The USL Second Division Utah Blitzz went out in fine fashion by capturing the Pro Soccer League title before making way for Major League Soccer’s expansion Real Salt Lake.

The 2004 season was an exciting affair for the USL Second Division as the red-hot Pittsburgh Riverhounds picked up where they left off in 2003 in the USL First Division in 2003. New coach Ricardo Iribarren led the ’03 squad to nine wins in their last 10 games and just missed the postseason. The Riverhounds dominated the USL Second Division in 2004 with a 17-2-1 record, eight points better than second-place Charlotte. The ‘Hounds trounced the expansion Harrisburg City Islanders, who did well in their inaugural campaign with a 10-7-3 record.

Pittsburgh sailed through on a 7-1 aggregate scoreline in the first round to advance to the semifinals. Their potent offense, however, was unable to penetrate the Blitzz’ league-leading defense, falling 1-0 in Salt Lake City in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, The league’s top offense in Charlotte got caught in a slugfest with the defending champion Hammerheads, finishing in a 2-2 tie in the first leg and winning the second at home 3-2 for a 5-4 series win. Sixth-seeded New Hampshire surprisingly kept the scoring to a minimum in the semifinals, falling 1-0 to the Eagles.

The Eagles saw another shootout in the championship game, literally, as a 2-2 draw against the Blitzz was sent to penalty kicks after 30 minutes of overtime. Utah, who rallied from a two-goal deficit in the game, rallied in the shootout as well to capture the league title in the sixth round 5-4.

Charlotte’s Jacob Coggins was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. In his fourth year with the club, the Charlotte native was a runaway leader in points (50) and goals (20), finishing 15 points clear of Westchester’s Evaud Thompson and five goals ahead of Thompson and Pittsburgh’s Said Ali. In his 19 games played, Coggins also finished tied for the league lead in assists with teammate Dustin Swinehart, who had led the club in scoring the last five seasons.