| Competition: | USL Premier Development League |
| Season: | 2009 |
| Winners: | Ventura County Fusion |
| Matches: | 544 |
| Total Goals: | 1790 |
| League Topscorer: | Aaron Wheeler, Reading Rage, 17 |
| Biggest Home Win: | 9–0, Ottawa Fury over Westchester Flames |
| Biggest Away Win: | 7–1, Ocean City Barons over Newark Ironbound Express 7–1 Los Angeles Legends over Fresno Fuego |
| Highest Scoring: | 10 goals, Portland Timbers U23's 8–2 Yakima Reds 10 goals, Lancaster Rattlers 5–5 Fresno Fuego 10 goals, Hollywood United Hitmen 7–3 Ogden Outlaws |
| Average Attendance: | 542 |
| Prevseason: | 2008 |
| Nextseason: | 2010 |
The 2009 USL Premier Development League season was the 15th season of the PDL. The regular season began on May 1, 2009, and ended on July 19, 2009. The PDL Championship Game was held on August 8, 2009, and was broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States.[1]
Ventura County Fusion finished the season as national champions, beating Chicago Fire Premier 2–1 in the PDL Championship game in Ventura, California on August 8, 2009.[2]
Reading Rage finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 13 out of their 16 games, suffering just one loss, and finishing with a +41 goal difference.
Reading Rage striker Aaron Wheeler was the league's top scorer and MVP, knocking in 17 goals, while his teammate Jon Ports led the league with 10 assists. Mississippi Brilla goalkeeper Josh Pantazelos enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals against average of 0.615 on the season, including 8 shutouts.[3]
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Blackhawks | Greater Atlanta area | Alpharetta, GA | expansion | |
| Forest City London | London area | London, ON | expansion | |
| Hollywood United Hitmen | West Los Angeles area | Pacific Palisades, CA | expansion | |
| Kitsap Pumas | Kitsap County area | Bremerton, WA | expansion | |
| Portland Timbers U23's | Greater Portland area | Portland, OR | expansion | |
| Real Colorado Foxes | Denver area | Highlands Ranch, CO | expansion | |
| Rio Grande Valley Bravos | Rio Grande Valley area | Pharr, TX | expansion | |
| Rochester Thunder | Rochester area | Rochester, MN | expansion | |
| Seattle Wolves | Seattle area | Tukwila, WA | PCSL | |
| Victoria Highlanders | Victoria area | Victoria, BC | expansion | |
| West Texas United Sockers | Midland-Odessa area | Midland, TX | expansion |
In 2009, there was a more balanced 8 divisions (down from 10 in 2008). The top 3 from each division qualified for the play-offs, with the division champion receiving a bye through the first round.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Team won the Division Title | |
| Team qualified for playoff berth |
Note: Austin finish in third place as a result of winning the head-to-head season series 2–0–1 against El Paso.[4]
The top three teams from each division earn playoff bids. The division champion earns a bye to the Division Finals and the rights to host. The second place team will host the third place team in the Division Semifinals either at their home field or at the division champion's field. The two notable exceptions were the Chicago Fire Premier hosting Forest City London in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Ventura County Fusion hosting the Los Angeles Legends, despite Los Angeles having the higher seed.
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The awards finalists, Goalkeeper of the Year, and All-League teams were announced on August 4, 2009, with the winners announced on August 6.[5]
F: Andre Akpan, CHI; Teal Bunbury, ROC; Tom Oatley*, KAL
M: Dave Hertel*, MIC; Nolan Intermoia, TB; Brad Stisser, COL
D: Anthony Di Biase, LON; Bonivenger Misiko*, FW; Wilson Neto, TB; Brian Wurst, KC
G: Jimmy Maurer*, CHI
Honorable Mention: Justin Ferguson, D, SPR; Saidi Isaac, F, IND; David Mueller, D, SL; Armin Mujdzic, F, DM; Yoram Mwila, M, CLE; Kyle Segebart, D, CIN; Jordan Webb, M, TOR
F: Cody Arnoux, CAR; Adam Arthur, WV; Aaron Wheeler*, REA
M: Will Beague*, OTT; Adam Gazda, REA; Zach Loyd, CAR
D: Brien Chamney, OTT; Christian Ibeagha*, CRY; Rich Martinez, LI; Sheanon Williams, CAR
G: Tunde Ogunbiyi, OCC
Honorable Mention: Frank Alesci, M, BRK; Zachary Carr, G, NJ; Kevon Harris, M, HR; Sean Kelley, G, NV; Michael Konicoff, M, WCH; Jerrod Laventure, F, NWK; Ken Manaham, G, FRB; Matthew Marcin, M, RI; Timothy Murray, G, NH; Ian Stowe, M, VIR
F: Zak Boggs, BRD; Salvador Luna, RGV; Debola Ogunseye*, MIS
M: Danny Galvan, LAR;Greg Mulamba, LAR; Gary Stopforth, NO
D: Jamie Cunningham, AUS; Dwyane Demmin, MIS; Thomas Wharf, PAN; Chris Williams*, NO
G: Ryan Cooper, LAR
Honorable Mention: Jay Ambrosy, M, HOU; Lief Craddock, G, WTU; Janrai Gravely, G, DFW; Tommy Krizanovic, F, CF; Wilfrid Loizeau, M, ATL; Felipe Lowall, M, BR; Ryan McDonald, D, NAS; Jorge Muniz, G, EP
F: Rory Agu, TAC; Brent Whitfield, LA; Ryan Youngblood, POR
M: Ely Allen, SEA; Tomislav Colic, SC; Michael Farfan, LA; Armando Ochoa*, HU
D: Nick Cardenas, OGD; Mark Lee, KIT; Dan Scott*, SEA
G: Dustyn Brim, KIT
Honorable Mention: Richie Bindrup, M, BYU; Zach Brunner, G, LAN; Jason Devinish, M, VIC; Gagandeep Dosanjh, M, VAN; Eddie Gutierrez, M, FRE; Anthony Hamilton, F, VEN; Jacob Hustedt, M, BAK; Kristjan Johannson, G, ABB; Kristopher Minton, G, ORC; Vinicius Oliveira, F, YAK; John Prugh, F, SPO; Steve Reese, G, CSC
* denotes All-League selection