2011 USL Pro season explained

Competition:	USL Pro
Season:	2011
Winners:	Orlando City SC
Shieldtitle:	Commissioner's Cup
Shield:	Orlando City SC
Matches:	108
Total Goals:	273
League Topscorer:	Jhonny Arteaga (13)
Biggest Home Win:	HAR 4, CHE 0 (July 2) HAR 5, NEW 1 (July 20) ORL 4, HAR 0 (August 12)
Biggest Away Win:	ANT 7, PRU 0 (April 27)
Highest Scoring:	ANT 7, PRU 0 (April 27) CHB 4, CHE 3 (August 12)
Longest Wins:	6 games: RIC (April 2 – 7 May) ANT (April 23 – 8 May)
Longest Unbeaten:	11 games: ORL (April 9 – June 4)
Longest Winless:	13 games: DDL (June 8 – July 27)
Longest Losses:	7 games: ANT (June 24 – July 16)
Highest Attendance:	11,220 ORL vs HAR (September 3) (Championship)
Lowest Attendance:	105 LAB vs PRU (April 20)
Average Attendance:	2,274
Nextseason:	2012

The 2011 USL Pro season was the 25th season of third-division soccer in the United States,^[1] and was the inaugural season of the United Soccer Leagues' (USL) new professional competition. The league is effectively a combination of the USL's former First and Second Divisions.

Following the conclusion of the regular season in August, a postseason tournament, known as the USL Pro Playoffs, took place between the top eight clubs during the season. The quarterfinals was played between August 19–20, the semifinals between August 26–28, and the championship took place on September 3.

Teams

USL Pro was initially set to feature 15 clubs that would be aligned into three conferences of five clubs: the "American", "National" and "International" conferences. The league announced that each club would play an unbalanced schedule with a total of 24 matches.^[2] Initially, the International Division clubs were intended to play each other four times, twice home and twice away, with four games apiece at home and away against competition from the American and National Divisions.^[2] The American and National Division clubs were intended to play each other twice: home and away, regardless of division.^[2]

Original Divisional Alignment
American Division	Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Orlando City SC, Richmond Kickers, Wilmington Hammerheads
National Division	Dayton Dutch Lions, F.C. New York, Harrisburg City Islanders, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Rochester Rhinos
International Division	Antigua Barracuda, Los Angeles Blues, Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, Sevilla FC Puerto Rico

However, on May 10, 2011, the USL formally removed the three Puerto Rico Soccer League teams and announced that all remaining teams would continue to play a 24-game schedule.^[3]

Stadiums and Locations

Team	Location	Stadium
Antigua Barracuda	St. John's, Antigua	Stanford Cricket Ground
Charleston Battery	Charleston, South Carolina	Blackbaud Stadium
Charlotte Eagles	Charlotte, North Carolina	Restart Field
Dayton Dutch Lions	Bellbrook, Ohio	Miami Valley South Stadium
F.C. New York	Jamaica, New York	Belson Stadium
Harrisburg City Islanders	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Los Angeles Blues	Fullerton, California	Titan Stadium
Orlando City SC	Orlando, Florida	Citrus Bowl
Pittsburgh Riverhounds	Bridgeville, Pennsylvania	Chartiers Valley High School
Richmond Kickers	Richmond, Virginia
Rochester Rhinos	Rochester, New York
Wilmington Hammerheads	Wilmington, North Carolina	Legion Stadium

Personnel and Kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team	Captain	Jersey manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Antigua Barracuda		Joma
Charleston Battery		Umbro	avVenta
Charlotte Eagles		Puma	Coca-Cola
Dayton Dutch Lions		Under Armour	Scoutforall.com
F.C. New York	^[4]	Umbro	Treiber
Harrisburg City Islanders		Nike	Capital Blue Cross/Snickers
Los Angeles Blues		Nike	Marriott
Orlando City SC	Ian Fuller	Umbro	Orlando Health
Pittsburgh Riverhounds		Umbro	1 Cochran
Richmond Kickers		Adidas	HCA Virginia
Rochester Rhinos		Umbro	Non-Smoking Coalition
Wilmington Hammerheads		Umbro	New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Standings

American Division

National Division

Results table

Abbreviation and Color Key: Antigua Barracuda FC – ANT • Charleston Battery – CHB • Charlotte Eagles – CHE • Dayton Dutch Lions – DDL FC New York – NEW • Los Angeles Blues – LAB • Harrisburg City Islanders – HAR • Orlando City SC – ORL Pittsburgh Riverhounds – PIT • Richmond Kickers – RIC • Rochester Rhinos – ROC • Wilmington Hammerheads – WIL Puerto Rico United – PRU^† • River Plate Puerto Rico – RPP^† • Sevilla FC Puerto Rico – SPR^†Home Away Win Loss Draw <																									-- ppd -->
Club	Match
Club	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24<	--Win : bgcolor=#DFE7FF	scoreLoss: bgcolor=#FFDFDF	scoreDraw: bgcolor=#FFFFDD	score-->
Antigua Barracuda FC	LAB	SPR^†	SPR^†	PRU^†	RPP^†	LAB	RPP^†	RPP^†	ROC	CHE	ROC	ROC	ORL	ORL	ORL^†	NEW^†	PIT^†	WIL	WIL^†	RIC	LAB^†	LAB^†	LAB^†	LAB^†
Antigua Barracuda FC	1–2	0–1	3–2	7–0	1–0	1–0	2–0	1–0	0–2	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–1	1–3	1–2	0–2	0–2	0–1	2–3	0–1	2–1	1–2	1–1	3–0
Charleston Battery	CHE	DAY	RIC	CHE	PIT	PIT	ROC	NEW	WIL	RIC	HAR	NEW	HAR	DAY	WIL^†	PIT	LAB^†	ORL	WIL	DAY	ROC	ORL	ORL^†	CHE
Charleston Battery	1–0	2–1	1–2	2–1	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–3	2–1	2–1	1–1	0–1	1–0	2–0	0–2	0–0	1–0	2–1	2–2	0–1	0–1	1–2	4–3
Charlotte Eagles	CHB	ORL	NEW	CHB	LAB	LAB	ANT	DAY	ORL	WIL	DAY	PIT	HAR	NEW	RIC	RIC	HAR	WIL	WIL	ROC	ROC	PIT	HAR	CHB
Charlotte Eagles	0–1	0–1	0–0	1–2	1–2	2–1	2–0	1–1	0–0	3–0	2–0	2–0	0–4	3–1	2–1	1–2	1–1	1–0	0–3	2–2	3–0	2–2	0–1	3–4
Dayton Dutch Lions	CHB	ROC	RIC	ORL	LAB	CHE	PIT	HAR	NEW	CHB	CHE	ROC	RIC^†	ORL	HAR	LAB^†	LAB^†	PIT	CHB	HAR	NEW^†	RIC	NEW	WIL
Dayton Dutch Lions	1–2	2–3	0–6	0–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–4	0–3	0–1	0–2	0–1	1–3	0–0	2–2	1–1	1–4	1–3	2–2	2–3	2–0	0–3	0–5	1–2
FC New York	ORL	CHE	ORL	HAR	CHB	WIL	PIT	RIC	ROC	CHE	DAY	RIC	HAR^†	RIC^†	ANT^†	CHE	ROC	PIT	PIT	WIL	DAY^†	HAR	ROC^†	DAY
FC New York	0–3	0–0	1–2	1–1	1–0	1–3	0–2	2–2	2–1	1–1	3–0	0–2	1–5	0–0	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–3	1–2	0–0	2–1	5–0
	PIT	NEW	ROC	RIC	ORL	CHB	PIT^†	CHB	DAY	ROC	RIC	LAB	LAB	CHE	DAY	CHE	WIL	NEW^†	LAB	DAY	WIL	NEW	CHE	ORL
	0–1	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	4–2	1–0	4–1	0–1	1–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–3	5–1	1–1	3–2	2–1	0–0	1–0	0–4
Los Angeles Blues	SPR^†	ANT	PRU^†	RPP^†	ANT	CHE	CHE	DAY	PIT	HAR^†	HAR^†	CHB^†	WIL^†	DAY^†	DAY^†	RIC^†	HAR^†	ANT^†	ANT^†	ANT^†	WIL^†	ANT^†	RIC^†	RIC^†
Los Angeles Blues	3–0	2–1	4–2	1–1	0–1	2–1	1–2	1–1	3–0	1–1	1–2	0–0	2–4	1–1	4–1	2–1	1–1	1–2	2–1	1–1	1–2	0–3	0–0	0–0
Orlando City SC	RIC	NEW	CHE	PRU^†	NEW	DAY	PIT	ROC	HAR	RIC	CHE	WIL	ANT	WIL	ANT^†	ANT	PIT	ROC	DAY	CHB	ROC	CHB	CHB ^†	HAR
Orlando City SC	0–2	3–0	1–0	2–2	2–1	1–0	1–0	0–0	3–1	2–0	0–0	4–2	1–2	1–1	3–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	2–1	1–0	2–1	4–0
Pittsburgh Riverhounds	RIC	HAR	WIL	CHB	CHB	ORL	NEW	LAB	WIL	HAR^†	DAY	WIL	ROC	CHE	CHB	ORL	ANT ^†	NEW	NEW	DAY	ROC	RIC	CHE	ROC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds	1–2	1–0	1–3	0–0	0–0	0–1	2–0	0–3	0–0	2–4	1–2	1–3	0–3	0–2	2–0	0–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	3–1	0–3	2–0	2–2	0–1
Richmond Kickers	ORL	PIT	ROC	CHB	DAY	WIL	HAR	CHB	ORL	NEW	NEW	HAR	NEW	ROC	DAY ^†	CHE	CHE^†	ANT^†	LAB	PIT^†	DAY	WIL	LAB^†	LAB^†
Richmond Kickers	2–0	2–1	1–0	2–1	6–0	2–1	1–1	1–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	3–1	1–2	2–1	1–0	1–2	0–2	3–0	2–0	0–0	0–0
Rochester Rhinos	RIC	WIL	DAY	HAR	CHB	ANT	ORL	WIL	NEW	ANT	ANT	HAR	PIT	DAY	RIC	ORL	NEW	ORL	PIT	CHE	CHB	CHE	NEW^†	PIT
Rochester Rhinos	0–1	0–1	3–2	0–1	1–0	2–0	0–0	1–1	1–2	2–1	2–2	1–0	3–0	1–0	2–1	0–1	3–1	1–2	3–0	2–2	1–0	0–3	1–2	0–1
Wilmington Hammerheads	ROC	PIT	RIC	NEW	CHB	ROC	PIT	ORL	PIT	CHE	ORL	CHB^†	LAB^†	ANT^†	ANT	CHB	HAR	CHE	CHE	NEW	HAR	LAB^†	RIC	DAY
Wilmington Hammerheads	1–0	3–1	1–2	3–1	3–0	1–1	0–0	2–4	3–1	0–3	1–1	0–2	4–2	1–0	3–2	1–2	3–1	0–1	3–0	3–1	2–1	2–1	0–2	2–1

^†Puerto Rican teams were removed from USL Pro League on 10 May. All results against them that took place to that date were kept and future games were rescheduled amongst the remaining teams.

Playoffs

The top four teams in each division at the end of the regular season qualified for a single-elimination playoff for the USL Pro Championship. The championship match was played at 7:00 pm on Saturday, September 3, and saw Orlando City SC defeat the Harrisburg City Islanders in a penalty shootout. Orlando City SC earned the right to host the championship match by virtue of their better regular-season record.Championship Game MVP: Sean Kelley (ORL)

Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Jhonny Arteaga	F.C. New York	13
2	Matthew Delicâte	Richmond Kickers	10
3	José Angulo	Harrisburg City Islanders	9
	Maxwell Griffin	Orlando City SC
	Luke Mulholland	Wilmington Hammerheads
6	Andriy Budnyi	Wilmington Hammerheads	8
	Jamie Watson	Orlando City SC
	Andrew Welker	Harrisburg City Islanders
9	Chris Banks	Wilmington Hammerheads	7
	Sallieu Bundu	Charlotte Eagles
	George Davis IV	Dayton Dutch Lions
	Sainey Touray	Harrisburg City Islanders

Source:^[5]

Top assists

Rank	Player	Club	Assists
1	Tadeu Terra	F.C. New York	8
2	Jorge Herrera	Charlotte Eagles	7
3	Andriy Budnyi	Wilmington Hammerheads	6
3	Sainey Touray	Harrisburg City Islanders	6
5	Luke Mulholland	Wilmington Hammerheads	5
6	12 players tied		4

Source:^[5]

Top Goalkeepers

(Minimum of 1080 Minutes Played)

Rank	Goalkeeper	Club	GP	MINS	SVS	GA	GAA	W-L-T	SHO
1	Miguel Gallardo	Orlando City SC	22	1980	68	15	0.681	12-3-6	11
2	Andrew Dykstra	Charleston Battery	13	1170	30	11	0.846	7-4-2	5
3	Ronnie Pascale	Richmond Kickers	23	2070	64	21	0.913	12-7-4	9
4	Neal Kitson	Rochester Rhinos	23	2070	76	22	0.956	12-7-4	9
5	Brock Duckworth	Wilmington Hammerheads	18	1620	71	46	1.166	11-5-2	4
6	Óscar Dautt	Los Angeles Blues	20	1800	77	53	1.200	6-6-8	5
7	Eric Reed	Charlotte Eagles	24	2160	81	29	1.208	9-9-6	8
8	Keita de Castro	Antigua Barracuda	19	1710	58	23	1.210	8-8-1	5
9	Chase Harrison	Harrisburg City Islanders	20	1800	59	26	1.300	8-6-6	5
10	Hunter Gilstrap	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	23	2070	98	30	1.304	7-11-5	9

Source:^[5]

League awards

^[6]

Most Valuable Player: Yordany Álvarez (ORL)
Rookie of the Year: Luke Mulholland (WIL)
Defender of the Year: Rob Valentino (ORL)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Miguel Gallardo (ORL)
Coach of the Year: Adrian Heath (ORL)

All-League Teams

^[7]

First Team

F: Jhonny Arteaga (NEW), Matthew Delicâte (CHB), Maxwell Griffin (ORL)
M: Yordany Álvarez (ORL), Jorge Herrera (CHE), Luke Mulholland (WIL)
D: Nelson Akwari (LAB), Gareth Evans (WIL), Rob Valentino (ORL), William Yomby (RIC)
G: Miguel Gallardo (ORL)

Second Team

F: José Angulo (HAR), George Davis IV (DAY), Jason Yeisley (PIT)
M: Lewis Neal (ORL), Lawson Robinson (ANT), Jamie Watson (ORL)
D: George Dublin (ANT), Colin Falvey (CHB), Kyle Hoffer (NEW), Troy Roberts (ROC)
G: Neal Kitson (ROC)

Notes and References

Web site: Litterer. Dave. The Year in American Soccer – 1986. The American Soccer Archives. April 9, 2011. October 23, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20150708232706/http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/year/1986.html#WSA. July 8, 2015. dead.
Web site: USL PRO Postseason Format Unveiled . January 24, 2011 . USL PRO . Demosphere . January 25, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110129050720/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/494974.html . January 29, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
Web site: USL reforms Agreement with PRSL. United Soccer Leagues. May 10, 2011. May 10, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110514205255/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/524777.html. May 14, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
News: Shaw to Captain F.C. New York. April 25, 2011. F.C. New York. April 8, 2011.
Web site: USL PRO – Top 10 Stats Leaders . September 12, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130716173621/http://www.uslsoccer.com/stats/2011/Top10.32669232.html . July 16, 2013 . dead . mdy-all .
Web site: USL PRO Awards Winners Announced . September 9, 2013 . United Soccer Leagues . September 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527224917/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/558794.html . May 27, 2012 . mdy .
Web site: USL PRO All-League Teams Announced . September 2, 2015 . United Soccer Leagues . August 30, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130525214705/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/557472.html . May 25, 2013.