The 1996 A-League season was the seventh and final season of the
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
. In 1997, the league merged to form the
USISL A-League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
.
Regular season
A significant number of postponed matches over the 1996 season by the Atlanta Ruckus, who underwent a change in ownership, ultimately forced the A-League to shorten the other teams' schedules by one match, reducing the total games played from 28 to 27. Atlanta's league position, in last place and already eliminated from the playoff contention, was not affected by the decision announced September 4, 1996. The Ruckus played a total of 22 games.
Each team had their head-to-head schedule with Atlanta shortened by one, maintaining a balanced head-to-head competition against each other. The 1996 regular season ended on September 14 with the top four regular season teams advancing to the playoffs.
Playoffs
Bracket
Semifinal 1
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Semifinal 2
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Final
Points leaders
Honors
* MVP:
Wolde Harris
* Leading goal scorer:
Doug Miller
* Leading goalkeeper:
Paolo Ceccarelli
Paolo Ceccarelli (born October 12, 1969) is a Canadian retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the 1996 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Club
Ceccarelli played for the Toronto Jets during his youth. In September 1987, he signed ...
* Rookie of the Year:
Wolde Harris
* Coach of the Year:
Lorne Donaldson
Lorne Donaldson is a Jamaican football manager and former player who coaches the Jamaica women's national team.
Playing career
Donaldson attended and played soccer at Kingston College in Jamaica. He also played for Cavalier F.C. in 1980, Don ...
* Defender of the Year:
John Limniatis
* Official of the Year:
Kevin Skinner
Patrick Kevin Skinner (born February 25, 1974) is an American country music singer from the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky. He is the winner of the fourth season of '' America's Got Talent''.
Early life and career
Skinner is from the ...
*First Team All League
**Goalkeeper:
Paolo Ceccarelli
Paolo Ceccarelli (born October 12, 1969) is a Canadian retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He was the 1996 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Club
Ceccarelli played for the Toronto Jets during his youth. In September 1987, he signed ...
**Defenders:
John Limniatis,
Wade Webber,
Carlos Llamosa,
Rene Rivas
**Midfielders:
Nick DeSantis
Nicolas De Santis (born November 11, 1967) is a former professional soccer player.
Club career
After beginning his pro career in 1987 with the Montreal Supra of the Canadian Soccer League, he signed for the Montreal Impact in 1993 where he he ...
,
Martin Nash
Martin Nash (born December 27, 1975) is a Canadian association football, soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of York United FC, York United of the Canadian Premier League.
A five-time all-league selection in the USL ...
,
Anthony McCreath
**Forwards:
Wolde Harris,
Domenic Mobilio,
Doug Miller
References
External links
The Year in American Soccer - 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:A-League 1996
1996 in American soccer leagues
1996 in Canadian soccer
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...