USL Premier Development League
Season2003
ChampionsCape Cod Crusaders
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2004 →

The 2003 USL Premier Development League season was the 9th PDL season. The season began in April 2003 and ended in August 2003.

Cape Cod Crusaders finished the season as national champions for the second time, beating Chicago Fire Reserves 2–0 in the PDL Championship game. New Orleans Shell Shockers finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 16 out of their 18 games, suffering just 2 losses, and finishing with a +35 goal difference.

Cape Cod Crusaders striker Joseph Ngwenya and Vermont Voltage forward Bo Vuckovic were the league's top scorers, each knocking in 17 goals. Des Moines Menace midfielders Tomas Boltnar and Joseph Kabwe and Nashville Metros Ben Buerger led the league with 10 assists each, while Indiana Invaders keeper Christopher Sawyer enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals-against average of 0.287 per game, and Richmond Kickers Future keeper kept 7 clean sheets and had a GAA average of 0.568 in his 12 games.

Changes from 2002

New franchises

Team Name Metro Area Location Previous Affiliation
British Columbia Abbotsford Rangers Abbotsford area Abbotsford, BC expansion
New York (state) Albany Blackwatch Highlanders Albany area Schenectady, NY expansion
Utah BYU Cougars Provo area Provo, UT expansion
Ohio Columbus Shooting Stars Columbus area Columbus, OH expansion
Indiana Fort Wayne Fever Fort Wayne area Fort Wayne, IN expansion
California Fresno Fuego Fresno area Fresno, CA expansion
New Jersey Jersey Shore Boca Jersey Shore area Toms River, NJ expansion
Nevada Nevada Wonders Carson City area Carson City, NV expansion
Louisiana New Orleans Shell Shockers New Orleans area New Orleans, LA expansion
Missouri St. Louis Strikers St. Louis area St. Louis, MO expansion
New Jersey South Jersey Barons Greater Trenton area Trenton, NJ previously in D3 Pro
Ohio Toledo Slayers Toledo area Maumee, OH expansion
West Virginia West Virginia Chaos Charleston area Charleston, WV expansion

Folding

Standings

Legend
Division champion
Team qualified for playoff berth

Central Conference

Great Lakes Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Mid-Michigan Bucks 18 14 3 1 40 16 +24 43
2 Indiana Invaders 18 11 5 2 31 19 +12 35
3 Fort Wayne Fever 18 9 7 2 32 30 +2 29
4 Kalamazoo Kingdom 18 6 9 3 29 39 −10 21
5 Toledo Slayers 18 2 13 3 22 45 −23 9
6 Columbus Shooting Stars 18 2 14 2 28 43 −15 8
Source:[citation needed]

Heartland Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Chicago Fire Reserves 18 15 2 1 60 17 +43 46
2 Des Moines Menace 18 12 5 1 48 23 +25 37
3 Thunder Bay Chill 18 10 7 1 34 31 +3 31
4 Boulder Rapids Reserve 18 10 7 1 32 29 +3 31
5 Kansas City Brass 18 7 11 0 35 48 −13 21
6 St. Louis Strikers 18 7 11 0 39 53 −14 21
7 Sioux Falls Spitfire 18 6 12 0 42 48 −6 18
8 Wisconsin Rebels 18 0 17 1 11 71 −60 1
Source:[citation needed]

Eastern Conference

Mid Atlantic Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Richmond Kickers Future 18 14 3 1 41 12 +29 43
2 Williamsburg Legacy 18 10 6 2 35 22 +13 32
3 Raleigh CASL Elite 18 8 8 2 22 23 −1 26
4 Chesapeake Dragons 18 7 10 1 19 32 −13 22
5 West Virginia Chaos 18 3 14 1 18 54 −36 10
6 Greenville Lions 18 3 13 2 23 41 −18 8[a]
Source:[citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ 3 points deducted

Northeast Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Vermont Voltage 18 12 3 3 37 21 +16 39
2 Cape Cod Crusaders 18 12 4 2 64 30 +34 38
3 Brooklyn Knights 18 11 4 3 46 26 +20 36
4 South Jersey Barons 18 11 6 1 62 31 +31 34
5 Rhode Island Stingrays 18 10 4 4 45 28 +17 34
6 Albany Blackwatch Highlanders 18 6 11 1 36 43 −7 19
7 Jersey Shore Boca * 12 4 8 0 23 44 −21 12
8 Jersey Falcons 18 3 14 1 31 85 −54 10
9 Worcester Kings 18 1 17 0 21 62 −41 −3[a]
Source:[citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ 6 points deducted

Southern Conference

Mid South Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 New Orleans Shell Shockers 18 16 2 0 53 18 +35 48
2 Memphis Express 18 11 5 2 48 25 +23 35
3 Nashville Metros 18 11 7 0 41 21 +20 33
4 Texas Spurs 18 10 7 1 44 28 +16 31
5 Austin Lightning 18 9 8 1 31 42 −11 28
6 Houston Toros 18 3 13 2 21 60 −39 11
7 Louisiana Outlaws 18 3 14 1 23 46 −23 10
Source:[citation needed]

Southeast Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Cocoa Expos 14 8 3 3 36 27 +9 27
2 Central Florida Kraze 14 7 5 2 38 26 +12 23
3 Bradenton Academics 14 6 5 3 32 24 +8 21
4 Palm Beach Pumas 14 2 11 1 23 55 −32 6[a]
Source:[citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ 1 point deducted

Western Conference

Northwest Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Spokane Shadow 18 14 2 2 38 14 +24 44
2 Cascade Surge 18 11 5 2 32 27 +5 35
3 Yakima Reds 18 9 8 1 30 26 +4 28
4 Abbotsford Rangers * 15 4 11 0 21 33 −12 12
5 Calgary Storm Prospects * 15 2 12 1 14 31 −17 7
Source:[citation needed]

Southwest Division

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Fresno Fuego 18 14 4 0 50 23 +27 42
2 Orange County Blue Star 18 14 4 0 52 29 +23 42
3 Southern California Seahorses 18 10 6 2 34 29 +5 32
4 BYU Cougars 18 2 15 1 21 52 −31 7
5 Nevada Wonders 18 1 15 2 13 51 −38 5
Source:[citation needed]

Playoffs

Conference Semifinals Conference Finals National Semifinals PDL Championship Game
            
MA1 Virginia Richmond Kickers Future 0
NE2 Massachusetts Cape Cod Crusaders 4
NE2 Massachusetts Cape Cod Crusaders 4
Eastern Conference
NE1 Vermont Vermont Voltage 2
NE1 Vermont Vermont Voltage 5
MA2 Virginia Williamsburg Legacy 2
NE2 Massachusetts Cape Cod Crusaders 4
MS2 Tennessee Memphis Express 0
MS1 Louisiana New Orleans Shell Shockers 4
SE2 Florida Central Florida Kraze 1
MS1 Louisiana New Orleans Shell Shockers 0
Southern Conference
MS2 Tennessee Memphis Express 2
SE1 Florida Cocoa Expos 2
MS2 Tennessee Memphis Express 5
NE2 Massachusetts Cape Cod Crusaders 2
HL1 Illinois Chicago Fire Reserves 0
HL1 Illinois Chicago Fire Reserves 8
GL2 Indiana Indiana Invaders 0
HL1 Illinois Chicago Fire Reserves 2
Central Conference
GL1 Michigan Mid-Michigan Bucks 0
GL1 Michigan Mid-Michigan Bucks 1
HL2 Iowa Des Moines Menace 0
HL1 Illinois Chicago Fire Reserves 3
SW2 California Orange County Blue Star 1
SW1 California Fresno Fuego 1
NW1 Washington (state) Spokane Shadow 0
SW1 California Fresno Fuego 0
Western Conference
SW2 California Orange County Blue Star 2
SW2 California Orange County Blue Star 2
NW2 Oregon Cascade Surge 1

[1]

Conference semifinals

Chicago Fire Reserves8–0Indiana Invaders
  • Grange 3', 34'
  • Mouw 6'
  • Drewry-Sutton 25', 40'
  • Harwat 60' (pen.), 76'
  • Dombrowski 83'
 Report 1 Report 2
Hurley Field
Berkley, Michigan
Richmond Kickers Future0–4Cape Cod Crusaders
Report 1 Report 2
Collins-Perley Sports Complex
St. Albans, Vermont
Memphis Express5–2Cocoa Expos
  • Ilari-Bonfico 26'
  • O'Brien 38'
  • Vogel 51'
  • Kuhn 71'
  • Medlock 79'
 Report
  • Pondwa 13'
  • Gowan 59'
George G. Westfeldt Facility
New Orleans, Louisiana
Vermont Voltage5–2Williamsburg Legacy
 Report 1
Collins-Perley Sports Complex
St. Albans, Vermont
Attendance: 1,461
Mid-Michigan Bucks1–0Des Moines Menace
  • Turpin 11'
 Report 1Report 2
Hurley Field
Berkley, Michigan
New Orleans Shell Shockers4–1Central Florida Kraze
 Report
  • Philip-Wales 23'
George G. Westfeldt Facility
New Orleans, Louisiana
Orange County Blue Star2–1Cascade Surge
  • Spencer 27'
  • McCarthy 74'
 Report
  • McCool 29'
Joe Albi Stadium
Spokane, Washington
Spokane Shadow0–1Fresno Fuego
Report
  • Espindola 38'
Joe Albi Stadium
Spokane, Washington
Attendance: 982

Conference Finals

New Orleans Shell Shockers0–2Memphis Express
Report
George G. Westfeldt Facility
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mid-Michigan Bucks0–2Chicago Fire Reserves
Report 1Report 2
  • Wickart 15' (pen.)
  • Mouw 74'
Hurley Field
Berkley, Michigan
Vermont Voltage2–4Cape Cod Crusaders
 Report 1 Report 2
Collins-Perley Sports Complex
St. Albans, Vermont
Attendance: 1,673[2]
Orange County Blue Star2–0Fresno Fuego
Joe Albi Stadium
Spokane, Washington

National Semifinals

Cape Cod Crusaders4–0Memphis Express
  • Bulow 1'
  • Pilarski 14'
  • Quinn 33'
  • McNutt 50'
 Report
Dennis Yarmouth High School
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Attendance: 1,238
Chicago Fire Reserves3–1Orange County Blue Star
  • Drewry-Sutton 3', 63'
  • Rolfe 87'
 Report
Pontiac Township High School
Pontiac, Illinois

PDL Championship Game

Chicago Fire Reserves0–2Cape Cod Crusaders
Report 1 Report 2
Cardinal Stadium
Naperville, Illinois
Attendance: 2,700

References

  1. ^ United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF)
  2. ^ "Second Half Surge Thwarts Voltage". The Burlington Free Press. July 28, 2003. p. 1b – via Newspapers.com.
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