The 2016 USL season was the sixth season of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

and the twenty-second season of USSF sanctioned Division III play organized by the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. On August 6, 2015, the league announced that the season would consist of 30 games rather than 28 games played from 2013–2015. This was the first increase in the number of games since the league went from 24 games per season in 2012 to 28 games in 2013. The league expanded from 24 to 29 teams in 2016.Mayor Cranley stating that USL "now with 29 teams"
/ref> Six franchises were officially announced by the league: Swope Park Rangers, Orlando City B,

Rio Grande Valley FC Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas, Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The t ...

, FC Cincinnati, Bethlehem Steel FC, and San Antonio FC. The

Austin Aztex The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer py ...

were on hiatus for the 2016 season, due to stadium availability issues, but planned to return in 2017 pending construction of a new, soccer-specific stadium.

Teams

Other venues

The Real Monarchs played three home games at other sites while Rio Tinto Stadium was being resurfaced: Aces Ballpark in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

, Clyde Field at

Utah Valley University Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...

and Ute Soccer Field at The University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros played their first three games at the

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of T ...

Soccer Complex while their stadium was being completed. The September 7 game between New York Red Bulls II and Harrisburg City Islanders was played at Pucillo Field at Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania.

Relationships with MLS clubs

There are 11 USL teams owned and operated by MLS clubs and 9 USL-MLS affiliations among the 29 USL clubs. The two relationship types are treated the same by

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

Managerial changes

Player transfers

Competition format

The season started on March 25 and ended on September 25. The top eight finishers in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

League table

;Eastern Conference ;Western Conference

Results table

Playoffs

The team with the best record across both conferences earned the 2016 USL Regular Season title. The top eight teams in each conference advanced to the 2016 USL Playoffs, which were a single-elimination bracket crown two conference champions. The two conference champions advanced to the 2016 USL Championship. The playoffs took place over the course of four weeks. The fixed seed format concluded with the USL Championship, which was held at the venue of the conference champion with the best regular season record.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

USL Championship

Championship Game MVP: Brandon Allen ( NYRB)

Attendance

The following table shows average home attendances, ranked from highest to lowest. ^† One New York Red Bulls II home game was moved to Millersville, Pennsylvania because of a scheduling conflict. *Sources
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Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Source:

Top assists

Source:

Top Goalkeepers

(Minimum of 50% of Team Minutes Played) Source:

League Awards

Individual Awards

* Most Valuable Player:

Sean Okoli Sean Ugochukwu "Ugo" Okoli (born February 3, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Orange County SC in the USL Championship. Career Early career Born in Federal Way, Washington, Okoli was a part of the Seattle ...

(

CIN Cin, CIn or CIN may refer to: Science and technology Medicine * Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the abnormal growth of cells on the surface of the cervix that could potentially lead to cervical cancer. * Chromosome instability, a type of genom ...

) * Rookie of the Year: Brandon Allen ( NYRB) * Defender of the Year: Aaron Long ( NYRB) * Goalkeeper of the Year:

Mitch Hildebrandt Mitchell A. Hildebrandt (born November 12, 1988) is an American former professional soccer goalkeeper. He is currently a coach for the Michigan Wolves youth academy. Career College and amateur Hildebrandt played his entire college career at Oakl ...

(

) * Coach of the Year:

John Wolyniec John Wolyniec (born January 24, 1977) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. During his playing days, Wolyniec played for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls three separate times: In 1999 as the MetroStars, from 2 ...

( NYRB)

All-League Teams

First Team F: Brandon Allen ( NYRB), Jack McBean ( LAG), Sean Okoli (

)
M: Danny Barrera ( SAC), Villyan Bijev ( POR), Enzo Martinez ( CHA)
D: Harrison Delbridge (

), Amer Didic ( SPR), Aaron Long ( NYRB), Hugh Roberts ( RIC)
G: Mitch Hildebrandt (

) Second Team F: Irvin Herrera ( STL), Corey Hertzog ( PIT), Cameron Iwasa ( SAC)
M: Jose Barril ( HAR), Kenardo Forbes ( ROC), Yudai Imura ( RIC)
D: Zach Carroll ( NYRB), Joe Farrell ( ROC), Bruno Perone ( WIL), Josh Suggs (

COL In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. . It may also be called a gap. Particularly rugged and forbidding co ...

)
G: Devala Gorrick (

)

References

{{2016 in American soccer USL Championship seasons 2016 in American soccer leagues