The 2012

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

season was the 18th season of the PDL. The regular season began on 22 April with a match between the

Los Angeles Misioneros LA Laguna FC was an American soccer team based in the Los Angeles area, United States. Founded in 2010, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL) (now USL League Two), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the S ...

and

Fresno Fuego Fresno Football Club U-23, formerly Fresno Fuego FC, was an American soccer team based in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 2003, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club drew an ave ...

, and ended with 14 matches on 15 July 2012. The regular season was followed by a postseason tournament of conference winners which determined the league's champion,

Forest City London FC London is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in London, Ontario. The club was founded in 2008 and plays in the League1 Ontario men's and women's divisions. The team plays home games at the Portuguese Club of London and the Hellen ...

. Thirteen teams were added to the league and 4 teams dropped, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 73 for 2012.

Changes from 2011

Name changes

* Abbotsford Mariners rebranded as

Fraser Valley Mariners Fraser Valley Mariners is a Canadian soccer team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northwest Division ...

PDL Schedule, Alignment Released
/ref> * Central Florida Kraze rebranded as

Orlando City U-23 Orlando City U-23 was an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the So ...

after its acquisition by

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

team Orlando City * Chivas El Paso Patriots rebranded as

El Paso Patriots El Paso Patriots was an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southe ...

. * Los Angeles Blues 23 rebranded as

Pali Blues Pali Blues was an American women's association football, soccer team, which played from 2008 to 2014. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team pl ...

* MPS Portland Phoenix rebranded as

GPS Portland Phoenix GPS Portland Phoenix was an American soccer team based in Portland, Maine. Founded in 2009, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. It has not played ...

* New Hampshire Phantoms rebranded as

Seacoast United Phantoms The Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly the New Hampshire Phantoms) are an American soccer team based in the coastal region of southeastern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The team is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it p ...

* Tacoma Tide rebranded as Seattle Sounders FC U-23 after its acquisition by

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

team

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

. * West Texas United Sockers rebranded as West Texas Sockers

New teams

Thirteen new clubs joined the PDL this coming season.

Realignment

The

Nashville Metros The Nashville Metros were an American soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1989, the team most recently played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South A ...

were moved from the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference to the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.Premier Development League 2012
Standings.

Folding/moving

*Four teams were announced as leaving the league prior to the beginning of the season: **

Akron Summit Assault Akron Summit Assault was an American soccer team based in Akron, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2010, they played their only season in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes ...

–

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

Baton Rouge Capitals BRSC Capitals are an American soccer team based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of ...

–

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

Indiana Invaders The Indiana Invaders was an American soccer team based in South Bend, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Divisi ...

–

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

** Rio Grande Valley Grandes –

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

Standings

2012 Premier Development League standings. 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

Conference Championships

As in prior years, each of the four conferences will hold a conference championship. In 2012, the location for each conference championship will be held the weekend of 20–22 July with the host team decided by a bidding process with preference given to the teams with the best records. The winner of the four conference championships will then compete in the PDL Championship held 27–29 July and 4 August.

Divisional Playoffs

Five of the divisions have additional matches in order for teams to qualify for the conference championship. In the Great Lakes Division the 2nd and 3rd place teams qualify for a play in match; however, the 3rd place River City Rovers ceded the match to Forest City London who qualified for the Central Conference Championship. In the Northwest Division, the top 4 teams qualify for a play-in match with the #4 seed playing at the home pitch of the top seed; and the #3 seed playing at the #2 seed. The winners of these matches then qualify for the Western Conference Championships. These matches were played on 7/14 and 7/15 with Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers U-23 teams winning. In the Eastern Conference, there are three divisions. The team with the best overall record in the conference qualifies for the Conference Championships directly, and, from that team's division, the 2nd and 3rd place teams compete in a play-in match. In 2012, Ocean City from the Mid Atlantic Division had the best overall all record. Therefore, 3rd place Jersey Expressed traveled to 2nd place Reading United on 17 July to determine the 2nd team from the Mid Atlantic that would qualify for the Conference Championships. Reading United won the match 3–1 with an extra time goal scored in the 119th minute and a penalty goal in stoppage time. The top two teams from the other two divisions will also compete in a play-in match. In the Northeast Division, the Ottawa Fury hosted the GPS Portland Phoenix on 17 July with Ottawa claiming victory after extra time 3–2. The Carolina Dynamo hosted the Real Maryland Monarchs in the South Atlantic play-in match, with Carolina easily cruising to a 5–0 victory. The Eastern Conference Championships which will be hosted by Carolina Dynamo.

Eastern Conference Championship

Central Conference Championship

Southern Conference Championship

Western Conference Championship

Bracket

PDL Championship

The 2012 PDL Championship will consist of 4 teams, the winner of each Conference Championship, with the semi-finals being held on Saturday, 28 July and the finals being played Saturday, 4 August. The host sites were determined following the completion of the Conference Championships.

Semi-Finals

Championship

Awards

* Most Valuable Player: Sullivan Silva, ( THU) * Rookie of the Year: Adam Grinwis, ( MIB) * Defender of the Year: Kevin Cope, ( MIB) * Coach of the Year: Gary Parsons, ( MIB) * Goalkeeper of the Year: Adam Grinwis, ( MIB)

All-League and All-Conference Teams

PDL All-League Team Announced
(31 July 2012). PDL.USLSoccer.com.

Eastern Conference

Deshorn Brown Deshorn Dwayne Brown (born 22 December 1990), is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a forward for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic. Club career Early and collegiate A native of Jamaica, Brown attended St. Elizabeth Techn ...

(

REA REA or Rea may refer to: Places * Rea, Lombardy, in Italy * Rea, Missouri, United States * River Rea, a river in Birmingham, England * River Rea, Shropshire, a river in Shropshire, England * Rea, Hungarian name of Reea village in Totești Commun ...

) *, Alencar Junior ( WOR), David Neuberth ( RMD)
M: Christian Barreiro (

BAL Bal may refer to: * Bal (surname), a Dutch, Indian, and Turkish surname * Bal, Iran (disambiguation) * Bal, Zira, a village in Punjab, India * ''Bal'' (film), a 2010 Turkish film * Bäl, a settlement on the Swedish island of Gotland * 8678 Bä ...

Jason Massie Jason Massie (born 13 September 1984) is a former English footballer. Career College and amateur Massie was a member of the schoolboy academy at storied English football club Liverpool, working his way from the U12 team to play a few times wit ...

(

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

), Stephen Okai (

)
D: Patrick Boucher ( CON), Marcello Castro ( OTT),

Greg Cochrane Gregory Cochrane (born November 1, 1990) is an American former professional soccer player. Career Early career Born in Babylon, New York, and moved to Holland, Pennsylvania, Cochrane attended Council Rock High School South in his hometown befo ...

(

), Sebastien Ibeagha (

CAR A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

) *
G: John McCarthy ( OCN)

Central Conference

F: Jordan Ayris ( LON), Sullivan Silva ( THU) *, Branden Stelmak ( CIN)
M: Tom Catalano ( MIB) *,

Bryan Ciesiulka Bryan Ciesiulka (born October 10, 1991) is an American professional soccer player. Career Youth Ciesiulka played for Neuqua Valley High School Neuqua Valley High School (NVHS) is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illin ...

(

CHI Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...

), Jordan Green ( KCB) *
D: Sicelo Buthelezi ( THU), Kevin Cope ( MIB) *,

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 ...

(

RCO RCO may refer to: *Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office *Recovery Consistency Objective, in computing * Regional Currency Office *Remote Communications Outlet *Rifle combat optic *Royal College of Organists *Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Roy ...

), Peter Nechvatal ( KCB)
G:

Adam Grinwis Adam Grinwis (born April 21, 1992) is an American soccer player who plays for Orlando City in Major League Soccer. Career College and youth Grinwis attended Forest Hills Central High School, where he was a four-year all-conference selectio ...

( MIB) *

Western Conference

Jaime Chavez Jaime Chavez (born July 17, 1987 in Industry, California, United States) is an American professional soccer player who plays for USL Championship club OKC Energy. Career Youth and amateur Chavez attended William Workman High School, and had a ...

( LAM),

Mark Sherrod Mark Sherrod (born August 13, 1990) is a former American professional soccer player who played as a forward in Major League Soccer. Career Early career Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sherrod played high-school soccer at Carter High School wher ...

( POR) *,

Gyasi Zardes Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Austin FC of Major League Soccer and the United States national team. Born in Hawthorne, California, Zardes was part of the LA Galaxy ...

( VCF)
M: Ben Fisk ( VAN), Matt Friesen ( KIT) *, Frankie López ( VCF)
D: James Farenhorst ( VAN), Stephen Mohn ( KIT), Conor Spence ( TUC),

DeAndre Yedlin DeAndre Roselle Yedlin (born July 9, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the United States national team. Primarily a right-back, he has also featured as a right wing-back and ...

(

SEA The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

) *
G: Elliott Mitrou (

VIC Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

)

Southern Conference

Karamba Janneh Karamba Janneh (born October 10, 1989 in Banjul, The Gambia) is a Gambian footballer who currently plays for KidSuper Samba AC in the Eastern Premier Soccer League. Career Janneh made his debut for VSI Tampa Bay on 30 March 2013 against Phoen ...

( OCA), Chrispin Ochieng (

MIS MIS or mis may refer to: Science and technology * Management information system * Marine isotope stage, stages of the Earth's climate * Maximal independent set, in graph theory * Metal-insulator-semiconductor, e.g., in MIS capacitor * Minimally ...

Kris Tyrpak Kristopher Evan Tyrpak (born March 19, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Career Early career Raised in Dripping Springs, Texas, Tyrpak started his youth career with the Austin Capitals Soccer Club and Lone ...

( AUS)
M: Juan de Dios Ibarra-Trevino ( AUS), Douglas dos Santos ( OCA),

Kekuta Manneh Kekuta Manneh (born 30 December 1994) is a Gambian-American professional soccer player who plays as a winger. Club career Youth and amateur Manneh began his career at the several youth academies, including Gilcock Academy, in Gambia before mo ...

( AUS)
D: Taian de Souza ( PAN), Oumar Diakhite ( ORL), Max Gunderson ( LAR) *, Zack Pope ( AUS)
G: Alonso Jiménez ( WTX) ''* denotes All-League player''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pdl Season 2012

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...