987 |
MVP: Amos Magee, Minnesota Thunder
Points leaders
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niall Thompson | Vancouver 86ers | 20 | 7 | 47 |
| 2 | Mark Baena | Seattle Sounders | 20 | 6 | 46 |
| Eduardo Sebrango | Vancouver 86ers | 18 | 10 | 46 | |
| 4 | Darko Kolic | Long Island Rough Riders | 7 | 9 | 43 |
| 5 | Steve Patterson | Orange County Zodiac | 19 | 4 | 42 |
| 6 | Jamel Mitchell | Hershey Wildcats | 15 | 9 | 39 |
| Ernest Inneh | Staten Island Vipers | 18 | 3 | 39 | |
| 8 | Greg Simmonds | Hershey Wildcats | 16 | 6 | 38 |
| 9 | Onandi Lowe | Richmond Kickers | 15 | 7 | 37 |
| John Wolyniec | Long Island Rough Riders | 15 | 7 | 37 | |
| John Sulentic | Vancouver 86ers | 9 | 19 | 37 | |
| 12 | Carlos Farias | San Diego Flash | 15 | 6 | 36 |
| Ian Russell | Seattle Sounders | 14 | 8 | 36 | |
| 14 | Gary Glasgow | Richmond Kickers | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| 15 | Patrick Beech | New Orleans Storm | 16 | 2 | 34 |
| 16 | Paul Conway | Charleston Battery | 14 | 5 | 33 |
| 17 | Dan Stebbins | Milwaukee Rampage | 10 | 12 | 32 |
| 18 | Mac Cozier | Jacksonville Cyclones | 13 | 4 | 30 |
| Gustavo Leal | Orange County Zodiac | 13 | 4 | 30 | |
| Mugurel Dumitru | San Diego Flash | 9 | 12 | 30 |
Honors
- MVP: John Swallen
- Leading goal scorer: Niall Thompson
- Leading goalkeeper: John Swallen
- Defender of the Year: Scott Schweitzer
- Rookie of the Year: Greg Simmonds
- Coach of the Year: Paul Riley
- Referee of the Year: Glenn Prechac
- First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: John Swallen
- Defenders: Craig Demmin, Scott Schweitzer, Tenywa Bonseu, Kalin Bankov
- Midfielders: Carlos Farias, Mauro Biello, Mac Cozier
- Forwards: Mark Baena, Ernest Inneh, Niall Thompson
- Second Team All League[1]
- Goalkeeper: Pat Onstad
- Defenders: Jose Vasquez, John Coughlin, Gilbert Jean-Baptiste
- Midfielders: Ian Russell, John Sulentic, Marvin Oliver
- Forwards: Jamel Mitchell, Paul Conway, Darko Kolic, Onandi Lowe