2001 World Indoor Soccer League season
The 2001 World Indoor Soccer League season was the fourth and final campaign of the World Indoor Soccer League (WISL), a professional indoor soccer league in the United States and Mexico that ran from 1998 to 2001. The regular season featured five teams San Diego Sockers, Dallas Sidekicks, Sacramento Knights, St. Louis Steamers, and Utah Freezz each playing 24 games. The San Diego Sockers finished atop the standings on goals scored, tied with Dallas at 14–10–0.
In the playoffs, Dallas upset Sacramento in the semifinals, while San Diego eliminated St. Louis. The Dallas Sidekicks prevailed over San Diego in the championship series winning the first leg 6–3, losing the second 4–5, and clinching the title via a 2–1 mini‑game in overtime.
Prominent players included Ato Leone, who led the league with 42 points (25 goals, 17 assists) and was named MVP, while Sagu earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors, and David Beltran was voted Rookie of the Year. After the season, the WISL ceased operations; Dallas, San Diego, and St. Louis merged into the Major Indoor Soccer League, while Sacramento and Utah folded.
League Standings
GP W L PCT GB GF GA Home Road
San Diego Sockers 24 14 10 .583 ---- 133 114 8-4 6-6
Dallas Sidekicks 24 14 10 .583 ---- 109 108 9-3 5–7
Sacramento Knights 24 11 13 .458 3.0 122 132 9-3 2–10
St. Louis Steamers 24 11 13 .458 3.0 123 125 7-5 4–8
Utah Freezz 24 10 14 .417 4.0 113 121 7-5 3–9
Playoffs
Semi-Finals Dallas defeated Sacramento 2–1,5-4(OT)
San Diego defeated St. Louis 7–5,0-1,4-0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Dallas defeated San Diego 6–3,3-5,2-1(OT)
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ato Leone | Sacramento Knights | 24 | 25 | 17 | 42 |
| Carlos Farias | San Diego Sockers | 23 | 22 | 18 | 40 |
| Tatu | Dallas Sidekicks | 24 | 13 | 26 | 39 |
| David Doyle | Dallas Sidekicks | 24 | 22 | 14 | 36 |
| Daryl Doran | St. Louis Steamers | 24 | 24 | 11 | 35 |
| Chris McDonald | Sacramento Knights | 24 | 19 | 14 | 33 |
| Justin Labrum | Utah Freezz | 24 | 22 | 9 | 31 |
| Mariano Bollella | San Diego Sockers | 21 | 12 | 17 | 29 |
| Jeff Betts | Utah Freezz | 22 | 11 | 17 | 28 |
League awards
Most Valuable Player: Ato Leone, Sacramento
Defender of the Year: Iain Fraser, Sacramento
Rookie of the Year: David Beltran, San Diego[1]
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sagu, Dallas
Coach of the Year: Iain Fraser, Sacramento[1]
All-WISL Teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Sagu, Dallas | G | D.J. Horvath, San Diego |
| Iain Fraser, Sacramento | D | Daryl Doran, St. Louis |
| Jeff Davis, St. Louis | D | Alejandro Cardenas, San Diego |
| Mariano Bollella, San Diego | M | Beau Brown, Utah |
| Ato Leone, Sacramento | F | Justin Labrum, Utah |
| Carlos Farias, San Diego | F | David Doyle, Dallas |
https://www.indoorsoccerhall.com/awards
References
- ^ a b "Sports briefs". Deseret News. December 6, 2001. Retrieved March 7, 2024.