American soccer writing, history & data.
The USISL had gone through a regular rotation of names since its founding in 1986. But, in the offseason before the 1999, the organization changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues. That name would stick as the organization continues to call itself to this day. The USL W-League stayed steady with 34 teams for the 1999 season. The league continued to be split into the higher W-1 Division and...
The USISL had gone through a regular rotation of names since its founding in 1986. But, in the offseason before the 1999, the organization changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues. That name would stick as the organization continues to call itself to this day. The Premier Development Soccer League would get a slight name change becoming simply the Premier Development League. The USL PDL wo...
The USISL had gone through a regular rotation of names since its founding in 1986. But, in the offseason before the 1999, the organization changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues. That name would stick as the organization continues to call itself to this day. The Division III USL D3 Pro League lost a dozen teams from the 1998 season, dropping from 39 down to 27 for the 1999 season. The lo...
The USISL had gone through a regular rotation of names since its founding in 1986. But, in the offseason before the 1999, the organization changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues. That name would stick as the organization continues to call itself to this day. The USL A-League was stable and grew from 29 to 30 teams. The long-time Nashville Metros franchise, around since the 1990-91 indoor...
The autumn of 1997 saw the player-driven National Soccer Alliance form as the first true professional women’s soccer league. The eight-team league was scheduled to start play in the spring of 1997. But, the U.S. Soccer Federation pushed back on sanctioning the NSA as a Division I league for a number of factors. The USSF felt the market couldn't yet handle what the NSA planned and wanted the league...
Like the rest of the USISL the Premier Development Soccer League's offseason prior to the 1998 season was one of relative consistency. The PDSL grew from 30 to 33 teams. The Cincinnati Riverhawks were formallly promoted to the USISL A-League and the Miami Breakers decided to move up to the USISL D3-Pro League. Long time member, the Chattanooga Express, folded following the 1997 along with a handfu...
The offseason before the 1998 USISL D3-Pro League season was one of consistency. The league had 39 teams in the 1997 season and the same number of teams in 1998. The Albuquerque Geckos, as 1997 D3-Pro League champions, and San Francisco Bay Seals, on the strength of being a 1997 U.S. Open Cup semifinalist, were formally promoted to the USISL A-League for the 1998 season. The D3-Pro League also los...
The USISL A-League expanded from 24 to 28 teams for the 1998 season. The league added the Albuquerque Geckos (1997 USISL D3-Pro League champions), the San Francisco Bay Seals (promoted from the D3-Pro League due to the club's success in the 1997 U.S. Open Cup), the Cincinnati Riverhawks (promoted from the USISL PDSL), and the U.S. Pro-40 Select team. The latter team was made up of players in MLS' ...
The USISL began in 1986 as the five-team Southwest Indoor Soccer League. The 1997-98 season would be the last for the USISL I-League. And, its final season would have the same number of teams plus a few teams which played a small number of games to fill out the schedule. The top two teams were the two-time champion Baltimore Bays and the perennial runner-up Tulsa Roughnecks. Joining them would ...
In mid-1996, the USISL incorporated in Florida as USISL, Inc. which led to a merger between the USISL and the Division II American Professional Soccer League (aka the A-League) which was completed in October of 1996. The new A-League would be a division of the USISL beginning with the 1997 season. The USISL A-League was sanctioned by the USSF as a Division II professional league and was the highes...
In mid-1996, the USISL incorporated in Florida as USISL, Inc. which led to a merger between the USISL and the Division II American Professional Soccer League (aka the A-League) which was completed in October of 1996. The new A-League would be a division of the USISL beginning with the 1997 season. The USISL A-League was sanctioned by the USSF as a Division II professional league and was the highes...
In mid-1996, the USISL incorporated in Florida as USISL, Inc. which led to a merger between the USISL and the Division II American Professional Soccer League (aka the A-League) which was completed in October of 1996. The new A-League would be a division of the USISL beginning with the 1997 season. The USISL A-League was sanctioned by the USSF as a Division II professional league and was the highes...
In mid-1996, the USISL incorporated in Florida as USISL, Inc. which led to a merger between the USISL and the Division II American Professional Soccer League (aka the A-League) which was completed in October of 1996. The new A-League would be a division of the USISL beginning with the 1997 season. The USISL A-League was sanctioned by the USSF as a Division II professional league and was the highes...
In mid-1996, the USISL incorporated in Florida as USISL, Inc. and merged with the American Professional Soccer League (A-League). Those entities created a new USISL A-League sanctioned by the USSF for Division II play beginning in 1997. The USISL also re-branded its other leagues. The United States Indoor Soccer League became simply the I-League. Seven teams played full indoors schedules for the 1...
The second full season of the USWISL, better known as the W League, say the league still finding its footing. The organization began to coalesce around a core group of around 10 to 12 clubs while still dealing with an amount of turnover of expansion teams. The W League lost six teams from the 1995 season but added 11 more for the 1996 competition. The 24-team league was split into three confere...
During the summer of 1995, the USISL decided to create a new professional division, the Select League, that would be made up of the top 24 teams in the league. For consideration, teams had to average 1,000 fans per home game, have a strong business and marketing play, and be able to pay $5,000 up frontt with monthly dues of $500. During the offseason, the USISL signed a seven-figure sponsorship...
During the summer of 1995, the USISL decided to create a new professional division, the Select League, that would be made up of the top 24 teams in the league. For consideration, teams had to average 1,000 fans per home game, have a strong business and marketing play, and be able to pay $5,000 up frontt with monthly dues of $500. During the offseason, the USISL signed a seven-figure sponsorship...
During the summer of 1995, the USISL decided to create a new professional division, the Select League, that would be made up of the top 24 teams in the league. For consideration, teams had to average 1,000 fans per home game, have a strong business and marketing play, and be able to pay $5,000 up frontt with monthly dues of $500. The Long Island Rough Riders, USISL Pro League 1995 season champi...
The 1995-96 season of the US Indoor Soccer League, technically an amateur division of the USISL, was the tenth in its existence. Only 10 teams played a full schedule with eight more playing limited schedules to fill out the competition. With a lack of northeast teams, the Baltimore Bays played home games against a handful of opponents cobbled together from other USISL teams in that region. The ...
The United States Interregional Soccer League held its annual general meeting during the 1994 season Sizzlin' Nine weekend. The organization voted on taking up a new name and setup beginning with the 1994-95 indoor season. The organization would be four separate leagues aligned under the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues umbrella. The leagues would be a professional men's league, an ama...
The United States Interregional Soccer League held its annual general meeting during the 1994 season Sizzlin' Nine weekend. The organization voted on taking up a new name and setup beginning with the 1994-95 indoor season. The organization would be four separate leagues aligned under the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues umbrella. The leagues would be a professional men's league, an ama...
The United States Interregional Soccer League held its annual general meeting during the 1994 season Sizzlin' Nine weekend. The organization voted on taking up a new name and setup beginning with the 1994-95 indoor season. The organization would be four separate leagues aligned under the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues umbrella. The leagues would be a professional men's league, an ama...
The winter meetings in Dallas in November of 1994 officially split the USISL, renamed as the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, into separate leagues. The indoor league was renamed the United States Indoor Soccer League. It continued to technically be an amateur league. The Texas Arsenal and Texas Lightning teams did not return but the Brandon Brandon Braves, Mesquite Kickers (a mix ...
In December of 1993, USISL commissioner Francisco Marcos recommended that the organization begin a women's soccer program on an informal and voluntary basis in 1994 with plans for an official league to be launched starting in 1995. Around 17 women's teams played a pilot program of exhibition matches under the USISL umbrella which was called the United States Women's Interregional Soccer League. Mo...
In September of 1993, the United States Interregional Soccer League gained sanctioning as an Division III professional outdoor league by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league grew from 43 teams in 1993 to 70 in 1994. While the league itself was granted official professional status, individual teams had the option to go professional and forego college-eligible players or retain amateur status a...
The 1993-94 U.S. Interregional Soccer League season was a 14-team league split into three divisions. It also included a Challenge Division of teams that played a limited schedule of away games. Those games counted in the standings for the other teams in the league but the Challenge Division teams were not eligible for the playoffs. The Tyler Lightning moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Te...
An expansion boom led the United State Interregional Soccer League to nearly double in size for the 1993 outdoor season. The league added 24 expansion franchises bringing the total to 43 teams. The USISL made its way up the East Coast adding a nine-team Atlantic Division that included teams from South Carolina all the way up to Connecticut. The USISL also awarded a number of new franchises in 1993...
The 1992-93 US Interregional Soccer League indoor season launched with 16 teams. The expansion of the outdoor season did not lead to a similar expansion of the indoor season as most of the 1992 outdoor expansion franchises decided to focus solely on the outdoor game. A number of the older franchises, such as the Austin Soccadillos, also began to drop their indoor teams. The Arkansas Diamonds and G...
The United States Interregional Soccer League expanded to the west coast for the 1992 outdoor season adding four clubs in the Bay Area plus two provisional teams in San Diego. A number of long-serving teams dropped out after the 1991-92 outdoor season: Amarillo Challengers; Colorado Comets; Tulsa Renegades; Permian Basin Mirage; and Phoenix Hearts. The Lubbock franchise sat out the 1992 season - i...
After five years in existence, the former Southwest Indoor/Outdoor/Independent and Sunbelt Independent Soccer League shed its SISL acronym and renamed itself the United States Interregional Soccer League prior to its 1991-92 indoor season. The league was eyeing expansion for its coming outdoor season and positioning itself as the outdoor development feeder league for the USSF's planned three-tier ...
The Sunbelt Indoor Soccer League was relatively stable between its 1990-91 indoor and 1991 outdoor seasons. Both competitions had 18 teams with only a few changes in the lineups. After the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League folded following that league's 1990 outdoor season, nine members of that defunct club formed their own company and, with the permission of the orig...
After the 1990 outdoor season the Southwest Independent Soccer League expanded to 18 teams before the 1990-91 indoor soccer season. With additions in the southern U.S., the organization again renamed itself becoming the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League. A number of franchise changes happened between the outdoor and indoor seasons. North Texas United of Duncanville dropped out. The Albuquerque ...
After the 1989-90 Southwest Independent Soccer League season, the organization signed an affiliation agreement with the indoor National Professional Soccer League. Under the agreement, the SISL would operate as a farm league for the NPSL. The NPSL could assign players to the SISL and sign players from the SISL to professional contracts. Most teams which played in the 1989-90 indoor season playe...
After the summer outdoor season, the Southwest Indoor/Outdoor Soccer League renamed itself as the Southwest Independent Soccer League. The organization almost doubled in size prior to the SISL 1989-90 indoor season. While the San Antonio Heat did not return, the other seven teams that took part in the outdoor season did along with the Amarillo Challengers and Houston Express which did not take par...
By the time of the 1989-90 indoor season the Southwest Indoor Soccer League was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During that indoor season, the SISL also acquired affiliation with the USSF as a Division III regional amateur/semi-pro outdoor league for its inaugural Southwest Outdoor Soccer League 1989 season. Prior to the season, the Albuque...
The Southwest Indoor Soccer League added three teams prior to the 1988-89 season: Houston Express; San Antonio Heat; and Wichita Tornado. In addition, the Arlington Arrows moved to Addison, Texas and become the Addison Arrows. By this time, the SISL was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During the indoor season, the SISL also acquired affilia...
Soon after the 1986-87 Southwest Indoor Soccer League season, the F.C. Outlaws of Albuquerque were expelled from the league. Al Valentine, the franchise's owner and co-owner of the defunct Albuquerque Indoor Soccer Arena where the team played its games, hadn't paid league dues and various other fees. F.C. Albuquerque, a newly-formed corporation headed by three local businessmen, bought the rights ...
Francisco Marcos, owner and operator of Soccer Management International, an agency representing a few Major Indoor Soccer League players, formed the Southwest Indoor Soccer League. Marcos formed the SISL to eventually serve as a developmental league for the MISL and to help local indoor soccer area owners-operators drum up interest in indoor soccer for their cities. To get the league rolling, a $2...
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