1998 USISL A-League
| Season | 1998 | 
|---|---|
| Champions | Rochester Raging Rhinos (1st Title) | 
| Premiers | Rochester Raging Rhinos (1st Title) | 
| Matches played | 392 | 
| Goals scored | 1,292 (3.3 per match) | 
| Best Player |  Mark Baena, Seattle Sounders | 
| Top goalscorer |  Mark Baena, Seattle Sounders (24 goals) | 
| Best goalkeeper | .svg.png) Pat Onstad, Rochester Raging Rhinos | 
| ← 1997  1999 →  | |
The 1998 USISL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues during the summer of 1998.
Regular season
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester Rhinos | 28 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 72 | 15 | +57 | 70 | 
| 2 | Montreal Impact | 28 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 47 | 
| 3 | Staten Island Vipers | 28 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 46 | 
| 4 | Long Island Rough Riders | 28 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 45 | 
| 5 | Worcester Wildfire | 28 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 37 | 50 | −13 | 32 | 
| 6 | Toronto Lynx | 28 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 27 | 42 | −15 | 25 | 
| 7 | Connecticut Wolves | 28 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 32 | 57 | −25 | 11 | 
Source: 
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond Kickers | 28 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 48 | 22 | +26 | 57 | 
| 2 | Hershey Wildcats | 28 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 53 | 
| 3 | Hampton Roads Mariners | 28 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 46 | 
| 4 | Charleston Battery | 28 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 34 | 
| 5 | Jacksonville Cyclones | 28 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 30 | 
| 6 | Atlanta Ruckus | 28 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 31 | 67 | −36 | 21 | 
| 7 | Raleigh Flyers | 28 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 31 | 66 | −35 | 15 | 
Source: 
Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville Metros | 28 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 70 | 31 | +39 | 56 | 
| 2 | Minnesota Thunder | 28 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 52 | 33 | +19 | 51 | 
| 3 | Milwaukee Rampage | 28 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 61 | 39 | +22 | 49 | 
| 4 | New Orleans Storm | 28 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 43 | 
| 5 | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 28 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 48 | 65 | −17 | 33 | 
| 6 | El Paso Patriots | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 30 | 
| 7 | Albuquerque Geckos | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 39 | 100 | −61 | 15 | 
Source: 
Pacific Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Flash | 28 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 58 | 23 | +35 | 61 | 
| 2 | Seattle Sounders | 28 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 63 | 28 | +35 | 52 | 
| 3 | Orange County Zodiac | 28 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 49 | 43 | +6 | 46 | 
| 4 | Vancouver 86ers | 28 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 55 | 42 | +13 | 41 | 
| 5 | MLS Project 40 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 45 | 55 | −10 | 31 | 
| 6 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 28 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 47 | −16 | 28 | 
| 7 | California Jaguars | 28 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 32 | 95 | −63 | 18 | 
Source: 
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern Conference
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 3–0 | Charleston Battery (SC) | 
|---|---|---|
| Yari Allnutt  22:00' (Tanner, Tilley) Jimmy Glenn  35:10' (McKay) Mike Kirmse  81:20' | Report |  44' Robert Rosario  66' Todd Miller | 
Attendance: 9,673
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 1–1 | Hampton Roads Mariners (VA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Swords  49' |  18' Greg Richards | |
| Penalties | ||
| 4–3 | ||
Attendance: 2,089
| Montreal Impact (QC) | 3–1 | Staten Island Vipers (NY) | 
|---|---|---|
| Giuliano Oliviero  3' Kevin Lamey  66' Kevin Wilson  90' |  2' Marvin Oliver | 
Attendance: 9,673
| Richmond Kickers (VA) | 0–0 | Long Island Rough Riders (NY) | 
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 4–3 | ||
Attendance: 1,798
Western Conference
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 3–1 | Vancouver 86ers (BC) | 
|---|---|---|
| Nate Hetherington  22', 74' Jamie Munro  41' Carlos Farias  51' Jerome Watson  90' | Report |  19' Jason Jordan | 
Devore Stadium, Chula Vista, California
Attendance: 4,178
| Nashville Metros (TN) | 2–2 | New Orleans Storm (LA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Vince Martinez  35' Martin Reynders  41'  78' (pen.) |  23' Ricardo Blanchard  53' (pen.) Gabe Gentile | |
| Penalties | ||
| 2–4 | ||
Columbia/HCA Complex, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 650
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 2–1 | Orange County Zodiac (CA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Peter Hattrup  63' Brandon Prideaux  73' Dick McCormick  76' (pen.) | Report |  22' Eddie Soto  60' Steve Patterson  67' Ken Hesse | 
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference semifinal 1
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers (VA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–2 | ||
Attendance: 2,296
| Richmond Kickers (VA) | 2–4 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Rob Johnson  82' Tony Williams  84' |  15' Lee Tschantret  45' Don D'Ambra  81' Jamel Mitchell  90' Jakob Fenger | 
Attendance: 1,800
The Hershey Wildcats advance to the Eastern Conference final.
Eastern Conference semifinal 2
| Montreal Impact (QC) | 2–2 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 
|---|---|---|
| Elvis Thomas  42:29' Patrick Diotte  54:41' Nick De Santis  90' | Report |  15:24' Darren Tilley  20:09',  46' Tommy Tanner  72' Nate Daligcon  86' Tim Hardy | 
| Penalties | ||
| Giuliano Oliviero  Nevio Pizzolitto  Patrick Diotte  Elvis Thomas  Onandi Lowe  | 2–3 |  Carlos Zavala  Doug Miller  Patrick Diotte  Scott Schweitzer  Darren Tilley | 
Attendance: 4,360
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 4–1 | Montreal Impact (QC) | 
|---|---|---|
| Tim Hardy  36' Lenin Steenkamp  44:02', 47:20' Scott Schweitzer  60:45' Yari Allnutt  67:50' Mike Kirmse  84' | Report |  22:25' Elvis Thomas  24' John Limniatis  56' Nevio Pizzolitto  59' Nick De Santis | 
Attendance: 7,529
Western Conference semifinal 1
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2–1 | Seattle Sounders (WA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Stoian Mladenov  49' Amos Magee  73' | Report |  2' Dick McCormick  28' Scott Jenkins  61' Peter Hattrup | 
Attendance: 2,084
| Seattle Sounders (WA) | 1–2 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 
|---|---|---|
| Dick McCormick  13',  84' Jason Annicchero  27' Scott Jenkins  30' David Hoggan  66' Neil Megson  84' | Report |  19' Gerard Lagos  25' Don Gramenz  62' Morgan Zeba  73' (pen.) Kevin Anderson | 
The Minnesota Thunder advanced 4-2 on aggregate.
Western Conference semifinal 2
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 2–1 | New Orleans Storm (LA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Antonio Robles  18' Carlos Farias  73' |  60' Glenn Benjamin | 
Devore Stadium, Chula Vista, California
Attendance: 4,043
| New Orleans Storm (LA) | 3–3 | San Diego Flash (CA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Gabe Gentile  46' Chris Veselka  61', 89' Colin Rocke  63' Andrew Restrepo  69' |  7' Jerome Watson  53' Mauricio Alegre  75' Carlos Farias | |
| Penalties | ||
| 2–3 | ||
Attendance: 1,104
The San Diego Flash advance to the Western Conference championship.
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 3–1 | Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Glenn  2:30',  27' Darren Tilley  60:20', 88:25' Yari Allnutt  41' | Report |  18' Mike Williams  83:01' Lee Tschantret | 
Attendance: 8,212
| Hershey Wildcats (PA) | 0–1 | Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 
|---|---|---|
| Report |  74:16' Darren Tilley | 
Attendance: 1,847
The Rochester Rhinos advanced to the finals.
Western Conference
| Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 2–1 | San Diego Flash (CA) | 
|---|---|---|
| John Coughlin  22' Gabe Garcia  87' | Report |  55' Daniel Sinouhi | 
Attendance: 2,743
| San Diego Flash (CA) | 1–2 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 
|---|---|---|
| Jerome Watson  68' | Report |  18' Constantin Stănici  42' Morgan Zeba | 
Attendance: 3,183
The Minnesota Thunder advanced to the final.
Final
| Rochester Rhinos (NY) | 3–1 | Minnesota Thunder (MN) | 
|---|---|---|
| Darren Tilley  19:02', 22:55', 59:07' Scott Schweitzer  51' Tim Hardy  77' | Report |  1' Morgan Zeba  33:09' (o.g.) Tim Hardy | 
Attendance: 13,772
MVP: Darren Tilley
Points leaders
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals | Assists | Points | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Baena | Seattle Sounders | 24 | 5 | 53 | 
| 2 | Darren Tilley | Rochester Rhinos | 21 | 6 | 48 | 
| 3 | Amos Magee | Minnesota Thunder | 15 | 10 | 40 | 
| 4 | Kirk Wilson | El Paso Patriots | 15 | 7 | 37 | 
| 5 | Mauro Biello | Montreal Impact | 11 | 13 | 35 | 
| 6 | Mike Burke | Charleston Battery | 16 | 2 | 34 | 
| Gary Glasgow | New Orleans Storm | 15 | 4 | 34 | |
| Antonio Robles | San Diego Flash | 15 | 4 | 34 | |
| 9 | Yari Allnutt | Rochester Rhinos | 14 | 5 | 33 | 
| 10 | Jon Szczepanski | Milwaukee Rampage | 8 | 14 | 30 | 
| Jason Cairns | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 8 | 14 | 30 | |
| 12 | Luis Labastida | Albuquerque Geckos | 9 | 11 | 29 | 
| John Smith | Nashville Metros | 9 | 11 | 29 | |
| 14 | Patrick Beech | Seattle Sounders | 12 | 4 | 28 | 
| Steve Patterson | Orange County Zodiac | 11 | 6 | 28 | |
| Martin Reynders | Nashville Metros | 11 | 6 | 28 | |
| 17 | Giuliano Oliviero | Montreal Impact | 8 | 11 | 27 | 
| 18 | Gino DiFlorio | Cincinnati Riverhawks | 12 | 2 | 26 | 
| Jimmy Glenn | Rochester Rhinos | 10 | 6 | 26 | 
Honors
- MVP: Mark Baena
- Leading goal scorer: Mark Baena
- Leading goalkeeper: Pat Onstad
- Defender of the Year: Scott Schweitzer
- Rookie of the Year: Mike Burke
- Coach of the Year: Pat Ercoli
- First Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Pat Onstad
- Defenders: Gabe Eastman, Scott Schweitzer, Craig Demmin
- Midfielders: Yari Allnutt, Mauro Biello, John Ball, Lee Tschantret
- Forwards: Mark Baena, Darren Tilley, Amos Magee
 
- Second Team All League
- Goalkeeper: Joe Cannon
- Defenders: Carl Fletcher, Steve MacDonald, Omid Namazi
- Midfielders: Kevin Anderson, Jason Cairns, Antonio Robles, Kirk Wilson
- Forwards: Gary Glasgow, Mike Burke, Josh Wolff
 
- Organization of the Year: [1] Vancouver 86ers
- Executive of the Year: Jim Harwood, Milwaukee Rampage
- Fair Play Award: Rochester Raging Rhinos
- Key Grip Award: Matthew Ford, Hershey Wildcats
References
- ^ "Blast Named Organization of the Year". Indiana Blast. November 13, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 1999. Retrieved May 19, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
