1999 USL A-League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1999 USL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Soccer League during the summer of 1999.
Season1999
ChampionsMinnesota Thunder
(1st Title)
(1st Title)
PremiersRochester Raging Rhinos
(2nd Title)
(2nd Title)
Matches420
| Season | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Minnesota Thunder (1st Title) |
| Premiers | Rochester Raging Rhinos (2nd Title) |
| Matches | 420 |
| Goals | 1,427 (3.4 per match) |
| Best Player |  John Swallen, Minnesota Thunder |
| Top goalscorer |  Niall Thompson, Vancouver 86ers, Mark Baena, Seattle Sounders (20 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | John Swallen, Minnesota Thunder |
← 1998 2000 → | |
Regular season
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Rhinos | 28 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 7 | 92 |
| 2 | Staten Island Vipers | 28 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 53 | 31 | +22 | 9 | 82 |
| 3 | Long Island Rough Riders | 28 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 8 | 74 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 28 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 9 | 72 |
| 5 | Lehigh Valley Steam | 28 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 6 | 63 |
| 6 | Boston Bulldogs | 28 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 8 | 61 |
| 7 | Toronto Lynx | 28 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 2 | 51 |
| 8 | Connecticut Wolves | 28 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 32 | 68 | −36 | 5 | 34 |
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hershey Wildcats | 28 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 10 | 75 |
| 2 | Richmond Kickers | 28 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 6 | 69 |
| 3 | Charleston Battery | 28 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 6 | 68 |
| 4 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 28 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 6 | 62 |
| 5 | Jacksonville Cyclones | 28 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 9 | 60 |
| 6 | Hampton Roads Mariners | 28 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 5 | 57 |
| 7 | Raleigh Express | 28 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 32 | 50 | −18 | 5 | 47 |
| 8 | Maryland Mania | 28 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 16 | 85 | −69 | 2 | 13 |
Western Conference
Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Thunder | 28 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 17 | +40 | 6 | 90 |
| 2 | MLS Project 40 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 4 | 68 |
| 3 | New Orleans Storm | 28 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 56 | 61 | −5 | 11 | 67 |
| 4 | Indiana Blast | 28 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 5 | 55 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Rampage | 28 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 5 | 54 |
| 6 | Tennessee Rhythm | 28 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 44 | 52 | −8 | 6 | 49 |
| 7 | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 28 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 45 | 71 | −26 | 7 | 34 |
Pacific Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Flash | 28 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 65 | 30 | +35 | 11 | 90 |
| 2 | Vancouver 86ers | 28 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 77 | 31 | +46 | 10 | 84 |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders | 28 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 10 | 81 |
| 4 | Orange County Zodiac | 28 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 10 | 73 |
| 5 | El Paso Patriots | 28 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 49 | 59 | −10 | 6 | 56 |
| 6 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 28 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 4 | 40 |
| 7 | Sacramento Geckos | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 16 | 91 | −75 | 0 | 1 |
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern Conference
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 2–1 | Lehigh Valley Steam (PA) |
|---|---|---|
Carlos Zavala  70'Mauro Biello 72' |
89' Ian Checcio |
Attendance: 8,437
| Staten Island Vipers (NY) | 3–2 (OT) | Richmond Kickers (VA) |
|---|---|---|
| Ernest Inneh 27', 57' Martin Dugas  97' |
30', 80' Gary Glasgow |
Attendance: 1,452
| 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 |
Attendance: 1,452
| 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
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 3–1 | El Paso Patriots (TX) |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Legg 26', 70' 90' (pen.) |
9' Victor Castro |
Attendance: 2,984
| Vancouver 86ers (BC) | 1–3 | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Dailly 85' |
39' Alen Kozić 69', 84' Kirk Wilson 70' Jason Moore |
Attendance: 5,050
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 4–0 | New Orleans Storm (LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Gaunt 33' (o.g.) Stoian Mladenov 65'Gerard Lagos 78', 84' |
Attendance: 1,560
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 6–3 | Orange County Zodiac (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Henderson 17', 44' (pen.) Mark Baena 26'Jose Vasquez 38' (o.g.)Kieran Barton  59'Ian Russell 64', 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
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 2–0 | Staten Island Vipers (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Jamel Mitchell 65' Matthew Ford 84' |
Referee: Rob Sheker
| Staten Island Vipers (NY) | 0–2 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| 37', 84' Jamel Mitchell 67' Kyle Swords |
Attendance: 1,085
The Hershey Wildcats advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Eastern Conference Semifinal 2
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 6–2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 1:30', 10:50' Darren Tilley 8:30', 71:04'Yari Allnutt 18:00'Mauro Biello 50:00' |
Report | 38:10' Justin Evans 87:00' Goran Vasic |
Attendance: 9,127
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) | 1–0 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Apple 65' |
Report |
Attendance: 4,115
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 2–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 35' Tim Hardy 43'Nate Daligcon 49'Mali Walton 52' |
https://www.newspapers.com/image/136563379/?terms=Rhinos Report | 29' Gary DePalma 44'  64' Tenywa Bonseu |
Attendance: 6,541
The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Western Conference Semifinal 1
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 1–0 (OT) | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Schneider 105' |
Attendance: 1,578
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2–0 | MLS Project 40 |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Lagos 28' Stoian Mladenov 42' |
89' Judah Cooks |
Attendance: 946
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the Western Conference final.
Western Conference Semifinal 2
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 6–0 | Seattle Sounders (WA) |
|---|---|---|
| Chugger Adair 3' Antonio Robles 23'Carlos Farias 34', 53', 60', 84' (pen.)Mauricio Alegre 87' |
Report | 23' Ollie Heald |
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 0–1 | San Diego Flash (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Annicchero 82' |
Report | 11' Jerome Watson |
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 |
Attendance: 6,541
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 1–0 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Miller 80' |
Attendance: 9,024
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 3–1 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| Mauro Biello 20' Doug Miller 81' (pen.)Yari Allnutt 85' |
78' Tim Leonard |
Attendance: 7,753
The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the final.
Western Conference
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 4–1 | San Diego Flash (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Paweł Nowak 10' Stoian Mladenov 58' (pen.)Amos Magee 63', 88' |
29' Jamie Munro |
Attendance: 2,072
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 1–2 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) |
|---|---|---|
| Nate Hetherington 83' |
Report | 7' 14' Morgan Zeba 27' Amos Magee 80' (pen.) Kalin Bankov |
Attendance: 2,983
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the final.
Final
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2–1 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Lagos 43' Paweł Nowak 47' |
57' Darren Tilley |
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 | 17 | 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