2012 North American Soccer League season

Summary

The 2012 North American Soccer League season was the 45th season of Division II soccer in the United States and the second season of the revived North American Soccer League. It was contested by eight teams including one from Canada and one from Puerto Rico. The Montreal Impact were self-promoted to Major League Soccer as an expansion franchise and the expansion San Antonio Scorpions were added to the NASL. The NASL received full sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation on March 3, 2012 at their annual meeting.[2] The defending Soccer Bowl champions were the NSC Minnesota Stars, while the Carolina Railhawks were the defending North American Supporters' Trophy winners.

North American Soccer League
Season2012
ChampionsTampa Bay Rowdies
North American Supporters' TrophySan Antonio Scorpions
Champions League (CFU)Puerto Rico Islanders
(2012 CFU Club Championship 3rd place)
Matches played112
Goals scored294 (2.63 per match)
Top goalscorerPablo Campos
(20 goals)
Biggest home winSAS 8–0 CAR
(July 28)
Biggest away winSAS 0–4 PRI
(April 15)
Highest scoringCAR 4–4 ATL
(April 14)
FTL 5–3 ATL
(July 28)
SAS 8–0 CAR
(July 28)
Longest winning run4 matches:
San Antonio
(April 28 – May 19)
Carolina
(June 2 – June 23)
Tampa Bay
(June 16 – July 4)
Longest unbeaten run9 matches:
Minnesota
(April 7 – June 2)
San Antonio
(April 21 – June 16)
Longest winless run9 matches:
Carolina
(April 7 – May 19)
Atlanta
(April 7 – May 26)
Minnesota
(July 18 – September 8)
Longest losing run5 matches:
Atlanta
(June 9 – July 3)
Highest attendance13,151
PRI @ SAS
(April 15)
Lowest attendance520
EDM @ PRI
(April 18)
Average attendance3,810[1]
2011
2013

Personnel and sponsorship edit

Team Head Coach Captain Shirt sponsor
Puerto Rico Islanders Adrian Whitbread Noah Delgado Toyota
Carolina RailHawks Colin Clarke Kupono Low BCBSA
FC Edmonton Harry Sinkgraven Chris Kooy Sears Canada
Atlanta Silverbacks Brian Haynes Martyn Lancaster Reto Sports
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Daryl Shore Toni Ståhl Joma
Minnesota Stars Manny Lagos Kyle Altman Admiral
San Antonio Scorpions Tim Hankinson Kevin Harmse Nike
Tampa Bay Rowdies Ricky Hill Frank Sanfilippo Mainsail Suites / United World Soccer

Teams edit

class=notpageimage|
Locations of NASL clubs

Regular season edit

League table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 San Antonio Scorpions (X) 28 13 8 7 46 27 +19 47 Playoff semifinals
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies (C) 28 12 9 7 37 30 +7 45
3 Puerto Rico Islanders 28 11 8 9 32 30 +2 41 Playoff quarterfinals
4 Carolina RailHawks 28 10 10 8 44 46 −2 40
5 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 28 9 9 10 40 46 −6 36
6 Minnesota United 28 8 11 9 34 33 +1 35
7 Atlanta Silverbacks 28 7 9 12 35 46 −11 30
8 FC Edmonton 28 5 10 13 26 36 −10 25
Source: NASL Standings
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (X) Commissioner's Cup (regular season champion)

Results edit

Abbreviation and Color Key:
Atlanta Silverbacks – ATL • Carolina RailHawks FC – CAR • FC Edmonton – EDM • Fort Lauderdale Strikers – FTL
Minnesota Stars FC – MIN • Puerto Rico Islanders – PRI • San Antonio Scorpions FC – SAS • Tampa Bay Rowdies – TAM

Win  • Loss  • Draw  • Home

Club Match
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Atlanta Silverbacks SAS CAR TAM MIN MIN EDM PRI TAM FTL EDM SAS CAR PRI SAS CAR MIN PRI EDM FTL FTL TAM MIN CAR EDM TAM FTL SAS PRI
0–0 4–4 1–1 3–3 0–2 0–2 0–3 2–3 1–1 2–1 0–3 1–2 1–2 0–3 1–2 2–0 2–1 1–2 3–5 4–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 3–1 1–1
Carolina RailHawks MIN ATL TAM PRI SAS FTL EDM MIN PRI PRI MIN ATL EDM FTL ATL FTL MIN SAS TAM FTL EDM ATL PRI SAS EDM SAS TAM TAM
0–0 4–4 1–1 1–3 0–1 3–3 0–3 1–2 1–1 2–1 5–1 2–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 3–3 1–0 0–8 3–3 0–1 3–2 1–0 3–1 0–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 0–0
FC Edmonton FTL TAM PRI MIN CAR ATL SAS SAS ATL FTL FTL CAR PRI SAS PRI TAM ATL TAM MIN SAS PRI CAR MIN ATL MIN CAR TAM FTL
0–1 0–1 0–0 3–4 3–0 2–0 0–2 2–2 1–2 1–0 0–1 0–2 0–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–3 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–3 2–2
Fort Lauderdale Strikers EDM MIN SAS PRI TAM CAR PRI MIN ATL TAM EDM EDM MIN CAR TAM CAR SAS MIN SAS ATL ATL CAR PRI SAS TAM PRI ATL EDM
1–0 0–0 2–2 3–2 1–3 3–3 0–2 1–3 1–1 3–1 0–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–3 3–3 2–2 2–1 0–1 5–3 2–4 1–0 0–0 2–1 0–3 1–1 0–1 2–2
Minnesota Stars FC CAR FTL EDM ATL ATL CAR FTL TAM SAS CAR TAM FTL TAM PRI ATL TAM FTL CAR PRI EDM SAS ATL EDM SAS EDM PRI PRI SAS
0–0 0–0 4–3 3–3 2–0 2–1 3–1 0–0 0–0 1–5 1–2 2–1 0–2 4–0 0–2 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–2 1–1
Puerto Rico Islanders TAM SAS EDM CAR FTL FTL ATL CAR CAR TAM SAS ATL EDM MIN EDM SAS ATL TAM MIN SAS EDM FTL TAM CAR FTL MIN MIN ATL
1–0 4–0 0–0 3–1 2–3 2–0 3–0 1–1 1–2 2–0 0–2 2–1 0–0 0–4 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–2 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1
San Antonio Scorpions FC ATL PRI FTL CAR TAM TAM EDM EDM MIN ATL PRI TAM ATL EDM PRI FTL FTL CAR PRI EDM MIN TAM FTL MIN CAR CAR ATL MIN
0–0 0–4 2–2 1–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–2 0–0 3–0 2–0 2–3 3–0 1–0 0–1 2–2 1–0 8–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 4–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–3 1–1
Tampa Bay Rowdies PRI EDM CAR ATL FTL SAS SAS ATL MIN FTL PRI MIN SAS MIN FTL MIN EDM PRI EDM CAR ATL SAS PRI FTL ATL EDM CAR CAR
0–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–2 3–2 0–0 1–3 0–2 2–1 3–2 2–0 3–1 1–2 1–0 2–0 1–0 3–3 0–0 0–4 0–0 3–0 1–1 3–0 1–1 0–0

Final regular season results.[3]

Playoffs edit

The six qualifying teams were seeded 1 through 6, with the top team in the standings receiving the number 1 seed.

The format of the playoffs consisted of quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. The quarterfinals were single games while the semifinals and final were each a two-game series with each team playing at home once and the team with the greater number of aggregate goals in both games winning the series.

The number 1 seed and the number 2 seed received byes while the number 3 seed hosted the number 6 seed and the number 4 seed hosted the number 5 seed in the quarterfinal.

For the semifinal, the number 1 seed was paired with the lower seeded team to qualify from the quarterfinal and the number 2 seed paired with the higher seeded team to qualify from the quarterfinal.

The winners of each semifinal met in the final, known as the Soccer Bowl. In the event of a draw in either quarterfinal game, a 30-minute extra time period was to be played (with the golden goal rule not in effect). If the teams were still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner was to be determined by a penalty shootout.

In each semifinal and in the final, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams were to play a 30-minute extra time period. As in the quarterfinal, the golden goal rule was not in effect. If the teams were still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series was to be determined by a penalty shootout.

Bracket edit

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
1 San Antonio Scorpions 0 1 1
3 Puerto Rico Islanders 1 6 Minnesota Stars 0 2 2
6 Minnesota Stars 2 6 Minnesota Stars 2 1 3
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 3 3
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 3 5
4 Carolina RailHawks 3 4 Carolina RailHawks 1 3 4
5 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1

Quarterfinals edit

September 29, 2012 (2012-09-29) Carolina RailHawks 3–1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Cary, North Carolina
7:00 pm EDT Amir Lowery   34'   71'
Ty Shipalane   52'   67'
Floyd Franks   86'
Report Conor Shanosky   58'
Abe Thompson   61'
Lance Laing   90+'
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 2,534
Referee: Daniel Radford
September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30) Puerto Rico Islanders 1–2 Minnesota Stars Bayamón, Puerto Rico
6:00 pm EDT David Foley   79'
Josh Hansen   81'
Report Amani Walker   9'
Miguel Ibarra   41'
Justin Davis   90'
Stadium: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium
Attendance: 2,002
Referee: Kevin Terry, Jr.

Semifinals edit

October 6, 2012 (2012-10-06) Carolina RailHawks 1–2 Tampa Bay Rowdies Cary, North Carolina
7:00 pm EDT Brian Shriver   78' (pen.)
Amir Lowery   86'
Floyd Franks   89'
Report Mike Ambersley   64'   90+'
Andres Arango   77'
Jeff Attinella   83'
Dan Antoniuk   85'
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 3,183
Referee: Matthew Foerster
October 13, 2012 (2012-10-13) Tampa Bay Rowdies 3–3 Carolina RailHawks St. Petersburg, Florida
7:30 pm EDT Shane Hill   40' (pen.)
Mike Ambersley   65'
Luke Mulholland   84'   90+'
Report Matt Luzunaris   14'
Ty Shipalane   18'
Gale Agbossoumonde   35'
Nick Zimmerman   86' (pen.)
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 4,132
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Tampa Bay Rowdies win 5–4 on aggregate.


October 6, 2012 (2012-10-06) Minnesota Stars 0–0 San Antonio Scorpions Blaine, Minnesota
8:30 pm EDT Simone Bracalello   21' Report Kevin Harmse   86' Stadium: National Sports Center
Attendance: 2,006
Referee: Marcos Deoliveira
October 14, 2012 (2012-10-14) San Antonio Scorpions 1–2 Minnesota Stars San Antonio, Texas
6:15 pm CDT Walter Ramirez   17'
Pablo Campos   25'   27'
Kevin Harmse   54'
Josue Soto   89'
Report Kyle Altman   28'
Neil Hlavaty   67'
Blake Wagner   76' (o.g.)
Simone Bracalello   83'
Stadium: Heroes Stadium
Attendance: 6,249
Referee: Daniel Fitzgerald
Minnesota Stars win 2–1 on aggregate.

Soccer Bowl 2012 edit

Minnesota Stars2–0Tampa Bay Rowdies
Amani Walker   67'
Kentaro Takada   84'
Martin Nunez   90+'
Report Mike Ambersley   48'
Attendance: 4,642
Referee: Kevin Terry, Jr.
Tampa Bay Rowdies3–1 (a.e.t.)Minnesota Stars
Carl Cort   25'   58'
Mike Ambersley   26'
Keith Savage   51'
Luke Mulholland   82'
Dan Antoniuk   86'   90+'
Shane Hill   90'
Report Justin Davis   32'
Simone Bracalello   45+'
Lucas Rodríguez   52'
Penalties
Luke Mulholland  
Raphael Cox  
Fafà Picault  
Carl Cort  
3–2   Neil Hlavaty
  Devin Del Do
  Kyle Altman
  Simone Bracalello
  Lucas Rodríguez
Attendance: 6,208
Referee: Alejandro Mariscal
Tied 3–3 on aggregate. Tampa Bay Rowdies win Soccer Bowl 2012, 3–2 on penalties.

Statistical leaders edit

Top goalkeepers edit

(Minimum of 1260 Minutes Played)

Rank Goalkeeper Club MINS SVS GA GAA
1   Daryl Sattler San Antonio Scorpions 2151 66 19 0.795
2   Jeff Attinella Tampa Bay Rowdies 2520 118 30 1.071
3   Richard Martin Puerto Rico Islanders 2340 106 28 1.077
4   Matt Van Oekel Minnesota Stars FC 2250 77 30 1.200
5   Lance Parker FC Edmonton 1440 42 21 1.313
6   Matt Glaeser Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2430 108 44 1.630
7   Ray Burse Carolina RailHawks 2160 82 41 1.708
8   Dániel Illyés Atlanta Silverbacks 1980 86 39 1.773

Source: North American Soccer League

Awards edit

Monthly awards edit

Month NASL Player of the Month
Player Nation Club Link
April Reinaldo Navia   CHL Atlanta Silverbacks 5G
May Shaun Saiko   CAN FC Edmonton 5G 2A
June Tsuyoshi Yoshitake   JPN Tampa Bay Rowdies 4G 1A
July Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions 7G
August Richard Martin   ENG Puerto Rico Islanders 13 Saves
September Matt Horth   USA Atlanta Silverbacks 4G
October Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies [1]

Weekly awards edit

Week Defensive Player of the Week Offensive Player of the Week
Player Nat Club Player Nat Club
Week 1 Ray Burse   USA Carolina RailHawks Andy Herron   CRC Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 2 Richard Martin   ENG Puerto Rico Islanders Jonathan Faña   DOM Puerto Rico Islanders
Week 3 Richard Martin   ENG Puerto Rico Islanders Andy Herron   CRC Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 4 Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Reinaldo Navia   CHL Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 5 Cristiano Dias   BRA Minnesota Stars Shaun Saiko   CAN FC Edmonton
Week 6 Paul Hamilton   CAN FC Edmonton Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions
Week 7 Jonathan Greenfield   RSA San Antonio Scorpions Dan Antoniuk   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies
Week 8 Frank Sanfilippo   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Shaun Saiko   CAN FC Edmonton
Week 9 Matt Van Oekel   USA Minnesota Stars Ciaran O'Brien   USA Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 10 Lance Parker   USA FC Edmonton Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions
Week 11 Jack Stewart   USA Fort Lauderdale Strikers Tsuyoshi Yoshitake   JPN Tampa Bay Rowdies
Week 12 Ray Burse   USA Carolina RailHawks Tsuyoshi Yoshitake   JPN Tampa Bay Rowdies
Week 13 Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Mark Anderson   ENG Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 14 Daniel Illyes   HUN Atlanta Silverbacks Mike Palacio   USA Carolina RailHawks
Week 15 Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions
Week 16 Frank Sanfilippo   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Mark Anderson   ENG Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 17 Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions
Week 18 Richard Martinez   PUR Puerto Rico Islanders Pedro Mendes   BRA Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 19 Bryan Arguez   USA FC Edmonton Andy Herron   CRC Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 20 Conor Shanosky   USA Fort Lauderdale Strikers Pablo Campos   BRA San Antonio Scorpions
Week 21 Akira Fitzgerald   USA Carolina Railhawks Abe Thompson   USA Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Week 22 Frank Sanfilippo   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies Matt Horth   USA Atlanta Silverbacks
Week 23 Takuya Yamada   JPN Tampa Bay Rowdies Shaun Saiko   CAN FC Edmonton
Week 24 Anthony Vázquez   PUR Puerto Rico Islanders[5] Tiyi Shipalane   RSA Carolina Railhawks[6]
Week 25 Jeff Attinella   USA Tampa Bay Rowdies[7] Danny Barrera   USA Atlanta Silverbacks[8]

League awards edit

NASL Best XI[15]
Position Players Team
Goalkeeper   Jeff Attinella Tampa Bay Rowdies
Defense   Kyle Altman Minnesota United FC
Defense   Ryan Cochrane San Antonio Scorpions
Defense   Paul Hamilton FC Edmonton
Defense   Takuya Yamada Tampa Bay Rowdies
Midfield   Luke Mulholland Tampa Bay Rowdies
Midfield   Walter Ramírez San Antonio Scorpions
Midfield   Walter Restrepo Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Midfield   Nick Zimmerman Carolina RailHawks
Forward   Mark Anderson Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Forward   Pablo Campos San Antonio Scorpions

References edit

  1. ^ NASL Regular Season Attendance Rises in 2012 NASL. 25 September 2012 Archived October 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Quarstad, Brian. "NASL Receives Full Sanctioning at USSF AGM | IMS Soccer News". Insidemnsoccer.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  3. ^ "Standings | North American Soccer League". Nasl.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "NASL Individual Leaders". Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  5. ^ "Vazquez Named Defensive Player of the Week". NASL. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Shipalane Named NASL Offensive Player of the Week". NASL. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Attinella Named NASL Defensive Player of the Week Archived October 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Barrera Named NASL Offensive Player of the Week Archived October 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Pablo Campos Named NASL Golden Ball Winner". North American Soccer League. October 17, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  10. ^ "Pablo Campos Earns 2012 NASL Golden Boot Award". North American Soccer League. September 25, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  11. ^ "Daryl Sattler Earns 2012 Golden Glove Award". North American Soccer League. September 25, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  12. ^ "Ricky Hill Named NASL Coach of the Year". North American Soccer League. October 4, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  13. ^ "Kevin Venegas Wins NASL Play of the Year". North American Soccer League. December 24, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  14. ^ "Ottawa Fury FC Wins 2015 Fair Play Award". North American Soccer League. September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "NASL Announces 2012 Best XI". North American Soccer League. October 9, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2015.

External links edit

  • Official website