The 2011 USL Premier Development League season was the 17th season of the PDL. The regular season began on April 29, 2011, when the Los Angeles Blues 23 played Fresno Fuego, and ended on July 24. The league consisted of 64 teams across nine divisions with the addition of the South Atlantic division. The playoffs began on Tuesday, July 26 and concluded with the PDL Championship Game on August 6. As in previous years, the PDL Championship Game was broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States, with commentary by Steve Bell and Keith Tabatznik.
The Kitsap Pumas ended the season as national champions, beating Laredo Heat 1–0 in the 2011 PDL Championship game. The playoffs were held at the home of the Pumas in Bremerton, Washington.
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 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.Bucks Highlight PDL Award Winners
Changes from 2010
Name changes Hampton Roads Piranhas rebranded as Virginia Beach Piranhas Los Angeles Azul Legends rebranded as Los Angeles MisionerosBreakdown for 2011 USL PDL US Open Cup Qualifying: Western Conference (22 April 2011). Published by TheCup.us. Last accessed 5 May 2011. Newark Ironbound Express rebranded as Jersey ExpressJersey Express Unveils New Name
New franchise Ten franchises were announced as joining the league this year:
Team name Metro area Location Previous affiliation Akron Summit AssaultAMFC Summit Assault Joins PDL Akron area Akron, OH expansion Fredericksburg Hotspur Fredericksburg area Fredericksburg, VA expansion Hamilton Rage Hamilton area Hamilton, ON expansion FC Jax Destroyers Jacksonville area Jacksonville, FL expansion Los Angeles Blues 23 West Los Angeles area Pacific Palisades, CA expansion North Sound SeaWolvesNorth Sound SeaWolves Join PDL Snohomish County area Everett, WA expansion Real Maryland Monarchs Montgomery County area Rockville, MD from USL Second Division Rio Grande Valley Grandes Rio Grande Valley area Edinburg, TX expansion River City RoversRiver City Rovers Join USL PDL Louisville area Louisville, KY expansion WSA WinnipegWSA Winnipeg Joins PDL Winnipeg area Winnipeg, MB expansion
Folding/moving Thirteen teams were announced as leaving the league prior to the beginning of the season: Albany BWP Highlanders - Schenectady, New York Atlanta Blackhawks - Alpharetta, Georgia Cleveland Internationals - Medina, Ohio Dayton Dutch Lions - Bellbrook, Ohio - left to join USL Pro DFW Tornados - Frisco, Texas Hollywood United Hitmen - Los Angeles, California - left to join National Premier Soccer League Houston Leones - Richmond, Texas Kalamazoo Outrage - Kalamazoo, Michigan Lancaster Rattlers - Lancaster, California - left to join National Premier Soccer LeagueRattlers move on to the National Premier Soccer League Rio Grande Valley Bravos - Brownsville, Texas - left to join Southern Premier Soccer League, changed name to RGV OcelotsRGV Bravos FC now the RGV Ocelots FC, with new colors Rochester Thunder - Rochester, Minnesota Spokane Spiders - Spokane, Washington Yakima Reds - Yakima, Washington
Standings Key to colours in group tablesTeam won the Division Title Team qualified for playoff berth Note: The first tie-breaker in PDL standings is head-to-head results between teams tied on points, which is why some teams with inferior goal differences finish ahead in the standings.
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division
Heartland Division
Eastern Conference
Mid Atlantic Division
Northeast Division
South Atlantic Division
Southern Conference
Mid South Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Southwest Division
League post-season tournament
Division matches for qualification
Bracket
Conference Quarterfinals
Conference semifinals
Conference finals
PDL Semifinals
PDL Final
Championship MVP: Bryan Burke (KIT)
Award Winners and Finalists MVP: Milton Blanco (FRE) (winner), Mitch Hildebrandt (MIC), Chandler Hoffman (OCB) Rookie of the Year: Albert Edward (RCR), Brian Holt (REA), Jake Keegan (WES) (winner) Defender of the Year: Dillon Barna (VCF), Stewart Givens (MIC) (winner), Wilson Neto (TBC) Goalkeeper of the Year: Mitch Hildebrandt (MIC) Coach of the Year: Tony Colistro (TBC), Pete Fewing (KIT), Gary Parsons (MIC) (winner)
All-League and All-Conference teams
Eastern Conference F: Hakan Ilhan (CAR), Jake Keegan (WES)*, Dominick Sarle (LIR) M: Keishen Bean (BER), Jason Massie (POR), Stephen Okai (REA) D: Matthew Baker (REA), Brian Fekete (POR), Shaun Foster (JER), Kyle Manscuk (OTT) G: Brian Holt (REA)
Central Conference F: Adam Mena (IND), Branden Stelmak (CIN), Brandon Swartzendruber (TBC) M: Tom Catalano (MIC), Albert Edward (RCR), John Sosa (DMM)* D: Kevin Cope (CHI), Stewart Givens (MIC)*, Jonathan Raj (CHI), Wilson Neto (TBC)* G: Mitch Hildebrandt (MIC)*
Southern Conference F: Moses Aduny (MIS), Esteban Bayona (LAR), Achille Campion (BRC) M: Michael Azira (MIS), Enrique Cervantes (EPP), Jonathan Mendoza (CFK)* D: Carlos Ordaz (LAR), Guilherme Reis (BRD), Daniel Sackman (CFK), Hugo Samano Contreras (EPP) G: Keneil Baker (CFK)
Western Conference F: Milton Blanco (FRE)*, Chandler Hoffman (OCB)*, Brent Richards (POR) M: Danny Barrera (VCF)*, Nikolas Besagno (KIT), Jose Cuevas (FRE) D: Dillon Barna (VCF)*, Fernando De Alba (LAB), Ryan Kawulok (POR), Daniel Scott (KIT)* G. Bryan Meredith (KIT)
* denotes All-League player
See also 2011 USL Pro season 2011 W-League Season
References