Indiana Blast was an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues , played in the USISL and A-League (1997–2004) until folding at the end of the 2004 season.
46-677: The Blast played their home games at Kuntz Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana . The team's colors were white and blue for its last four years after four years with red and black as its colors. Peter Baah and Larry Harmon served as general managers. Officially announced a press conference on September 30, 1996, the Blast signed its first player that November in goalkeeper standout from Yugoslavia and of MLS Mile Milovac and signed its second star player in Marc LeBere who came over on transfer from
92-594: A 0.360 GAA average. Western Conference teams dominated the league in 2011 for the third year in a row, with the Kitsap Pumas ending the season as national champions, beating Laredo Heat 1–0 in the 2011 PDL Championship game. Kitsap, who lost just one game and conceded just ten goals all season, were the second team from the Northwest Division to win the national title in a row, while Laredo were contesting their fourth championship game in six years. Kitsap also were
138-607: A first-round playoff game. The Blast then defeated Chicago 1–0 on August 22 to make it to the Pro League quarterfinals, where they fell 6–0 to the Charlotte Eagles . The 1998 season was the best in the club's history, as the Blast went 15–3 in league play (17–4 overall) and won the North Central Division's regular-season championship. The Chicago Stingers exacted their revenge for 1997's playoff defeat, though, as they beat
184-434: A high level, often having been forced to retire from top flight competition due to age or injury. League rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger. Increasingly, League Two is seen as a 'shop window' for professional clubs looking to discover and identify aspiring professional players who may enter
230-495: A new scheme called PDL-Pro , whereby certain teams would be allowed to act as professional clubs, paying players, while still adhering to NCAA collegiate eligibility rules, and the USL's own age restriction policy. Ventura County Fusion returned the PDL title to Southern California for the first time in over a decade with a stoppage-time victory over Chicago Fire Premier , and in doing so became
276-524: A pass from teammate Hamid Mehreioskouei , chipped Bucks goalkeeper Eric Pogue from 18 yards through a crowded penalty area. Fernando Salazar of the Los Angeles-based San Fernando Valley Heroes was the league's MVP, while his teammate Arshak Abyanli took the honors as top goalscorer. The league grew from 41 to 44 teams in 2001 through the usual mix of relegation from D3Pro, teams folding and new franchises being added. In
322-601: A perfect PDL regular season record since the Jackson Chargers in 1998, the first regular season champion to win the playoffs since the Central Coast Roadrunners in 1996, and the first team in PDL history to go through an entire PDL regular season and playoff campaign without posting a loss or a tie. Portland Timbers U23s striker Brent Richards was named League MVP and Rookie of the Year for his stellar campaign with
368-491: A regular season schedule of 10-14 games, up to seven home and seven away, within their division, depending on the size of the division. The USL2 playoffs see division winners and each conference's best second-place finishers advance to the conference quarter finals. All matches in the playoffs are played in single match elimination format, with each conference winner hosting a four-team conference championship weekend. The four conference champions advance to national semi-finals and
414-623: A resurgence of the Eastern Conference, as the Michigan Bucks would claim the regular season title, with Canadian rivals Forest City London winning their first ever PDL Championship in an East coast contest, defeating Carolina Dynamo 2–1. Canadian clubs would also have another strong season in 2013, with four of eight Canadian clubs finishing in the final eight and two, the Victoria Highlanders and Thunder Bay Chill , advancing to
460-670: A sports venue in Indiana is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Premier Development League USL League Two ( USL2 ), formerly the Premier Development League ( PDL ), is an amateur/semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada , forming part of the United States soccer league system . The league featured 122 teams for 2023, split into eighteen regional divisions across four conferences. USL League Two
506-537: A stretch of 16 games over two months in which it won just one match. A highlight was a 2–2 draw against the Rochester Raging Rhinos in a nationally televised game on August 17 that drew a then-club-record 4,557 fans (a figure that would be topped on July 13, 2003 when 5,140 saw a 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds ). McDonald returned to the sidelines for the 2003 season, but it was the worst in
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#1733085099374552-587: A strong regular season campaign with a record of 9–2–3. With USL Pro re-branding as the United Soccer League in February 2015, the PDL dropped the "USL" descriptor from their name, simply operating as the "Premier Development League". The 2015 season would see league newcomers, New York Red Bulls U-23 , put forth a very strong showing, finishing first in the Mid Atlantic Division and making it all
598-572: A tiebreaker. Though the Blast struggled to a 9–15–4 record in 2000, they qualified for the playoffs and absorbed a 7–0 pounding at the hands of the Minnesota Thunder in the first round. The club never qualified for postseason play again. Original coach Jimmy McDonald stepped down after the 2000 season and was replaced by Bret Hall , who had coached the Chicago Stingers and Sockers to three consecutive championships. For health reasons, Hall
644-791: A young striker by the name of Brian Ching from the Spokane Shadow was named Rookie of the Year. In 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues , and the Premier Development Soccer League dropped the 'soccer' part of its name and became known as the USL Premier Development League , or PDL. The league took in several teams from the D3 Pro league, expanding to 42 teams in six divisions. Expansion franchise Chicago Sockers ultimately won
690-699: Is an outdoor soccer facility located in Indianapolis. It is the location of the IHSAA State Soccer finals. It contains two FIFA -regulated game fields and seats 5,257 people. Various championship games have been played in this facility. It was the site of the 1987 Pan American Games soccer tournament and three U.S. Open Cup finals. The United States men's national soccer team played three matches here in 1987 and 1988. 39°47′25″N 86°11′21″W / 39.790175°N 86.189185°W / 39.790175; -86.189185 This article about
736-490: Is headquartered in Tampa, Florida . The Seacoast United Phantoms are the current champions, having defeated Peoria City 3–2 in extra time to win the 2024 USL League Two Championship final on August 3, 2024. USL League Two is divided into 4 conferences (Eastern, Central, Southern, and Western), comprising 18 divisions. The league season runs from May through July, with the playoffs decided through July and August. All teams play
782-666: Is not considered a professional league. Formerly, teams such as Laredo Heat , New Orleans Jesters , Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 , Kitsap Pumas and the Hollywood United Hitmen had embraced partial professionalism through the PDL-Pro program, whereby teams could choose to employ players who were paid for their performances, but who still met the age eligibility criteria. This did not contravene NCAA rules, which state that college players cannot play alongside professionals, but may play against them. What this also meant, however,
828-452: Is that PDL-Pro teams could not have any active NCAA players on their rosters, but could employ NAIA and community college players, ex-NCAA players who have already graduated, or other local players who do not play college soccer at all. Currently, all USL2 teams field amateur U-23 squads. Additionally, USL2 squads often also include standout high school and junior club players, as well as former professionals seeking to continue competing at
874-628: The Austin Lone Stars was the league's top scorer and MVP. The United States International Soccer League changed its name again in 1996, to the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, and before the season, there was substantial movement of teams between the Pro League, the Premier League and the newly created Select League (which would later merge with the A-League , and eventually become
920-612: The Central Coast Roadrunners repeated as national champions, the first team to do so, beating the Cocoa Expos in the PDSL championship game. Lester Felicia of the Jackson Chargers was the league's MVP, while Rodrigo Costa of the Detroit Dynamite was the leading scorer and the league's Rookie of the Year, tallying 21 goals and 2 assists for 44 points. In 1998 the PDSL took to the field with 33 teams, including four associate members from
966-576: The Cincinnati Riverhawks 4–0. By August, the team's original owner, businessman Ferid Poturkovic , had sold the club to MorSports, Inc . On the day the sale was announced, the Blast beat the Chicago Stingers 2–0 to clinch a playoff berth with their fifth consecutive victory to end the regular season. Two weeks later, the Blast came from 2–0 down to defeat the Cleveland Caps 3–2 and win
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#17330850993741012-559: The Pacific Coast Soccer League who played shortened schedules after their PCSL season was over. In the championship game the San Gabriel Valley Highlanders upset regular season champions Jackson Chargers 3–2, taking the trophy to California for the third straight year. Rodrigo Costa of the Detroit Dynamite was the league MVP, Boniventure Manati of the Jackson Chargers was the league's top scorer, and
1058-670: The USL First Division ). The Premier League grew to 34 teams in its second year, with the Central Coast Roadrunners from San Luis Obispo, California , beating the San Francisco Bay Seals in the championship game to take the title. Pasi Kinturi of the Nashville Metros was the league's top scorer and MVP. The Premier League renamed itself the Premier Development Soccer League (PDSL) in 1997, and
1104-546: The soccer capabilities of many urban areas throughout the United States and Canada, while offering current college soccer players the opportunity to continue playing during the summer months without losing their college eligibility. The inaugural season of the new USISL Premier League featured 27 teams, and the Richmond Kickers won the first title, beating the Cocoa Expos 3–1 in the championship game. Gabe Jones of
1150-574: The Blast 3–0 on August 21,1998 in a first-round playoff match. The year would end with the Blast winning "Organization of the Year" honors from the USISL and earning promotion to the A-League. In its first A-League game, the Blast won away to Tennessee Rhythm 3–1, but finished a mere point out of the playoff race with a 13–15 record, having lost the final postseason spot to the El Paso Patriots by virtue of
1196-585: The Blast established quite a rivalry with the Cincinnati Riverhawks , as the teams met 25 times. Indiana won 12, Cincinnati 11 and there were 2 draws in the series. At the other end of the spectrum, Indiana went just 2–15–1 in 18 matches against the Minnesota Thunder . In eight seasons, the club won 67, lost 114 and tied 11 in league play. vs Kalamazoo Kingdom , 17 July 2004 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Kuntz Memorial Stadium Kuntz Memorial Soccer Stadium
1242-681: The PDL Championship trophy back to Iowa in 2005 after beating the El Paso Patriots 6–5 on penalty kicks, following a 0–0 draw in the PDL Championship game. 2006 saw the beginning of two seasons of dominance for two teams: the Michigan Bucks and the Laredo Heat . Both teams made the PDL Final in 2006 and 2007, with the Bucks emerging victorious in '06 with a 2–1 win thanks to goals by Kenny Uzoigwe and Ty Shipalane , only for Laredo to get their revenge
1288-501: The Philadelphia Freedom after scoring 13 goals for Philadelphia, LeBere was a premier striker and expected to lead this new franchise in scoring. LeBere was a two time All-American in high school and a collegiate national champion. The club played its first match at Kuntz Stadium on April 25, 1997, a 2–0 loss to eventual A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage in front of 2,886 fans. The team claimed its first victory on May 9, beating
1334-517: The Southwest and Southeast divisions respectively. The Northwest Division underwent a major expansion for the 2024 season by adding three new teams from the state of Washington. As USL League Two seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elite college soccer players seeking to continue playing high-level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility, as USL2
1380-468: The Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively, while their coach Gary Parsons was named Coach of the Year. Jake Keegan of the Westchester Flames was named Rookie of the Year after tallying 16 goals in 16 games to take the league goal-scoring crown. Keegan accounted for 64 percent of Westchester's goals in 2011 and also finished third in the league in points with 34. The 2012 PDL season would see
1426-549: The club with young talent, but the results weren't much better as the Blast finished 5–12–1 under coach John Dolinsky (who was first replaced by player Mark Allen and then by Baah before the season's end). The team's final match ever was a 3–2 loss to the Kalamazoo Kingdom at home on July 17, 2004. The final victory in club history came the night before, a 7–3 home decision over the Kansas City Brass . In its history,
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1472-411: The club's history, as they continued losing and controversy dogged the Blast from the season's start. McDonald resigned for the final time after a horrendous start and was replaced by assistant Mike Sanich . Before the 3–23–2 season was over, player Peter Baah had taken the reins. It would be the Blast's last season in the A-League. A move to the Premier Development League for the 2004 season infused
1518-547: The first PDL-Pro team to win the championship, a milestone for the league. Kitsap's Western Conference rivals Fresno Fuego had the best regular-season record, posting an unbeaten 13–0–3 record. Fresno midfielder Milton Blanco was named League MVP , after leading the league in points (38) and assists (14) and helping his team to the Southwest Division title. Two Michigan Bucks players – Stewart Givens and Mitch Hildebrandt – were given end-of-season awards as Defender of
1564-622: The first time, and professional teams began investing in the league by adding U-23 development sides as an addition to their senior rosters. Cape Cod repeated as PDL champs in 2003, beating the Chicago Fire Reserves in the final (and despite the presence of Jürgen Klinsmann playing for Orange County Blue Star ), while 2004 saw the title head to Florida for the first time as the Central Florida Kraze overcame perennial bridesmaids Boulder Rapids Reserve . Des Moines Menace took
1610-420: The following year with an epic penalty kicks win after a 0–0 tie in regulation time. Laredo became the first team to make three consecutive PDL championship games in 2008, but fell at the final hurdle to Thunder Bay Chill , who became the first ever Canadian side to win the PDL following their 4–1 penalty shootout victory. The PDL had grown to 68 teams by 2009, and to reflect their growing reputation, introduced
1656-706: The league Championship, both played at the home of the higher seed. In 1995 the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) changed its name to the United States International Soccer League, and split into two leagues, one professional (the 'Professional League', which ultimately became the USL Second Division ) and one amateur (the Premier League ). The purpose for the split was to expand into and improve
1702-617: The league, beating Spokane Shadow 3–1 for the title in a tight championship game. Fabio Eidenwein of the Sioux City Breeze was named League MVP and was the top scorer, with 20 goals. The PDL expanded by a further eight franchises in 2000, and the Chicago Sockers won their second straight title, beating the Mid-Michigan Bucks in a close 1–0 championship game. The single goal was scored by Rodrigo Costa who, having received
1748-527: The lowest-seeded team to claim the national title. The 2010s began with a record, as the Portland Timbers U23s ended the season as national champions, beating Thunder Bay Chill 4–1 in the 2010 PDL Championship game. The Timbers also had the best regular season record, winning all their 16 games, scoring 53 goals and conceding just six along the way. In doing so the Timbers became the first team to post
1794-403: The national champions. Players from Canadian side Thunder Bay Chill led the majority of the statistical categories, with striker Brandon Swartzendruber leading the league with 15 goals, while his teammate Gustavo Oliveira led the league with 13 assists. Portland Timbers U23s goalkeeper Jake Gleeson enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, allowing just five goals in 15 games and earning with
1840-548: The semi-finals, the Westchester Flames defeated Sioux Falls Spitfire 5–1 and Calgary Storm defeated Des Moines Menace 2–1; in the final, Westchester defeated Calgary 3–1 to take their first league title. Des Moines and Chicago Fire Reserves dominated the 2002 regular season, but both teams stuttered in the playoffs; the PDL final saw the Cape Cod Crusaders defeating the Boulder Rapids Reserve 2–1 to bring
1886-528: The semi-finals. After a final four finish in 2012, The Chill would repeat their strong season, winning the 2013 regular season title but falling to the Austin Aztex in the Championship final 3–1 in front of a crowd of 4,253 fans, the largest attendance for a final since 2007. In 2014, the Michigan Bucks would claim their second PDL Championship, defeating the Kitsap Pumas 1–0 on August 3, 2014, following
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1932-475: The third for a Canadian club. In May 2018, the league did not permit Calgary Foothills FC to sign Stephanie Labbé , a goalkeeper for the Canadian women's team , even though the team had offered her a position. The decision was made due to her gender. Lubbe filed a lawsuit against the league. In 2018, it was announced that the PDL would be renamed as USL League Two in advance of the 2019 season . The league
1978-561: The title to the Northeast for the second year in a row. 2002 also saw the debut of the soon-to-be PDL legend, Tomas Boltnar of Des Moines Menace , who secured an unprecedented triple-crown of PDL MVP, Top Scorer and Rookie of the Year. The mid-2000s was a period of steady growth and consolidation for the PDL. A TV agreement with Fox Soccer Channel saw the PDL Championship game being broadcast live on national television in North America for
2024-610: The way to the Championship Final, before falling to the lower-seeded K-W United FC , who emerged from the very competitive Great Lakes Division, fending off perennial contenders and rivals Forest City London and the defending champions Michigan Bucks on their path to the final. United would come away winners 4–3 over the Red Bulls on August 3, 2015, at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington , to claim their first-ever championship and
2070-560: Was forced to cancel the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The league returned for the 2021 season, although the Southwest division elected not to play due to concerns over COVID-19. The 2022 season saw the Southwest division return and thus was the first full season for the league since 2019. There were two new divisions added for the 2023 season, the Nor Cal and South Florida divisions, which were formed with expansions and former clubs from
2116-406: Was forced to relinquish his duties before ever coaching a game and he was replaced by assistant Ian Martin , the former head coach at Butler University in Indianapolis. Martin's only season at the helm resulted in an 8–18–0 record in 2001. Former French professional and Mauritanian international Eric Descombes took over as player-coach for the 2002 season, which saw the team go 6–18–4, including
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