# 2017 PDL season

The 2017 USL Premier Development League season is the 23rd season of the PDL. The league consisted of 72 teams playing in 10 divisions. The Michigan Bucks entered the season as the defending champions, but their title defense campaign ended with a loss in the Central Conference semi-finals. On August 5, 2017, the Charlotte Eagles won their first PDL championship by defeating the Thunder Bay Chill 2-1.

## Changes from 2016
### New Teams

| Team | Country | City/area | Stadium | Founded | Head coach | Notes |
| FC Cleburne | U.S. | Cleburne, Texas | The Depot at Cleburne Station | 2017 | Paul Davenport | Expansion |
| FC Boulder U23 | U.S. | Boulder, Colorado | Pleasant View Fields Sports Complex | 2017 | Luis Swisher | Expansion |
| Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C. | U.S. | Bryan, Texas | Nutrabolt Stadium | 2017 | James Clarkson | Expansion |
| Houston FC | U.S. | Houston, Texas | Rice Track/Soccer Stadium | 2017 | Bruce Talbot | Expansion |
| Lakeland Tropics | U.S. | Lakeland, Florida | Bryant Stadium | 2016 | Eoghan Conlon | Expansion |
| Myrtle Beach Mutiny | U.S. | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex | 2011 | Kyle Russell | NPSL |
| Nashville SC U23 | U.S. | Nashville, Tennessee | Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex | 2016 | Kyle Roelke | Expansion |
| SIMA Águilas | U.S. | Montverde, Florida | Montverde Academy Center | 2017 | Mike Potempa | Expansion |
| SoCal Surf | U.S. | Carlsbad, California | Maffucci Field | 2015 | Cody Worden | NPSL |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies U-23 | U.S. | Tampa, Florida | Waters Soccer Complex | 2017 | Keith Fulk | Expansion |
| Tobacco Road FC | U.S. | Durham, North Carolina | Durham County Stadium | 2013 | Cedric Burke | NPSL |
| Weston FC | U.S. | Weston, Florida | Broward College Soccer Field | 1998 | Victor Pastora | NPSL |
| Wilmington Hammerheads FC | U.S. | Wilmington, North Carolina | Legion Stadium | 1996 | Kevin Johnson | USL |
| TSS FC Rovers | Canada | Burnaby, British Columbia | Swangard Stadium | 2017 | Colin Elmes | Expansion |

### Name Changes

* FC Miami City Champions became FC Miami City
* FC Sonic Lehigh Valley became Lehigh Valley United

### Folded/left

* Baltimore Bohemians – Folded
* Floridians FC – Folded
* Kitsap Pumas – renamed Kitsap SC and moved to the National Premier Soccer League
* Kokomo Mantis FC – Folded its PDL team
* LA Laguna FC – Folded
* Laredo Heat – Folded its PDL team
* Las Vegas Mobsters – moved to the United Premier Soccer League
* Midland/Odessa Sockers – renamed Midland-Odessa FC and moved to the National Premier Soccer League
* Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23 – Folded
* SW Florida Adrenaline – Folded
* Southern West Virginia King's Warriors – Folded its PDL team

## Standings
### Tiebreakers

* Head-to-head results
* Goal differential
* Goals scored

### Central Conference
#### Great Lakes Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Michigan Bucks | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 9 | +22 | 33 | Advance to Central Conference Championship |
| 2 | K-W United FC | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 13 | +18 | 28 | Advance to Central Conference Championship |
| 3 | West Virginia Chaos | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 22 | |
| 4 | Cincinnati Dutch Lions | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 18 | |
| 5 | Dayton Dutch Lions | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 22 | −12 | 15 | |
| 6 | Derby City Rovers | 14 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 31 | −23 | 5 | |

#### Heartland Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 8 | +18 | 29 | Advance to Central Conference Championship |
| 2 | Des Moines Menace | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 23 | Advance to Central Conference Championship |
| 3 | Saint Louis FC U23 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 22 | |
| 4 | St. Louis Lions | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 27 | −8 | 19 | |
| 5 | Chicago FC United | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 17 | |
| 6 | WSA Winnipeg | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 33 | −21 | 7 | |

### Eastern Conference
#### Northeast Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Seacoast United Phantoms | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 35 | Advance to Eastern Conference play-in round |
| 2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 28 | Advance to Eastern Conference play-in round |
| 3 | Western Mass Pioneers | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 27 | |
| 4 | FC Boston | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 21 | |
| 5 | GPS Portland Phoenix | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 29 | 30 | −1 | 13 | |
| 6 | AC Connecticut | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 35 | −16 | 8 | |
| 7 | Westchester Flames | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 40 | −26 | 7 | |

#### Mid Atlantic Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | New York Red Bulls U-23 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 14 | +37 | 37 | Advance to Eastern Conference play-in round |
| 2 | Reading United AC | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 10 | +26 | 36 | Advance to Eastern Conference play-in round |
| 3 | Ocean City Nor'easters | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 28 | |
| 4 | Jersey Express S.C. | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 15 | |
| 5 | F.A. Euro | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 39 | −28 | 10 | |
| 6 | Lehigh Valley United | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 30 | −11 | 9 | |
| 7 | Evergreen FC | 14 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 42 | −28 | 5 | |

#### South Atlantic Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Myrtle Beach Mutiny | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 38 | 19 | +19 | 33 | Advance to Eastern Conference Championship |
| 2 | Charlotte Eagles | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 14 | +16 | 29 | Advance to Eastern Conference Championship |
| 3 | Nashville SC U23 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 34 | 18 | +16 | 28 | |
| 4 | South Georgia Tormenta FC | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 25 | |
| 5 | SC United Bantams | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 22 | |
| 6 | Tobacco Road FC | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 21 | |
| 7 | North Carolina FC U23 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 17 | |
| 8 | Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 12 | |
| 9 | Tri-Cities Otters | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 26 | −16 | 11 | |
| 10 | Carolina Dynamo | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 34 | −15 | 8 | |
| 11 | Peachtree City MOBA | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 34 | −19 | 8 | |

### Southern Conference
#### Mid South Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | OKC Energy U23 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 10 | +29 | 37 | Advance to Southern Conference Championship |
| 2 | Mississippi Brilla FC | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 10 | +14 | 30 | Advance to Southern Conference Championship |
| 3 | Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C. | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 30 | 28 | +2 | 22 | |
| 4 | Texas United | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 16 | |
| 5 | FC Cleburne | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 41 | −21 | 10 | |
| 6 | Houston FC | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 35 | −21 | 8 | |

#### Southeast Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | SIMA Águilas | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 13 | +21 | 34 | Advance to Southern Conference Championship |
| 2 | FC Miami City | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 12 | +29 | 33 | Advance to Southern Conference Championship |
| 3 | Lakeland Tropics | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 29 | |
| 4 | The Villages SC | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 21 | +25 | 26 | |
| 5 | IMG Academy Bradenton | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 18 | |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Rowdies U-23 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 12 | |
| 7 | South Florida Surf | 14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 29 | −8 | 12 | |
| 8 | Weston FC | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 38 | −27 | 10 | |
| 9 | Palm Beach Suns FC | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 42 | −32 | 1 | |

### Western Conference
#### Mountain Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | FC Tucson | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 30 | Advance to Western Conference Championship |
| 2 | FC Boulder U23 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 26 | |
| 3 | Colorado Rapids U-23 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 20 | |
| 4 | BYU Cougars | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 12 | |
| 5 | Albuquerque Sol FC | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 8 | |

#### Northwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Portland Timbers U23s | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 12 | +17 | 28 | Advance to Western Conference play-in round |
| 2 | Calgary Foothills FC | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 28 | Advance to Western Conference play-in round |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders FC U-23 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 19 | |
| 4 | Victoria Highlanders (J) | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 28 | −11 | 16 | |
| 5 | Lane United FC | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 14 | |
| 6 | TSS FC Rovers | 14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 29 | −10 | 9 | |

#### Southwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | FC Golden State Force | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 17 | +28 | 33 | Advance to Western Conference Championship |
| 2 | Fresno Fuego | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 45 | 19 | +26 | 32 | Advance to Western Conference Championship |
| 3 | SoCal Surf | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 15 | +7 | 25 | |
| 4 | San Francisco City FC | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 25 | |
| 5 | Burlingame Dragons FC | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 19 | |
| 6 | Southern California Seahorses | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 24 | −7 | 17 | |
| 7 | San Diego Zest FC | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 11 | |
| 8 | Ventura County Fusion | 14 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 23 | 34 | −11 | 10 | |
| 9 | Orange County SC U-23 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 39 | −30 | 4 | |

## Playoffs

| Divisional Qualification | Divisional Qualification | Divisional Qualification | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship | National Championship | National Championship |
| | | | | | SW1 | FC Golden State Force | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | NW1 | Portland Timbers U23s | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| NW1 | Portland Timbers U23s | 3 | | | NW1 | Portland Timbers U23s | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| NW2 | Calgary Foothills FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| NW2 | Calgary Foothills FC | 0 | | | | | | SW1 | FC Golden State Force | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | SW1 | FC Golden State Force | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | SW2 | Fresno Fuego | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SW2 | Fresno Fuego | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | MT1 | FC Tucson | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | SW1 | FC Golden State Force | 0 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 1 | | | |
| | | | | | GL1 | Michigan Bucks | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | HL2 | Des Moines Menace | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | HL2 | Des Moines Menace | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | HL2 | Des Moines Menace | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | GL2 | K-W United FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SA2 | Charlotte Eagles | 2 |
| | | | | | SA1 | Myrtle Beach Mutiny | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| MA1 | New York Red Bulls U-23 | 1 | | | NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 4 | | | | | | NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 1(2) | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 1(2) | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | SA2 | Charlotte Eagles | 1(4) | | | | | | | |
| NE1 | Seacoast United Phantoms | 3 | | | | | | | | | SA2 | Charlotte Eagles | 1(4) | | | | |
| MA2 | Reading United AC | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| MA2 | Reading United AC | 1 | | | NE1 | Seacoast United Phantoms | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SA2 | Charlotte Eagles | 4* | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | SA2 | Charlotte Eagles | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | MS2 | Mississippi Brilla FC | 1 | | | |
| | | | | | MS1 | OKC Energy U23 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SE2 | FC Miami City | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | SE2 | FC Miami City | 0(1) | | | | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | SE2 | FC Miami City | 0(1) | | | | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | MS2 | Mississippi Brilla FC | 0(3) | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SE1 | SIMA Águilas | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | MS2 | Mississippi Brilla FC | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
* After extra time

### Divisional Qualification

Matches in the Divisional Qualification round were held on July 18. Two Eastern Conference play-in matches were played at Amesbury, MA (Seacoast United Phantoms) and Whippany, NJ (New York Red Bulls U-23). One Western Conference play-in match was played at Salem, OR (Portland Timbers U23s).

### Conference Championships

The PDL Conference Championships were held over the weekend of July 21–23. Matches were played at: Tucson, AZ (Western Conference, host FC Tucson); Statesboro, GA (Eastern Conference, host South Georgia Tormenta FC); Pontiac, MI (Central Conference, host Michigan Bucks); and Clinton, MS (Southern Conference, host Mississippi Brilla FC). The four conference champions advanced to the PDL semifinals.

### PDL Championship

The PDL semifinals were held on July 29, with matches played at Charlotte, NC (Charlotte Eagles) and Thunder Bay, ON (Thunder Bay Chill). The PDL Championship Game was held on August 5 in Matthews, NC (Charlotte Eagles).

### Championship Game
## Awards

* Most Valuable Player: Brian White (NYR)
* Golden Boot: Brian White (NYR)
* Young (U21) Player of the Year: Aaron Molloy (REA)
* Coach of the Year: Robert Elliott (NYR)
* Goalkeeper of the Year: Ben Lundgaard (NYR)
* Defender of the Year: Mitch Osmond (TBC)
* Creative Player of the Year: Harry Pearse (JER)

## All-League and All-Conference Teams
### Eastern Conference

F: Tobenna Uzo (MYB) *, Brian White (NYR) *, Joao Costa (CHE) M: Ricardo Gomez (MYB) *, Aaron Molloy (REA) *, Martim Galvão (NAS) D: Douglas Oliveira (CHE), Alex Nelson (MYB), Kevin Politz (NYR), Daniel Kozma (OCN) G: Ben Lundgaard (NYR) *

### Central Conference

F: Ryan Sierakowski (CHI), Samuel Gainford (STL), Francis Atuahene (MIB) M: Abraham Villon (TBC), Amass Amankona (DDL), Chris Mueller (CHI) D: Mitch Osmond (TBC) *, Nick Walker (MIB) *, Lucas Stauffer (DMM), Brandon Fricke (DMM) G: Michael Yantz (DDL)

### Western Conference

F: Mark Verso (GSF) *, Ryosuke Kinoshita (FCB), Jose Cuevas (FRE) M: Moshe Perez (TUC) *, Christo Michaelson (POR), Jose Carrera-Garcia (GSF) D: Sergi Nus (FRE) *, Scott DeVoss (COL) *, Sho Goto (VIC), Wouter Verstraaten (POR) G: Jordan Farr (POR)

### Southern Conference

F: Mohamed Kourouma (MIA), Ricardo Diegues (LAK), Julio Moncada (OKC) M: Kevin Varela (TBR), Willian Hopfner (VIL), Angelo Kelly-Rosales (MIS) D: Kevin Coiffic (MIA), Jonathan Parpeix (MIA), Gabriel Torres (VIL), Thomas Vancaeyezeele (MIS) G: Eric Dick (OKC)
* denotes All-League player