2016 North American Soccer League season
Football league season
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The 2016 North American Soccer League season is the 49th season of Division II soccer in the United States and Canada, and the 6th season of the modern North American Soccer League.
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | New York Cosmos |
| Spring Champions | Indy Eleven |
| Fall Champions | New York Cosmos |
| Matches | 187 |
| Goals | 441 (2.36 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | |
| Biggest home win | 5 goals: NYC 6–1 CAR (August 27) |
| Biggest away win | 4 goals: MNU 0–4 MIA (Aug 6) |
| Highest scoring | 7 goals: IND 5–2 JAX (August 3) NYC 6–1 CAR (August 27) |
| Longest winning run | 5 games: FC Edmonton (Jul 27 – Aug 20) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 games: Indy Eleven (Apr 2 – Jul 11) |
| Longest winless run | 10 games: Puerto Rico (Jul 30 – Sep 17) |
| Longest losing run | 5 games: Jacksonville (Jul 13 – Aug 3) |
| Highest attendance | 10,156 MIA 1–1 TBR (April 9) |
| Lowest attendance | 418 FTL 1–0 FCE (October 12) |
| Total attendance | 885,337 |
| Average attendance | 4,734 |
← 2015 2017 → | |
Three expansion clubs joined the league, with Miami FC and Rayo OKC joining in the Spring season and Puerto Rico FC beginning competition in the Fall season. In December, 2015, the San Antonio Scorpions' home stadium, Toyota Field, was bought by the city of San Antonio for use by Spurs Sports & Entertainment to host a club in the USL, forcing the Scorpions to cease operations.[1] In January, 2016, the NASL suspended its operation of the Atlanta Silverbacks for the 2016 season and possibly beyond.[2] As a result, the Spring season was contested by 11 clubs and the Fall season by 12. The New York Cosmos are defending Soccer Bowl champions. A split season format was used for the 2016 season.
Teams, stadiums, and personnel
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
Player transfers
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | Expansion team | August 24, 2015[3] | ||||
| Miami | August 31, 2015[4] | |||||
| Ottawa Fury | End of contract | November 20, 2015 | Pre-season | November 20, 2015[5] | ||
| Jacksonville Armada | End of interim period | November 24, 2015 | November 24, 2015[6] | |||
| Indy Eleven | End of interim period | December 2, 2015 | December 2, 2015[7] | |||
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | End of contract | November 16, 2015 | December 2, 2015[8] | |||
| Minnesota United | Promotion to general manager | December 3, 2015 | December 3, 2015[9] | |||
| San Antonio Scorpions | Fired | November 1, 2015[10] | Club defunct[11] | |||
| Rayo OKC | Expansion team | January 7, 2016[12] | ||||
| Atlanta Silverbacks | Released | January 11, 2016 | Pre-season | Club on hiatus[13] | ||
| Rayo OKC | Mutual termination | August 1, 2016 | 5th | August 1, 2016[14] | ||
| Jacksonville Armada | Fired | August 7, 2016 | 11th | August 7, 2016[15] | ||
Spring season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indy Eleven (S) | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 18 | Playoffs |
| 2 | New York Cosmos | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 18 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 17 | |
| 4 | Minnesota United | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 16 | |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 15 | |
| 7 | Carolina RailHawks | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 14 | |
| 8 | Rayo OKC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 12 | |
| 9 | Ottawa Fury | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 9 | |
| 10 | Jacksonville Armada | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 7 | |
| 11 | Miami FC | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(S) Spring season champion
Results
Fall season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos (F) | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 47 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Indy Eleven | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 37 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 36 | |
| 4 | Rayo OKC | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 35 | |
| 5 | Miami FC | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 33 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 28 | −9 | 26 | |
| 7 | Carolina RailHawks | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 26 | |
| 8 | Minnesota United | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| 9 | Puerto Rico | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 24 | |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 23 | |
| 11 | Jacksonville Armada | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 23 | |
| 12 | Ottawa Fury | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 26 | −3 | 22 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(F) Fall season champion
Results
Playoffs
Combined standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos (C, X) | 32 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 65 | Championship qualifiers |
| 2 | Indy Eleven | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 55 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 53 | |
| 4 | Rayo OKC | 32 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 47 | |
| 5 | Minnesota United | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 41 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 41 | |
| 7 | Miami FC | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 38 | 42 | −4 | 40 | |
| 8 | Carolina RailHawks | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 36 | 48 | −12 | 40 | |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 32 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 39 | |
| 10 | Ottawa Fury | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 31 | |
| 11 | Jacksonville Armada | 32 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 46 | −16 | 30 | |
| 12 | Puerto Rico FC | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 24 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season champion
The Championship
Participants
- (1) New York Cosmos (Fall season champion)
- (2) Indy Eleven (Spring season champion)
- (3) FC Edmonton
- (4) Rayo OKC
Semifinals
| Indy Eleven | 1–0 | FC Edmonton |
|---|---|---|
| Ubiparipović |
Report Report |
Diakité Eckersley |
Soccer Bowl 2016
Attendance
| Club | GP | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota United | 16 | 137,161 | 9,460 | 6,101 | 8,573 | -2.2% |
| Indy Eleven | 16 | 134,339 | 9,356 | 6,132 | 8,396 | -14.4% |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 16 | 94,048 | 7,690 | 4,429 | 5,878 | 4.1% |
| Ottawa Fury | 16 | 87,717 | 7,847 | 4,317 | 5,482 | 6.2% |
| Miami | 16 | 86,833 | 10,156 | 1,229 | 5,427 | N/A |
| Carolina RailHawks | 16 | 80,923 | 8,086 | 3,093 | 5,058 | 11.4% |
| Puerto Rico | 11 | 41,811 | 6,474 | 1,233 | 3,801 | N/A |
| New York Cosmos | 16 | 60,403 | 6,243 | 2,419 | 3,775 | -25.4% |
| Jacksonville Armada | 16 | 55,988 | 5,313 | 1,254 | 3,499 | -55.9% |
| Rayo OKC | 16 | 51,865 | 6,416 | 924 | 3,242 | N/A |
| FC Edmonton | 16 | 32,959 | 3,130 | 1,243 | 2,060 | -28.7% |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 16 | 21,290 | 2,376 | 418 | 1,331 | -70.2% |
| Total | 187 | 885,337 | 10,156 | 418 | 4,734 | -19.9% |
Source: NASL
Highest attendances
Regular season
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10,156 | April 9, 2016 | 2 | FIU Stadium |
| 2 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Minnesota United | 10,012 | September 24, 2016 | 24 | FIU Stadium |
| 3 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Minnesota United | 9,739 | August 27, 2016 | 20 | FIU Stadium |
| 4 | Minnesota United | 2 – 0 | Indy Eleven | 9,460 | July 16, 2016 | 14 | National Sports Center |
| 5 | Minnesota United | 0 – 1 | Jacksonville Armada | 9,402 | October 1, 2016 | 25 | National Sports Center |
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
Source:[17] |
Top assistsSource:[17] |
Clean sheets
Source: NASL |
Hat-tricks
|
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | NASL Player of the Month | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Stats | Ref | |
| April | Carolina RailHawks | 3G | [18] | |
| May | FC Edmonton | 2G | [19] | |
| June | Indy Eleven | 3G | [20] | |
| July | Minnesota United | 7G, 1A | [21] | |
| August | FC Edmonton | 22SV, 0GA | [22] | |
| September | Miami | 3G | [23] | |
Weekly awards
League awards
- Golden Ball (MVP):
Juan Arango (New York Cosmos) [24] - Golden Boot:
Christian Ramirez (Minnesota United) [25] - Golden Glove:
Matt Van Oekel (FC Edmonton) [26] - Coach of the Year:
Tim Hankinson (Indy Eleven) [27] - Goal of the Year:
Duke Lacroix (Indy Eleven) [28] - Young (U24) Player of the Year:
Papé Diakité (FC Edmonton) [29] - Humanitarian of the Year:
Michael Lahoud (Miami FC) [30] - Fair Play Award: Carolina RailHawks[31]
| NASL Best XI[32] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Team | ||||
| Goalkeeper | FC Edmonton | |||||
| Defense | New York Cosmos | |||||
| Defense | Minnesota United | |||||
| Defense | FC Edmonton | |||||
| Defense | New York Cosmos | |||||
| Midfield | Carolina RailHawks | |||||
| Midfield | New York Cosmos | |||||
| Midfield | Tampa Bay Rowdies | |||||
| Midfield | Rayo OKC | |||||
| Forward | Minnesota United | |||||
| Forward | Indy Eleven | |||||