1998 USISL D-3 Pro League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1998 USISL D-3 Pro League was the 12th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and was the second season of now-defunct USISL D-3 Pro League. The champions were the Chicago Stingers who beat the New Hampshire Phantoms in the final.
Season1998
ChampionsChicago Stingers (1st Title)
Regular Season titleMiami Breakers (1st Title)
RelegatedCentral Jersey Riptide
Miami Breakers
NYCD Alleycats
Orlando Nighthawks
Vermont Voltage
Miami Breakers
NYCD Alleycats
Orlando Nighthawks
Vermont Voltage
| Season | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chicago Stingers (1st Title) |
| Regular Season title | Miami Breakers (1st Title) |
| Relegated | Central Jersey Riptide Miami Breakers NYCD Alleycats Orlando Nighthawks Vermont Voltage |
| Matches | 350 |
| Goals | 1,389 (3.97 per match) |
| Best Player |  Luis Orellana Chico Rooks |
| Top goalscorer |  Michael Butler Western Mass Pioneers Luis Orellana Chico Rooks (15 Goals Each) |
| Best goalkeeper |  Daniel Britton Roanoke Wrath |
← 1997 1999 → | |
Changes from 1996
Before the season, Western Massachusetts, Northern Virginia, and Pensacola were added. Baltimore became Eastern Shore. Dallas became Texas. Vermont became the Voltage. Miami was promoted from PDSL.
Name Changes
- Vermont Wanderers rebranded as Vermont Voltage
- Baltimore Bays rebranded as Eastern Shore Sharks
- Dallas Toros rebranded as Texas Toros
New Clubs
| Team name | Metro area | Location | Previous affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
 Miami Breakers |
South Florida | Miami, FL | promoted from PDSL |
 Northern Virginia Royals |
Northern Virginia | Manassas, VA | expansion |
| Pensacola Barracudas |
Pensacola area | Pensacola, FL | expansion |
 Western Mass Pioneers |
Springfield area | Ludlow, MA | expansion |
Folding or Moving
No teams left the league nor folded.
Teams
Head coaching changes
Season Overview
Standings
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island Stingrays | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 33 | USISL Divisional Semifinals |
| 2 | New Hampshire Phantoms | 18 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 36 | 24 | +12 | 32 | |
| 3 | Western Mass Pioneers | 18 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 30 | |
| 4 | Cape Cod Crusaders | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 21 | |
| 5 | Vermont Voltage | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 43 | −28 | 6[a] | Relegation to the 1999 PDSL |
- 1 point deduction
Mid-Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Jersey Barons | 18 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 36 | USISL Divisional Semifinals |
| 2 | Reading Rage | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 30 | |
| 3 | New Jersey Stallions | 18 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 30 | |
| 4 | Central Jersey Riptide | 18 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 33 | 19 | +14 | 27 | USISL Divisional Semifinals and relegation to the 1999 PDSL |
| 5 | NYCD Alleycats | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 36 | −17 | 15 | Relegation to the 1999 PDSL |
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware Wizards | 18 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 16 | +27 | 40 | USISL Divisional Finals |
| 2 | Myrtle Beach Seadawgs | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 26 | +16 | 37 | |
| 3 | Charlotte Eagles | 18 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 47 | 31 | +16 | 31 | USISL Divisional Semifinals |
| 4 | Roanoke Wrath | 18 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 19 | +17 | 30 | |
| 5 | South Carolina Shamrocks | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 25 | |
| 6 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 34 | −1 | 24 | |
| 7 | Northern Virginia Royals | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 16 | |
| 8 | Eastern Shore Sharks | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 16 | 90 | −74 | 0 |
Southeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Breakers | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 21 | +46 | 51 |
| 2 | Orlando Nighthawks | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 62 | 33 | +29 | 36 |
| 3 | Southwest Florida Manatees | 18 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 34 | 57 | −23 | 24 |
| 4 | Pensacola Barracudas | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 21 | 57 | −36 | 13 |
| 5 | Tallahassee Tempest | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 12 | 41 | −29 | 6 |
North Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana Blast | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 24 | +33 | 45 |
| 2 | Chicago Stingers | 18 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 39 |
| 3 | Rockford Raptors | 18 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 25 | +6 | 28 |
| 4 | Cleveland Caps | 18 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 28 |
South Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Lone Stars | 18 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 46 | 20 | +26 | 39 |
| 2 | Texas Toros | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 37 |
| 3 | San Antonio Pumas | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 21 |
| 4 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 16[a] |
| 5 | Houston Hurricanes | 17 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 14 |
| 6 | Shreveport/Bossier Lions | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 50 | −26 | 6[b] |
West Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona Sahuaros | 18 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 67 | 28 | +39 | 42 |
| 2 | Chico Rooks | 18 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 31 |
| 3 | Stanislaus County Cruisers | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 51 | 25 | +26 | 37 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Fireballs | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 37 | −16 | 16 |
| 5 | San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 15 |
| 6 | Reno Rattlers | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 23 | 52 | −29 | 10 |
Source: [1]
Playoffs
Divisional Semifinals
Higher seed/home team on the left.
| Texas Toros | 3–4 (OT) | San Antonio Pumas |
|---|---|---|
|
| Austin Lone Stars | 4–2 | Houston Hurricanes |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Roanoke Wrath | 5–2 | South Carolina Shamrocks |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Chicago Stingers | 3–0 | Rockford Raptors |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Forest View Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois
| Rhode Island Stingrays | 5–2 | Cape Cod Crusaders |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 600
| New Hampshire Phantoms | 2–1 (OT) (a.e.t.) | Western Mass Pioneers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
| South Jersey Barons | 2–3 (OT) (a.e.t.) | Central Jersey Riptide |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Charlotte Eagles | 4–0 | Wilmington Hammerheads |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Orlando Nighthawks | 6–2 | Southwest Florida Manatees |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Arizona Sahuaros | 3–0 | Los Angeles Fireballs |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 1,723
| Stanislaus County Cruisers | 3–2 | Chico Rooks |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Attendance: 2,140
| Reading Rage | 5–2 | New Jersey Stallions |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Division Finals
- Austin defeated Texas 1-0
- Charlotte defeated Myrtle Beach, 8-3
- Delaware defeated Roanoke, 2-1
- New Hampshire defeated Rhode Island, 3-2
- Chicago defeated Indiana, 3-0
- Central Jersey defeated Reading, 3-0
- Arizona defeated Stanislaus County 2-1
South Central Division Final
Atlantic Division Final 1
| Myrtle Beach Seadawgs | 3–8 | Charlotte Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
North Central Division Final
| Indiana Blast | 0–3 | Chicago Stingers |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 3,218
Southeast Division Final
| Miami Breakers | 0–1 | Orlando Nighthawks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Mid-Atlantic Division Final
| Reading Rage | 0–3 | Central Jersey Riptide |
|---|---|---|
| Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 2,016
Atlantic Division Final 2
| Delaware Wizards | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Roanoke Wrath |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
3–2 |
|
Northeast Division Final
| Rhode Island Stingrays | 2–3 | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
West Division Final
| Arizona Sahuaros | 2–1 | Stanislaus County Cruisers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 1,000
Quarterfinals/Regional Finals
- New Hampshire defeated Central Jersey, 3-0
- Chicago defeated Delaware 1-0
- Orlando defeated Charlotte, 3-2
- Austin defeated Arizona 1-0
| Chicago Stingers | 1–0 | Delaware Wizards |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Forest View Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois
Attendance: 2,029
| Charlotte Eagles | 2–3 (OT) | Orlando Nighthawks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
East Regional Final
| New Hampshire Phantoms | 3–0 | Central Jersey Riptide |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Semifinals
- Chicago defeated Orlando, 2-0
- New Hampshire defeated Austin, 3-2 (OT)
| Chicago Stingers | 2–0 | Orlando Nighthawks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Del Valle Stadium, Del Valle, Texas
| Austin Lone Stars | 2–3 (OT) | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Championship
Chicago defeated New Hampshire, 3-2 (OT)
Third Place Match
| Austin Lone Stars | 2–3 | Orlando Nighthawks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Del Valle Stadium, Del Valle, Texas
Attendance: 863
USISL D-3 Pro League Championship Game
| Chicago Stingers | 3–2 (OT) | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Top goalscorers
Statistics
Honors
- Organization of the Year:[5] Indiana Blast
- Executive of the Year: Gary Mack, Stanislaus County Cruisers
- Fair Play Award: Charlotte Eagles