2011 North American Soccer League season

North American Soccer League
Season 2011
Champions NSC Minnesota Stars
North American Supporters' Trophy Carolina RailHawks
Matches played 112
Goals scored 290 (2.59 per match)
Top goalscorer Etienne Barbara (20)
Biggest home win EDM 4–0 TB
MTL 4–0 ATL
Biggest away win EDM 0–5 MTL
Highest scoring 7 goals:
ATL 3–4 PUR
Longest winning run 10 matches:
Carolina Railhawks
Longest unbeaten run 13 matches:
Carolina Railhawks
Longest winless run 9 matches:
Atlanta Silverbacks
Montreal Impact
Longest losing run 6 matches:
Atlanta Silverbacks
Highest attendance 12,060
FC Tampa Bay @ Montreal Impact
Lowest attendance 797
Puerto Rico Islanders @ FC Edmonton
Average attendance 3,770[1]
← 2010
2012 →

The 2011 North American Soccer League season is the 44th season of second division soccer in the United States and the inaugural season of the newly created North American Soccer League.

Earlier in 2011, the league's likelihood of earning second tier sanctioning had been thrown into question when the U.S. Soccer Federation rejected the league in January due to its financial instability.[2] The USSF gave provisional sanctioning at the annual general meeting in Las Vegas on February 12, 2011.[3]

Competition format

The NASL debuted in 2011 with 8 teams playing a 28-game regular season schedule, with 14 home and 14 away games, playing each opponent four times. The NASL’s playoff format consisted of the top six teams, with the first two teams receiving a bye until the semifinal round and the remaining four teams playing in a single-game playoff to advance to the semi-finals. The semifinals and the finals will each consist of a two-game home and home aggregate goal system.[4]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Carolina RailHawks (C) 28 17 3 8 50 26 +24 54 2011 NASL Playoffs semifinals
2 Puerto Rico Islanders 28 15 7 6 41 32 +9 52
3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 28 11 8 9 41 36 +5 41 2011 NASL Playoffs quarterfinals
4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 28 9 11 8 35 36 −1 38
5 Edmonton 28 10 6 12 35 40 −5 36[lower-alpha 1]
6 NSC Minnesota Stars 28 9 9 10 30 32 −2 36[lower-alpha 1]
7 Montreal Impact 28 9 8 11 35 27 +8 35
8 Atlanta Silverbacks 28 4 4 20 25 63 −38 16
Updated to match(es) played on September 24, 2011. Source: NASL Standings
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. In the case of two or more teams are tied on points, the first tie-breaker is the head-to-head record among the tied teams.[5]
(C) Regular season champion.
Notes:
  1. 1 2 EDM: 8 pts; MIN: 2 pts

Results table

Abbreviation and Color Key:
Atlanta Silverbacks – ATL • Carolina RailHawks – CAR • FC Edmonton – EDM • Ft. Lauderdale Strikers – FTL
NSC Minnesota Stars – MIN • Montreal Impact – MTL • Puerto Rico Islanders – PUR • FC Tampa Bay – TAM

Win  • Loss  • Draw  • Home

ClubMatch
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
Atlanta SilverbacksMINEDMFTLTAMEDMMINFTLCARMINMTLTAMPURCARPURFTLMTLTAMCARTAMPURMTLEDMCARPUREDMMINFTLMTL
1–20–11–21–10–20–30–00–20–22–12–31–31–53–43–22–22–10–10–40–20–40–32–42–01–20–21–10–4
Carolina RailHawksPURMTLEDMMINTAMFTLMTLPURATLTAMEDMTAMATLMTLMINEDMEDMATLFTLPURMINFTLATLTAMFTLMTLPURMIN
1–22–12–01–13–14–22–13–02–02–11–03–15–12–00–11–14–11–01–20–21–12–04–22–00–10–10–11–2
FC EdmontonFTLATLCARMTLATLTAMMINTAMMTLCARPURMINMTLMINCARTAMCARTAMFTLPURFTLATLPURPURMINATLFTLMTL
2–11–00–20–52–01–12–14–00–20–13–01–11–01–11–11–21–41–30–30–11–13–02–31–13–12–11–20–2
Fort Lauderdale StrikersEDMMINATLPURMINCARATLMTLPURMINMTLPURTAMTAMATLMTLPUREDMCARMINEDMCARTAMMTLCAREDMATLTAM
1–21–12–12–21–12–40–00–03–23–00–01–11–12–42–31–11–33–02–11–01–10–20–21–01–02–11–10–2
NSC Minnesota StarsATLFTLPURCARFTLATLPUREDMTAMPURATLFTLEDMEDMCARPURMTLMTLFTLTAMCARMTLMTLEDMTAMATLTAMCAR
2–11–11–31–11–13–02–01–20–01–12–00–31–11–11–00–11–03–10–10–21–10–20–21–31–22–01–12–1
Montreal ImpactTAMCARTAMEDMCARTAMFTLEDMATLPURFTLEDMPURCARFTLATLMINPURMINTAMATLMINMINFTLPURCAREDMATL
0–11–20–05–01–20–30–00–21–21–20–01–00–00–21–12–20–11–01–33–34–02–02–00–11–11–02–04–0
Puerto Rico IslandersCARTAMMINFTLMINCARMINFTLMTLEDMATLFTLMTLATLTAMMINFTLMTLEDMATLCARTAMEDMEDMATLMTLCARTAM
2–12–03–12–20–20–31–12–32–10–33–11–10–04–31–11–03–10–11–02–02–02–13–21–10–21–11–01–0
FC Tampa BayMTLPURMTLATLCAREDMMTLMINEDMCARATLCARFTLFTLPUREDMATLEDMATLMTLMINPURFTLCARMINMINPURFTL
1–00–20–01–11–31–13–00–00–41–23–21–31–14–21–12–11–23–14–03–32–01–22–00–22–11–10–12–0

Source: NASL results table

Playoffs

The 6 qualifying teams will be given seeds 1 through 6 with the top team in the standings receiving the number 1 seed.

The format of the Playoffs will consist of a Quarterfinal Round, Semifinal Round and a Final Round. The Quarterfinal Round will be a single game while the Semifinal and Final Rounds will each be a 2-game series with each team playing at home once and the team with the greater number of aggregate goals in both games winning each series.

The number 1 seed and the number 2 seed will receive a bye directly to the Semifinal Round while the number 3 seed will host the number 6 seed and the number 4 seed will host the number 5 seed in the Quarterfinal Round.

For the Semifinal Round, the number 1 seed will be paired with the lowest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round with the number 2 seed being paired with the highest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round.

The winners of each series in the Semifinal Round will meet in the Final Round known as the Soccer Bowl. In the event of a draw in either Quarterfinal Round game, such game will progress to a 30-minute extra time period (the golden goal rule will not be in effect). If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.

In each Semifinal Round series and the Final Round series, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams will progress to a 30-minute extra time period. As in the Quarterfinal Round, the golden goal rule will not be in effect. If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series will be determined by a penalty shootout.

  Quarter-Finals     Semi-Finals     Soccer Bowl 2011
                                   
      1 Carolina RailHawks FC 0 4 4 (3)  
  3 FC Tampa Bay 0     6 NSC Minnesota Stars 1 3 4 (5)    
  6 NSC Minnesota Stars 1         6 NSC Minnesota Stars 3 0 3
      4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 0 1
      2 Puerto Rico Islanders 1 1 2    
  4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 5     4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3 2 5  
  5 FC Edmonton 0  

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Soccer Bowl 2011


2011 NASL Champions: NSC Minnesota Stars

Attendance

Club GP Total High Low Average
Montreal Impact14161,10212,060-11,507
Fort Lauderdale Strikers1452,769--3,769
Carolina RailHawks1446,942--3,353
FC Tampa Bay1442,138--3,010
Atlanta Silverbacks1440,117--2,866
Puerto Rico Islanders1430,247--2,161
FC Edmonton1425,434-7971,817
NSC Minnesota Stars1423,463--1,676
Total112422,21212,0607973,770
  • Updated to games played on September 24, 2011

Source: Kenn.com

Top Goalkeepers

(Minimum of 1260 Minutes Played)

Rank Goalkeeper Club MINS SVS GA GAA
1 United States Evan Bush Montreal Impact 1668 71 14 0.757
2 United States Brad Knighton Carolina RailHawks 2480 115 26 0.942
3 United States Matt Glaeser Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1905 75 22 1.038
4 United States Ray Burse Puerto Rico Islanders 2340 98 28 1.077
5 United States Joe Warren NSC Minnesota Stars 2430 105 30 1.111
6 United States Jeff Attinella FC Tampa Bay 2060 128 31 1.354
7 Netherlands Rein Baart FC Edmonton 2145 78 33 1.387
8 United States Jimmy Maurer Atlanta Silverbacks 1531 93 41 2.412

Source:[8]

Awards

League Awards

NASL Best XI [12]
Position Players Team
GoalkeeperUnited States Brad KnightonCarolina RailHawks
DefenseFrance Hassoun CamaraMontreal Impact
DefenseJamaica Lance LaingFort Lauderdale Strikers
DefenseUnited States Kupono LowCarolina RailHawks
DefenseFinland Toni StåhlFort Lauderdale Strikers
MidfieldEngland David FoleyPuerto Rico Islanders
MidfieldHaiti Pascal MillienFC Tampa Bay
MidfieldCanada Shaun SaikoFC Edmonton
MidfieldEngland Matt WatsonCarolina RailHawks
ForwardUnited States Mike AmbersleyFC Tampa Bay
ForwardMalta Etienne BarbaraCarolina RailHawks

References

  1. ↑ NASL Weekend in Review (18 July 2011).
  2. ↑ Quarstad, Brian (January 21, 2011). "NASL Releases Press Statement Concerning US Soccer's Decision to Decline Sanctioning". Inside Minnesota Soccer. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "NASL Provisionally Sanctioned by USSF for 2011". North American Soccer League. February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "NASL Provisionally Sanctioned by USSF". North American Soccer League. November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  5. ↑ "NASL Standings".
  6. ↑ "NASL Individual Leaders". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ "NASL Individual Leaders". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  8. ↑ "NASL Individual Leaders". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Barbara Named NASL Golden Ball Winner". North American Soccer League. October 17, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "NASL Announces Three Postseason Award Winners". North American Soccer League. September 27, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Minnesota Stars FC Coach Manny Lagos Named Field Turf 2011 NASL Coach of the Year". IMSoccer News. January 17, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ "NASL Announces 2011 Best XI Team". North American Soccer League. September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
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