2017 NPSL season explained

Competition:	National Premier Soccer League
Season:	2017
Winners:	Elm City Express
Matches:	571
Total Goals:	2101
Prevseason:	2016
Nextseason:	2018

The 2017 National Premier Soccer League season was the 105th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 15th season of the NPSL.

Changes from 2016

Incoming teams

The following expansion clubs were announced for the 2017 NPSL season:

Team	Location	Reference
Asheville City SC	Asheville, NC	Expansion^[1]
Beaches FC	Jupiter, FL	Expansion^[2]
	Boca Raton, FL	Joined from APSL^[3]
City of Angels FC	Los Angeles, CA	Expansion^[4]
Dakota Fusion FC	Fargo, ND	Expansion^[5]
Duluth FC	Duluth, MN	Joined from American Premier League^[6]
Elm City Express		Expansion^[7]
FC Arizona	Mesa, AZ	Expansion^[8]
Fort Pitt Regiment	Pittsburgh, PA	Return from hiatus
Greater Lowell NPSL FC	Lowell, MA	Acquired the right to play in NPSL from Greater Lowell United FC after that team departed for CSL USA^[9] ^[10] ^[11]
Hartford City FC	Hartford, CT	Expansion^[12]
Inter Nashville FC	Nashville, TN	Expansion^[13]
Kitsap SC	Bremerton, WA	Joined from PDL^[14]
	Midland, TX	Joined from PDL^[15]
	Minneapolis, MN	Joined from PLA
	Napa, CA	Expansion^[16]
Naples United FC	Naples, FL	Expansion
	South Orange County, CA	Expansion^[17]
	Oxnard, CA	Expansion^[18]
Ozark FC	Springdale, AR	Expansion^[19]
PDX FC	Portland, OR	Expansion
Pierce County FC	Pierce County, WA	Expansion
	Rochester, MN	Expansion
Sioux Falls Thunder FC	Sioux Falls, SD	Expansion^[20]
	Spokane, WA	Joined from PDL^[21]
Syracuse FC	Syracuse, NY	Expansion^[22]
	Wayne, NJ	Expansion^[23]
	Tyler, TX	Expansion^[24]
	St Paul, MN	Expansion
West Chester United SC	West Chester, PA	Expansion^[25]

Outgoing teams

Team	Location	Notes
ASA Charge	Gambrills, Maryland	Will not return
Carolina RailHawks NPSL	Cary, North Carolina	Will not return
Chicago Mustangs	Chicago, Illinois	Will not return after being provisional member
Corinthians FC of San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas	Will not return
FC Hasental	Thousand Oaks, California	Joined UPSL
Fort Lauderdale Strikers U-23s	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Will not return
Greater Lowell United FC	Lowell, Massachusetts	Joined CSL USA
Liverpool Warriors	Dallas, Texas	Will not return
Myrtle Beach FC	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina	Joined PDL
Nashville FC	Nashville, Tennessee	Dissolved
North County Battalion	San Diego, California	Joined PDL
Real San Jose	San Jose, California	Joined UPSL
Richmond Strikers	Richmond, Virginia	Will not return
Storm FC	Pembroke Pines, Florida	On hiatus
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2	Tampa, Florida	Will not return
Tobacco Road FC	Durham, North Carolina	Joined PDL
Weston FC	Weston, Florida	Joined PDL

Conference realignments

There were a number of conferences realigned for the 2017 season. In the South Region the South Atlantic Conference was eliminated and the South Central Conference was split into the Lone Star and Heartland Conferences. In the Midwest Region, the expanded Central Conference was renamed the North Conference and the Great Lakes East and Great Lakes West Conferences were renamed the East and Great Lakes Conferences respectively.

Personnel and sponsorship

Team	Head Coach	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor	Region - conference
Albion SC Pros	Ziggy Korytoski	Puma	Primos	West - Southwest
Asheville City SC	Richard Askey	Nike	Hi-Wire Brewing	South - Southeast
Brooklyn Italians	Dominic Casciato	Puma		Northeast - Atlantic
Boston City FC	Palhinha	Nike		Northeast - Atlantic
New York Cosmos B	Fernando Barboto	Under Armour	Emirates	Northeast - Atlantic
Elm City Express	Ted Haley	Adidas		Northeast - Atlantic
Chattanooga FC	Bill Elliott	Diadora	Volkswagen	South - Southeast
Dallas City FC	Ernesto Charles	Vove	Metro PCS	South - Heartland
Sacramento Gold	Ruben Mora Jr.	Gems	Unger Construction Co.	West - Golden Gate
FC Arizona	Aidan Davison	Adidas	Commercial Properties Incorporated^[27]	West - Southwest
Georgia Revolution FC	Chris Mahaffey	Joma	Eagle's Landing Family Practice	South - Southeast
Hartford City FC	Christian Benjamin	Hummel	Armstrong Rockwell	Northeast - Atlantic
Kingston Stockade FC	David Lindholm	Inaria	Trailways	Northeast - Atlantic
Napa Valley 1839 FC	Jesus Medina	Adidas	Del Sur Mortgage	West - Golden Gate
Orange County FC	Paul Caligiuri	Lotto	Permaseal Tire sealant	West - Southwest
SoCal SC	Daniel Musatti	Hummel		West - Southwest
Temecula FC	Willie Donachie	Admiral	Quail Real Estate	West - Southwest
Detroit City FC	Ben Pirmann	Adidas	Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Local Marketing Association	Midwest - Great Lakes
Midland-Odessa FC	Matt Barnes	Under Armour	Oxy	South - Lone Star

Standings

Northeast Region

Atlantic White Conference

Atlantic White Conference top scorers

Rank	Player	Team	Goals
1	Isaac Nana Addai	Boston City FC	12
2	Pedro Espindola	Kingston Stockade FC	11
3	Fabrice Dogbey	Rhode Island Reds	9
4	Mateusz Koziol	Kingston Stockade FC	6
5	Luke Alvaro	Hartford City FC	5
	Ronaldinho Diniz	Rhode Island Reds
	Ryan Taylor	Hartford City FC
	Laurin Vogel	New York Athletic Club
9	Eric Fortier	Kingston Stockade FC	4
	Carlos Lopez	Seacoast United Mariners
	Jhonata Mateusz Nasimento Batista	Boston City FC

Mid-Atlantic Conference

South Region

Southeast Conference

Southeast West Division

Heartland Conference

Midwest Region

North Conference

West Region

Southwest Conference

Playoffs

The format is as follows. All playoff seeding is based on points per game.^[28]

• West: The top 3 teams qualify from Southwest Conference. The top 2 teams qualify from Golden Gate Conference. The top 2 teams qualify from Northwest Conference. The top remaining team based on points per game in the region qualifies as a wildcard. The 3 conference champions are seeded 1-3. The wildcard team is seeded 8. The remaining teams are seeded 4-7. Each game will be hosted by the higher seed.
• Midwest: The top 2 teams from each conference qualify. The 3 conference champions are seeded 1-3. The 3 remaining teams are seeded 4-6. The region quarterfinals will be hosted by the higher seed. The semifinal and final will be a site to be determined.
• South: The 4 conference champions will be seeded based on points per game. Each game will be hosted by higher seed.
  • Heartland: The top 4 teams qualify and each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Lone Star: The top 4 teams qualify and each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Southeast: The top 3 teams from each division qualify. Each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Sunshine: The top team qualifies directly to the region playoffs.
• Northeast: The 4 conference champions will be seeded based on points per game. Each game will be hosted by higher seed.
  • Atlantic Blue: The top 3 teams qualify and each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Atlantic White: The top 3 teams qualify and each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Keystone: The top 4 teams qualify and each game is hosted by higher seed.
  • Mid-Atlantic: All 4 teams qualify and are seeded based on the first 6 games of the regular season. Each game is hosted by higher seed.

Heartland Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Lone Star Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Southeast Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score--------

Atlantic Blue Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Atlantic White Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Keystone Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Mid-Atlantic Conference Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score----

Regional and National Playoffs

Bold = winner
* = after extra time, = penalty shootout score

Regional First Round

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Regional Semifinals

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Regional Finals

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National Semifinals

----

NPSL Championship Game

Notes and References

1. Web site: Asheville City SC Joins NPSL. November 14, 2016. GoalNation. https://web.archive.org/web/20161125050757/http://goalnation.com/asheville-city-sc-joins-npsl/. November 25, 2016. dead.
2. News: BEACHES FC JOINS THE NPSL. NATIONAL PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE. NPSL. 25 January 2017. 1 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170129105856/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/749541. January 29, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
3. Web site: Boca Raton Football Club Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202181429/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/732008?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead.
4. Web site: City of Angels FC Joins The NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202181822/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/736146?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
5. Web site: Dakota Fusion Futbol Club Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202181632/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/735022?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
6. Web site: Minneapolis City Joins the NPSL as Part of Rebranded North Conference. December 14, 2016. FiftyFive.One.
7. Web site: Elm City Express Joins the NPSL . January 23, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170110091742/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/742584?referral=rss&referrer_id=2168389 . January 10, 2017 . dead .
8. Web site: FC Arizona Set To Join NPSL In 2017. September 26, 2016. SoccerNation.
9. Web site: Founder & Owner Andrea Gauntlett. Greater Lowell NPSL FC. October 23, 2018.
10. Web site: Press Release - Greater Lowell United FC Joins the Champions Soccer League USA. Hickling. Kevin. Champions Soccer League USA. January 17, 2017. October 23, 2018.
11. Web site: Greater Lowell NPSL FC Launches Rebranding Initiative. December 15, 2016. National Premier Soccer League. October 23, 2018.
12. Web site: Hartford City FC Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202182315/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/727313?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead.
13. Web site: Inter Nashville FC Brings Soccer To Music City. November 18, 2016. The First Eleven.
14. Web site: Kitsap Pumas leaving PDL after eight seasons. November 1, 2016. Kitsap Sun.
15. Web site: Sockers FC changes name to join National Premier Soccer League. December 13, 2016. Odessa American.
16. Web site: Napa Valley 1839 FC Brand Unveiled. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202181118/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/747245?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead.
17. Web site: NPSL Expands With Orange County FC. November 16, 2016. GoalNation. https://web.archive.org/web/20170305004745/http://goalnation.com/orange-county-fc-joins-npsl/. March 5, 2017. dead.
18. Web site: Med City FC Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202155011/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/736044?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. May 11, 2017. dead.
19. News: OZARK FC JOINS THE NPSL. NATIONAL PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE. NPSL. 23 January 2017. 1 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170203023354/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/747870. February 3, 2017. dead.
20. Web site: Sioux Falls Thunder FC Joins the NPSL. 20 December 2016. Sioux Falls Thunder FC. https://web.archive.org/web/20161221093502/https://www.siouxfallsthunderfc.com/news/. December 21, 2016. dead.
21. Web site: Spokane Soccer Club Shadow Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202104510/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/747080?referral=rss&referrer_id=2168389. February 2, 2017. dead.
22. Web site: Syracuse FC Joins the NPSL. February 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211082538/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/755157?referral=rss&referrer_id=2168389. February 11, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
23. Web site: TSF FC Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202180152/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/726006?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead.
24. Web site: Tyler Football Club Joins the NPSL. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202181045/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/731536?referrer_id=2168389-news-archives. February 2, 2017. dead.
25. News: WEST CHESTER UNITED SOCCER CLUB JOINS THE NPSL. NATIONAL PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE. NPSL. 18 January 2017. 1 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170203023326/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/747072. February 3, 2017. dead.
26. Web site: Rochester River Dogz FC Rebrands as Rochester Lancers . April 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170410133647/http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/779145?referral=rss&referrer_id=2168389 . April 10, 2017 . dead . mdy-all .
27. Web site: FC Arizona Announces Commercial Properties Incorporated As Official Jersey Sponsor . www.fcarizona.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170413153513/http://www.fcarizona.com/news_article/show/778749?referrer_id=2987879 . 2017-04-13.
28. http://www.npsl.com/playoffs NPSL playoff format