1995 USISL Pro League
Football league season
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The 1995 USISL Professional League was the higher of the two outdoor men's leagues run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1995.
Season1995
ChampionsLong Island Rough Riders (1st Title)
Regular Season titleMinnesota Thunder (1st Title)
Matches550
| Season | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Long Island Rough Riders (1st Title) |
| Regular Season title | Minnesota Thunder (1st Title) |
| Matches | 550 |
| Goals | 2,630 (4.78 per match) |
| Best player |  Giovanni Savarese Long Island Rough Riders |
| Top goalscorer |  Flávio Ferri San Antonio Pumas (29 Goals) |
| Best goalkeeper |  Jim Adams Columbus Xoggs |
← NA 1996 → | |
Overview
From its beginnings in 1986 as a semi-professional indoor league in the American Southwest, the USISL had grown over the last decade. In 1989, the league added a summer, outdoor competition which had grown in popularity as the indoor league slowly shrank. By 1994, the outdoor season included 69 teams with various levels of professionalism. In 1995, the USISL decided to split the summer schedule into two different leagues, the Professional and the Premier Leagues. The Professional League was fully professional while the Premier League continued to allow amateur and semi-professional teams to compete.
Regular season
- Regulation win = 6 points
- Shootout win (SW) = 4 points
- Shootout loss (SL) = 2 points
- Regulation loss = 0 points
- Bonus points (BP): An additional one point per goal up to a maximum of three points per game.
Northeast Division
Coastal Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Island Rough Riders | 20 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 20 | +49 | 45 | 157 |
| 2 | Delaware Wizards | 20 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 41 | 137 |
| 3 | Jersey Dragons | 20 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 48 | 32 | +16 | 39 | 111 |
| 4 | Cape Cod Crusaders | 20 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 35 | 105 |
| 5 | Rhode Island Stingrays | 20 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 30 | 56 | −26 | 28 | 60 |
| 6 | Baltimore Bays | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 29 | 64 | −35 | 28 | 50 |
Capital Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Fever | 20 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 22 | +21 | 38 | 124 |
| 2 | North Jersey Imperials | 20 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 63 | 35 | +28 | 43 | 123[a] |
| 3 | Pennsylvania Freedom | 20 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 44 | 116 |
| 4 | Albany Alleycats | 20 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 41 | 97 |
| 5 | New Hampshire Ramblers | 20 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 35 | 95 |
| 6 | Connecticut Wolves | 20 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 29 | 79 |
| 7 | Boston Storm | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 25 | 62 | −37 | 24 | 42 |
- Bonus points adjusted from 47 to 43?
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston Battery | 20 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 16 | +42 | 44 | 146 |
| 2 | Charlotte Eagles | 20 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 45 | 127 |
| 3 | Raleigh Flyers | 20 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 49 | 32 | +17 | 42 | 126 |
| 4 | Myrtle Beach Boyz | 20 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 39 | 119 |
| 5 | Hampton Roads Mariners | 20 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 41 | 119 |
| 6 | Greensboro Dynamo | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 45 | 111[a] |
- Bonus points adjusted from 43 to 45?
Midwest Division
East Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Thunder | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 15 | +57 | 49 | 163 |
| 2 | Chicago Stingers | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 39 | 105 |
| 3 | St. Louis Knights | 20 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 34 | 96 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Cheetahs | 20 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 36 | 50 | −14 | 33 | 67 |
| 5 | Detroit Wheels | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 25 | 66 | −41 | 15 | 29[a] |
- Bonus points adjusted from 24 to 15?
West Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Rampage | 20 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 63 | 24 | +39 | 45 | 147 |
| 2 | Columbus Xoggz | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 19 | +43 | 46 | 146 |
| 3 | Louisville Thoroughbreds | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 41 | 107 |
| 4 | Lexington Bluegrass Bandits | 20 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 39 | 89 |
| 5 | Rockford Raptors | 20 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 28 | 78 |
Southeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Cyclones | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 70 | 25 | +45 | 47 | 147 |
| 2 | Mobile Revelers | 20 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 21 | +18 | 34 | 116 |
| 3 | Chattanooga Railroaders | 20 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 40 | 98 |
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 20 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 36 | 56 | −20 | 32 | 78 |
| 5 | Florida Stars | 20 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 36 | 56 | −20 | 26 | 76 |
South Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso Patriots | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 67 | 38 | +29 | 51 | 141 |
| 2 | DFW Toros | 20 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 62 | 40 | +22 | 44 | 126 |
| 3 | New Mexico Chiles | 20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 54 | 31 | +23 | 42 | 120 |
| 4 | San Antonio Pumas | 20 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 69 | 46 | +23 | 44 | 120 |
| 5 | New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers | 20 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 39 | 113 |
| 6 | Texas Lightning | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 33 | 75 |
| 7 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 32 | 45 | −13 | 31 | 67 |
Western Division
North Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterey Bay Jaguars | 20 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 24 | +36 | 46 | 138 |
| 2 | Chico Rooks | 20 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 45 | 131 |
| 3 | Reno Rattlers | 20 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 44 | 23 | +21 | 37 | 115 |
| 4 | CCV Hydra | 20 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 34 | 90 |
| 5 | San Francisco Bay Diablos | 20 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 34 | 76 |
South Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Salsa U-23s | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 63 | 34 | +29 | 47 | 137 |
| 2 | San Diego Top Guns | 20 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 41 | 115 |
| 3 | Valley Golden Eagles | 20 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 34 | 104 |
| 4 | Las Vegas Quicksilver | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 22 | 55 | −33 | 22 | 40 |
Northwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii Tsunami | 20 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 15 | +54 | 48 | 154 |
| 2 | Salem Surge | 20 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 47 | 131 |
| 3 | Everett Bigfoot | 20 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 32 | 102 |
| 4 | Portland Firebirds | 20 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 31 | 91 |
| 5 | Yakima Reds | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 27 | 51 |
Playoffs
Northeast Division
First round
| Pennsylvania Freedom (PA) | 0-1 | Jersey Dragons (NJ) |
|---|---|---|
United German-Hungarian Club, Oakford, Pennsylvania
| North Jersey Imperials (NJ) | 1-4 | Cape Cod Crusaders (MA) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Don Ahern Veteran's Memorial Stadium, Bayonne, New Jersey
Referee: Noel Kenny
Second round
| Delaware Wizards (DE) | 5–4 (SO) | Cape Cod Crusaders (WI) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
5–4 | |
Attendance: 3,074
- According to the available records, the Delaware Wizards defeated the Cape Cod Crusaders 5-4 (SO).
| New York Fever (NY) | 1-0 | Jersey Dragons (NJ) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
Attendance: 973
Final
| New York Fever (NY) | 1-0 | Delaware Wizards (MA) |
|---|---|---|
Mike Saunders  54' |
Report 1 |
Attendance: 725
| Delaware Wizards (MA) | 0-2 | New York Fever (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 11' Jim McElderry 47' Ian Hennessy |
Attendance: 3,118
The New York Fever advanced.
Atlantic Division
| Charlotte Eagles (NC) | 0-2 | Raleigh Flyers (NC) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Charlotte, North Carolina
Attendance: 1,312
| Charleston Battery (SC) | 0-3 | Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | (6:39) Chris Diaz 45' Troy Edwards 57' John Garvey |
Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina
Attendance: 3,127
Final
| Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) | 1-6 | Raleigh Flyers (NC) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 1,000
| Raleigh Flyers (NC) | 1-3 | Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
- The teams played a mini-game to decide who advanced after finishing the series tied at one game apiece.
| Raleigh Flyers (NC) | 0-2 | Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
The Myrtle Beach Boyz advanced.
Midwest Division
First round
| St. Louis Knights (MO) | 1-2 OT | Chicago Stingers (IL) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Columbus Xoggz (OH) | 1-1 | Louisville Thoroughbreds (KY) |
|---|---|---|
| Marty Schafer 11' |
48' Marty Schoering  88' Louisville player #13 |
Xogg houZe, Dublin, Ohio
- The game was suspended late in the match due to darkness. On August 10th, the league announced the Xoggz and Thoroughbreds would finish their game on August 11th. The team which won would then immediately play the Milwaukee Rampage in the first game of the second round series. The Thoroughbreds, facing the requirement to make short-notice travel plans in order to play the last few minutes of the suspended game, then play their "home game" in Columbus in the event they won, chose to forfeit instead.
Second round
- The Midwest Division second round matchups featured two-game series. All other divisions had single elimination matchups.
| Chicago Stingers (IL) | 0-2 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) |
|---|---|---|
Steve Morris  PK |
Report | 55', 56' Tony Sanneh |
Forest View Park; Arlington Heights, Illinois
Attendance: 1,096
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 3-1 | Chicago Stingers (IL) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 1,567
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the Midwest Division final.
| Columbus Xoggz (OH) | 1-1 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Damian Roden 33' |
Report | 31' Dan Stebbins |
| Penalties | ||
| Matt Coyer Marty Schafer Stephen Pugh Lord |
0-2 | Kris Kelderman Steve Provan Rodrigo Gonzalez Dan Stebbins |
Xogg houZe, Dublin, Ohio
Attendance: 1,503
Attendance: 2,107
The Milwaukee Rampage advanced.
Final
| Milwaukee Rampage (WI) | 2-0 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 2,812
Attendance: 2,529
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 1-0 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Lone (8:59) |
Report |
Attendance: 2,529
The Minnesota Thunder advanced.
Southeast Division
| Tampa Bay Cyclones (FL) | 4-1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (FL) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 1,400
Attendance: 1,700
Final
| Tampa Bay Cyclones (FL) | 3-1 | Chattanooga Railroaders (TN) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 2,514
The Tampa Bay Cyclones advanced.
South Central Division
| El Paso Patriots (TX) | 3-2 OT | San Antonio Pumas (TX) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 3,823
| New Mexico Chiles (NM) | 7-2 | DFW Toros (TX) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Milne Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 4,877
Final
| New Mexico Chiles (NM) | 3-0 | El Paso Patriots (TX) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Wilson Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 3,529
| El Paso Patriots (TX) | 1-2 | New Mexico Chiles (NM) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 2,000
The New Mexico Chiles advanced to the Sizzlin' Nine Tournament.
Western Division
First round
| Chico Rooks (CA) | 1-2 | Reno Rattlers (NV) |
|---|---|---|
| Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 2,215
Second round
| Monterey Bay Jaguars (CA) | 2-1 | Reno Rattlers (NV) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Carl Connelly Stadium, Aptos, California
Attendance: 900
Attendance: 900
Final
| Los Angeles Salsa U-23's (CA) | 2-3 | Monterey Bay Jaguars (CA) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Attendance: 1,100
| Monterey Bay Jaguars (CA) | 2-1 OT | Los Angeles Salsa U-23's (CA) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Carl Connelly Stadium, Aptos, California
Attendance: 1,000
The Monterey Bay Jaguars advanced.
Northwest Division
| Cascade Surge (OR) | 3-2 | Everett BigFoot (WA) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Final
| Hawaii Tsunami (HI) | 2-0 | Cascade Surge (OR) |
|---|---|---|
|
Attendance: 4,500
The Hawaii Tsunami advanced.
Sizzlin' Nine Championship
The Sizzlin' Nine Championship was a three-group round robin tournament featuring nine teams. The Long Island Rough Riders received a bye into the Sizzlin' Nine Championship. The other eight teams were the seven divisional champions and the divisional finals runner-up with the highest total points during the regular season. Each of the three groups played at a single location. The top four teams then advanced to the playoff semifinals.
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Island Rough Riders | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
| 2 | Monterey Bay Jaguars | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
| 3 | New Mexico Chiles | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | −10 |
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 2-1 | Monterey Bay Jaguars (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Savarese (46:47) Mike Masters (52:12) |
Report | (26:16) Paul Bravo |
Attendance: 2,478
| Monterey Bay Jaguars (CA) | 8-1 | New Mexico Chiles (NM) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 4-1 | New Mexico Chiles (NM) |
|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Savarese Cordt Weinstein |
Report | Richie Louis |
Attendance: 2,681
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Thunder | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| 2 | New York Fever | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Hawaii Tsunami | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
| New York Fever (NY) | 1-0 | Hawaii Tsunami (HI) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 2-0 |
|
|
Barrett Stadium, Valhalla, New York
Attendance: 992
- When the game ended in a tie, the referee chose to go directly to penalty kicks because the field had no lights and it was difficult to see.
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2-0 | Hawaii Tsunami (HI) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Barrett Stadium, Valhalla, New York
Attendance: 200
Barrett Stadium, Valhalla, New York
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Cyclones | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 |
| 2 | Myrtle Beach Boyz | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Rampage | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 |
| Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) | 3-5 | Tampa Bay Cyclones (FL) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Attendance: 1,000
| Milwaukee Rampage (WI) | 3-2 | Tampa Bay Cyclones (FL) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
| Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) | 4-2 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Attendance: 750
Semi-finals
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 3-2 OT | Myrtle Beach Boyz (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Amos Magee (6:19) Manny Lagos (59:32)Don Gramenz  62:30' |
Report | (16:19) John Garvey |
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 5-2 | Tampa Bay Cyclones (FL) |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 3,425
Final
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 2-1 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Armas (29:16) Giovanni Savarese (59:54) |
(Report) Report 2 | 33' Amos Magee |
Attendance: 4,118
Points leaders
| Rank | Scorer | Club | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flavio Ferri |
San Antonio Pumas | 19 | 29 | 8 | 66 |
| 2 | Rito Delgado |
El Paso Patriots | 18 | 26 | 11 | 61 |
| 3 |  Paul Young |
Charleston Battery | 19 | 23 | 9 | 55 |
| 4 | Giovanni Savarese |
Long Island Rough Riders | 20 | 23 | 8 | 54 |
| 5 |  Darren Eales |
Hampton Roads Mariners | 19 | 24 | 4 | 52 |
| 6 |  Ivailo Ilarionov |
Chattanooga Railroaders | 15 | 18 | 14 | 50 |
| 7 | Billy Thompson |
Hawaii Tsunami | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
| 8 | Duane Robinson |
New Jersey Imperials | 17 | 21 | 5 | 47 |
| 9 | Manny Lagos |
Minnesota Thunder | 17 | 19 | 7 | 45 |
| 10 | John van Buskirk |
Louisville Thoroughbreds | 19 | 21 | 3 | 44 |
Honors
- MVP:
Giovanni Savarese - Points leader:
Flavio Ferri, San Antonio Pumas (66 points) - Goals leader: Flavio Ferri, San Antonio Pumas (29 goals)
- Assists leader:
Wayne Lobring, Louisville Thoroughbreds (18 assists) - Defender of the Year: Troy Edwards
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Jim Adams
- Rookie of the Year: Wellijohn Dominiciano Jr.,
- Coach of the Year: Buzz Lagos
- Organization of the Year: Tampa Bay Cyclones