The 1996

USISL Premier League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will feature ...

season was its second. The season began in April 1996 and ended in August 1996.

Central Coast Roadrunners Central Coast Roadrunners were an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2002, after which the team left th ...

won the championship, defeating the San Francisco Bay Seals 3–2.

Spokane Shadow Spokane Shadow is an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team competed in the National Premier Soccer League as well as the Evergreen Premier League, one of United States Adult Soccer Association's elite amateur leagues. From 1996 to 2005 ...

won the regular season title, winning 14 games to 2 losses.

Changes from 1995 season

Name changes

* Ann Arbor Elites became the Michigan Madness. * Arizona Cotton became the Arizona Phoenix. * Montclair Standard Falcons moved to

Fontana, CA Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is ...

and became the Fontana Falcons. * Oklahoma City Slickers changed their name to the Oklahoma City Heat. * San Francisco All-Blacks United changed their name to the San Francisco Bay Seals. * Wichita Blue Angels changed their name to the Wichita Blue.

New teams

12 teams were added for the season.

Teams leaving

Five teams folded after the 1995 season: * Arkansas A's * Columbia Heat * Inland Empire Panteras * North Bay Breakers * Shasta Scorchers

Standings

Central Conference

Northern Division

Southern Division

Eastern Conference

Northern Division

Southern Division

Western Conference

Northern Division

Southern Division

Playoffs

Format

''Central Coast received a bye to the PDL Semifinals as the defending champion.''
''The top four teams from every division except the Southwest earn playoff spots. With Central Coast already receiving a bye, the top two teams from the Southwest Division will play each other, however if Central Coast is in the top two, then the third place team receives a playoff spot. The Division winners would then face each other in the Conference finals.''

Divisional brackets

Central Conference Playoffs

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Eastern Conference Playoffs

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Western Conference Playoffs

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Premier Six Tournament

Six teams entered the Premier Six Tournament in Cocoa, Florida the weekend of August 16–18. Each of the five division playoff champions qualified for the tournament, along with the host

Cocoa Expos Cocoa Expos was an American soccer team, founded in 1993. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2007, when the team left the league and the fra ...

. The teams were seeded in this order, based on their regular season points: * 1. Central Coast Roadrunners * 2. San Francisco Bay Seals * 3. Cocoa Expos * 4. Omaha Flames * 5. Jackson Chargers * 6. Mid-Michigan Bucks. The Central Coast Roadrunners played the bottom two seeds (Jackson and Mid-Michigan). The San Francisco Seals played the #4 and #6 seeds (Omaha and Mid-Michigan). The Cocoa Expos played and #4 and #5 seeds (Omaha and Jackson).

Qualification to the finals

In order to determine the two teams to qualify for the finals, the league used the following point system during the Premier Six Tournament: * Win = 3 points * Shootout win = 2 points * Shootout loss = 1 point * Bonus points: Each team scoring three or more goals in regulation or overtime received one extra point.

Friday

Saturday

Final

* MVP: Bryan Taylor

Honors

* MVP:

Pasi Kinturi Pasi Kinturi is a retired Finnish association football player who played professionally in the USL A-League. He was the 1996 USISL Premier League MVP. Kinturi played for Malmin Palloseura youth team when it won the 1993 Helsinki Cup. In 1994, ...

* Points leader:

* Goals leader:

* Assists leader: Steve Freeman * Rookie of the Year: Bryan Taylor * Goalkeeper of the Year: Michael LaBerge * Defender of the Year: Dwyane Demmin * Coach of the Year: Nuno Piteira * Organization of the Year: Central Coast Roadrunners * All League ** Goalkeeper: Michael LaBerge ** Defenders: Steve Freeman, Dwyane Demmin, Zane Higgins, Jeremy Oetman ** Midfielders: Jude Beller, Toni Siikala ** Forwards:

, Chris McDonald, Dennis Brose, Bryan Taylor USISL: 1996 Postseason Awards
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996 Usisl Premier League Season USL League Two seasons 4