Three Eagles Make The USL-2 Most Influencial List
Published on April 5, 2010 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
# 1 - Dustin Swinehart
In his third year as a professional, Swinehart came into the decade showing what he was capable of as he tallied nine goals and seven assists to earn All-League honors in 1999. He would go on to receive that award, and many more, six more times in USL-1 and USL-2 through the course of the decade.
A scoring increase in 2000 to 13 goals and eight assists not only garnered All-League recognition, but helped guide the team to its first USL-2 championship, a long awaited feat for a club that had played in two previous Finals. After a fairly quiet playoff run in which he had two assists, Swinehart burst out for three goals in a shocking 5-0 victory in the Final against regular season champion New Jersey after a scoreless first half.
The title led to the Eagles moving up to the USL First Division the following season, where they were an average, but competitive club. Leading those efforts was Swinehart, who recorded 33 goals and 10 assists in the team's three campaigns in USL-1, earning All-League honors in 2001.
As the team's struggles to compete wore on them, they made the return to USL-2 with glory, reaching the championship game immediately in 2004.
Swinehart posted 10 goals and won the league Assist Leader award for the campaign, netting another All-League nod.
Another outstanding season in 2005 finished with a championship as Swinehart was honored yet again for his 11-goal campaign. While Jacob Coggins was the primary scoring threat for the Eagles, it was Swinehart who connected for a 90th minute equalizer in the Final that sent the game ultimately to penalty kicks, where they edged Western Mass for the title.
The string continued with a third consecutive trip to the Final and another All-League award in 2006.
The cycle was broken in 2007, but the Eagles soared back the following year as Swinehart posted his career-best campaign. Sixteen goals and seven assists gave the veteran forward the Scoring and Goal Scoring Championships for the first time in his career. Those numbers would help lead the team to its first regular season championship and Swinehart's seventh All-League honor - the most combined in USL-1 and USL-2 by any player for their career. Rounding out the honors was a long overdue Most Valuable Player award. The celebration, however, was dampened in the championship as the club finished runners-up for a fifth time in franchise history.
Swinehart's swan song finished out the decade in 2009. For the first time in his career, he stepped on the pitch for every regular season game, tallying seven goals and three assists as he helped guide the club to another runners-up finish in his sixth USL-2 championship game of the decade.
# 4 - Jacob Coggins
After three years with the Charlotte Eagles in the USL First Division breaking into the game as a professional, Coggins found his niche when the club returned to the USL Second Division in 2004. Having registered just nine goals in 53 USL-1 games, the club's star striker burst out with 20 goals that year. He remains the only player with 20 or more goals in a season since Julio Cesar Dos Santos struck for 22 in 2002.
If the 20 tallies were not enough, he also added 10 assists to capture the Scoring Championship by a stunning 15 points, the Goal Scoring title by five and claim a share of the Assist Leader honor with teammate Dustin Swinehart. As the only player in league history to have swept the offensive statistical honors, it was no surprise that he also received All-League
recognition and the Most Valuable Player award as he helped lead the team to the championship game.
A year later, the results were nearly the same as he repeated as MVP, Scoring Champion and Goal Scoring Champion with 14 goals for the season. He became the second person in league history to repeat as MVP (Luis Orrellana 1998-99) and the third to win it twice (Dos Santos 2000, 02).
This time around, the All-League selection helped capture the league championship. After losing via penalties to Utah the year before, the Eagles were on the other side of the story as they defeated Western Mass on the road for the title, edging the Pioneers 5-4 from the spot after a 2-2 draw in which Coggins opened the scoring.
Limited action in 2006 saw a drop off in scoring for an injured Coggins, but the club still managed to reach the Final before falling to rival Richmond.
For a third time in four seasons, Coggins led the league in goals and points in 2007, earning another double in scoring titles and a third All-League selection.
His return to scoring prominence gave the striker another shot at USL First Division action as he signed on to play for Carolina in 2008, but struggled to remain in the lineup. He eventually returned to Charlotte, where he joined onto the club's youth coaching program in addition to playing.
# 8 - Josh Rife
As a rookie, the Indiana University product contributed right away in a
significant manner for the Eagles, playing 27 games and registering two goals and two assists for Charlotte in their final USL First Division campaign.
From then on, it was nothing but glory for the Texas native. The club's return to the USL Second Division was met with immediate success as Rife helped lead the squad to the championship game, playing in all 20 matches and earning All-League honors. In a 2-2 Final, it was Utah edging the Eagles in penalties for the title.
The following year, Rife was again an iron man, seeing action in all 20 games as the club went on to capture the 2005 USL-2 championship in penalties after a 2-2 draw at Western Mass. He was named All-League again and also received the USL-2 Defender of the Year award.
Winning and receiving honors became the routine. In 2006, the club again posted another stellar season, their third straight with five or fewer losses, as they reached the Final for a third straight season, falling 2-1 at Richmond. All-League recognition again befell Rife.
Although the streak did come to an end in 2007, it wasn't for the lack of a good campaign. Rife again led the defense and the Eagles, who finished fourth, took the regular season champion Richmond Kickers to overtime in the semifinals before falling, 2-1.
After failing to reach the Final in 2007, the Eagles came right back and earned their first regular season championship since their return, finishing the 2008 campaign 13-2-5. The league-low 15 goals allowed was tied for the second-best performance in the decade, even surpassing the 18-game seasons of 2000-01. The title, however, eluded Charlotte once again as Cleveland claimed the crown at home over Charlotte, 2-1.
Similar to 2007, a five-loss season saw the Eagles in fourth based on tiebreakers in a draw-heavy season throughout the league in 2009, but Charlotte surprised regular season champion Wilmington in the semifinals with a 1-0 victory off a Rife assist. Richmond, however, again got the better of the Eagles, winning the championship 3-1.
Rife's defensive unit finished in the top three four times in six years - first on two occasions - with an average of 23.8 goals allowed per season, a rate of 1.19 per game. In addition, the Eagles only suffered more than five losses in a year once as they forged their identities as a powerhouse.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 5, 2010
- Pioneers Sign Umass Star Chris Roswess - Western Mass Pioneers
- Three Eagles Make The USL-2 Most Influencial List - Charlotte Eagles
- Monarchs To Host BSC Nights Under The Lights - Real Maryland Monarchs
- Champions Battle To Scoreless Draw - Richmond Kickers
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