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USL First Division

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from USL A-League)
Not to be confused with USL Division One or USL League One.

USL First Division
Logo from 2005–2010
Organising bodyUnited Soccer League
First season1996
Folded2010
CountryUnited States
Other club(s) fromCanada, Puerto Rico
ConfederationCONCACAF
Level on pyramid2
Domestic cup(s)
Most championshipsRochester Rhinos (3)
Most Commissioner's
Cups		Montreal Impact (3)
Most appearancesMauro Biello (320)
Top goalscorerEduardo Sebrango (100)
TV partnersFox Soccer

The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Division. It began in the 1996 season as the Select League – consisting 21 of the league's best third-tier clubs. It soon merged with the American Professional Soccer League to become the A-League in the 1997 season. It adopted its final name in the 2005 season, following a restructure of the USL.

A controversial sale of Nike's stake in the USL in 2009, along with general animosity between the league and club owners, led to several clubs seceding from the league to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). Amid the dispute, U.S. Soccer organized a mediatory second-tier league with the two warring groups of clubs in 2010. In the 2011 season, the NASL began play as a second-tier league, while the USL merged its First and Second Divisions into a new third-tier league, USL Pro.

Fostering competition between fifty clubs from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico over its fifteen seasons of play, eight clubs won the league's championship, with the Rochester Rhinos winning the most (3). Nine clubs won the league's regular season championship – the winners of which were presented the Commissioner's Cup between 2005 and 2009. The Montreal Impact won the most regular season championships (3). As members of the league, the Rhinos and Impact also won a U.S. Open Cup and Canadian Championship, respectively.

History

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Background

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The origins of the A-League go back to 1986 and 1987 with the creation of three unrelated semi-professional soccer leagues. On the north-west coast, the Western Soccer Alliance (WSA), a summer outdoor league, emerged in response to the collapse of the North American Soccer League. In the southwest United States, the Southwest Indoor Soccer League was created in response to the upsurge in popularity of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Finally, in 1987, the Canadian Soccer League emerged with eight teams across Canada. While the SISL remained virtually unknown to the wider soccer community, the Western Soccer Alliance grew in popularity and inspired the creation of the third American Soccer League in 1988.

By the summer of 1989, these two leagues began considering a merger. At the same time, the SISL had grown to seventeen indoor teams and had added a summer outdoor schedule, known as the Southwest Outdoor Soccer League with included eight teams. In 1990, the WSA and ASL merged to form the American Professional Soccer League with twenty-two teams across the United States. At the same time, the SISL expanded to fourteen outdoor teams. In 1992, the SISL renamed itself the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) and had grown to twenty-one teams. By the 1993 season, the number of teams in the USISL had doubled to forty-two.

The mergers between all of these leagues continued in 1993 with the collapse of the Canadian Soccer League. This led to three Canadian teams, the Vancouver 86ers, Toronto Blizzard and Montreal Impact joining the American Professional Soccer League for the 1993 season. So by the summer of 1993, only two outdoor leagues competed for national attention in North America, the United States Interregional Soccer League and the American Professional Soccer League. However, by this time, the USISL was growing and the APSL was shrinking. In 1995, the American Professional Soccer League was down to six teams – two Canadian and four American. It also changed its name to the A-League. At the same time, the rapidly growing USISL had split its teams into two leagues, the fully professional Professional League and the semi-professional Premier League.

Foundation and merge with APSL (1996–2004)

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Logos of the USISL / USL A-League.

In 1996, the USISL launched the Select League as its highest tier of three leagues. It debuted with 21 of its most successful clubs. With the creation of the Select League, the USISL now competed directly with the A-League for Division II recognition. This led the two leagues, the A-League which was made up the remains of the old Western Soccer Alliance, American Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League, and the USISL to enter merger talks. The creation of Major League Soccer in 1996 as an American Division I league also spurred the merger.[1]

In 1997, six of the seven remaining A-League teams – Montreal Impact, Colorado Foxes, Seattle Sounders, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Vancouver 86ers and Atlanta Ruckus, plus two planned A-League expansion teams (Toronto Lynx and Hershey Wildcats) merged with the USISL Select League to form the USISL A-League, a consolidated American Division II league with twenty-four teams.[2] In 1999, the USISL renamed itself the United Soccer Leagues (USL) which meant the league became the USL A-League.

Restructure (2005–2008)

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The USL A-League was renamed the USL First Division (USL-1) in 2005, with 12 out of 16 teams returning from the previous season. The Seattle Sounders won the inaugural USL-1 championship, beating Richard on penalty kicks in the championship game after a 1–1 tie in regulation time. The Vancouver Whitecaps won the first of their two USL-1 titles in 2006 by beating the Rochester Raging Rhinos 3–0 in the championship game, while Seattle won their second title in 2007 by overcoming the Atlanta Silverbacks in a one-sided 4–0 final. Vancouver won their second USL1 championship in 2008 by beating the Puerto Rico Islanders 2–1 in the first USL-1 final to feature no American teams; the championship went north of the border again in 2009 when Montreal Impact won their first USL-1 title, beating Vancouver 6–3 on aggregate over two legs in the first all-Canadian affair.

A scene during a Rochester Rhinos game against the Carolina Railhawks in the 2007 season.

Richmond was voluntarily relegated to the USL Second Division in 2006 to cut costs, Toronto was voluntarily relegated to the USL Premier Development League in 2007 because of MLS expansion, and on March 30, 2007, the Virginia Beach Mariners folded just prior to the start of the 2007 season due to an ownership dispute which left the team without financing. These teams were replaced by two new teams: the Carolina RailHawks from the Triangle region of North Carolina, playing out of Cary, and California Victory, a team in Northern California under the ownership of Dmitry Piterman (chairman of Spanish team Deportivo Alavés) which folded after the end of the 2007 season, having played only one season. On June 19, 2008, an announcement was made that an expansion slot had been awarded to a Tampa Bay, Florida-based franchise led by main investors Andrew Nestor (CEO) and Hinds Howard (chairman) of Citrus Ventures.[3] The plan was for the club to join the league in 2010 and be named the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

In November 2008, the Atlanta Silverbacks announced that they would sit out the 2009 season to "reassess the landscape," and would possibly return at a future date.[4] Similarly, the Seattle Sounders left prior to the 2009 season due to the imminent entrance of Seattle Sounders FC into Major League Soccer. Their spot in the league was taken by the Cleveland City Stars, who won the USL Second Division title in 2008, and voluntarily moved up to USL-1 for the 2009 season,[5] folded at the end of the year.

Several cities had been mentioned as being locations where future USL-1 franchises might launch, including St. Louis, Missouri (led by the current USL Premier Development League (PDL) franchise St. Louis Lions);[6] Orlando, Florida (with Mexican side Pachuca being rumored as connected to it);[7] Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Hamilton, Ontario;[8] San Antonio, Texas; and Ottawa, Ontario. On September 1, 2009, a group from Ottawa formally applied for USL-1 team, contingent on the approval of updates to Lansdowne Park. The team would share a field with the Ottawa Redblacks football team.[9] The Ottawa group subsequently committed to the NASL.[10]

NASL split and demise (2009–2010)

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On August 27, 2009, Nike agreed to sell its stake in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) to Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis of Atlanta-based NuRock Soccer Holdings, instead of to the USL Team Owner's Association (TOA), a group comprising the owners of several USL First Division clubs. In the months that followed, several prominent TOA members began to voice their concerns about the state of the league in general, its management structure and ownership model, the leadership of USL president Francisco Marcos, and about the sale of the league to NuRock, which the TOA felt was counter-productive and detrimental to the development of the league. Within several weeks, a number of TOA member clubs threatened to break away from USL and start their own league; this break away became official on November 10, 2009, when the majority of USL-1 clubs, as well as one of the expected 2010 expansion franchises, applied to the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association, and FIFA for approval to create a new North American Soccer League,[11] reducing the league's membership to just three teams.

After lawsuits were filed and heated press statements exchanged, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) declared they would sanction neither the NASL nor the USL First Division in 2010, and ordered both "camps" to work together on a plan to temporarily allow their teams to play a 2010 season. The interim solution was announced on January 7, 2010, with the USSF running the new USSF D2 Pro League comprising clubs from both USL-1 and NASL.[12] On December 2, 2009, Inside Minnesota Soccer reported that the USL had asked the City Stars to terminate the contracts of all the players, as the franchise was to be dissolved. Posting an email addressed to all players under contract with the Cleveland City Stars and written by team president Jonathan Ortlip and executive director Aaron Tredway, the club executives went on to accept the decision to terminate the franchise.[13]

All 12 teams from the USL First Division and the NASL competed in the USSF D2 Pro League in 2010, which was won by the Puerto Rico Islanders. On September 8, 2010, the USL announced the formation of USL Pro which would merge the USL First Division and USL Second Division to begin play in 2011. The merger is meant to consolidate USL's position within the American professional soccer landscape and focus on commercial growth and professional development of soccer in 4 main regions throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.[14] The First Division was formally dissolved following the completion of the temporary season to make way for USL Pro.[15]

Format

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Unlike most other nations, there is no system of merit-based promotion and relegation in the American and Canadian pyramids, meaning that the champions of USL-1 could not move up to Major League Soccer and, similarly, the worst teams in MLS were not in danger of being demoted to USL-1. However, some USL-1 teams had in the past chosen to take voluntary relegation to a lower level of the USL system, often to reduce operating costs, while teams had also decided to move up to USL-1 after finding success at the lower levels.

The top seven teams advanced to the playoff tournament, with the Commissioner's Cup winner (regular season champion) receiving a bye into the semi-finals. Each round consisted of two legs, the lower seeded team hosting the first leg, and the higher seed hosting the second. Prior to 2009, the final was played as a single leg at the higher seed's stadium. After the first legs were completed, the lowest remaining seed played the Commissioner's Cup winner, and the higher seeds played each other. The highest remaining seed hosted the penultimate game of the Finals. The playoffs started the week after the completion of the regular season, and typically ended in mid-October.

Teams

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Champions in Bold

Timeline

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Cleveland City StarsAustin Aztex FCNorth Carolina FCCalifornia VictoryFort Lauderdale StrikersMiami FC (2006)Virginia Beach MarinersVancouver Whitecaps FCVancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)Premier Development LeagueToronto LynxSeattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders (1994–2008)Rochester RhinosUSL Second DivisionRichmond KickersPuerto Rico IslandersPortland TimbersPortland Timbers (2001–10)CF MontrealUSSF Division 2Montreal Impact (1992–2011)Minnesota ThunderUnited Soccer LeagueUSL Second DivisionCharleston BatteryNorth American Soccer League (2011–2017)Atlanta Silverbacks

Active clubs   Former Club   USSF D2 Season (2010)   Club moved to MLS   Club moved to NASL   Club moved to USL   Club moved to USL 2nd Div or PDL   Club on hiatus

Seasons

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† Won a double
List of Select League / A-League / First Division seasons
Yr. T MP Champion Runners-up Commissioner's Cup[d] Att. Top goalscorer Ref.
1996 21 18 California Jaguars Richmond Kickers Carolina Dynamo — United States Stebbins (21) [16]
1997 24 28 Milwaukee Rampage Carolina Dynamo Montreal Impact — United States Miller (23)
1998 28 28 Rochester Raging Rhinos † Minnesota Thunder Rochester Raging Rhinos † — United States Baena (24)
1999 30 28 Minnesota Thunder Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester Raging Rhinos (2) — United States Baena (20)
Canada Thompson (20)
2000 25 28 Rochester Raging Rhinos (2) Minnesota Thunder Minnesota Thunder — United States Conway (17)
United States Howes (17)
Liberia Menyongar (17)
2001 21 26 Rochester Raging Rhinos (3) Hershey Wildcats Richmond Kickers — United States Conway (22)
2002 18 28 Milwaukee Rampage (2) Richmond Kickers Seattle Sounders — Syria Afash (18)
United States Tennyson (18)
2003 19 28 Charleston Battery Minnesota Thunder Milwaukee Wave United — Brazil Martins (22)
2004 16 28 Montreal Impact Seattle Sounders Portland Timbers — United States Gordon (17)
United States Washington (17)
2005 12 28 Seattle Sounders Richmond Kickers Montreal Impact (2) 4,527 Canada Jordan (17)
2006 12 28 Vancouver Whitecaps Rochester Raging Rhinos Montreal Impact (3) 4,667 Brazil Romário (18)
United States Weaver (18)
2007 12 28 Seattle Sounders (2) † Atlanta Silverbacks FC Seattle Sounders (2) † 4,420 Canada Gbeke (10)
France Le Toux (10)
2008 11 30 Vancouver Whitecaps (2) Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto Rico Islanders 5,164 Brazil Afonso (15)
2009 11 30 Montreal Impact (2) Vancouver Whitecaps Portland Timbers (2) 4,720 Canada Gbeke (12)

Records

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See also

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References

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Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Moved to the North American Soccer League (NASL).
  2. ^ a b c d Played in the USSF Division 2 Professional League as an NASL Conference member.
  3. ^ a b Moved to Major League Soccer (MLS).
  4. ^ The Commissioner's Cup was not awarded from 1996 to 2004.

Citations

  1. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1995". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  2. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1996". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  3. ^ Encina, Eduardo A. (June 19, 2008). "Tampa Bay Rowdies to get new life in USL". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  4. ^ "Atlanta Silverbacks". Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
  5. ^ "Business as usual in the United Soccer League". Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  6. ^ "Home - St. Louis Lions". www.stllions.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  7. ^ "MLS: Atlanta Out! Orlando to USL. St Louis weak? Philly behind schedule..." Orlando Sentinel. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  8. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  9. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  10. ^ "NASL". Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  11. ^ "Teams Split From USL-1; To Form New League In 2010". Goal.com. November 10, 2009. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  12. ^ "Division 2 Professional League To Operate in 2010". ussoccer.com. January 7, 2010. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Cleveland City Stars Release Players from Contracts - IMS Soccer News". December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  14. ^ "USL Restructures Professional Division". www.uslsoccer.com. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  15. ^ "USL Restructures Professional Division". www.uslsoccer.com. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1996". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
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