The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a
semi-professional
Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...
men's
outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
. Commencing play in 1989, it received
Division 3 status from
U.S. Soccer for its final season in 1994. It was split into the
USISL Professional League and the amateur
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 ...
in 1995. The
Colorado Comets
The Colorado Comets were an American soccer club based in Denver, Colorado, founded in 1985 which later competed in the SISL and USISL.
History
Founded by Ed Eid in 1985, the team began as an amateur club coached by Kelvin Norman. That year, t ...
and
Greensboro Dynamo were the most successful clubs in the league, winning two championships each.
History
Ahead of the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
held in the United States,
U.S. Soccer began work with various leagues, including the Southwest Indoor Soccer League (SISL), to
professionalize soccer in the country. The SISL embarked on their ambitions to run a three-tiered outdoor soccer league, and launched the Southwest Outdoor Soccer League in the
1988–89 season as part of the first step towards that goal.
The organization, and its two leagues, would be rebranded as the Southwest Independent Soccer League in the
1989–90 season, the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League in the
1990–91 season, and finally the United States Interregional Soccer League in the
1991–92 season.
In its
1993–94 season, the league was granted Division 3 status by
U.S. Soccer.
Following significant expansion over the preceding years to 69 teams by 1994, the USISL decided to split the league for the
1995 season into a Division 3 league populated with its professional clubs, the
USISL Professional League, and a league outside of U.S. Soccer's canonical pyramid populated with its amateur clubs, the
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 ...
.
The USISL, now the
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
, recognizes the Premier League as the successor to the original outdoor league in its statistical records.
Teams
Seasons
See also
*
American Soccer League (1988–1989)
*
American Professional Soccer League
The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...
(1990–1996)
*
Lone Star Soccer Alliance
Lone Star Soccer Alliance was a soccer league that existed from 1987 to 1992. While most of the teams came from Texas, some also came from Oklahoma and Kansas.
History
First proposed by the Houston Dynamos, on April 18, 1987, the Lone Star S ...
(1987–1992)
*
Western Soccer Alliance
The Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer ...
(1985–1989)
References
External links
American Soccer History Archivesat the Society for American Soccer History
at Soccer History USA
{{USSF D3 soccer seasons
1989 establishments in the United States
1994 disestablishments in the United States
Defunct soccer leagues in the United States
Defunct United Soccer League competitions
Sports leagues established in 1989
Sports leagues disestablished in 1994