2003 PDL season explained

Competition:	USL Premier Development League
Season:	2003
Winners:	Cape Cod Crusaders
Prevseason:	2002
Nextseason:	2004

The 2003 USL Premier Development League season was the 9th PDL season. The season began in April 2003 and ended in August 2003.

Cape Cod Crusaders finished the season as national champions for the second time, beating Chicago Fire Reserves 2–0 in the PDL Championship game. New Orleans Shell Shockers finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 16 out of their 18 games, suffering just 2 losses, and finishing with a +35 goal difference.

Cape Cod Crusaders striker Joseph Ngwenya and Vermont Voltage forward Bo Vuckovic were the league's top scorers, each knocking in 17 goals. Des Moines Menace midfielders Tomas Boltnar and Joseph Kabwe and Nashville Metros Ben Buerger led the league with 10 assists each, while Indiana Invaders keeper Christopher Sawyer enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals-against average of 0.287 per game, and Richmond Kickers Future keeper kept 7 clean sheets and had a GAA average of 0.568 in his 12 games.

Changes from 2002

New franchises

• Thirteen teams joined the league this year, including twelve brand new franchises:

Team Name	Metro Area	Location	Previous Affiliation
Abbotsford Rangers	Abbotsford area	Abbotsford, BC	expansion
Albany Blackwatch Highlanders	Albany area	Schenectady, NY	expansion
BYU Cougars	Provo area	Provo, UT	expansion
Columbus Shooting Stars	Columbus area	Columbus, OH	expansion
Fort Wayne Fever	Fort Wayne area	Fort Wayne, IN	expansion
Fresno Fuego	Fresno area	Fresno, CA	expansion
Jersey Shore Boca	Jersey Shore area	Toms River, NJ	expansion
Nevada Wonders	Carson City area	Carson City, NV	expansion
New Orleans Shell Shockers	New Orleans area	New Orleans, LA	expansion
St. Louis Strikers	St. Louis area	St. Louis, MO	expansion
South Jersey Barons	Greater Trenton area	Trenton, NJ	previously in D3 Pro
Toledo Slayers	Toledo area	Maumee, OH	expansion
West Virginia Chaos	Charleston area	Charleston, WV	expansion

Folding

• Ten teams left the league prior to the beginning of the season:
  • Central Coast Roadrunners - San Luis Obispo, California
  • Chicago Eagles Select - Chicago, Illinois
  • Chico Rooks - Chico, California (left to join the newly formed National Premier Soccer League)
  • Dayton Gemini - Dayton, Ohio
  • Denver Cougars - Commerce City, Colorado
  • Los Angeles Heroes - Los Angeles, California
  • Santa Barbara Sharks - Santa Barbara, California (folded during the 2002 season)
  • Seattle Sounders Select - Seattle, Washington (folded during the 2002 season)
  • Tampa Bay Hawks - Tampa, Florida
  • West Michigan Edge - Grand Rapids, Michigan (spending season on hiatus)

Standings

Legend
Division champion
Team qualified for playoff berth

Central Conference

Great Lakes Division

Heartland Division

Eastern Conference

Mid Atlantic Division

Northeast Division

Southern Conference

Mid South Division

Southeast Division

Western Conference

Northwest Division

Southwest Division

Playoffs

^[1]

Conference semifinals

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Conference Finals

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National Semifinals

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PDL Championship Game

Notes and References

1. https://www.rsssf.org/usadave/usisl.html United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF)