The 2008 National Premier Soccer League season was the 6th season of the NPSL. The season started in May, 2008, and ended with the NPSL Championship Game on August 3, 2008.
| Season | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Pennsylvania Stoners |
← 2007 2009 → | |
Pennsylvania Stoners finished the season as national champions, beating St. Paul Twin Stars in the NPSL Championship game in Uniondale, New York on 3 August 2008.[1]
Pennsylvania Stoners forward Tom Ehrlich was named the National Premier Soccer League's Player of the Year.[2] Tom Ehrlich was also the league's top scorer, with 11 goals.[3]
Changes From 2007
editNew Franchises
edit- Twelve franchises joined the league this year, all expansion franchises:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama Spirit
|
Birmingham area | Birmingham, AL | expansion - Provisional member |
 Arizona Sahuaros
|
Phoenix area | Phoenix, AZ | returned to league after several years in USASA |
 Atlanta FC
|
Greater Atlanta area | Sandy Springs, GA | expansion |
 Lancaster Inferno
|
Lancaster area | Salunga-Landisville, PA | expansion |
 Maine Sting
|
State of Maine | Bangor, ME | expansion |
 Maryland United
|
Harford County area | Bel Air, MD | expansion |
 Morris County Colonials
|
Morris County area | Morristown, NJ | expansion |
 New York Athletic Club
|
Wetschester County area | Pelham, NY | expansion |
| Pennsylvania Stoners
|
Lehigh Valley area | Allentown, PA | expansion |
 Performance FC Phoenix
|
Greenville area | Greenville, SC | expansion |
| Rocket City United
|
Huntsville area | Huntsville, AL | expansion |
 San Diego United
|
Greater San Diego area | El Cajon, CA | expansion |
Name Changes
edit- Rockford Raptors changed its name to Chicago Fire NPSL (the actual organization did not change its name, just its NPSL competitive arm)
- Maryland United changed its name to Charm City FC mid-season
Folding
edit- Six teams left the league prior to the beginning of the season:
- In addition, three 2007 teams chose to spend the 2008 season on hiatus, with plans to return in 2009:
Final standings
editPurple indicates division title clinched
North Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania Stoners | 10 | 25 | ||||||
| 2 | Boston Aztec | 10 | 19 | ||||||
| 3 | Queen City FC | 10 | 7 | ||||||
| 4 | Maine Sting | 9 | 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Morris County Colonials | 9 | 1 |
Mid-Atlantic Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Island Academy | 9 | 23 | ||||||
| 2 | New York Athletic Club | 10 | 14 | ||||||
| 3 | Maryland United | 9 | 13 | ||||||
| 4 | Lancaster Inferno | 8 | 11 | ||||||
| 5 | Atlantic City Diablos | 10 | 9 |
Southeast Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta FC | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | |||
| 2 | Performance FC Phoenix | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | |||
| 3 | Rocket City United | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |||
| 4 | Alabama Spirit | 0 | 0 |
Midwest Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota TwinStars | 6 | 12 | ||||||
| 2 | Chicago Fire NPSL | 6 | 11 | ||||||
| 3 | Princeton 56ers | 6 | 11 | ||||||
| 4 | Milwaukee Bavarians | 6 | 0 |
Southwest Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego United | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | |||
| 2 | Arizona Sahuaros | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | |||
| 3 | Albuquerque Asylum | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
Northwest Division
edit| Place | Team | P | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonoma County Sol | 9 | 21 | ||||||
| 2 | Santa Cruz County Breakers | 9 | 20 | ||||||
| 3 | Real San Jose | 9 | 10 | ||||||
| 4 | Salinas Valley Samba | 9 | 0 |
Playoffs
editDivisional Rounds
editSonoma County Sol 3-1 San Diego United
Minnesota TwinStars beat Atlanta FC
Semi finals
editPennsylvania Stoners beat Sonoma County Sol
Minnesota TwinStars 1-1 Long Island Academy (Minnesota TwinStars win 4-2 on penalties)
Final
editPennsylvania Stoners 3-0 St. Paul Twin Stars
Bracket
edit| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| N | Pennsylvania Stoners | |||||||||||||
| SE | San Diego United | 1 | NE | Sonoma County Sol | ||||||||||
| NE | Sonoma County Sol | 3 | N | Pennsylvania Stoners | 3 | |||||||||
| MW | Minnesota Twin Stars | 0 | ||||||||||||
| MA | Long Island Academy | 1(2) | ||||||||||||
| MW | Minnesota Twin Stars | MW | Minnesota Twin Stars | 1(4) | ||||||||||
| SE | Atlanta FC | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ http://npsl.myeliteclub.com/Loadpage.aspx?DXPk=67[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://npsl.myeliteclub.com/Loadpage.aspx?DXPk=72[permanent dead link]
- ^ "::Club News::". Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2009.