2011 PDL season
The 2011 USL Premier Development League season was the 17th season of the PDL. The regular season began on April 29, 2011, when the Los Angeles Blues 23 played Fresno Fuego, and ended on July 24. The league consisted of 64 teams across nine divisions with the addition of the South Atlantic division. The playoffs began on Tuesday, July 26 and concluded with the PDL Championship Game on August 6. As in previous years, the PDL Championship Game was broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States, with commentary by Steve Bell and Keith Tabatznik.
The Kitsap Pumas ended the season as national champions, beating Laredo Heat 1–0 in the 2011 PDL Championship game. The playoffs were held at the home of the Pumas in Bremerton, Washington.
Fresno Fuego had the best regular-season record, posting an unbeaten 13–0–3 record. Fresno midfielder Milton Blanco was named League MVP, after leading the league in points and assists and helping his team to the Southwest Division title. Two Michigan Bucks players - Stewart Givens and Mitch Hildebrandt - were given end-of-season awards as Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively, while their coach Gary Parsons was named Coach of the Year. Jake Keegan of the Westchester Flames was named Rookie of the Year after tallying 16 goals in 16 games to take the league goal-scoring crown. Keegan accounted for 64 percent of Westchester's goals in 2011 and also finished third in the league in points with 34.
Changes from 2010
Name changes
- Hampton Roads Piranhas rebranded as Virginia Beach Piranhas
- Los Angeles Azul Legends rebranded as Los Angeles Misioneros
- Newark Ironbound Express rebranded as Jersey Express
New franchise
- Ten franchises were announced as joining the league this year:
| Team name | Metro area | Location | Previous affiliation |
 Folding/moving
StandingsNote: 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 ConferenceGreat Lakes DivisionHeartland DivisionEastern ConferenceMid Atlantic DivisionNortheast DivisionSouth Atlantic DivisionSouthern ConferenceMid South DivisionSoutheast DivisionWestern ConferenceNorthwest DivisionSouthwest DivisionLeague post-season tournamentConference Quarterfinals-------- ---- Conference semifinals-------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Conference finals-------- ---- PDL Semifinals----Award Winners and FinalistsMVP: Milton Blanco, Mitch Hildebrandt, Chandler HoffmanRookie of the Year: Albert Edward, Brian Holt, Jake Keegan Defender of the Year: Dillon Barna, Stewart Givens, Wilson Neto Goalkeeper of the Year: Mitch Hildebrandt Coach of the Year: Tony Colistro, Pete Fewing, Gary Parsons All-League and All-Conference teamsEastern ConferenceF: Hakan Ilhan, Jake Keegan *, Dominick SarleM: Keishen Bean, Jason Massie, Stephen Okai D: Matthew Baker, Brian Fekete, Shaun Foster, Kyle Manscuk G: Brian Holt Central ConferenceF: Adam Mena, Branden Stelmak, Brandon SwartzendruberM: Tom Catalano, Albert Edward, John Sosa * D: Kevin Cope, Stewart Givens *, Jonathan Raj, Wilson Neto * G: Mitch Hildebrandt * Southern ConferenceF: Moses Aduny, Esteban Bayona, Achille CampionM: Michael Azira, Enrique Cervantes, Jonathan Mendoza * D: Carlos Ordaz, Guilherme Reis, Daniel Sackman, Hugo Samano Contreras G: Keneil Baker Western ConferenceF: Milton Blanco *, Chandler Hoffman *, Brent RichardsM: Danny Barrera *, Nikolas Besagno, Jose Cuevas D: Dillon Barna *, Fernando De Alba, Ryan Kawulok, Daniel Scott * G. Bryan Meredith '' |