2015 North American Soccer League season

North American Soccer League
Season 2015
Champions New York Cosmos
North American Supporters' Trophy New York Cosmos
Spring Champions New York Cosmos
Fall Champions Ottawa Fury
Matches played 165
Goals scored 453 (2.75 per match)
Top goalscorer Stefano Pinho (16)
Biggest home win 6 goals:
FTL 7-1 IND
(Aug 29)
Biggest away win 4 goals:
JAX 0-4 CAR
(May 30)
Highest scoring 8 goals:
FTL 7-1 IND
(Aug 29)
Longest winning run 5 games:
Ottawa Fury
(Jul 19 – Aug 8)
Longest unbeaten run 12 games:
Ottawa Fury
(May 9 – Aug 8)
Ottawa Fury
(Aug 26 – Oct 31)
Longest winless run 8 games:
Atlanta Silverbacks
(Apr 25 – Jul 4)
Jacksonville Armada
(May 16 – Jul 15)
Longest losing run 4 games:
Atlanta Silverbacks
(May 24 – Jul 4)
Carolina RailHawks
(Aug 12 – 30)
Edmonton
(Oct 4 – 17)
Highest attendance 16,167
JAX 3-1 FCE
(Apr 4)
Lowest attendance 1,112
FCE 4-0 SAS
(Jul 5)
Total attendance 975,558
Average attendance 5,912
2014
2016

The 2015 North American Soccer League season was the 48th season of Division II soccer in the United States and the fifth season of the North American Soccer League. It was contested by eleven teams including two from Canada. The NASL has been joined in 2015 by the Jacksonville Armada FC. The defending Soccer Bowl champions were the San Antonio Scorpions, while Minnesota United FC were the defending North American Supporters' Trophy winners. A split season format was used for the 2015 season.

Teams, stadiums, and personnel

Stadiums and locations

Main article: List of NASL stadiums

Personnel and sponsorship

Team Head coach Captain Kit producer Shirt sponsor
Atlanta Silverbacks England Gary Smith England Simon Mensing Reto Sports
Carolina RailHawks Northern Ireland Colin Clarke United States Connor Tobin Adidas Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
FC Edmonton Canada Colin Miller Northern Ireland Albert Watson Adidas The Fath Group
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Austria Günter Kronsteiner Honduras Iván Guerrero Nike Azul Airlines
Indy Eleven United States Tim Regan (interim) Germany Kristian Nicht Diadora Honda
Jacksonville Armada FC United States Eric Dade (interim) Argentina Marcos Flores Nike Winn-Dixie
Minnesota United FC United States Manny Lagos United States Aaron Pitchkolan Inaria Atomic Data / Mall of America
New York Cosmos Venezuela Giovanni Savarese United States Carlos Mendes Nike Emirates
Ottawa Fury FC Canada Marc Dos Santos Republic of Ireland Richie Ryan Admiral The Heart and Crown
San Antonio Scorpions Canada Alen Marcina Canada Adrian Cann Nike Toyota
Tampa Bay Rowdies Scotland Stuart Campbell Brazil Marcelo Saragosa Nike Hard Rock

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Atlanta Silverbacks Uruguay Alejandro Pombo End of interim period November 2, 2014 Pre-Season England Gary Smith December 23, 2014
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Austria Günter Kronsteiner Not Returning December 5, 2014 Pre-Season Argentina Marcelo Neveleff January 19, 2015
Jacksonville Armada Expansion team Argentina Villarreal, José LuisJosé Luis Villarreal June 14, 2014[1]
Tampa Bay Rowdies England Hill, RickyRicky Hill Fired November 18, 2014 Pre-Season Netherlands Rongen, ThomasThomas Rongen December 3, 2014[2]
Jacksonville Armada Argentina Villarreal, José LuisJosé Luis Villarreal Resigned May 22, 2015 6th Argentina Hoyos, Guillermo ÁngelGuillermo Ángel Hoyos June 14, 2015[3]
Indy Eleven United States Sommer, JuergenJuergen Sommer Fired June 2, 2015 11th United States Regan, TimTim Regan (interim) June 2, 2015[4]
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Argentina Neveleff, MarceloMarcelo Neveleff Resigned June 7, 2015 10th Honduras Guerrero, IvánIván Guerrero (interim) June 7, 2015[5]
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Honduras Guerrero, IvánIván Guerrero (interim) End of interim period June 30, 2015 8th Austria Günter Kronsteiner June 30, 2015[6]
Tampa Bay Rowdies Netherlands Rongen, ThomasThomas Rongen Fired August 21, 2015 10th Scotland Stuart Campbell August 26, 2015[7]
Jacksonville Armada Argentina Hoyos, Guillermo ÁngelGuillermo Ángel Hoyos Fired September 21, 2015 11th United States Eric Dade (interim) September 21, 2015[8]

Spring season

The Spring season began on April 4 and ended on June 13. The schedule featured a single round robin format with each team playing every other team in the league a single time. Each team hosted 5 home games and played 5 road games. The winner of the Spring season earned one of four berths in the playoffs, known as The Championship.[9]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 New York Cosmos (C) 10 5 5 0 18 9 +9 20 2015 NASL Spring Season Winner
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 10 5 4 1 15 9 +6 19
3 Carolina RailHawks 10 3 5 2 15 10 +5 14
4 Minnesota United 10 3 5 2 15 13 +2 14
5 Indy Eleven 10 3 4 3 13 12 +1 13
6 Jacksonville Armada 10 3 3 4 15 18 3 12
7 San Antonio Scorpions 10 3 3 4 11 15 4 12
8 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 10 3 2 5 12 13 1 11
9 Ottawa Fury 10 2 5 3 5 8 3 11
10 Edmonton 10 2 3 5 16 22 6 9
11 Atlanta Silverbacks 10 1 5 4 7 13 6 8
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(C) Champion.

Results

Home ╲ Away ATL CAR FCEFTLINDJAXMNUNYCOTTSASTBR
Atlanta Silverbacks 11 11 00 11 01
Carolina RailHawks 12 11 22 31 11
Edmonton 42 11 32 22 23
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 00 01 12 21 01
Indy Eleven 11 30 13 11 22
Jacksonville Armada 04 31 10 00 21
Minnesota United 10 23 32 11 22
New York Cosmos 42 33 10 30 20
Ottawa Fury 00 13 10 10 00
San Antonio Scorpions 10 11 12 00 13
Tampa Bay Rowdies 30 21 10 32 00

Source:
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Fall season

The Fall season began on July 4 and ended on November 1. The schedule featured each team playing every other team in the league once at home and once away. The winner of the Fall season earned one of four berths in The Championship.[10]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Ottawa Fury (C) 20 13 6 1 37 15 +22 45 2015 NASL Fall Season Winner
2 Minnesota United 20 11 6 3 39 26 +13 39
3 New York Cosmos 20 10 6 4 31 21 +10 36
4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 20 8 6 6 37 27 +10 30
5 Edmonton 20 7 5 8 25 24 +1 26
6 Atlanta Silverbacks 20 6 7 7 24 27 3 25
7 Carolina RailHawks 20 6 3 11 29 39 10 21
8 Tampa Bay Rowdies 20 5 5 10 18 28 10 20
9 Indy Eleven 20 5 5 10 23 36 13 20
10 San Antonio Scorpions 20 4 7 9 30 37 7 19
11 Jacksonville Armada 20 5 4 11 18 31 13 19
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored
(C) Champion.

Results

Home ╲ Away ATL CAR FCEFTLINDJAXMNUNYCOTTSASTBR
Atlanta Silverbacks 21 10 21 11 10 12 03 11 33 00
Carolina RailHawks 20 21 11 31 30 31 13 13 32 11
Edmonton 13 30 02 20 11 11 21 01 40 10
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 22 40 11 71 20 25 33 02 00 21
Indy Eleven 01 21 02 21 30 31 11 14 12 20
Jacksonville Armada 10 30 32 01 11 33 10 13 00 20
Minnesota United 10 31 11 21 10 40 00 11 22 10
New York Cosmos 11 32 30 20 11 10 21 14 21 20
Ottawa Fury 21 21 20 00 42 20 12 00 10 22
San Antonio Scorpions 33 33 22 24 20 10 34 12 01 30
Tampa Bay Rowdies 21 10 01 13 11 32 13 20 11 20

Source:
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

2015 NASL Playoffs

The Championship, culminating with Soccer Bowl 2015, was contested by the winners of the spring and fall seasons hosting the next best two teams in the full year regular season table. The half-season champions earned the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, with the higher seed going to the team with the better full-season record. The two next-best teams earned the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The semi-finals had the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed hosting the No. 3 seed. The winners met in the Soccer Bowl 2015 hosted by the team with the higher seed.[11]

Participants:

Combined Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 New York Cosmos 30 15 11 4 49 30 +19 56 North American Supporters' Trophy Winner
2015 NASL Spring Season Winner
2 Ottawa Fury 30 15 11 4 42 23 +19 56 2015 NASL Fall Season Winner
3 Minnesota United 30 14 11 5 54 39 +15 53 Championship Qualifier
4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 30 11 8 11 49 40 +9 41
5 Tampa Bay Rowdies 30 10 9 11 33 37 4 39
6 Carolina RailHawks 30 9 8 13 44 49 5 35
7 Edmonton 30 9 8 13 41 46 5 35
8 Atlanta Silverbacks 30 7 12 11 31 40 9 33
9 Indy Eleven 30 8 9 13 36 48 12 33
10 San Antonio Scorpions 30 7 10 13 41 52 11 31
11 Jacksonville Armada 30 8 7 15 33 49 16 31
Source: NASL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) head-to-head record; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals scored

The Championship

Semi-Finals

November 7, 2015 (2015-11-07)
2:00 pm EST
New York Cosmos 2 – 1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Cellerino  37'  74'
Senna  58'
Raúl  61'
Szetela  71'
Report
Report
PC  16'
Thomas  33'
MCU Park, Brooklyn, New York
Attendance: 5,061
Referee: Sorin Stoica

November 8, 2015 (2015-11-08)
3:00 pm EST
Ottawa Fury 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) Minnesota United
Heinemann  9'  47', 108'
Trafford  104'
Report
Report
Calvano  2'
Ramirez  7' (pen.)
Ibson  45'
Mendes  45+'
Vicentini  100'
Jordan  120+'
TD Place Stadium, Ottawa, Ontario
Attendance: 9,346
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN)

Soccer Bowl 2015

November 15, 2015 (2015-11-15)
5:00 pm EST
New York Cosmos 3 – 2 Ottawa Fury
Cellerino  7'  8', 72', 85'
Maurer  41'
Guenzatti  60'
Report
Report
Report
Trafford Red card 68'
Heinemann  70', 90+2'
Falvey  76'
Ryan  76'
Shuart Stadium, Hempstead, New York
Attendance: 10,166
Referee: Alan Kelly

Attendance

Club GP Total High Low Average Change
Indy Eleven 15 147,13910,524 8,500 9,809 -6.3%
Minnesota United 15 131,4999,418 5,890 8,767 9.9%
Jacksonville Armada 15 118,905 16,164 5,652 7,927 N/A
San Antonio Scorpions 15 101,043 8,053 4,105 6,736 -0.3%
Tampa Bay Rowdies 15 84,739 7,010 4,219 5,649 24.2%
Ottawa Fury 15 77,464 6,899 3,023 5,164 24.5%
New York Cosmos 15 75,927 12,550 3,326 5,062 7.6%
Carolina RailHawks 15 68,080 7,217 3,055 4,539 -0.1%
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 15 67,067 11,691 1,278 4,471 9.9%
Atlanta Silverbacks 15 60,366 5,511 2,302 4,024 -0.7%
Edmonton 15 43,329 4,240 1,112 2,889 -14.6%
Total 165 975,558 16,164 1,112 5,912 7.5%

Source: NASL

Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers 16
2 United States Christian Ramirez Minnesota United 12
3 Spain Nacho Novo Carolina RailHawks 11
4 Jamaica Omar Cummings San Antonio Scorpions 10
5 Colombia Rafael Castillo San Antonio Scorpions 8
Brazil Leo Fernandes New York Cosmos
Northern Ireland Daryl Fordyce Edmonton
Brazil Marlon Freitas Fort Lauderdale Strikers
United States Tom Heinemann Ottawa Fury
Jamaica Lance Laing Edmonton
Spain Raúl New York Cosmos

Source:[12]

Top assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 Bulgaria Georgi Hristov Tampa Bay Rowdies 9
South Africa Ty Shipalane Carolina RailHawks
3 Turks and Caicos Islands Billy Forbes San Antonio Scorpions 8
4 United States Jaime Chavez Atlanta Silverbacks 7
Jamaica Lance Laing Edmonton
Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Bosnia and Herzegovina Siniša Ubiparipović Ottawa Fury
8 Ghana Khalif Alhassan Minnesota United 6
El Salvador Junior Burgos Atlanta Silverbacks
United States Christian Ramirez Minnesota United
United States Kevin Venegas Minnesota United

Source:[12]

Clean sheets

Rank Player Club Clean
Sheets
1 France Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury 14
2 United States Jimmy Maurer New York Cosmos 12
3 Cameroon Sammy Ndjock Minnesota United 7
United States Matt Pickens Tampa Bay Rowdies
5 United States Matt Van Oekel Edmonton 6
6 Haiti Steward Ceus Atlanta Silverbacks 5
7 Portugal Daniel Fernandes San Antonio Scorpions 4
Japan Akira Fitzgerald Carolina RailHawks
Mexico Miguel Gallardo Jacksonville Armada
United States David Meves Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Source: NASL

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date
Brazil Pinho, StefanoStefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Indy Eleven 7–1 August 29, 2015
Brazil Pinho, StefanoStefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers San Antonio Scorpions 4–2 October 3, 2015

Awards

Monthly awards

Month NASL Player of the Month
Player Club Stats Ref
April United States Jimmy Maurer New York Cosmos 12SV, 1GA [13]
May Spain Raúl New York Cosmos 3G [14]
June France Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury 9SV, 0GA [15]
July United States Christian Ramirez Minnesota United 4G, 2A [16]
August Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers 6G, 1A [17]
September France Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury 11SV, 2GA [18]
October Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers 4G, 3A [19]

Weekly awards

Week NASL Player of the Week NASL Play of the Week
Player Club Player Club
Week 1 Serbia Stefan Antonijevic Tampa Bay Rowdies United States Jemal Johnson Jacksonville Armada
Week 2 Brazil PC Fort Lauderdale Strikers Brazil PC Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 3 The Gambia Sainey Nyassi Edmonton Honduras Sergio Peña Indy Eleven
Week 4 Brazil Maicon Santos Tampa Bay Rowdies Georgia (country) Zourab Tsiskaridze San Antonio Scorpions
Week 5 Guinea Alhassane Keita Jacksonville Armada Jamaica Omar Cummings San Antonio Scorpions
Week 6 United States Carlos Mendes New York Cosmos Argentina Bochy Hoyos Jacksonville Armada
Week 7 Turks and Caicos Islands Billy Forbes San Antonio Scorpions El Salvador Andrés Flores New York Cosmos
Week 8 Spain Raúl New York Cosmos Scotland Nicki Paterson Ottawa Fury
Week 9 United States Kyle Hyland Indy Eleven United States Lionel Brown Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 10 United States Victor Pineda Indy Eleven United States Brian Shriver Tampa Bay Rowdies
Week 11 Haiti Pascal Millien Jacksonville Armada United States Hagop Chirishian New York Cosmos
Week 12 Jamaica Lance Laing Edmonton Poland Wojciech Wojcik Indy Eleven
Week 13 Jamaica Omar Cummings San Antonio Scorpions Poland Wojciech Wojcik Indy Eleven
Week 14 Spain Nacho Novo Carolina RailHawks United States Jaime Chavez Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 15 Canada Carl Haworth Ottawa Fury United States Dylan Mares Indy Eleven
Week 16 Brazil Rafael Alves Ottawa Fury Brazil Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 17 Brazil Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks El Salvador Junior Burgos Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 18 Colombia Jaime Castrillón Jacksonville Armada Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 19 Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers United States Justin Davis Minnesota United
Week 20 Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 21 United States Zach Steinberger Indy Eleven Guatemala Marvin Ceballos Indy Eleven
Week 22 Colombia Rafael Castillo San Antonio Scorpions Brazil Pablo Campos Minnesota United
Week 23 Bosnia and Herzegovina Siniša Ubiparipović Ottawa Fury Brazil Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 24 United States Tom Heinemann Ottawa Fury Ghana Kalif Alhassan Minnesota United
Week 25 Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers United States Kris Tyrpak San Antonio Scorpions
Week 26 Brazil Pablo Campos Minnesota United United States Giuseppe Gentile San Antonio Scorpions
Week 27 Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers United States Brad Ring Indy Eleven
Week 28 El Salvador Richard Menjivar Tampa Bay Rowdies Haiti Mechack Jérôme Jacksonville Armada
Week 29 Spain Raúl New York Cosmos El Salvador Junior Burgos Atlanta Silverbacks

League Awards

NASL Best XI[28]
Position Player Team
Goalkeeper France Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury
Defense Brazil Rafael Alves Ottawa Fury
Defense United States Justin Davis Minnesota United
Defense United States Carlos Mendes New York Cosmos
Defense United States Kevin Venegas Minnesota United
Midfield Republic of Ireland Richie Ryan Ottawa Fury
Midfield Jamaica Lance Laing Edmonton
Midfield Brazil Ibson Minnesota United
Midfield Haiti James Marcelin Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Forward Brazil Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Forward United States Christian Ramirez Minnesota United

References

  1. "Jacksonville Armada FC Names José Luis Villarreal as Inaugural Head Coach". armadafc.com. June 14, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  2. "Rowdies name Rongen new head coach". Tampa Bay Times. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  3. "VILLARREAL TO DEPART ARMADA FC AT END OF NASL SPRING SEASON". Jacksonville Armada. May 22, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  4. "Regan in as Interim Head Coach". Indy Eleven. June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  5. "Stikers announce technical staff changes". Fort Lauderdale Strikers. June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  6. "Stikers name gunter kronsteiner head coach". Fort Lauderdale Strikers. June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  7. "Rowdies Name Stuart Campbell Head Coach". rowdiessoccer.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  8. "General Manager Dario Sala, Head Coach Guillermo Hoyos and Assistant Coaches Dismissed". armadafc.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  9. "OOPS! SORRY, SOMETHING WENT WRONG". nasl.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  10. "OOPS! SORRY, SOMETHING WENT WRONG". nasl.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. "NASL Clubs To Compete For 'The Championship'". February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "2015 NASL statistics". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  13. "Player of the Month New York Cosmos Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer". North American Soccer League. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  14. "Player of the Month New York Cosmos Forward Raúl". North American Soccer League. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  15. "Player of the Month Ottawa Fury FC Goalkeeper Romuald Peiser". North American Soccer League. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  16. "Player of the Month Minnesota United Forward Christian Ramirez". North American Soccer League. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  17. "Player of the Month Fort Lauderdale Strikers Forward Stefano Pinho". North American Soccer League. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  18. "Player of the Month Ottawa Fury FC Goalkeeper Romuald Peiser". North American Soccer League. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  19. "PLAYER OF THE MONTH - FORT LAUDERDALE FORWARD STEFANO PINHO". North American Soccer League. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  20. "Fort Lauderdale Strikers Forward Stefano Pinho Claims NASL Golden Ball". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  21. "Fort Lauderdale Strikers Forward Stefano Pinho Wins NASL Golden Boot Award". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  22. "Ottawa Fury FC Goalkeeper Romuald Peiser Claims NASL Golden Glove Award". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  23. "Ottawa Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos Named NASL Coach of the Year". nasl.com. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  24. "Fans Vote Atlanta Silverbacks Midfielder JuniorBurgos' Freekick As NASL Goal of the Year". nasl.com. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  25. "New York Cosmos Midfielder Leo Fernandes Named NASL Young Player of the Year". nasl.com. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  26. "Ottawa Fury FC Defender Drew Beckie Named NASL Humanitarian of the Year". North American Soccer League. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  27. "Ottawa Fury FC Wins 2015 Fair Play Award". North American Soccer League. November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  28. "North American Soccer League Announces 2015 Best XI". nasl.com. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

External links

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