1996 USISL Pro League

Overview

This season, USISL created a higer caliber professional league called the Select League. Several 1995 Pro League teams moved up and did not compete in the 1996 Pro League.

The USISL aligned its rules with other soccer leagues including the newly created Major Soccer League. Previously USISL had used 60 minute halves and a penalty shot for every foul committed after the seventh foul of each half but these rules were eliminated for the 1996 season. The USISL also changed its regular season points system to award three points for a win and one point for a shootout win. The average pay for Pro League players was $200 per week. The regular season began in mid-April 1996.

Prime Network provided live broadcast of the USISL All Star Game and delayed broadcast of the Pro League championship game.

All Star Game

The USISL held its All Star Game on July 17 in Blaine, Minnesota. The game pitted the USISL Select League All Stars against a team composed of USISL Professional League and USISL Premier League players. The league coaches voted to select the players. Players from the USISL Professional League included Goalkeeper Randy DeDini of the Chico Rooks, Defenders Paul Edwards (North Jersey Imperials) and Guy Norcott (Charleston Battery); Midfielders Craig Beeson (Everett BigFoot) and Pat O'Kelly (Central Jersey); Forwards Victor Medina (D/FW Toros) and Jon Payne (Charlotte Eagles).

Regular season

• Regulation win = 3 points
• Shootout win (SW) = 1 points
• Loss = 0 points

Northeast Conference

South Atlantic Conference

Central Conference

Western Conference

Playoffs

The Mobile Revelers made the playoffs despite having only eleven points. This happened because the South Atlantic Conference had four guaranteed play-off spots. The Charleston Battery received a bye into the playoffs as host of the championship final. Therefore, the league went to the Revelers as the next South Atlantic Conference team in line.

Conference semifinals

• North Jersey Imperials 3-1 Rhode Island Stingrays
• Charlotte Eagles 1-0 Mobile Revelers (forfeit)
• Wilmington Hammerheads 3-1 Washington Mustangs
• D/FW Toros 1-0 (SO) Houston Hurricanes
• Tulsa Roughnecks 3-2 (SO) Rockford Raptors
• Chico Rooks 3-0 Valley Golden Eagles
• Everete BigFoot 2-1 Hawaii Tsunami
• Dave Fitzgerald
• Carlos Rocha
• Chris Gonzalez
• Dewan Bader
• Dan Farnham
• Scott Schaeper
• James Wright
• Kimberly Thomas
• Juan Calvet
• Mauricio De Melo
• Jesus Gonzalez
• Jake Gwin
• Chris Gilmore
• Craig Beeson date = August 10, 1996 team1 = Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) | goals1 = Pat O'Kelly Pete Schneiders
  Eric Puls
  Archie Moylan | score = 2-1 | report = | team2 = Reading Rage (PA) | stadium = Raritan High School

Conference finals

Northeast Conference

date = August 16, 1996 | team1 = North Jersey Imperials (NJ) | goals1 = *Pedro Lopes

• Dave Fitzgerald

• Dave Price | goals2 = | score = 5-0 | report = | team2 = Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) | stadium = FDU Field date = August 17, 1996 7:30 PM EST | team1 = Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) | goals1 = Ozrek
  Crowley | goals2 = DeLuca (PK) Lucey | score = 2-2 OT | report =https://www.newspapers.com/image/497771134/?match=1&terms=North%20Jersey%20Imperials%20 | team2 = North Jersey Imperials (NJ) | stadium = Raritan High School, Hazlet, New Jersey

• North Jersey Imperials advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals.

South Atlantic Conference

date = August 15, 1996 | team1 = Charlotte Eagles (NC) | goals1 = | goals2 =

• Dewan Bader

• Bucky Corbin | score = 0-3 | report =https://www.newspapers.com/image/628385696/?match=1&terms=Charlotte%20Eagles%20 | team2 = Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) | stadium = Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte, North Carolina

• Wilmington Hammerheads advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals.

Central Conference

date = August 16, 1996 | team1 = Tulsa Roughnecks (OK) | goals1 =*Virgil Stevens | goals2 = Berti Generes Victor Medina Jimmy Glenn | score = 1-3 | report =https://www.newspapers.com/image/894442349/?match=1&terms=Tulsa%20Roughnecks | team2 = DFW Toros (TX) | stadium = Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Originally planned for August 17, the second game was postponed until Sunday morning, August 18, because of heavy rainfall and flooding which rendered the playing field unusable on Saturday.

date = August 18, 1996 7:00 AM CST | team1 = DFW Toros (TX) | goals1 = * | goals2 = | score = 1-0 | report = | team2 = Tulsa Roughnecks (OK) | stadium = Dallas, Texas

• D/FW Toros advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals.

Western Conference

date = August 17, 1996 | team1 = Chico Rooks (CA) | goals1 = | goals2 = | score = 0-0 | report = | team2 = Everett BigFoot (WA) | stadium = Chico State Stadium, Chico, California Dean Freeman

• Chico Rooks advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals.

Sizzlin' Six Tournament

The Sizzlin’ Six Tournament was a six-team, two group, round robin tournament. Each of the four conference champions entered the tournament, along with national finals host Charleston Battery and the Charlotte Eagles who had the best regular-season record among the conference runners-up.

Each team received 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie and 1 bonus point for each game in which they scored three or more goals. The top two teams in each group with the most points advanced to the semifinals in Charleston, South Carolina.

Group A

8:00 PM EST

• Chris Dias
• Jim Foley
• Rene Ortiz

8:00 PM EST Mauricio De Melo Baltazar Ascensio Jose Bazan

8:00 PM EST Files

Group B

8:00 PM EST

• Chris Gonzalez
• Dewan Bader
• Shawn Kowaleski

8:00 PM EST Jeremy Sorzano
Philibert Jones
Donovan Francis Gerry Lucey

8:00 PM EST

Semifinals

6:00 PM EST

8:00 PM EST

• Patrick Olalere
• Chris Dias |report https://web.archive.org/web/20010306041838fw_/http://www.charlestonbattery.com/1996/96STAT.htm#GAME27

Final

8:00 PM EST|

• Alvaro Betancur
• Jeremy Sorzano
• Patrick Olalere

Points leaders

Honors

• MVP: Craig Beeson
• Points leader: Patrick Olalere
• Defender of the Year: Guy Norcott
• Goalkeeper of the Year: Chris Carmiento
• Rookie of the Year: Juan Sastoque
• Coach of the Year: Nuno Piteira
• Organization of the Year: Reading Rage

All-League:

• Goalkeeper: Randy Dedini
• Defenders: Guy Norcott, Tom Finley, Desmond Armstrong
• Midfielders: David Price, Pat O'Kelly, Carlos Rocha
• Forward: Craig Beeson, Patrick Olalere, Jimmy Wright, Philibert Jones

References

References

1. [http://www.socceramerica.com/article/15587/usisl-owners-limit-rule-changes.html Owners limit rule changes]
2. [http://www.socceramerica.com/article/15614/usisl-tv-deal-with-prime-announced.html USISL: TV Deal With Prime Announced]
3. [http://www.socceramerica.com/article/15971/usisl-rosters-for-1996-all-star-game.html USISL: rosters for 1996 All-Star game]
4. [http://www.socceramerica.com/article/16369/usisl-1996-postseason-awards.html USISL: 1996 Postseason Awards]