USL Premier Development League
Information about USL Premier Development League
| USL Premier Development League | |
|---|---|
){kind=small} 2007 PDL Season | |
) | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Founded | 1995 |
| No. of teams | 63 |
| Country(ies) | ){kind=small} United States){kind=small} Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Laredo Heat |
The USL Premier Development League (PDL) is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid. It is currently the top level men's amateur competition in the United States, and has 63 teams competing in four conferences, split into eight regional divisions; unofficially, it is considered to be the fourth tier of competition, behind Major League Soccer, the USL First Division and the USL Second Division, and roughly equal with the National Premier Soccer League and the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
While not strictly a "professional" league, the PDL prides itself on its professionalism, and its dedication to developing young soccer players, preparing them for future careers in professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere. As PDL seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elite NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility. In addition, PDL squads often also include standout high school and junior club players, as well as former professionals seeking to continue competing at a high level. PDL rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger.
Increasingly, the PDL is seen as a 'shop window' for professional clubs looking to discover and identify aspiring professional players who may enter the MLS SuperDraft in future years. Many of the players currently playing in Major League Soccer and elsewhere began their careers in the PDL.
History
)
Location of states with PDL teams
In 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues and the Premier League officially became known as the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League or, more commonly, the PDL.
Today, some of the PDL teams serve as farm teams to United Soccer Leagues and Major League Soccer clubs, notably Chicago Fire Premier, Colorado Rapids U23's, Atlanta Silverbacks U23's, Cary RailHawks U23's and Richmond Kickers Future, and there are increasing reports that more MLS teams will begin fielding U23 teams in the PDL in years to come.
Current Events
Prior to the 2007 season, the Toronto Lynx moved down from the USL First Division, the Long Island Rough Riders moved down from the USL Second Division, the former due to the addition of the Toronto FC franchise to Major League Soccer, and the latter to due to increasingly poor on-field performances coupled with financial and infrastucture issues.Expansion teams were added in Baton Rouge, Fredericksburg, Jackson, Lancaster, Spokane, Springfield and Ventura. Also, the San Jose Frogs moved over from the National Premier Soccer League, the first team to do so since the creation of the rival league in 2003.
2006 franchises Ajax Orlando Prospects, Augusta Fireball, California Gold, Colorado Springs Blizzard, Kalamazoo Kingdom and San Diego Gauchos resigned from the league prior to the season.
2007 Teams
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division
- Chicago Fire Premier
IL
- Cleveland Internationals OH
- Fort Wayne Fever
IN
- Indiana Invaders IN
- Michigan Bucks
MI
- Toronto Lynx
ON new for 2007
- West Michigan Edge MI
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Great Lakes Division | ||
| Toyota Park (Chicago Fire Premier) | Coughlin Field (Cleveland Internationals) | Hefner Soccer Complex (Fort Wayne Fever) | Indiana Invaders Soccer Complex (Indiana Invaders) | Hurley Field (Michigan Bucks) | Centennial Park Stadium (Toronto Lynx) | Forest Hills Central HS Stadium (West Michigan Edge) | ||
Heartland Division
- Colorado Rapids U23's
CO
- Des Moines Menace
IA
- Kansas City Brass
MO
- Sioux Falls Spitfire
SD
- Springfield Demize MO new for 2007
- St. Louis Lions MO
- Thunder Bay Chill ON
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Heartland Division | ||
| Pleasant View Field (Colorado Rapids U23's) | Waukee Stadium (Des Moines Menace) | William Jewell College (Kansas City Brass) | McEneaney Field (Sioux Falls Spitfire) | Cooper Sports Complex (Springfield Demize) | Tony Galvin Soccer Complex (St. Louis Lions) | Chapples Park (Thunder Bay Chill) | ||
Eastern Conference
Mid Atlantic Division
- Delaware Dynasty DE
- Fredericksburg Gunners
VA new for 2007
- Hampton Roads Piranhas VA
- Northern Virginia Royals VA
- Ocean City Barons
NJ
- Reading Rage
PA
- Richmond Kickers Future VA
- Virginia Legacy VA
- West Virginia Chaos
WV
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division | ||
| Kirkwood Soccer Complex (Delaware Dynasty) | Fredericksburg Field House (Fredericksburg Gunners) | Virginia Beach Sportsplex (Hampton Roads Piranhas) | Gar-Field HS Stadium (Northern Virginia Royals) | Carey Stadium (Ocean City Barons) | Exeter HS Stadium (Reading Rage) | Sports Backers Stadium (Richmond Kickers Future) | Albert-Daly Field (Virginia Legacy) | Schoenbaum Stadium (West Virginia Chaos) | ||
Northeast Division
- Albany Admirals
NY
- Brooklyn Knights NY
- Cape Cod Crusaders
MA
- Long Island Rough Riders NY new for 2007
- Ottawa Fury ON
- Rhode Island Stingrays RI
- Vermont Voltage
VT
- Westchester Flames NY
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Northeast Division | ||
| Frank Bailey Field (Albany Admirals) | Aviator Field (Brooklyn Knights) | BHS Stadium Field (Cape Cod Crusaders) | Mitchel Athletic Complex (Long Island Rough Riders) | Keith Harris Stadium (Ottawa Fury) | Pierce Memorial Field (Rhode Island Stingrays) | Collins-Perley Sports Complex (Vermont Voltage) | City Park Stadium (Westchester Flames F.C.) | ||
Southern Conference
Mid South Division
- Austin Lightning
TX
- Baton Rouge Capitals
LA new for 2007
- DFW Tornados TX
- El Paso Patriots TX
- Laredo Heat TX
- Mississippi Brilla MS new for 2007
- New Orleans Shell Shockers LA
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Mid South Division | ||
| Williamsburg County Reg. Park (Austin Lightning) | Olympia Stadium (Baton Rouge Capitals) | Pennington Field (DFW Tornados) | Patriot Stadium (El Paso Patriots) | Student Activity Center (Laredo Heat) | Robert P. Longbaugh Field (Mississippi Brilla) | Muss Bertolino Stadium (New Orleans Shell Shockers) | ||
Southeast Division
- Atlanta Silverbacks U23's GA
- Bradenton Academics
FL
- Carolina Dynamo NC
- Cary RailHawks U23's NC
- Central Florida Kraze FL
- Cocoa Expos FL
- Nashville Metros TN
- Palm Beach Pumas FL
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Southeast Division | ||
| Silverbacks Park (Atlanta Silverbacks U23's) | IMG Soccer Academy (Bradenton Academics) | Macpherson Stadium (Carolina Dynamo) | SAS Soccer Park (Cary RailHawks U23's) | Kraze and Krush Stadium (Central Florida Kraze) | Cocoa Expo Sports Center (Cocoa Expos) | Ezell Park (Nashville Metros) | Palm Beach Intl. Polo Club (Palm Beach Pumas) | ||
Western Conference
Northwest Division
- Abbotsford Rangers
BC
- BYU Cougars
UT
- Cascade Surge
OR
- Ogden Outlaws UT
- Spokane Spiders WA new for 2007
- Tacoma Tide WA
- Yakima Reds WA
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Northwest Division | ||
| Bateman Park (Abbotsford Rangers) | BYU South Stadium (BYU Cougars) | McCulloch Stadium (Cascade Surge) | Lindquist Field (Ogden Outlaws) | Spokane Falls Stadium (Spokane Spiders) | Curtis High School Stadium (Tacoma Tide) | Marquette Stadium (Yakima Reds) | ||
Southwest Division
- Bakersfield Brigade
CA
- Fresno Fuego CA
- Lancaster Rattlers CA new for 2007
- Los Angeles Storm CA
- Orange County Blue Star CA
- San Fernando Valley Quakes CA
- San Francisco Seals CA
- San Jose Frogs CA new for 2007
- Southern California Seahorses CA
- Ventura County Fusion CA new for 2007
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| Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Southwest Division | ||
| Bakersfield Christian High School Stadium (Bakersfield Brigade) | Chukchansi Park (Fresno Fuego) | Lancaster Soccer Center (Lancaster Rattlers) | Citrus Stadium (Los Angeles Storm) | Orange Coast College (OC Blue Star) | Re/Max Epicenter (SFV Quakes) | Negoesco Stadium (SF Seals) | PAL Stadium (San Jose Frogs) | La Mirada High School Stadium (SoCal Seahorses) | Ventura College Sports-Plex (Ventura County Fusion) | ||
Champions
- 2007 PDL - Laredo Heat
- 2006 PDL - Michigan Bucks
- 2005 PDL - Des Moines Menace
- 2004 PDL - Central Florida Kraze
- 2003 PDL - Cape Cod Crusaders
- 2002 PDL - Cape Cod Crusaders
- 2001 PDL - Westchester Flames
- 2000 PDL - Chicago Sockers
- 1999 PDL - Chicago Sockers
- 1998 PDSL - San Gabriel Valley Highlanders
- 1997 PDSL - Central Coast Roadrunners
- 1996 USISL Prem - Central Coast Roadrunners
- 1995 USISL Prem - Richmond Kickers
Complete team list
see list of Premier Development League franchisesNotable professional players with PDL experience
- Brian Ching, Spokane Shadow, 1998-99
- Charlie Davies, Westchester Flames, 2006
- Jay DeMerit, Chicago Fire Premier, 2001-02
- Herculez Gomez, San Diego Gauchos, 2003
- Brad Guzan, Chicago Fire Premier, 2003-04
- Kamani Hill, San Fernando Valley Quakes, 2006
- Jürgen Klinsmann, Orange County Blue Star, 2003
- Sacha Kljestan, Orange County Blue Star, 2005
- Pat Noonan, Michigan Bucks, 2002
- Michael Parkhurst, Bradenton Academics, 2003
- Heath Pearce, Bradenton Academics, 2004
- Chris Rolfe, Chicago Fire Premier, 2004
- Jonathan Spector, Chicago Fire Premier, 2003
- "Sneaky" Pete Marino, Cocoa Beach Expos, 2003-06
Average Attendance
Regular season
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Playoffs
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| USL Premier Development League Seasons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cup Competitions in American Soccer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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External links
The 2007 USL Premier Development League season was the 13th season of the PDL. The season started on April 28, 2007. The regular season ended on July 25, 2007.
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Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. It is the most popular sport in the world.
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1995 1996 1997 1998
19th century · 20th century · 21st century
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
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19th century · 20th century · 21st century
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Laredo Heat
Full name Laredo Heat
Nickname(s) The Heat, The Red Flames
Founded 2004
Ground Student Activity Center
Capacity 8,500
Chairman Shashi Vaswani
Manager Israel Collazo
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Full name Laredo Heat
Nickname(s) The Heat, The Red Flames
Founded 2004
Ground Student Activity Center
Capacity 8,500
Chairman Shashi Vaswani
Manager Israel Collazo
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The United Soccer Leagues (USL) is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of US and Canadian soccer: USL First Division (second division), USL Second Division (third division), and Premier Development League (PDL) (fourth division).
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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The American Soccer Pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. For practical and historical reasons, some teams from Bermuda, Canada and Puerto Rico also compete.
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Sport Soccer
Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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Sport Soccer
Founded 1997
No. of teams 12
Country(ies) United States
Canada
'''The template is deprecated.
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Founded 1997
No. of teams 12
Country(ies) United States
Canada
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Sport Soccer
Founded 1990
No. of teams 10
Country(ies) United States
'''The template is deprecated.
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Founded 1990
No. of teams 10
Country(ies) United States
'''The template is deprecated.
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Sport soccer
Founded 2003
No. of teams 22
Country(ies) United States
Most recent champion(s) Southern California Fusion
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL)
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Founded 2003
No. of teams 22
Country(ies) United States
Most recent champion(s) Southern California Fusion
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL)
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Sport Football (soccer)
Founded 1930
No. of teams 18
Country(ies) United States and Canada
Most recent champion(s) Victoria United
The Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL)
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Founded 1930
No. of teams 18
Country(ies) United States and Canada
Most recent champion(s) Victoria United
The Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL)
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National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" or "N-C-Two-A" ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the
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worldwide view.
College soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by teams operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes.
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The MLS SuperDraft is an annual event in which the Major League Soccer teams select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The SuperDraft was first instituted in 2000, as a combination of the MLS College Draft, in which players having
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Sport Soccer
Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1992 1993 1994 - 1995 - 1996 1997 1998
Year 1995 (MCMXCV
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1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1992 1993 1994 - 1995 - 1996 1997 1998
Year 1995 (MCMXCV
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Sport Soccer
Founded 1990
No. of teams 10
Country(ies) United States
'''The template is deprecated.
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Founded 1990
No. of teams 10
Country(ies) United States
'''The template is deprecated.
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Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. It is the most popular sport in the world.
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An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. This term is at one end of the spectrum of suburban and rural areas. An urban area is more frequently called a city or town.
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.
Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. It is the most popular sport in the world.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
20th century - 21st century
1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1996 1997 1998 - 1999 - 2000 2001 2002
Year 1999 (MCMXCIX
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1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1996 1997 1998 - 1999 - 2000 2001 2002
Year 1999 (MCMXCIX
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The United Soccer Leagues (USL) is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of US and Canadian soccer: USL First Division (second division), USL Second Division (third division), and Premier Development League (PDL) (fourth division).
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The United Soccer Leagues (USL) is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of US and Canadian soccer: USL First Division (second division), USL Second Division (third division), and Premier Development League (PDL) (fourth division).
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Sport Soccer
Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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Continental FIFA Confederation CONCACAF
National Confederation U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association
League Founded 1994
Inaugural season 1996
No.
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