1995–96 National Professional Soccer League
| Season | 1995–96 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cleveland Crunch 2nd title |
| Matches played | 260 |
| Top goalscorer | Hector Marinaro (96) |
| Highest attendance | 17,603 Baltimore – St. Louis (March 23) |
| Average attendance | 5,069 |
← 1994–95 1996–97 → | |
The 1995–96 National Professional Soccer League season was the twelfth season for the league.
League standings
American Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Crunch | 40 | 31 | 9 | 775 | 553 | +222 | .775 | — |
| 2 | Baltimore Spirit | 40 | 25 | 15 | 604 | 492 | +112 | .625 | 6 |
| 3 | Harrisburg Heat | 40 | 24 | 16 | 604 | 516 | +88 | .600 | 7 |
| 4 | Buffalo Blizzard | 40 | 21 | 19 | 562 | 586 | −24 | .525 | 10 |
| 5 | Cincinnati Silverbacks | 40 | 14 | 26 | 496 | 579 | −83 | .350 | 17 |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Terror | 40 | 14 | 26 | 544 | 621 | −77 | .350 | 17 |
| 7 | Canton Invaders | 40 | 5 | 35 | 425 | 706 | −281 | .125 | 26 |
Source: RSSSF
National Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Attack | 40 | 32 | 8 | 599 | 430 | +169 | .800 | — |
| 2 | Milwaukee Wave | 40 | 30 | 10 | 610 | 438 | +172 | .750 | 2 |
| 3 | St. Louis Ambush | 40 | 24 | 16 | 676 | 560 | +116 | .600 | 8 |
| 4 | Wichita Wings | 40 | 20 | 20 | 547 | 531 | +16 | .500 | 12 |
| 5 | Detroit Rockers | 40 | 14 | 26 | 485 | 607 | −122 | .350 | 18 |
| 6 | Chicago Power | 40 | 6 | 34 | 381 | 689 | −308 | .150 | 26 |
Source: RSSSF
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Cleveland Crunch | 25 | 17 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Buffalo Blizzard | 15 | 20 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Cleveland Crunch | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| American Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Baltimore Spirit | 11 | 14 | 23 | 12 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Baltimore Spirit | 16 | 7 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Harrisburg Heat | 11 | 6 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Cleveland Crunch | 18 | 17 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 16 | – | ||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Kansas City Attack | 28 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 12 | – | ||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Kansas City Attack | 10 | 11 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Wichita Wings | 9 | 9 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Kansas City Attack | 18 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | St. Louis Ambush | 16 | 25 | 1 | 30 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Milwaukee Wave | 10 | 10 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | St. Louis Ambush | 9 | 12 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hector Marinaro | Cleveland | 33 | 96 | 58 | 247 |
| Zoran Karić | Cleveland | 27 | 62 | 61 | 184 |
| Franklin McIntosh | Baltimore | 36 | 48 | 77 | 177 |
| Joe Reiniger | St. Louis | 39 | 65 | 45 | 170 |
| Shawn Medved | Cincinnati | 40 | 61 | 53 | 164 |
| Mark Moser | St. Louis | 35 | 73 | 29 | 159 |
| Dennis Brose | Detroit | 32 | 59 | 33 | 151 |
| Michael King | Milwaukee | 35 | 59 | 31 | 148 |
| Kevin Sloan | Baltimore | 40 | 63 | 29 | 143 |
| Bojan Vučković | Tampa Bay | 35 | 63 | 23 | 142 |
League awards
- Most Valuable Player: Hector Marinaro, Cleveland & Victor Nogueira, Milwaukee
- Defender of the Year: Matt Knowles, Milwaukee
- Rookie of the Year: Jason Willan, Detroit
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, Milwaukee
- Coach of the Year: Keith Tozer, Milwaukee
All-NPSL Teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team | Third Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Nogueira, Milwaukee | G | Scoop Stanisic, Harrisburg | Brett Phillips, Kansas City |
| Daryl Doran, St. Louis | D | Kevin Hundelt, St. Louis | Jim Schwab, Kansas City |
| Matt Knowles, Milwaukee | D | Mike Stankovic, Baltimore | Kim Røntved, Wichita |
| Zoran Karić, Cleveland | M | Danny Kelly, Harrisburg | Franklin McIntosh, Baltimore |
| Hector Marinaro, Cleveland | F | Kevin Koetters, Kansas City | Shawn Medved, Cincinnati |
| Joe Reiniger, St. Louis | F | Marcelo Carrera, Buffalo | Michael King, Milwaukee |
All-NPSL Rookie Teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Burwash, Canton | G | Todd Hoffard, Harrisburg |
| John Limniatis, Kansas City | D | Nick De Santis, Chicago |
| Rudy Doliscat, Buffalo | D | Todd Rattee, Milwaukee |
| Giuliano Oliviero, Milwaukee | M | Lenin Steenkamp, Tampa Bay |
| Jason Willan, Detroit | F | Mauro Biello, Buffalo |
| Paul Dailly, Wichita | F | Todd Dusosky, Cleveland |
References