1998 USISL A-League

Football league season

USISL A-League
Season	1998
Champions	Rochester Rhinos (1st title)
Premiers	Rochester Rhinos (1st title)
Top goalscorer	Mark Baena (24 goals)
← 1997 1999 →

The 1998 USISL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1998.

Regular season

Northeast Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	SOL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Rochester Rhinos	28	23	1	1	3	72	15	+57	70
2	Montreal Impact	28	13	8	2	5	47	33	+14	47
3	Staten Island Vipers	28	15	1	1	11	46	37	+9	46
4	Long Island Rough Riders	28	14	3	1	10	46	35	+11	45
5	Worcester Wildfire	28	10	2	2	14	37	50	−13	32
6	Toronto Lynx	28	8	1	2	17	27	42	−15	25
7	Connecticut Wolves	28	2	5	3	18	32	57	−25	11

Source:^{[citation needed]}

Atlantic Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	SOL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Richmond Kickers	28	18	3	2	5	48	22	+26	57
2	Hershey Wildcats	28	17	2	1	8	51	31	+20	53
3	Hampton Roads Mariners	28	15	1	3	9	44	39	+5	46
4	Charleston Battery	28	11	1	1	15	37	40	−3	34
5	Jacksonville Cyclones	28	10	0	2	16	36	53	−17	30
6	Atlanta Ruckus	28	7	0	1	20	31	67	−36	21
7	Raleigh Flyers	28	5	0	2	21	31	66	−35	15

Source:^{[citation needed]}

Central Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	SOL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Nashville Metros	28	18	2	1	7	70	31	+39	56
2	Minnesota Thunder	28	16	3	1	8	52	33	+19	51
3	Milwaukee Rampage	28	16	1	3	8	61	39	+22	49
4	New Orleans Storm	28	14	1	1	12	53	50	+3	43
5	Cincinnati Riverhawks	28	11	0	0	17	48	65	−17	33
6	El Paso Patriots	28	9	3	1	15	51	54	−3	30
7	Albuquerque Geckos	28	5	0	1	22	39	100	−61	15

Source:^{[citation needed]}

Pacific Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	SOL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	San Diego Flash	28	20	1	1	6	58	23	+35	61
2	Seattle Sounders	28	17	1	0	10	63	28	+35	52
3	Orange County Zodiac	28	15	1	3	9	49	43	+6	46
4	Vancouver 86ers	28	13	2	1	12	55	42	+13	41
5	MLS Project 40	28	10	1	2	15	45	55	−10	31
6	San Francisco Bay Seals	28	9	1	5	13	31	47	−16	28
7	California Jaguars	28	6	0	1	21	32	95	−63	18

Source:^{[citation needed]}

Conference Quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

September 12, 1998
7:35 PM EST

Rochester Rhinos (NY)	3–0	Charleston Battery (SC)
Yari Allnutt 22:00' (Tanner, Tilley) Jimmy Glenn 35:10' (McKay) Mike Kirmse 81:20'	Report	44' Robert Rosario 66' Todd Miller

Frontier Field, Rochester, New York

Attendance: 9,673

September 12, 1998

Hershey Wildcats (PA)	1–1	Hampton Roads Mariners (VA)
Kyle Swords 49'		18' Greg Richards
Penalties
	4–3

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 2,089

September 12, 1998

Montreal Impact (QC)	3–1	Staten Island Vipers (NY)
Giuliano Oliviero 3' Kevin Lamey 66' Kevin Wilson 90'		2' Marvin Oliver

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Quebec

Attendance: 9,673

September 13, 1998

Richmond Kickers (VA)	0–0	Long Island Rough Riders (NY)

Penalties
	4–3

Attendance: 1,798

Western Conference

September 12, 1998
7:30 PM (PDT)

San Diego Flash (CA)	3–1	Vancouver 86ers (BC)
Nate Hetherington 22', 74' Jamie Munro 41' Carlos Farias 51' Jerome Watson 90'	Report	19' Jason Jordan

Devore Stadium, Chula Vista, California

Attendance: 4,178

September 12, 1998

Nashville Metros (TN)	2–2	New Orleans Storm (LA)
Vince Martinez 35' Martin Reynders 41' 78' (pen.)		23' Ricardo Blanchard 53' (pen.) Gabe Gentile
Penalties
	2–4

Attendance: 650

September 13, 1998

Seattle Sounders (WA)	2–1	Orange County Zodiac (CA)
Peter Hattrup 63' Brandon Prideaux 73' Dick McCormick 76' (pen.)	Report	22' Eddie Soto 60' Steve Patterson 67' Ken Hesse

Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 4,371

Referee: Mohammed Sagakhaneh

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinal 1

September 17, 1998

Hershey Wildcats (PA)	0–0	Richmond Kickers (VA)

Penalties
	3–2

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 2,296

September 20, 1998

Richmond Kickers (VA)	2–4	Hershey Wildcats (PA)
Rob Johnson 82' Tony Williams 84'		15' Lee Tschantret 45' Don D'Ambra 81' Jamel Mitchell 90' Jakob Fenger

Attendance: 9,147

The Hershey Wildcats advance to the Eastern Conference final.

Eastern Conference semifinal 2

September 20, 1998
7:30 PM EST

Montreal Impact (QC)	2–2	Rochester Rhinos (NY)
Elvis Thomas 42:29' Patrick Diotte 54:41' Nick De Santis 90'	Report	15:24' Darren Tilley 20:09', 46' Tommy Tanner 72' Nate Daligcon 86' Tim Hardy
Penalties
Giuliano Oliviero Nevio Pizzolitto Patrick Diotte Elvis Thomas Onandi Lowe	2–3	Carlos Zavala Doug Miller Patrick Diotte Scott Schweitzer Darren Tilley

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, Montreal, Quebec

Attendance: 4,360

September 23, 1998
7:35 PM EST

Rochester Rhinos (NY)	4–1	Montreal Impact (QC)
Tim Hardy 36' Lenin Steenkamp 44:02', 47:20' Scott Schweitzer 60:45' Yari Allnutt 67:50' Mike Kirmse 84'	Report	22:25' Elvis Thomas 24' John Limniatis 56' Nevio Pizzolitto 59' Nick De Santis

Frontier Field, Rochester, New York

Attendance: 7,529

Western Conference semifinal 1

September 18, 1998

Minnesota Thunder (MN)	2–1	Seattle Sounders (WA)
Stoian Mladenov 49' Amos Magee 73'	Report	2' Dick McCormick 28' Scott Jenkins 61' Peter Hattrup

National Sports Center, Blaine, Minnesota

Attendance: 2,084

September 20, 1998
5:00 PM (PDT)

Seattle Sounders (WA)	1–2	Minnesota Thunder (MN)
Dick McCormick 13', 84' Jason Annicchero 27' Scott Jenkins 30' David Hoggan 66' Neil Megson 84'	Report	19' Gerard Lagos 25' Don Gramenz 62' Morgan Zeba 73' (pen.) Kevin Anderson

Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 3,579

Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela (USA)

The Minnesota Thunder advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Western Conference semifinal 2

September 19, 1998

San Diego Flash (CA)	2–1	New Orleans Storm (LA)
Antonio Robles 18' Carlos Farias 73'		60' Glenn Benjamin

Attendance: 4,043

September 21, 1998

New Orleans Storm (LA)	3–3	San Diego Flash (CA)
Gabe Gentile 46' Chris Veselka 61', 89' Colin Rocke 63' Andrew Restrepo 69'		7' Jerome Watson 53' Mauricio Alegre 75' Carlos Farias
Penalties
	2–3

Attendance: 3,183

The San Diego Flash advance to the Western Conference championship.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

September 26, 1998
8:00 PM EST

Rochester Rhinos (NY)	3–1	Hershey Wildcats (PA)
Jimmy Glenn 2:30', 27' Darren Tilley 60:20', 88:25' Yari Allnutt 41'	Report	18' Mike Williams 83:01' Lee Tschantret

Frontier Field, Rochester, New York

Attendance: 8,212

October 3, 1998
7:35 PM EST

Hershey Wildcats (PA)	0–1	Rochester Rhinos (NY)
	Report	74:16' Darren Tilley

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 1,847

The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the finals.

Western Conference

September 26, 1998

Minnesota Thunder (MN)	2–1	San Diego Flash (CA)
John Coughlin 22' Gabe Garcia 87'	Report	55' Daniel Sinouhi

National Sports Center, Blaine, Minnesota

Attendance: 2,743

September 30, 1998

San Diego Flash (CA)	1–2	Minnesota Thunder (MN)
Jerome Watson 68'	Report	18' Constantin Stănici 42' Morgan Zeba

Devore Stadium, Chula Vista, California

Attendance: 3,183

The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the final.

Final

October 17, 1998
7:00 PM EST

Rochester Rhinos (NY)	3–1	Minnesota Thunder (MN)
Darren Tilley 19:02', 22:55', 59:07' Scott Schweitzer 51' Tim Hardy 77'	Report	1' Morgan Zeba 33:09' (o.g.) Tim Hardy

Frontier Field, Rochester, New York

Attendance: 13,772

MVP: Darren Tilley

Points leaders

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals	Assists	Points
1	Mark Baena	Seattle Sounders	24	5	53
2	Darren Tilley	Rochester Rhinos	21	6	48
3	Amos Magee	Minnesota Thunder	15	10	40
4	Kirk Wilson	El Paso Patriots	15	7	37
5	Mauro Biello	Montreal Impact	11	13	35
6	Mike Burke	Charleston Battery	16	2	34
	Gary Glasgow	New Orleans Storm	15	4	34
	Antonio Robles	San Diego Flash	15	4	34
9	Yari Allnutt	Rochester Rhinos	14	5	33
10	Jon Szczepanski	Milwaukee Rampage	8	14	30
10	Jason Cairns	Cincinnati Riverhawks	8	14	30
12	Luis Labastida	Albuquerque Geckos	9	11	29
12	John Smith	Nashville Metros	9	11	29
14	Patrick Beech	Seattle Sounders	12	4	28
	Steve Patterson	Orange County Zodiac	11	6	28
	Martin Reynders	Nashville Metros	11	6	28
17	Giuliano Oliviero	Montreal Impact	8	11	27
18	Gino DiFlorio	Cincinnati Riverhawks	12	2	26
18	Jimmy Glenn	Rochester Rhinos	10	6	26

Honors

MVP: Mark Baena
Leading goal scorer: Mark Baena
Leading goalkeeper: Pat Onstad
Defender of the Year: Scott Schweitzer
Rookie of the Year: Mike Burke
Coach of the Year: Pat Ercoli
First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Pat Onstad
- Defenders: Gabe Eastman, Scott Schweitzer, Craig Demmin
- Midfielders: Yari Allnutt, Mauro Biello, John Ball, Lee Tschantret
- Forwards: Mark Baena, Darren Tilley, Amos Magee
Second Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Joe Cannon
- Defenders: Carl Fletcher, Steve MacDonald, Omid Namazi
- Midfielders: Kevin Anderson, Jason Cairns, Antonio Robles, Kirk Wilson
- Forwards: Gary Glasgow, Mike Burke, Josh Wolff
Organization of the Year: ^[1] Vancouver 86ers
Executive of the Year: Jim Harwood, Milwaukee Rampage
Fair Play Award: Rochester Raging Rhinos
Key Grip Award: Matthew Ford, Hershey Wildcats

References

^ "Blast Named Organization of the Year". Indiana Blast. November 13, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 1999. Retrieved May 19, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

The Year in American Soccer – 1998
United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF)
1998 A-League

USL A-League and First Division

Seasons
A-League	1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
First Division	2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Teams
A-League	Atlanta Silverbacks Boston Bulldogs Calgary Mustangs^CA California Jaguars Carolina Dynamo Charleston Battery Charlotte Eagles Cincinnati Riverhawks Colorado Foxes Connecticut Wolves Edmonton Aviators^CA El Paso Patriots Hershey Wildcats Indiana Blast Jacksonville Cyclones Lehigh Valley Steam Long Island Rough Riders Maryland Mania Milwaukee Rampage Milwaukee Wave United Minnesota Thunder MLS Project 40 Montreal Impact^CA Nashville Metros New Orleans Storm New York Centaurs New York Fever Orange County Waves Orlando Sundogs Pittsburgh Riverhounds Portland Timbers Puerto Rico Islanders Raleigh Capital Express Richmond Kickers Rochester Raging Rhinos Sacramento Geckos San Diego Flash San Francisco Bay Seals Seattle Sounders Staten Island Vipers Syracuse Salty Dogs Toronto Lynx^CA Vancouver Whitecaps FC^CA Virginia Beach Mariners
First Division	Atlanta Silverbacks Austin Aztex California Victory Carolina RailHawks Charleston Battery Cleveland City Stars FC Tampa Bay Miami FC Minnesota Thunder Montreal Impact^CA Portland Timbers Puerto Rico Islanders Richmond Kickers Rochester Rhinos Seattle Sounders Toronto Lynx^CA Vancouver Whitecaps FC^CA Virginia Beach Mariners

^Note CA – Canada (CSA) based team

1998 in American soccer

« 1997

1999 »

Leagues

Men	Major League Soccer USISL A-League USISL D-3 Pro League Premier Development League National Premier Soccer League
Women	W-League Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL)

Cups

Other

MLS All-Star Game
MLS transfers

International

Club competitions

CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- 1998
CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup
- 1998
Copa Interamericana
- 1998

National teams

Men	1998 FIFA World Cup 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Women	1998 Algarve Cup

Team seasons
MLS	Chicago Fire Colorado Rapids Columbus Crew Dallas Burn D.C. United Kansas City Wizards Los Angeles Galaxy Miami Fusion New England Revolution NY/NJ MetroStars Tampa Bay Mutiny
A-League	Atlanta Ruckus Albuquerque Geckos California Jaguars Charleston Battery Cincinnati Riverhawks Connecticut Wolves El Paso Patriots Jacksonville Cyclones Hampton Roads Mariners Hershey Wildcats Long Island Rough Riders Milwaukee Rampage Minnesota Thunder Montreal Impact MLS Project 40 Nashville Metros New Orleans Storm Orange County Zodiac Raleigh Flyers Richmond Kickers Rochester Rhinos San Diego Flash San Francisco Bay Seals Seattle Sounders Staten Island Vipers Toronto Lynx Vancouver 86ers Worchester Wildfire
Pro League	Arizona Sahuaros Austin Lone Stars Cape Cod Crusaders Central Jersey Riptide Chicago Stingers Chico Rooks Cleveland Caps Delaware Wizards Eastern Shore Sharks Houston Hurricanes Indiana Blast Los Angeles Fireballs Miami Breakers Myrtle Beach Seadawgs New Hampshire Phantoms New Jersey Stallions Northern Virginia Royals NYCD Alleycats Orlando Nighthawks Pensacola Barracudas Reading Rage 1998 Reno Rattlers season Rhode Island Stingrays Roanoke Wrath Rockford Raptors San Antonio Pumas San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles Shreveport/Bossier Lions South Carolina Shamrocks South Jersey Barons Southwest Florida Manatees Stanislaus County Cruisers Tallahassee Tempest Texas Toros Tulsa Roughnecks Vermont Voltage Western Mass Pioneers Wilmington Hammerheads

v t e 1998 in Canadian soccer
Men's Leagues	USISL A-League CPSL PDSL NPSL 1997–98 1998–99
Cups	CPSL League Cup Challenge Trophy
International	CONCACAF Women's Championship
Professional team seasons	Montreal Impact Toronto Lynx Vancouver 86ers

v t e United States Soccer – Division 2 seasons
American Soccer League	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
United Soccer League (1984–85)	1984 1985
APSL/A-League	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
USISL Select League / A-League	1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
USL First Division	2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
USSF Division 2 Professional League	2010
North American Soccer League	2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
USL / USL Championship	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Canadian Soccer – Division 2 seasons (CSA & USSF)

Canadian National Soccer League

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Other defunct leagues

Pacific Coast Soccer League
Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League
Western Canada Soccer League

USSF (U.S. based leagues)

Western Soccer Alliance	1985 1986
American Professional Soccer League	1993 1994 1995 1996
A-League	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
USL First Division	2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
USSF Division 2 Professional League	2010
North American Soccer League	2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
USL Championship	2017 2018 2019

Note: There is no clear information from CSA about tier of U.S. based leagues which have Canadian clubs. In terms of historical information, they have been deployed as tier 2 league as USSF have done.