# 1996 USISL Premier League season

The 1996 USISL Premier League season was its second. The season began in April 1996 and ended in August 1996.
Central Coast Roadrunners won the championship, defeating the San Francisco Bay Seals 3–2. Spokane Shadow 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 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.
| Team | Area | Location | Previous affiliation |
| Bellingham Orcas | Northwest Washington area | Bellingham, WA | expansion |
| Central Coast Roadrunners | Central West Coast area | San Luis Obispo, CA | expansion |
| Florida Strikers | Greater Miami area | Fort Lauderdale, FL | from USISL Pro |
| Lexington Bluegrass Bandits | Lexington area | Lexington, KY | from USISL Pro |
| Miami Tango | Greater Miami area | Miami, FL | expansion |
| Mid-Michigan Bucks | Flint/Tri-Cities area | Saginaw, MI | expansion |
| Omaha Flames | Omaha-Council Bluffs area | Omaha, NE | expansion |
| San Diego Top Guns | San Diego area | San Diego, CA | from USISL Pro |
| Southern California Gunners | Inland Empire area | San Bernardino, CA | expansion |
| Spokane Shadow | Spokane area | Spokane, WA | expansion |
| West Florida Fury | Emerald Coast area | Pensacola, FL | expansion |
| Willamette Valley Firebirds | Corvallis area | Corvallis, OR | former Portland Firebirds of the USISL Pro League |

### 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

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lexington Bluegrass Bandits | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 28 | Division champion |
| 2 | Michigan Madness | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 25 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Detroit Dynamite | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 19 | +15 | 22 | |
| 4 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 22 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Kalamazoo Kingdom | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 15 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 6 | Grand Rapids Explosion | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 21 | −15 | 0 | |
* 1 2 3 4 Detroit, Kalamazoo, Lexington, and Michigan were all penalized 3 points.
* ↑ Grand Rapids did not have a home stadium this year, and played only road games.

#### Southern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Austin Lone Stars | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 41 | 17 | +24 | 30 | Division champion |
| 2 | Omaha Flames | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 39 | 22 | +17 | 24 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Sioux City Breeze | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 23 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 4 | Des Moines Menace | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 21 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Heat | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 21 | |
| 6 | Wichita Blue | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 33 | −15 | 15 | |
* 1 2 The game between Sioux City and Wichita was postponed and could not be rescheduled before end of the season. The game was cancelled because it had no effect on the playoffs.
* ↑ Sioux City was penalized 6 points.

### Eastern Conference
#### Northern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Roanoke River Dawgs | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 30 | Division champion |
| 2 | Jackson Chargers | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 22 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Nashville Metros | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 17 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 4 | Birmingham Grasshoppers | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 12 | |
* ↑ Jackson was penalized 3 points.
* ↑ Nashville was penalized 6 points.

#### Southern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cocoa Expos | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 28 | Bye into semifinals as defending champion. |
| 2 | Orlando Lions | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 25 | |
| 3 | Florida Strikers | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 19 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 4 | West Florida Fury | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 29 | 36 | −7 | 15 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Miami Tango | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 29 | 37 | −8 | 12 | |
| 6 | South Florida Future | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 63 | −46 | 0 | |
* 1 2 3 Cocoa, Florida, and Orlando were all penalized 3 points.

### Western Conference
#### Northern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Spokane Shadow | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 34 | Division champion |
| 2 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 15 | +20 | 30 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Colorado Springs Stampede | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 25 | |
| 4 | Puget Sound Hammers | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 24 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 5 | Willamette Valley Firebirds | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 31 | −10 | 15 | |
| 6 | Bellingham Orcas | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 50 | −33 | 9 | |
* 1 2 Colorado Springs and Spokane were both penalized 3 points.

#### Southern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 16 | +22 | 34 | Division champion |
| 2 | San Diego Top Guns | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 25 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 3 | Arizona Phoenix | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 21 | Team qualified for playoff berth |
| 4 | Tucson Amigos | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 21 | |
| 5 | Fontana Falcons | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 31 | 32 | −1 | 15 | |
| 6 | Southern California Gunners | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 28 | −9 | 9 | |
* 1 2 Central Coast and San Diego were both penalized 3 points

## 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

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals |
| NC1 | Michigan Madness | | | | |
| NC4 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 0 | | | |
| NC4 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 0 | NC1 | Mid-Michigan Bucks (AET/PSO) | 0 (1) |
| North Central Division | North Central Division | North Central Division | NC1 | Mid-Michigan Bucks (AET/PSO) | 0 (1) |
| North Central Division | North Central Division | North Central Division | NC3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom | 0 (0) |
| NC2 | Detroit Dynamite | 0 | NC3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom | 0 (0) |
| NC3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom (AET) | 1 | | | |
| C1 | Lincoln Brigade | 0 | | | |
| C4 | Des Moines Menace | 4 | | | |
| C4 | Des Moines Menace | 4 | C4 | Des Moines Menace | 6 |
| Central Division | Central Division | Central Division | C4 | Des Moines Menace | 6 |
| Central Division | Central Division | Central Division | C2 | Omaha Flames | 0 |
| C2 | Omaha Flames | 5 | C2 | Omaha Flames | 0 |
| C3 | Sioux City Breeze | 3 | | | |

### Central Conference Playoffs

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| | | | SE1 | Cocoa Expos | 3 | | | |
| SE1 | Cocoa Expos | 5 | SE3 | West Florida Fury | 1 | | | |
| SE4 | Miami Tango | 2 | | | | SE1 | Cocoa Expos | 2 |
| | | | | | | MS2 | Jackson Chargers | 1 |
| | | | MS1 | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 0 | | | |
| SE2 | South Florida Future | 0 | MS2 | Jackson Chargers | 3 | | | |
| SE3 | West Florida Fury | 4 | | | | | | |

### Eastern Conference Playoffs

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Western Finals | Western Finals | Western Finals |
| NW1 | Spokane Shadow | 2 | | | | | | |
| NW4 | Puget Sound Hammers | 1 | | | | | | |
| NW4 | Puget Sound Hammers | 1 | NW1 | Spokane Shadow | 2 | | | |
| Northwest Division | Northwest Division | Northwest Division | NW1 | Spokane Shadow | 2 | | | |
| Northwest Division | Northwest Division | Northwest Division | NW2 | Yakima Reds | 0 | | | |
| NW2 | Yakima Reds | 1 | NW2 | Yakima Reds | 0 | | | |
| NW3 | Cascade Surge | 0 | | | | | | |
| NW3 | Cascade Surge | 0 | | | | NW1 | Spokane Shadow | 0 |
| | | | | | | SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 1 |
| SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | bye | | | | | | | SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 1 |
| | | | SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 2 | | | |
| Southwest Division | Southwest Division | Southwest Division | SW1 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 2 | | | |
| Southwest Division | Southwest Division | Southwest Division | SW2 | Tucson Amigos | 1 | | | |
| SW2 | Tucson Amigos | bye | SW2 | Tucson Amigos | 1 | | | |

### Western Conference Playoffs
## 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. 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.
| Place | Team | W | SW | SL | L | BP | PTS |
| 1 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Cocoa Expos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Omaha Flames | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Jackson Chargers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

### Saturday
## Final

* MVP: Bryan Taylor

## Honors

* MVP: Pasi Kinturi
* Points leader: Pasi Kinturi
* Goals leader: Pasi Kinturi
* 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: Pasi Kinturi, Chris McDonald, Dennis Brose, Bryan Taylor