The 2000 USL Premier Development League season was the 6th PDL season. The season began in April 2000 and ended in August 2000.

Chicago Sockers finished the season as national champions, beating Mid-Michigan Bucks 1–0 in the PDL Championship game. Westchester Flames had finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 15 out of their 18 games, suffering just three losses, and finishing with a +26 goal difference.

Changes from the 1999 season Rules This is the first year that the PDL used ties in the standings, whereas previous seasons employed a shootout.

Name changes The following teams changed their name: The West Michigan Explosion became the West Michigan Edge.

New teams 10 New teams were added, including 8 expansion teams:

Team name Metro area Location Previous affiliation Alabama SaintsBirmingham areaBirmingham, ALreturned from hiatus Boulder NovaBoulder areaBoulder, COexpansion Broward County WolfpackBroward County areaFort Lauderdale, FLexpansion Dayton GemsDayton AreaDayton, OHexpansion New Brunswick BrigadeNew Brunswick areaNew Brunswick, NJexpansion North Jersey ImperialsNorth Jersey areaParamus, NJfrom D3 Pro League Palm Beach PumasPalm Beach areaPalm Beach, FLexpansion South Florida FutureSouthwest Florida areaSarasota, FLreturned from hiatus Tampa Bay HawksTampa Bay AreaPalm Harbor, FLexpansion Thunder Bay ChillThunder Bay AreaThunder Bay, Ontarioexpansion

Folding Eight teams folded before the season: Clarksville Gunners Jackson Chargers Miami Tango New York Capital District Shockers Orlando Nighthawks Silicon Valley Ambassadors Sioux City Breeze Tucson Amigos

Standings LegendDivision champion Team qualified for playoff berth Regular season champion and bye into PDL Semifinals.

Central Conference Great Lakes Division

Heartland Division

Provisional Teams

Eastern Conference Northeast Division

Southeast Division

Western Conference Rocky Mountain Division

Northwest Division

Southwest Division

Playoffs Format Mid-Michigan won the PDL Regular Season title and a bye to the National Semi-Finals. This moved Dayton up to the Great Lakes Division first place spot and allowed West Michigan into the playoffs, taking the second place spot for the division.

For the Central and Eastern divisions, the top seeds from each division face the second place team from the opposite division. For the Western Conference, the division champion with the most points will play the wild card, while the two remaining division champions play each other.

Conference playoffs

PDL championship United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF)

Championship MVP: Adam Throop CHI

Awards Year End Awards Scoring Champion: Arshak Abyanli (San Fernando Valley Heroes) 51 Points (18 Goals, 15 Assists) Golden Boot: Bonaventure Maruti (Mid-Michigan Bucks) (22 Goals) Assists Champion: Arshak Abyanli (San Fernando Valley Heroes) (15 Assists) MVP: Fernando Salazar (San Fernando Valley Heroes) Rookie of the Year: Ryan Trout (Kalamazoo Kingdom) Defender of the Year: Nate Nelson (Yakima Reds) Goalkeeper of the Year: Adam Throop (Chicago Sockers)Coach of the Year: Joe Malachino (Mid-Michigan Bucks)

Weekly awards Player of the Week Week Player Club Position Reason 1 Kris StumpfColorado CometsForward2 goals in 45 minutes of action in 6–2 rout vs Kansas City Brass 2 Brian BiffleBoulder NovaForward Scored two goals off bench, including game-winner vs Colorado Spring Ascent 3 Garth CummingsSpokane ShadowForward scoring three goals in a win and a tie during the team’s opening weekend vs Cascade Surge and Seattle Sounders Select 4 Bonaventure MarutiMid-Michigan BucksForward scoring three goals in a win and a tie during the team’s opening weekend vs Cascade Surge and Seattle Sounders Select 5 Ian ChurskySeattle Sounders SelectForward 4 goals in pair of wins at over Yakima Reds and Willamette Valley Firebirds 6 Jared RafteryDayton GemsForward Hat-tricks in 2 games, 2 as second half sub 7 Aboubacar CamaraNew York FreedomsForward hat trick vs Central Jersey Riptide 8 Bonaventure MarutiMid-Michigan BucksForward Two-goal games in all three wins vs Kalamazoo Kingdom, Lexington Bluegrass Bandits, and Jerry D's 9 Geoff PeattieTampa Bay HawksForward 4 goals in win over Central Florida Kraze 10 Marcone DeOliveiraPalm Beach PumasForward Two goals, winner short three men, in 2-1 win vs Miami Breakers 11 Maher KayaliColorado CometsMidfielder Four-goal game, two game-winners in two wins vs Wichita Jets and Boulder Nova 12 Danny RischCentral Coast RoadrunnersForward hat trick over D3 Stanislaus United Cruisers 13 Kenny KrestianSpokane ShadowDefender Goal, 2 assists in 5-2 win over Abbotsford 86ers Select 14 Arshak AbyanliSan Fernando Valley HeroesForward 4 goals, hat-trick, 2 assists in two wins against the Nevada Zephyrs 15 Sam SkeelsWest Michigan EdgeMidfielder Hat-trick in 3-0 win over Indiana Invaders for playoff berth Team of the Week Week Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards 1 Drew (BOU) Gorosito (MIA) Edwinson (COL) Buchmueller (KCB) Osborne (BOU) Yalet (MIA) Mersereau (COS) Iesberts (SGV) Brodsky (COL) Stumpf (COL) Barton (COS) 2 Drew (BOU) Hansen (COL) Reed (CFK) McLaughlin (BOU) Salazar (SFV) Cubillas (SFF) Cushing (WIC) Biffle (BOU) Akopian (SFV) Abyanli (SFV) Cummings (KCB) 3 DoBay (WIS) Huet (SPO) Machado (YAK) Chirinos (MIA) Resende (YAK) Kayali (COL) McIntosh (CFK) Modersohn (DMM) Rodriguez (IND) Cummings (SPO) Josepg (SFF) 5 Mellis (BRO) Hall (MMB) Barone (KAL) Edwinson (COL) McIntosh (CFK) Rausenberger (BRD) Delgado (CCR) Scigliano (ABB) Chursky (SSS) Carver (CHI) Navarette (WES) 6 Pogue (MMB) Henning (WIS) Prego (NJI) DaSilva (CFK) Stumpf (COL) Kingsley (YAK) Robey (DAY) Chan (SFF) Raftery (DAY) Vučković (VER) Bleyenburg (KCB) 7 Tanzer (SSS) Borman (BRD) Hall (MMB) Feller (KAL) Chan (COA) Trout (KAL) Moore (BRD) Somoza (SSS) Camara (NYF) Foisie (YAK) Roff (IND) 8 Tate (IND) Husenovich (BRO) Hall (MMB) Sorenson (TCT) Vučković (VER) Kayali (COL) Kingsley (YAK) Case (CFK) Maruti (MMB) Abyanli (SFV) Bojovic (WES) 9 Perkins (TBH) Zwaschka (DMM) Branan (TCT) Gonzalez (WIC) Leonard (KAL) Kusca (CHI) Simpson (WIS) Schomaker (MMB) Eidelwein (DMM) Norkus (BOU) Salazar (SFV) 10 Hurley (PBP) Wooten (WVF) Aelenei (SFV) Jackson (MMB) Espinosa (WES) Higgins (SPO) Cushing (WIC) DeOliveira (PBP) Paul (CHI) Peattie (TBH) Rodriguez (MIA) 11 Peura (TBC) Reger (PBP) Houck (SPO) Cannon (CFK) Salazar (SFV) Inneh (WES) Kayali (FWF) Kingsley (YAK) Mack (MMD) Quinn (BRD) Eidelwein (DMM) 12 Cameron (BRA) Plunkett (COA) Ray (BOU) Vélez (BRA) Adjanohouh (LOU) Kingsley (YAK) Tenoff (DAY) Higgins (SPO) Namoff (ROC) Nix (WIC) Risch (CCR) 13 Bratt (ROC) Krestian (SPO) McElderry (NYF) Coppage (KCB) Dorrington (SPO) Harkness (CHI) Gutierrez (YAK) Chavarin (NEV) Tabor (COL) Vučković (VER) Cerminato (CFK) 14 Sinelnikov (IND) Hickey (NJI) Houck (SPO) Roper (SFF) Scigliano (ABB) Altincatal (NJI) Reti (WIS) Dalgleish (CCR) Abyanli (SFV) Maruti (MMB) Filing (KCB) 15 Cosgriff (VER) Houck (SPO) Zwaschka (DMM) Dias (VER) Mekelburg (TBH) Mariscalco (DAY) Skeels (WME) Reti (WIS) Foisie (YAK) Katz (CCR) Cummins (KCB)

All-League Team

F: Jose Marcone DeOliveira (ELP); Arshak Abyanli (SFV) (Scoring Champion and Assist Champion); Bonaventure Maruti (MMB) (Golden Boot) M: Fernando Salazar (SFV) (League MVP); Godfrey Tenoff (DAY); Caleb Stoddart (COS); D: Nate Nelson (YAK) (Defender of the Year); David Hall (MMB); Steve Herdsman (WME); Jeremy Oetman (CCR) G: Adam Throop (CHI) (Goalkeeper of the Year)

All-Tournament Team F: Paul Snape (MMB); Ernest Inneh (WES); Lee Paul (CHI) M: Ousmane Coulibaly (MMB); Chad Schomaker (MMB); John Schefter (YAK); D: Alvin Hudson (CHI); Hector Navarette (WES); David Lara (CHI); Adam Heineman (MMB) G: Adam Throop (CHI) (Championship Game MVP And Tournament MVP)

References