2016 North American Soccer League season
The 2016 North American Soccer League season is the 49th season of Division II soccer in the United States and Canada, and the 6th season of the modern North American Soccer League.
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | New York Cosmos |
| Spring Champions | Indy Eleven |
| Fall Champions | New York Cosmos |
| Matches played | 187 |
| Goals scored | 441 (2.36 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Christian Ramirez (18) |
| Biggest home win | 5 goals: NYC 6–1 CAR (August 27) |
| Biggest away win | 4 goals: MNU 0–4 MIA (Aug 6) |
| Highest scoring | 7 goals: IND 5–2 JAX (August 3) NYC 6–1 CAR (August 27) |
| Longest winning run | 5 games: FC Edmonton (Jul 27 – Aug 20) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 games: Indy Eleven (Apr 2 – Jul 11) |
| Longest winless run | 10 games: Puerto Rico (Jul 30 – Sep 17) |
| Longest losing run | 5 games: Jacksonville (Jul 13 – Aug 3) |
| Highest attendance | 10,156 MIA 1–1 TBR (April 9) |
| Lowest attendance | 418 FTL 1–0 FCE (October 12) |
| Total attendance | 885,337 |
| Average attendance | 4,734 |
← 2015 2017 → | |
Three expansion clubs joined the league, with Miami FC and Rayo OKC joining in the Spring season and Puerto Rico FC beginning competition in the Fall season. In December, 2015, the San Antonio Scorpions' home stadium, Toyota Field, was bought by the city of San Antonio for use by Spurs Sports & Entertainment to host a club in the USL, forcing the Scorpions to cease operations.[1] In January, 2016, the NASL suspended its operation of the Atlanta Silverbacks for the 2016 season and possibly beyond.[2] As a result, the Spring season was contested by 11 clubs and the Fall season by 12. The New York Cosmos are defending Soccer Bowl champions. A split season format was used for the 2016 season.
Teams, stadiums, and personnel
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
Player transfers
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | Expansion team |  Adrian Whitbread |
August 24, 2015[3] | |||
| Miami |  Alessandro Nesta |
August 31, 2015[4] | ||||
| Ottawa Fury | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Marc Dos Santos |
End of contract | November 20, 2015 | Pre-season |  Paul Dalglish |
November 20, 2015[5] |
| Jacksonville Armada |  Eric Dade (int.) |
End of interim period | November 24, 2015 | Tony Meola |
November 24, 2015[6] | |
| Indy Eleven | Tim Regan (int.) |
End of interim period | December 2, 2015 | Tim Hankinson |
December 2, 2015[7] | |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers |  Günter Kronsteiner |
End of contract | November 16, 2015 |  Caio Zanardi |
December 2, 2015[8] | |
| Minnesota United | Manny Lagos |
Promotion to general manager | December 3, 2015 | Carl Craig |
December 3, 2015[9] | |
| San Antonio Scorpions | Alen Marcina |
Fired | November 1, 2015[10] | Club defunct[11] | ||
| Rayo OKC | Expansion team | Alen Marcina |
January 7, 2016[12] | |||
| Atlanta Silverbacks | Gary Smith |
Released | January 11, 2016 | Pre-season | Club on hiatus[13] | |
| Rayo OKC | Alen Marcina |
Mutual termination | August 1, 2016 | 5th |  Gerard Nus |
August 1, 2016[14] |
| Jacksonville Armada | Tony Meola |
Fired | August 7, 2016 | 11th | Mark Lowry (int.) |
August 7, 2016[15] |
Spring season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indy Eleven (S) | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 18 | Playoffs |
| 2 | New York Cosmos | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 18 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 17 | |
| 4 | Minnesota United | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 16 | |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 15 | |
| 7 | Carolina RailHawks | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 14 | |
| 8 | Rayo OKC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 12 | |
| 9 | Ottawa Fury | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 9 | |
| 10 | Jacksonville Armada | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 7 | |
| 11 | Miami FC | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 7 |
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(S) Spring season champion
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(S) Spring season champion
Results
Fall season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos (F) | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 47 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Indy Eleven | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 37 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 36 | |
| 4 | Rayo OKC | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 35 | |
| 5 | Miami FC | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 33 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 28 | −9 | 26 | |
| 7 | Carolina RailHawks | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 26 | |
| 8 | Minnesota United | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| 9 | Puerto Rico | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 24 | |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 23 | |
| 11 | Jacksonville Armada | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 23 | |
| 12 | Ottawa Fury | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 26 | −3 | 22 |
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(F) Fall season champion
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(F) Fall season champion
Results
Playoffs
Combined standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Cosmos (C, X) | 32 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 65 | Championship qualifiers |
| 2 | Indy Eleven | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 55 | |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 53 | |
| 4 | Rayo OKC | 32 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 47 | |
| 5 | Minnesota United | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 41 | |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 41 | |
| 7 | Miami FC | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 38 | 42 | −4 | 40 | |
| 8 | Carolina RailHawks | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 36 | 48 | −12 | 40 | |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 32 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 39 | |
| 10 | Ottawa Fury | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 31 | |
| 11 | Jacksonville Armada | 32 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 46 | −16 | 30 | |
| 12 | Puerto Rico FC | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 24 |
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season champion
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season champion
Participants
- (1) New York Cosmos (Fall season champion)
- (2) Indy Eleven (Spring season champion)
- (3) FC Edmonton
- (4) Rayo OKC
Semifinals
| Indy Eleven | 1–0 | FC Edmonton |
|---|---|---|
Ubiparipović  63' |
Report Report |
Diakité  83'Eckersley 90+2' |
Attendance
| Club | GP | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota United | 16 | 137,161 | 9,460 | 6,101 | 8,573 | -2.2% |
| Indy Eleven | 16 | 134,339 | 9,356 | 6,132 | 8,396 | -14.4% |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 16 | 94,048 | 7,690 | 4,429 | 5,878 | 4.1% |
| Ottawa Fury | 16 | 87,717 | 7,847 | 4,317 | 5,482 | 6.2% |
| Miami | 16 | 86,833 | 10,156 | 1,229 | 5,427 | N/A |
| Carolina RailHawks | 16 | 80,923 | 8,086 | 3,093 | 5,058 | 11.4% |
| Puerto Rico | 11 | 41,811 | 6,474 | 1,233 | 3,801 | N/A |
| New York Cosmos | 16 | 60,403 | 6,243 | 2,419 | 3,775 | -25.4% |
| Jacksonville Armada | 16 | 55,988 | 5,313 | 1,254 | 3,499 | -55.9% |
| Rayo OKC | 16 | 51,865 | 6,416 | 924 | 3,242 | N/A |
| FC Edmonton | 16 | 32,959 | 3,130 | 1,243 | 2,060 | -28.7% |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 16 | 21,290 | 2,376 | 418 | 1,331 | -70.2% |
| Total | 187 | 885,337 | 10,156 | 418 | 4,734 | -19.9% |
Source: NASL
Highest attendances
Regular season
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10,156 | April 9 | 2 | FIU Stadium |
| 2 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Minnesota United | 10,012 | September 24 | 24 | FIU Stadium |
| 3 | Miami | 1 – 1 | Minnesota United | 9,739 | August 27 | 20 | FIU Stadium |
| 4 | Minnesota United | 2 – 0 | Indy Eleven | 9,460 | July 16 | 14 | National Sports Center |
| 5 | Minnesota United | 0 – 1 | Jacksonville Armada | 9,402 | October 1 | 25 | National Sports Center |
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
Source:[17] |
Top assistsSource:[17] |
Clean sheets
Source: NASL |
Hat-tricks
|
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | NASL Player of the Month | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Stats | Ref | |
| April | Austin da Luz |
Carolina RailHawks | 3G | [18] |
| May |  Papé Diakité |
FC Edmonton | 2G | [19] |
| June |  Éamon Zayed |
Indy Eleven | 3G | [20] |
| July | Christian Ramirez |
Minnesota United | 7G, 1A | [21] |
| August | Matt Van Oekel |
FC Edmonton | 22SV, 0GA | [22] |
| September |  Darío Cvitanich |
Miami | 3G | [23] |
Weekly awards
League awards
- Golden Ball (MVP): Juan Arango (New York Cosmos) [24]
- Golden Boot: Christian Ramirez (Minnesota United) [25]
- Golden Glove: Matt Van Oekel (FC Edmonton) [26]
- Coach of the Year: Tim Hankinson (Indy Eleven) [27]
- Goal of the Year: Duke Lacroix (Indy Eleven) [28]
- Young (U24) Player of the Year: Papé Diakité (FC Edmonton) [29]
- Humanitarian of the Year: Michael Lahoud (Miami FC) [30]
- Fair Play Award: Carolina RailHawks[31]
| NASL Best XI[32] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Team | ||||
| Goalkeeper | Matt Van Oekel | FC Edmonton | ||||
| Defense | Ayoze | New York Cosmos | ||||
| Defense | Justin Davis | Minnesota United | ||||
| Defense | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Albert Watson | FC Edmonton | ||||
| Defense | Carlos Mendes | New York Cosmos | ||||
| Midfield | Nazmi Albadawi | Carolina RailHawks | ||||
| Midfield |  Juan Arango | New York Cosmos | ||||
| Midfield | Joe Cole | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||||
| Midfield | Michel | Rayo OKC | ||||
| Forward | Christian Ramirez | Minnesota United | ||||
| Forward | Éamon Zayed | Indy Eleven | ||||
References
- "Scorpions Soccer Club Thanks Fans for Supporting Soccer for a Cause". sascorpions.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "NASL Suspends Operation of Atlanta Silverbacks". nasl.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- "Puerto Rico Football Club Announces Head Coach And Technical Director". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "Alessandro Nesta Becomes Miami FC's First Head Coach". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "Paul Dalglish Appointed Ottawa Fury FC Head Coach". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "Legendary U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame Goalkeeper Tony Meola Hired as Armada FC Head Coach and Technical Director". Jacksonville Armada FC. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- "Tim Hankinson Takes Over Indy Eleven Head Coaching Position". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "Caio Zanardi Appointed Strikers Head Coach". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "Manny Lagos Becomes Minnesota's Sporting Director; Carl Craig Appointed Head Coach". nasl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- "SCORPIONS PART WAYS WITH HEAD COACH ALEN MARCINA". sascorpions.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "NASL Releases Statement on San Antonio Scorpions". nasl.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- "Alen Marcina Named First Head Coach In Rayo OKC History". nasl.com. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- "NASL Suspends Operation Of Atlanta Silverbacks". nasl.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- "Alen Marcina Steps Down, Gerard Nus Named Rayo OKC Head Coach". Rayo OKC. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- "Armada FC Parts Ways With Head Coach/Technical Director Tony Meola, Assistant Coach Jim Rooney". Jacksonville Armada FC. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- "NASL ANNOUNCES SCHEDULING DETAILS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS". NASL.com. October 12, 2016.
- "2016 NASL statistics". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH RailHawks Midfielder Austin Da Luz". NASL. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH Eddies Defender Papé Diakité". NASL. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH Indy Forward Eamon Zayed". NASL. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH Minnesota forward Christian Ramirez". NASL. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH FC Edmonton's Matt VanOekel". NASL. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- "PLAYER OF THE MONTH Miami forward Dario Cvitanich". NASL. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- "New York Cosmos Midfielder Juan Arango Wins 2016 NASL Golden Ball". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- "Minnesota United Forward Christian Ramirez Wins NASL Golden Boot Award". North American Soccer League. November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "FC Edmonton Goalkeeper Matt VanOekel Wins NASL Golen Glove". North American Soccer League. November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "Indy Elevens Tim Hankinson Named 2016 NASL Coach of the Year". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- "Indy Eleven Forward Duke Lacroix's Individual Effort Earns 2016 Goal of the Year". nasl.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "FC Edmonton Defender Papé Diakité Named 2016 NASL Young Player of the Year". North American Soccer League. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "Miami FC Midfielder Michael Lahoud Named NASL Humanitarian of the Year". North American Soccer League. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "Carolina RailHawks Earn 2016 NASL Fair Play Award". North American Soccer League. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- "North American Soccer League Announces 2016 Best XI". North American Soccer League. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
External links
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