2015 North American Soccer League season

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. Jacksonville Armada FC made their NASL debut this season. 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.

North American Soccer League
Season2015
ChampionsNew York Cosmos
Spring ChampionsNew York Cosmos
Fall ChampionsOttawa Fury
Matches played165
Goals scored453 (2.75 per match)
Top goalscorerStefano Pinho (16)
Biggest home win6 goals:
FTL 7–1 IND
(Aug 29)
Biggest away win4 goals:
JAX 0–4 CAR
(May 30)
Highest scoring8 goals:
FTL 7–1 IND
(Aug 29)
Longest winning run5 games:
Ottawa Fury
(Jul 19 – Aug 8)
Longest unbeaten run12 games:
Ottawa Fury
(May 9 – Aug 8)
Ottawa Fury
(Aug 26 – Oct 31)
Longest winless run8 games:
Atlanta Silverbacks
(Apr 25 – Jul 4)
Jacksonville Armada
(May 16 – Jul 15)
Longest losing run4 games:
Atlanta Silverbacks
(May 24 – Jul 4)
Carolina RailHawks
(Aug 12 – 30)
FC Edmonton
(Oct 4 – 17)
Highest attendance16,167
JAX 3–1 FCE
(Apr 4)
Lowest attendance1,112
FCE 4–0 SAS
(Jul 5)
Total attendance975,558
Average attendance5,912
← 2014
2016 →

Teams, stadiums, and personnel

Stadiums and locations
Main article: List of NASL stadiums
Locations of NASL clubs

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

Player transfers

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Atlanta Silverbacks Alejandro Pombo End of interim period November 2, 2014 Pre-Season Gary Smith December 23, 2014
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Günter Kronsteiner Not Returning December 5, 2014 Pre-Season Marcelo Neveleff January 19, 2015
Jacksonville Armada Expansion team José Luis Villarreal June 14, 2014[1]
Tampa Bay Rowdies Ricky Hill Fired November 18, 2014 Pre-Season Thomas Rongen December 3, 2014[2]
Jacksonville Armada José Luis Villarreal Resigned May 22, 2015 6th Guillermo Ángel Hoyos June 14, 2015[3]
Indy Eleven Juergen Sommer Fired June 2, 2015 11th Tim Regan (interim) June 2, 2015[4]
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Marcelo Neveleff Resigned June 7, 2015 10th Iván Guerrero (interim) June 7, 2015[5]
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Iván Guerrero (interim) End of interim period June 30, 2015 8th Günter Kronsteiner June 30, 2015[6]
Tampa Bay Rowdies Thomas Rongen Fired August 21, 2015 10th Stuart Campbell August 26, 2015[7]
Jacksonville Armada Guillermo Ángel Hoyos Fired September 21, 2015 11th 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 (S) 10 5 5 0 18 9 +9 20 Playoffs
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 FC 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
(S) Spring season champion.

Results
Home \ Away ATL CAR FCE FTL IND JAX MNU NYC OTT SAS TBR
Atlanta Silverbacks 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–1
Carolina RailHawks 1–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–1
Edmonton 4–2 1–1 3–2 2–2 2–3
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0–0 0–1 1–2 2–1 0–1
Indy Eleven 1–1 3–0 1–3 1–1 2–2
Jacksonville Armada 0–4 3–1 1–0 0–0 2–1
Minnesota United 1–0 2–3 3–2 1–1 2–2
New York Cosmos 4–2 3–3 1–0 3–0 2–0
Ottawa Fury 0–0 1–3 1–0 1–0 0–0
San Antonio Scorpions 1–0 1–1 1–2 0–0 1–3
Tampa Bay Rowdies 3–0 2–1 1–0 3–2 0–0
Source:
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 (F) 20 13 6 1 37 15 +22 45 Playoffs
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 FC 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
(F) Fall season champion.

Results
Home \ Away ATL CAR FCE FTL IND JAX MNU NYC OTT SAS TBR
Atlanta Silverbacks 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–3 1–1 3–3 0–0
Carolina RailHawks 2–0 2–1 1–1 3–1 3–0 3–1 1–3 1–3 3–2 1–1
Edmonton 1–3 3–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 4–0 1–0
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2–2 4–0 1–1 7–1 2–0 2–5 3–3 0–2 0–0 2–1
Indy Eleven 0–1 2–1 0–2 2–1 3–0 3–1 1–1 1–4 1–2 2–0
Jacksonville Armada 1–0 3–0 3–2 0–1 1–1 3–3 1–0 1–3 0–0 2–0
Minnesota United 1–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 4–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–0
New York Cosmos 1–1 3–2 3–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–4 2–1 2–0
Ottawa Fury 2–1 2–1 2–0 0–0 4–2 2–0 1–2 0–0 1–0 2–2
San Antonio Scorpions 3–3 3–3 2–2 2–4 2–0 1–0 3–4 1–2 0–1 3–0
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–3 1–1 3–2 1–3 2–0 1–1 2–0
Source:
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

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]

Combined standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 New York Cosmos (C, X) 30 15 11 4 49 30 +19 56 Championship qualifiers
2 Ottawa Fury 30 15 11 4 42 23 +19 56
3 Minnesota United 30 14 11 5 54 39 +15 53
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 FC 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
(C) Champion; (X) Regular season champion.

The Championship

Participants

Semifinals
New York Cosmos2–1Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Cellerino  37'  74'
Senna  58'
Raúl  61'
Szetela  71'		 Report
Report		 PC  16'
Thomas  33'
Attendance: 5,061
Referee: Sorin Stoica
Ottawa Fury2–1 (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+'
Attendance: 9,346
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau (CAN)

Soccer Bowl 2015
New York Cosmos3–2Ottawa Fury
Cellerino  7'  8', 72', 85'
Maurer  41'
Guenzatti  60'		 Report
Report
Report		 Trafford  68'
Heinemann  70', 90+2'
Falvey  76'
Ryan  76'
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%
FC 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

Awards

Monthly awards

Month NASL Player of the Month
Player Club Stats Ref
April Jimmy Maurer New York Cosmos 12SV, 1GA [13]
May Raúl New York Cosmos 3G [14]
June Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury 9SV, 0GA [15]
July Christian Ramirez Minnesota United 4G, 2A [16]
August Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers 6G, 1A [17]
September Romuald Peiser Ottawa Fury 11SV, 2GA [18]
October 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 Stefan Antonijevic Tampa Bay Rowdies Jemal Johnson Jacksonville Armada
Week 2 PC Fort Lauderdale Strikers PC Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 3 Sainey Nyassi FC Edmonton Sergio Peña Indy Eleven
Week 4 Maicon Santos Tampa Bay Rowdies Zourab Tsiskaridze San Antonio Scorpions
Week 5 Alhassane Keita Jacksonville Armada Omar Cummings San Antonio Scorpions
Week 6 Carlos Mendes New York Cosmos Bochy Hoyos Jacksonville Armada
Week 7 Billy Forbes San Antonio Scorpions Andrés Flores New York Cosmos
Week 8 Raúl New York Cosmos Nicki Paterson Ottawa Fury
Week 9 Kyle Hyland Indy Eleven Lionel Brown Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 10 Victor Pineda Indy Eleven Brian Shriver Tampa Bay Rowdies
Week 11 Pascal Millien Jacksonville Armada Hagop Chirishian New York Cosmos
Week 12 Lance Laing FC Edmonton Wojciech Wojcik Indy Eleven
Week 13 Omar Cummings San Antonio Scorpions Wojciech Wojcik Indy Eleven
Week 14 Nacho Novo Carolina RailHawks Jaime Chavez Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 15 Carl Haworth Ottawa Fury Dylan Mares Indy Eleven
Week 16 Rafael Alves Ottawa Fury Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 17 Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks Junior Burgos Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 18 Jaime Castrillón Jacksonville Armada Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 19 Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Justin Davis Minnesota United
Week 20 Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 21 Zach Steinberger Indy Eleven Marvin Ceballos Indy Eleven
Week 22 Rafael Castillo San Antonio Scorpions Pablo Campos Minnesota United
Week 23 Siniša Ubiparipović Ottawa Fury Pedro Mendes Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 24 Tom Heinemann Ottawa Fury Kalif Alhassan Minnesota United
Week 25 Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Kris Tyrpak San Antonio Scorpions
Week 26 Pablo Campos Minnesota United Giuseppe Gentile San Antonio Scorpions
Week 27 Stefano Pinho Fort Lauderdale Strikers Brad Ring Indy Eleven
Week 28 Richard Menjivar Tampa Bay Rowdies Mechack Jérôme Jacksonville Armada
Week 29 Raúl New York Cosmos Junior Burgos Atlanta Silverbacks

League awards

NASL Best XI[28]
Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Romuald PeiserOttawa Fury
Defense Rafael AlvesOttawa Fury
Defense Justin DavisMinnesota United
Defense Carlos MendesNew York Cosmos
Defense Kevin VenegasMinnesota United
Midfield Richie RyanOttawa Fury
Midfield Lance LaingFC Edmonton
Midfield IbsonMinnesota United
Midfield James MarcelinFort Lauderdale Strikers
Forward Stefano PinhoFort Lauderdale Strikers
Forward Christian RamirezMinnesota 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. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  5. "Strikers announce technical staff changes". Fort Lauderdale Strikers. June 7, 2015. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  6. "Strikers name gunter kronsteiner head coach". Fort Lauderdale Strikers. June 30, 2015. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  7. "Rowdies Name Stuart Campbell Head Coach". rowdiessoccer.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. 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. "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 November 11, 2015.
  24. "Fans Vote Atlanta Silverbacks Midfielder JuniorBurgos' Freekick As NASL Goal of the Year". nasl.com. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  25. "New York Cosmos Midfielder Leo Fernandes Named NASL Young Player of the Year". nasl.com. Retrieved November 12, 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 November 13, 2015.
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