The 1995 USISL Premier League season was the 1st season of the new "fourth level" of American soccer following the re-organization of the old United States Interregional Soccer League at the end of 1994. The season began in April 1995 and ended in August 1995.
| Season | 1995 |
|---|---|
1996 → | |
Richmond Kickers finished the season as national champions, beating Cocoa Expos 3–1 in the USISL Premier League Championship game. San Francisco All-Blacks United finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 17 out of their 18 games, suffering just one loss, and finishing with a +42 goal difference.
The USISL Premier League format in 1995 was notable for not having tied games; instead, teams competed in a penalty shoot-out to decide a winner, with bonus points awarded as appropriate.
Teams
edit27 teams started the league this year. They all played in the USISL the year before, with the exception of six new teams.
Standings
editEastern Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cocoa Expos | 18 | 16 | 2 | 62 | 20 | +42 | 42 | 138 | Division champion |
| 2 | Richmond Kickers | 18 | 15 | 3 | 47 | 21 | +26 | 38 | 128 | Qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Nashville Metros | 18 | 12 | 6 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 41 | 113 | |
| 4 | Jackson Chargers | 18 | 13 | 5 | 43 | 26 | +17 | 31 | 109 | |
| 5 | Birmingham Grasshoppers | 18 | 10 | 8 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 37 | 97 | |
| 6 | Washington Mustangs | 18 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 42 | −12 | 31 | 73 | |
| 7 | Roanoke River Dawgs | 18 | 5 | 13 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 29 | 59 | |
| 8 | Orlando Lions | 18 | 4 | 14 | 41 | 63 | −22 | 27 | 51 | |
| 9 | Columbia Heat | 18 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 21 | 45 | |
| 10 | South Florida Future | 16 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 44 | −29 | 16 | 34 |
Source: rsssf.com
Central Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux City Breeze | 18 | 11 | 7 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 35 | 101 | Division champion |
| 2 | Austin Lone Stars | 18 | 10 | 8 | 57 | 30 | +27 | 38 | 98 | Qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Des Moines Menace | 18 | 10 | 8 | 53 | 37 | +16 | 37 | 97 | |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Slickers | 18 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 51 | −23 | 25 | 67 | |
| 5 | Wichita Blue | 18 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 63 | −31 | 29 | 65 | |
| 6 | Grand Rapids Explosion | 18 | 3 | 15 | 30 | 71 | −41 | 27 | 45 | |
| 7 | Ann Arbor Elites | 18 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 54 | −32 | 18 | 42 | |
| 8 | Arkansas A's | 18 | 2 | 16 | 17 | 67 | −50 | 17 | 29 |
Source: rsssf.com
Western Division
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco All-Blacks United | 18 | 17 | 1 | 46 | 24 | +22 | 40 | 142 | Division champion |
| 2 | Tucson Amigos | 18 | 12 | 6 | 38 | 26 | +12 | 30 | 102 | Qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Colorado Springs Stampede | 18 | 11 | 7 | 49 | 28 | +21 | 36 | 102 | |
| 4 | North Bay Breakers | 18 | 10 | 8 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 36 | 96 | |
| 5 | Puget Sound Hammers | 18 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 30 | 90 | |
| 6 | Arizona Cotton | 18 | 7 | 11 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 28 | 70 | |
| 7 | Montclair Falcons | 18 | 6 | 12 | 29 | 42 | −13 | 22 | 58 | |
| 8 | Inland Empire Panteras | 18 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 56 | −32 | 23 | 53 | |
| 9 | Shasta Scorchers | 18 | 1 | 17 | 21 | 73 | −52 | 20 | 26 |
Source: rsssf.com
Playoffs
edit| Eastern Semifinals | Eastern Finals | ||||||||
| E1 |  Cocoa Expos
| 3 | |||||||
| E4 |  Jackson Chargers
| 1 | |||||||
| E1 | Cocoa Expos
| 3 | |||||||
| E3 |  Birmingham Grasshoppers
| 1 | |||||||
| E2 |  Nashville Metros
| 2 | |||||||
| E3 | Birmingham Grasshoppers
| 3 | |||||||
| Central Semifinals | Central Finals | ||||||||
| C1 |  Sioux City Breeze
| 7 | |||||||
| C4 |  Oklahoma City Slickers
| 0 | |||||||
| C1 | Sioux City Breeze
| 0 | |||||||
| C3 | Des Moines Menace
| 1 | |||||||
| C2 |  Austin Lone Stars
| 2 | |||||||
| C3 | Des Moines Menace
| 3 | |||||||
Semifinals
| Des Moines Menace | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Austin Lone Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Third Place Game
| Austin Lone Stars | 4–1 | Oklahoma City Slickers |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Western Semifinals | Western Finals | ||||||||
| W1 |  San Francisco All-Blacks United
| 6 | |||||||
| W2 |  Tucson Amigos
| 2 | |||||||
| W1 | San Francisco All-Blacks United
| 1 | |||||||
| W3 |  Colorado Springs Stampede
| 0 | |||||||
| W3 | Colorado Springs Stampede
| 2 | |||||||
| W4 | North Bay Breakers
| 0 | |||||||
Semifinals
| San Francisco All-Blacks United | 6–2 | Tucson Amigos |
|---|---|---|
Division Final
| San Francisco All-Blacks United | 1–0 | Colorado Springs Stampede |
|---|---|---|
| PDL Semifinals | PDL Finals | ||||||||
| W1 | San Francisco All-Blacks United
| 0 | |||||||
| H |  Richmond Kickers
| 1 | |||||||
| H | Richmond Kickers
| 3 | |||||||
| E1 | Cocoa Expos
| 1 | |||||||
| E1 | Cocoa Expos
| 3 | |||||||
| C3 | Des Moines Menace
| 1 | |||||||
Sizzlin' Four
editSemifinals
edit| Richmond Kickers (VA) | 0–0 | San Francisco United All Blacks (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 3–2 |  Mike Carlson Albertin Montoya |
|
Runner-up
editFinal
edit| Richmond Kickers (VA) | 3–1 | Cocoa Expos (FL) |
|---|---|---|
Brian Kamler  10' 18'Robert Ukrop |
(Report) | Mark Phillips |
Attendance: 5,231[1]
- MVP: Brian Kamler
Points leaders
edit| Rank | Scorer | Club | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabe Jones | Austin Lone Stars | 15 | 20 | 8 | 48 |
| 2 | Holger Schneidt | Birmingham Grasshoppers | 15 | 17 | 9 | 43 |
| 3 | Jeff Dresser | Grand Rapids Explosion | 16 | 20 | 2 | 42 |
| 4 | Brian Adams | Sioux City Breeze | 16 | 18 | 4 | 40 |
| Eddie Enders | Cocoa Expos | 18 | 15 | 8 | 38 | |
| 6 | Toni Siikala | Nashville Metros | 15 | 15 | 4 | 34 |
| 7 | Richard Sharpe | Cocoa Expos | 6 | 14 | 2 | 30 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | North Bay Breakers | 16 | 13 | 0 | 26 | |
| 8 | Aaron Leventhal | Des Moines Menace | 15 | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| 9 | Robert Ukrop | Richmond Kickers | 15 | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| 10 | Sean Gibson | Birmingham Grasshoppers | ? | 11 | 2 | 24 |
Honors
edit- MVP: Robert Ukrop
- Points leader: Gabe Jones, Austin Lone Stars (48 points)
- Goals leader: Gabe Jones, Austin Lone Stars (20 goals)
- Rookie of the Year: Eduardo Yoldi
- Assist Leader: Holger Schneidt, Birmingham Grasshoppers (9 assists)
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Alfredo Estrada
- Coach of the Year: Blair Reed and Doug Mello
- Organization of the Year: Richmond Kickers
References
edit- ^ "1995 USISL Playoffs". Soccer America. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023.