2011 North American Soccer League season
| Lowest attendance | 797 Puerto Rico Islanders @ FC Edmonton |
|---|---|
| Average attendance | 3,770[1] |
| → | |
The 2011 North American Soccer League season is the 44th season of second division soccer in the United States and the inaugural season of the newly created North American Soccer League.
Earlier in 2011, the league's likelihood of earning second tier sanctioning had been thrown into question when the U.S. Soccer Federation rejected the league in January due to its financial instability.[2] The USSF gave provisional sanctioning at the annual general meeting in Las Vegas on February 12, 2011.[3]
Competition format
The NASL debuted in 2011 with 8 teams playing a 28-game regular season schedule, with 14 home and 14 away games, playing each opponent four times. The NASL’s playoff format consisted of the top six teams, with the first two teams receiving a bye until the semifinal round and the remaining four teams playing in a single-game playoff to advance to the semifinals. The semifinals and the finals will each consist of a two-game home and home aggregate goal system.[4]
Regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina RailHawks (X)
|
28 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 50 | 26 | +24 | 54 | Playoff semifinals |
| 2 | Puerto Rico Islanders | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 52 | |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 28 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 41 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 28 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 38 | |
| 5 | FC Edmonton | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 36[a] | |
| 6 | NSC Minnesota Stars (C)
|
28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 30 | 32 | −2 | 36[a] | |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 35 | |
| 8 | Atlanta Silverbacks
|
28 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 25 | 63 | −38 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored.[5]
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season champion
Notes:
Results
| Abbreviation and Color Key: FC Tampa Bay – TAM
Win • Loss • Draw • Home | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Match | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | |
Atlanta Silverbacks |
MIN | EDM | FTL | TAM | EDM | MIN | FTL | CAR | MIN | MTL | TAM | PUR | CAR | PUR | FTL | MTL | TAM | CAR | TAM | PUR | MTL | EDM | CAR | PUR | EDM | MIN | FTL | MTL |
| 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | |
Carolina RailHawks |
PUR | MTL | EDM | MIN | TAM | FTL | MTL | PUR | ATL | TAM | EDM | TAM | ATL | MTL | MIN | EDM | EDM | ATL | FTL | PUR | MIN | FTL | ATL | TAM | FTL | MTL | PUR | MIN |
| 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |
| FC Edmonton | FTL | ATL | CAR | MTL | ATL | TAM | MIN | TAM | MTL | CAR | PUR | MIN | MTL | MIN | CAR | TAM | CAR | TAM | FTL | PUR | FTL | ATL | PUR | PUR | MIN | ATL | FTL | MTL |
| 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
EDM | MIN | ATL | PUR | MIN | CAR | ATL | MTL | PUR | MIN | MTL | PUR | TAM | TAM | ATL | MTL | PUR | EDM | CAR | MIN | EDM | CAR | TAM | MTL | CAR | EDM | ATL | TAM |
| 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | |
NSC Minnesota Stars |
ATL | FTL | PUR | CAR | FTL | ATL | PUR | EDM | TAM | PUR | ATL | FTL | EDM | EDM | CAR | PUR | MTL | MTL | FTL | TAM | CAR | MTL | MTL | EDM | TAM | ATL | TAM | CAR |
| 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Montreal Impact | TAM | CAR | TAM | EDM | CAR | TAM | FTL | EDM | ATL | PUR | FTL | EDM | PUR | CAR | FTL | ATL | MIN | PUR | MIN | TAM | ATL | MIN | MIN | FTL | PUR | CAR | EDM | ATL |
| 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
| Puerto Rico Islanders | CAR | TAM | MIN | FTL | MIN | CAR | MIN | FTL | MTL | EDM | ATL | FTL | MTL | ATL | TAM | MIN | FTL | MTL | EDM | ATL | CAR | TAM | EDM | EDM | ATL | MTL | CAR | TAM |
| 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
FC Tampa Bay |
MTL | PUR | MTL | ATL | CAR | EDM | MTL | MIN | EDM | CAR | ATL | CAR | FTL | FTL | PUR | EDM | ATL | EDM | ATL | MTL | MIN | PUR | FTL | CAR | MIN | MIN | PUR | FTL |
| 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | |
Source: NASL results table
Playoffs
The 6 qualifying teams will be given seeds 1 through 6 with the top team in the standings receiving the number 1 seed.
The format of the Playoffs will consist of a Quarterfinal Round, Semifinal Round and a Final Round. The Quarterfinal Round will be a single game while the Semifinal and Final Rounds will each be a 2-game series with each team playing at home once and the team with the greater number of aggregate goals in both games winning each series.
The number 1 seed and the number 2 seed will receive a bye directly to the Semifinal Round while the number 3 seed will host the number 6 seed and the number 4 seed will host the number 5 seed in the Quarterfinal Round.
For the Semifinal Round, the number 1 seed will be paired with the lowest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round with the number 2 seed being paired with the highest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round.
The winners of each series in the Semifinal Round will meet in the Final Round known as the Soccer Bowl. In the event of a draw in either Quarterfinal Round game, such game will progress to a 30-minute extra time period (the golden goal rule will not be in effect). If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.
In each Semifinal Round series and the Final Round series, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams will progress to a 30-minute extra time period. As in the Quarterfinal Round, the golden goal rule will not be in effect. If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series will be determined by a penalty shootout.
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Soccer Bowl 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Carolina RailHawks FC
| 0 | 4 | 4 (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | FC Tampa Bay
| 0 | 6 | NSC Minnesota Stars
| 1 | 3 | 4 (5) | |||||||||||
| 6 | NSC Minnesota Stars
| 1 | 6 | NSC Minnesota Stars
| 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Puerto Rico Islanders | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 5 | 4 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||
| 5 | FC Edmonton | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarterfinals
| October 1, 2011 | NSC Minnesota Stars | St. Petersburg, Florida | ||
| 7:30 pm EDT | Andres Arango  14' |
Report | Luke Mulholland  27'Jeff Cosgriff 50'Kyle Altman 57' |
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 3,003 |
| October 1, 2011 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 5–0 | FC Edmonton | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Brian Shriver 45' 54' 57' Abe Thompson 46' 62' 77' |
Report | Antonio Rago 36' Paul Hamilton 58'Shaun Saiko 68' |
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium |
Semifinals
| October 8, 2011 | Carolina RailHawks | Blaine, Minnesota | ||
| 7:30 pm CDT | Brian Cvilikas 38' Andrei Gotsmanov 56' 90'Luke Mulholland 76' |
Report | Devon McKenney 45' Pablo Campos 67'Tony McManus 76' |
Stadium: National Sports Center Attendance: 2,512 |
| October 15, 2011 | NSC Minnesota Stars | Cary, North Carolina | ||
| 7:00 pm EDT | Pablo Campos 45+' 60' (pen.) 90+' 90+' Jonny Steele 57'Nick Zimmerman 63'Devon McKenney  66'Floyd Franks 85'Chris Nurse 103' |
Report | Brian Kallman 7' Andrei Gotsmanov 10' 40'Brian Cvilikas 36'Kyle Altman 47'Lucas Rodriguez 52'Neil Hlavaty 67' (pen.)Justin Davis 120+' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,002 |
| Penalties | ||||
Jonny Steele  Etienne Barbara  Kupono Low Brad Knighton |
Neil Hlavaty Devin Del Do Kyle Altman Simone Bracalello Lucas Rodriguez |
|||
- Tied 4–4 on aggregate. NSC Minnesota Stars win 5–3 on penalties.
| October 8, 2011 | Puerto Rico Islanders | 1–3 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Jonathan Faña 84' |
Report | Martin Nuñez 49' Wálter Restrepo 82'Brian Shriver 90+' |
Stadium: Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel |
| October 15, 2011 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2–1 | Puerto Rico Islanders | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Brian Shriver 19' 59' |
Report | David Foley 56' |
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium |
- Fort Lauderdale Strikers win 5–2 on aggregate.
Soccer Bowl 2011
NSC Minnesota Stars | 3–1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Hlavaty 4' Luke Mulholland 53'Lucas Rodriguez 77' |
Report 1 Report 2 |
Justin Davis 52' (o.g.) |
NSC Minnesota Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gerson Mayen 90' |
Report |
- NSC Minnesota Stars win Soccer Bowl 2011, 3–1 on aggregate.
Attendance
| Club | GP | Total | High | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Impact | 14 | 161,102 | 12,060 | - | 11,507 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 14 | 52,769 | - | - | 3,769 |
Carolina RailHawks |
14 | 46,942 | - | - | 3,353 |
FC Tampa Bay |
14 | 42,138 | - | - | 3,010 |
Atlanta Silverbacks |
14 | 40,117 | - | - | 2,866 |
| Puerto Rico Islanders | 14 | 30,247 | - | - | 2,161 |
| FC Edmonton | 14 | 25,434 | - | 797 | 1,817 |
NSC Minnesota Stars |
14 | 23,463 | - | - | 1,676 |
| Total | 112 | 422,212 | 12,060 | 797 | 3,770 |
- Updated to games played on September 24, 2011
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etienne Barbara |  MLT
|
Carolina RailHawks | 20 |
| 2 | Pablo Campos |  BRA
|
Carolina RailHawks | 11 |
| Mike Ambersley |  USA
|
FC Tampa Bay | 11 | |
| Jonathan Faña |  DOM
|
Puerto Rico Islanders | 11 | |
| 5 | Shaun Saiko |  CAN
|
FC Edmonton | 9 |
| Aaron King | USA
|
FC Tampa Bay | 9 | |
| 7 | Matt Horth | USA
|
Atlanta Silverbacks | 8 |
| 8 | David Foley |  ENG
|
Puerto Rico Islanders | 7 |
| Kyle Porter | CAN
|
FC Edmonton | 7 | |
| Nicholas Addlery |  JAM
|
Puerto Rico Islanders | 7 |
Source:[6]
Top goalkeepers
(Minimum of 1260 Minutes Played)
| Rank | Goalkeeper | Club | MINS | SVS | GA | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Bush
|
Montreal Impact | 1668 | 71 | 14 | 0.757 |
| 2 | Brad Knighton
|
Carolina RailHawks
|
2480 | 115 | 26 | 0.942 |
| 3 | Matt Glaeser
|
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1905 | 75 | 22 | 1.038 |
| 4 | Ray Burse
|
Puerto Rico Islanders | 2340 | 98 | 28 | 1.077 |
| 5 | Joe Warren
|
NSC Minnesota Stars
|
2430 | 105 | 30 | 1.111 |
| 6 | Jeff Attinella
|
FC Tampa Bay
|
2060 | 128 | 31 | 1.354 |
| 7 |  Rein Baart
|
FC Edmonton | 2145 | 78 | 33 | 1.387 |
| 8 | Jimmy Maurer
|
Atlanta Silverbacks
|
1531 | 93 | 41 | 2.412 |
Source:[7]
Awards
League awards
- Golden Ball (MVP): Etienne Barbara (Carolina RailHawks) [8]
- Golden Boot: Etienne Barbara (Carolina RailHawks) [9]
- Golden Glove: Evan Bush (Montreal Impact) [9]
- Coach of the Year: Manny Lagos (NSC Minnesota Stars) [10]
- Fair Play Award: FC Tampa Bay[9]
NASL Best XI[11]
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Players | Team | ||||
| Goalkeeper | Brad Knighton |
Carolina RailHawks
| ||||
| Defense |  Hassoun Camara |
Montreal Impact | ||||
| Defense | Lance Laing |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||||
| Defense | Kupono Low |
Carolina RailHawks
| ||||
| Defense |  Toni Ståhl |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||||
| Midfield | David Foley |
Puerto Rico Islanders | ||||
| Midfield |  Pascal Millien |
FC Tampa Bay
| ||||
| Midfield | Shaun Saiko |
FC Edmonton | ||||
| Midfield | Matt Watson |
Carolina RailHawks
| ||||
| Forward | Mike Ambersley |
FC Tampa Bay
| ||||
| Forward | Etienne Barbara |
Carolina RailHawks
| ||||
References
- ^ NASL Weekend in Review (18 July 2011).
- ^ Quarstad, Brian (January 21, 2011). "NASL Releases Press Statement Concerning US Soccer's Decision to Decline Sanctioning". Inside Minnesota Soccer. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- North American Soccer League. February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- North American Soccer League. November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "NASL Standings".
- ^ "NASL Individual Leaders". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ^ "NASL Individual Leaders". Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ^ "Barbara Named NASL Golden Ball Winner". North American Soccer League. October 17, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c "NASL Announces Three Postseason Award Winners". North American Soccer League. September 27, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ "Minnesota Stars FC Coach Manny Lagos Named Field Turf 2011 NASL Coach of the Year". IMSoccer News. January 17, 2012. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ "NASL Announces 2011 Best XI Team". North American Soccer League. September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2015.