1997 USISL A-League
Football league season
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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.
| Season | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Milwaukee Rampage (1st Title) |
| Premiers | Montreal Impact (3rd Title) |
| Matches | 336 |
| Goals | 1,000 (2.98 per match) |
| Best player |  Doug Miller, Rochester Raging Rhinos |
| Top goalscorer | Doug Miller, Rochester Raging Rhinos (23 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Dusty Hudock, Seattle Sounders |
1998 → | |
Overview
At the end of the 1996 A-League season, the U.S. second division A-League collapsed. Six of the seven 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 28 | 73 | −45 | 13 |
Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Jaguars | 28 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 48 | 34 | +14 | 52 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders | 28 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 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 |
Division Semi-finals
Northeast Semifinal 1
| Rochester Raging Rhinos (NY) | 0–0 | Long Island Rough Riders (NY) |
|---|---|---|
Kevin Koetters  Fuseini Dauda Andrew McKay Leon Minott Lenin Steenkamp Gustavo Villagra  78' |
Report | ?'  78' Tom Lips Daniel Leon Flávio Ferri |
| Penalties | ||
Mali Walton  Mike Kirmse Nate Daligcon Andrew McKay  Doug Miller Fuseini Dauda Chris Kennell |
3–4 | Daniel Leon David Price Laurence Piturro Hector Wright Ernest Inneh Jim McElderry Sal Leanti |
Attendance: 5,160
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 1–1 | Rochester Raging Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
Carlos Ledesma  (62:26)Ernest Inneh 29'Dahir Mohammed ?' 88'Travis Rinker |
Report 1 Report 2 |
(7:43) Nate Daligcon ?' 82' Leon Minott Fuseini Dauda Nate Houser Jimmy Glenn |
| Penalties | ||
| Travis Rinker Hector Wright Daniel Leon |
3–1 | Mali Walton Garth Miller Nate Houser Kevin Koetters |
Attendance: 4,361
Long Island advances to the Division final
Northeast Semifinal 2
| 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 |
| Montreal Impact (QC) | 4–0 | Toronto Lynx (ON) |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Moreland 17' (pen.), 25', 26' Bill Sedgewick 45' |
Attendance: 4,138
Montreal advances to the Division final
Atlantic Semifinal 1
| Richmond Kickers (VA) | 1–2 | Carolina Dynamo (NC) |
|---|---|---|
| Rob Ukrop 63' |
23' Robert Rosario 31' Yari Allnutt |
Attendance: 1,362
| Carolina Dynamo (NC) | 1–4 | Richmond Kickers (VA) |
|---|---|---|
| Keiran Breslin 32' |
14' Dian Anguelov 72' Brian Kamler 75' Mario Lone 82' Mac Cozier |
Attendance: 1,560
| Carolina Dynamo (NC) | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers (VA) |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–1 | ||
Attendance: 1,560
Carolina advances to the Division final
Atlantic Semifinal 2
| Charleston Battery (CA) | 1–1 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Castillo 38' Michael Anhaeuser 50'Patrick Olalere 85' |
Report | 78' Mark Waite |
| Penalties | ||
| 1–3 | ||
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 1–1 | Charleston Battery (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Tschantret 89' |
Report | Juan Castillo 75' Patrick Olalere |
| Penalties | ||
| 0–1 | ||
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 0–0 | Charleston Battery (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 4–2 | ||
Hershey advances to the Division final
Central Semifinal 1
| Orlando Sundogs (FL) | 1–2 | New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan Lewis ?' 34' Greg Brick 54' |
Report | 12', 23' Stern John |
Referee: Robert Mann (USA)
| 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 |
Attendance: 653
New Orleans advances to the Division final
Central Semifinal 2
| Nashville Metros (TN) | 1–2 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Geltz 2' |
81' Nick Igel 85' David Marshall |
Columbia Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 550 or 1,500
| Milwaukee Rampage (WI) | 3–0 | Nashville Metros (TN) |
|---|---|---|
| Travis Roy 27' Dan Stebbins 81', 83' |
Attendance: 1,229
Milwaukee advances to the Division final
Pacific Semifinal 1
| Colorado Foxes (CO) | 0–3 | Seattle Sounders (WA) |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers Guthrie |
Report | Vicente Figueroa 20' Erik Storkson 26' Mike Gailey 84' (pen.) David Hoggan |
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 2–0 | Colorado Foxes (CO) |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Gutierrez Vicente Figueroa Vicente Figueroa 70'Esmundo Rodriguez 89' |
Report | Chad Ashton 87' 88' Ray Tomlin |
Seattle advances to the Division final
Pacific Semifinal 2
| Vancouver 86ers (BC) | 4–1 | California Jaguars (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Domenic Mobilio 2' (pen.) 54' (pen.) Steve Kindel 35' |
86' Paul Holocher |
Attendance: 2,716
| 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
Vancouver advances to the Division final
Division Finals
Northeast Division final
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 2–1 | Montreal Impact (QC) |
|---|---|---|
| Hector Wright 4' Flavio Ferri 55' |
5' Lloyd Barker |
Attendance: 3,585
| Montreal Impact (QC) | 2–0 | Long Island Rough Riders (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Mauro Biello 34' Lyndon Hooper 77' |
Attendance: 6,679
| Montreal Impact (QC) | 0–0 | Long Island Rough Riders (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 1–4 | ||
Attendance: 6,679
Atlantic Division final
| 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
| Carolina Dynamo (NC) | 2–1 | Charleston Battery (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Maher Atta 29' Yari Allnutt 89' |
27' (pen.) Andy Schmetzer |
Attendance: 1,506
| Carolina Dynamo (NC) | 1–0 | Charleston Battery (SC) |
|---|---|---|
| Ed Radwanski 12' |
Attendance: 1,506
Central Division final
| Milwaukee Rampage (WI) | 2–1 (OT) | New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA) |
|---|---|---|
Nick Igel 81',  92' |
9' Ricardo Blanchard |
Attendance: 2,818
| New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (LA) | 3–4 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Stern John 64' (pen.) Gabe Jones 67'Mickey Trotman 78' |
51' (pen.), 78' (pen.) Jon Szczepanski 60' Dan Stebbins 74' David Marshall |
Attendance: 898
Pacific Division final
Attendance: 4,820
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
| Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 1–2 | Carolina Dynamo (NC) |
|---|---|---|
| Laurence Piturro 71' |
72', 89' (pen.) Brian Loftin |
Attendance: 1,044
| Carolina Dynamo (NC) | 2–0 | Long Island Rough Riders (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Loftin 84' Laurence Piturro  86' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 2,105
The Carolina Dynamo advance.
Western Conference
| Milwaukee Rampage (WI) | 3–1 | Vancouver 86ers (BC) |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Stebbins 65', 82', 87' |
51' Domenic Mobilio |
Attendance: 2,888
| Vancouver 86ers (BC) | 1–0 | Milwaukee Rampage (WI) |
|---|---|---|
| Domenic Mobilio 63' (pen.) |
Attendance: 4,323
The Milwaukee Rampage advance, winning two out of three games.
Final
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 |
| 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 |
| 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
- Goalkeeper:
- 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
- Goalkeeper:
- Organization of the Year: Rochester Raging Rhinos
- Executive of the Year: Todd Smith, Hershey Wildcats
- Fair Play Award: Colorado Foxes
