The defending champion Cape Cod Crusaders defied the odds for a second straight year to win the PDL championship despite not being the top team in their own division.

In 2002, the 12-4-2 Crusaders, seeded eighth in the league, came from nowhere to win the PDL championship in a 2-1 overtime thriller at home against the Boulder Rapids Reserve.

With an identical 12-4-2 record in 2003, the Crusaders again finished second to division rival Vermont on the season, but found success in the postseason.

Seeded ninth, the Crusaders knocked off the fourth-seeded Richmond Kickers Future in stunning fashion, 4-0, before surprising host Vermont 4-2 in the conference final to move onto the semifinals. The Crusaders thumped the Memphis Express, 4-0, in their fourth straight game with four goals scored to advance to the championship for the second straight year.

The Crusaders met the perennial Central Conference powerhouse Chicago Fire Reserves, who finished second in the regular season with a 15-2-1 mark, in the Windy City in the title match and came away victorious again, downing Chicago 2-0 for their second straight title.

The regular season headlines, however, belonged to a pair of newcomers. The expansion Fresno Fuego and New Orleans Shell Shockers both opened their seasons winning eight of their first nine games.

While enjoying a run to a US Open Cup Fourth Round match against MLS’ LA Galaxy with wins over the PSL’s Utah Blitzz and A-League’s El Paso Patriots, the Fuego saw their grip slip on the division and finished tied with the Orange County Blue Star, who won the division on tiebreakers. The Fuego represented the PDL well in their final Open Cup match with a hard-fought 3-1 loss at LA’s Home Depot Center. In the postseason, Fresno knocked off the conference top seed and host Spokane Shadow 1-0 in the first round before falling to Orange County in the conference final 2-0.

New Orleans, meanwhile, cruised to the division title in the Mid South and played host to the Southern Conference playoffs, downing Central Florida 4-1 before falling to the 11th-seeded Memphis Express 2-0 in the conference final.