1996 USISL Pro League

August 2023 USISL Pro League 1996 Regular Season title Charlotte Eagles (1st Title) Charleston Battery (1st Title) 216 820 USA Craig Beeson Everett BigFoot NGA Patrick Olalere Charleston Battery (20 Goals) USA Chris Carmiento Hawaii Tsumani 1995 1997 The 1996 USISL Professional League was the second highest of the three outdoor men's leagues run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1996. Overview This season, USISL created a higer caliber professional league called the Select League. Several 1995 Pro League teams moved up and did not compete in the 1996 Pro League. The USISL aligned its rules with other soccer leagues including the newly created Major Soccer League. Previously USISL had used 60 minute halves and a penalty shot for every foul committed after the seventh foul of each half but these rules were eliminated for the 1996 season. The USISL also changed its regular season points system to award three points for a win and one point for a shootout win.Owners limit rule changes The average pay for Pro League players was $200 per week. The regular season began in mid-April 1996. Prime Network provided live broadcast of the USISL All Star Game and delayed broadcast of the Pro League championship game.USISL: TV Deal With Prime Announced All Star Game The USISL held its All Star Game on July 17 in Blaine, Minnesota. The game pitted the USISL Select League All Stars against a team composed of USISL Professional League and USISL Premier League players. The league coaches voted to select the players.USISL: rosters for 1996 All-Star game Players from the USISL Professional League included Goalkeeper Randy DeDini of the Chico Rooks, Defenders Paul Edwards (North Jersey Imperials) and Guy Norcott (Charleston Battery); Midfielders Craig Beeson (Everett BigFoot) and Pat O'Kelly (Central Jersey); Forwards Victor Medina (D/FW Toros) and Jon Payne (Charlotte Eagles). Regular season Regulation win = 3 points Shootout win (SW) = 1 points Loss = 0 points Northeast Conference main WL PK Q SW Shootout win no 3 1 0 CJR Central Jersey Riptide NJI North Jersey Imperials RIS Rhode Island Stingrays REA Reading Rage PHL Philadelphia Freedom NHP New Hampshire Phantoms BAL Baltimore Bays ALB Albany Alleycats WOR Worcester Wildfire 11 2 3 44 24 11 0 5 42 26 10 0 6 26 20 9 1 6 39 31 8 2 6 40 25 8 1 7 32 40 5 0 11 34 15 4 0 12 34 44 0 1 15 19 57 #ccffcc A A A A complete South Atlantic Conference main WL PK Q SW Shootout win no 3 1 0 CHE Charlotte Eagles CHB Charleston Battery WIL Wilmington Hammerheads WAS Washington Mustangs MOB Mobile Revelers CHT Chattanooga Express 12 0 4 49 25 11 1 4 46 23 6 1 9 20 30 6 0 10 25 37 3 2 11 15 33 1 0 15 18 55 #ccffcc A A A A A complete Central Conference main WL PK Q SW Shootout win no 3 1 0 DFW Dallas/Fort Worth Toros ROC Rockford Raptors TUL Tulsa Roughnecks SAP San Antonio Pumas HOU Houston Hurricanes 9 0 7 33 31 8 1 7 34 28 8 0 8 38 34 6 0 10 25 37 5 0 11 28 43 #ccffcc A A A complete Western Conference main WL PK Q SW Shootout win no 3 1 0 HWI Hawaii Tsumani CHC Chico Rooks EVE Everett Bigfoot SFV San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles YAK Yakima Reds CAS Cascade Surge CVH Central Valley Hydra 10 0 6 31 19 9 1 6 23 16 7 3 6 27 20 7 3 6 20 22 8 0 8 29 20 7 0 9 33 23 3 0 13 16 48 #ccffcc A A A A complete Playoffs The Mobile Revelers made the playoffs despite having only eleven points. This happened because the South Atlantic Conference had four guaranteed play-off spots. The Charleston Battery received a bye into the playoffs as host of the championship final. Therefore, the league went to the Revelers as the next South Atlantic Conference team in line. Conference semifinals North Jersey Imperials 3-1 Rhode Island Stingrays Charlotte Eagles 1-0 Mobile Revelers (forfeit) Wilmington Hammerheads 3-1 Washington Mustangs D/FW Toros 1-0 (SO) Houston Hurricanes Tulsa Roughnecks 3-2 (SO) Rockford Raptors Chico Rooks 3-0 Valley Golden Eagles Everete BigFoot 2-1 Hawaii Tsunami August 10, 1996 5:00 PM North Jersey Imperials (NJ) 3–1 Rhode Island Stingrays (RI) Dave Fitzgerald 10 63 77 Carlos Rocha FDU Field Teaneck, New Jersey August 10, 1996 Charlotte Eagles (NC) 1–0 Forfeit Mobile Revelers (AL) Match was cancelled after Mobile disbanded before the playoff game. August 10, 1996 8:00 PM Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) 3–1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=rQKKVauEoioC&dat=19960811&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Washington Mustangs (DC) Chris Gonzalez 48 Dewan Bader pen. Dan Farnham 2 18:33 Scott Schaeper 3 James Wright Laney Stadium Wilmington, North Carolina August 10, 1996 D/FW Toros (TX) 1–0 Houston Hurricanes (TX) August 10, 1996 Rockford Raptors (IL) 2–3 Tulsa Roughnecks (OK) 10 18 Kimberly Thomas August 10, 1996 Chico Rooks (CA) 3–0 https://www.newspapers.com/image/931177725/?terms=Chico%20Rooks Valley Golden Eagles (CA) Juan Calvet Mauricio De Melo 0 Jesus Gonzalez Jake Gwin Chico State Stadium Chico, California August 10, 1996 Hawaii Tsunami (HA) 1–2 1,750 https://www.newspapers.com/image/265979286/?match=1&terms=Chico%20Rooks Everett BigFoot (WA) Chris Gilmore 77 47 57 Craig Beeson Cooke Field Honolulu, Hawaii August 10, 1996 7:30PM Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) Pat O'Kelly 3:16 Pete Schneiders 74 1 25 Matt Woolley 1 43 Eric Puls 1 Archie Moylan 2-1 Reading Rage (PA) Raritan High School Hazlet, New Jersey Conference finals Northeast Conference August 16, 1996 North Jersey Imperials (NJ) *Pedro Lopes 34 Dave Fitzgerald Dave Price 5-0 Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) FDU Field Teaneck, New Jersey 300 August 17, 19967:30 PM EST Central Jersey Riptide (NJ) Ozrek Crowley DeLuca (PK) Lucey 2-2 OT https://www.newspapers.com/image/497771134/?match=1&terms=North%20Jersey%20Imperials%20 North Jersey Imperials (NJ) Raritan High School, Hazlet, New Jersey 2,004 or 1,500 2-3 North Jersey Imperials advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals. South Atlantic Conference August 15, 1996 Charlotte Eagles (NC) 29:27 pen. 54:51 Dewan Bader 36:35 Bucky Corbin 0-3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/628385696/?match=1&terms=Charlotte%20Eagles%20 Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte, North Carolina 1,045 Wilmington Hammerheads advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals. Central Conference August 16, 1996 Tulsa Roughnecks (OK) *Virgil Stevens 56:13 8 Berti Generes 9:30 Victor Medina Jimmy Glenn 64 1-3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/894442349/?match=1&terms=Tulsa%20Roughnecks DFW Toros (TX) Tulsa, Oklahoma 704 Originally planned for August 17, the second game was postponed until Sunday morning, August 18, because of heavy rainfall and flooding which rendered the playing field unusable on Saturday. August 18, 19967:00 AM CST DFW Toros (TX) *20 1-0 Tulsa Roughnecks (OK) Dallas, Texas D/FW Toros advanced to the Sizzlin' Six finals. Western Conference August 17, 1996 Chico Rooks (CA) 0-0 Everett BigFoot (WA) Chico State Stadium, Chico, California 1,056 Manny Ugbah Dean Freeman 2-1 Chico Rooks advanced to Sizzlin' Six finals. Sizzlin' Six Tournament The Sizzlin’ Six Tournament was a six-team, two group, round robin tournament. Each of the four conference champions entered the tournament, along with national finals host Charleston Battery and the Charlotte Eagles who had the best regular-season record among the conference runners-up. Each team received 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie and 1 bonus point for each game in which they scored three or more goals. The top two teams in each group with the most points advanced to the semifinals in Charleston, South Carolina. Group A main WL 3 0 Q CHB Charleston Battery CHC Chico Rooks DFW DFW Toros 2 0 4 2 1 1 3 3 0 2 2 4 #ccffcc A A complete August 19, 19968:00 PM EST Charleston Battery (SC) Chris Dias 66 Jim Foley 72:07 11:07 Rene Ortiz 2-1 https://web.archive.org/web/20010910211917fw_/http://www.charlestonbattery.com/1996/96STAT.htm#GAME25 Dallas/Fort Worth Toros (TX) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina 1,526 August 20, 19968:00 PM EST Chico Rooks (CA) Dean Freeman 27Mauricio De Melo 120 8 Edgar Hernandez Baltazar Ascensio Jose Bazan 2-1 OT DFW Toros (TX) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina 320 August 21, 19968:00 PM EST Charleston Battery (SC) Patrick Olalere 12 Files 82 45 Juan Lojas 2-1 Chico Rooks (CA) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina 1,539 Group B main WL 3 0 Q CHE Charlotte Eagles WIL Wilmington Hammerheads NJI North Jersey Imperials 2 0 7 2 1 1 3 1 0 2 2 9 1 Charlotte and Wilmington scored three or more goals in one game each, giving them each one bonus point. 1 CHE #ccffcc A A complete August 19, 19968:00 PM EST Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) Chris Gonzalez 31 Dewan Bader pen Shawn Kowaleski 3-0 North Jersey Imperials (NJ) Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina August 20, 19968:00 PM EST Charlotte Eagles (NC) Keith Dakin 11 24 46 Jeremy Sorzano 36 Philibert Jones 50 Donovan Francis 59 12 David Price 30 Gerry Lucey 6-2 North Jersey Imperials (NJ) Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina 236 August 21, 19968:00 PM EST Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) 33 Keith Dakin 0-1 Charlotte Eagles (NC) Laney Field, Wilmington, North Carolina 1,250 Semifinals August 23, 19966:00 PM EST Charlotte Eagles (NC) 1-0 Chico Rooks (CA) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina August 23, 19968:00 PM EST Charleston Battery (SC) Patrick Olalere 30 Chris Dias 87 2-0 report https://web.archive.org/web/20010306041838fw_/http://www.charlestonbattery.com/1996/96STAT.htm#GAME27 Wilmington Hammerheads (NC) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina 2,642 Final August 24, 19968:00 PM EST Charleston Battery (SC) *Chris Dias 29 Alvaro Betancur 52 *44 Josh Farrar 74 Jeremy Sorzano 2–2 https://web.archive.org/web/20010306041838fw_/http://www.charlestonbattery.com/1996/96STAT.htm#GAME28 Charlotte Eagles (NC) Stoney Field, Charleston, South Carolina 3,429 *Stephen Winters Patrick Olalere 2-1 Points leaders RankScorerClubGoalsAssistsPoints1 TRI Philibert Jones Charlotte Eagles 1820452 NGA Patrick Olalere Charleston Battery205453 USA Craig Beeson Everette BigFoot172364 IRL Jon Payne Charlotte Eagles148365 POR Carlos Rocha Rhode Island Stingrays143336 USA Robert DeLuca North Jersey Imperials 143317 IRL Pat O'Kelly North Jersey Imperials 12630 Honors MVP: USA Craig Beeson Points leader: NGA Patrick Olalere Defender of the Year: USA Guy Norcott Goalkeeper of the Year: Chris Carmiento Rookie of the Year: USA Juan Sastoque Coach of the Year: POR Nuno Piteira Organization of the Year: Reading Rage All-League: Goalkeeper: USA Randy Dedini Defenders: USA Guy Norcott, USA Tom Finley, USA Desmond Armstrong Midfielders: ENG David Price, IRL Pat O'Kelly, POR Carlos Rocha Forward: USA Craig Beeson, NGA Patrick Olalere, ENG Jimmy Wright, TRI Philibert Jones USISL: 1996 Postseason Awards External links United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF) The Year in American Soccer - 1996 References defunct 1996 3