USL News Release
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the USL Second Division schedule for the 2008 regular season, which will begin with a blockbuster four-game opening night on Saturday, April 19. The season wraps up Saturday, August 9.
Nine of the league’s 10 teams will open their campaigns on opening weekend with four games on Opening Night April 19 all kicking off at 7:00 pm ET and a fifth the following evening. Three of the four Opening Night matches feature teams in their second season as the Cleveland City Stars play host to the returning Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Crystal Palace Baltimore plays host to the defending USL Second Division champion Harrisburg City Islanders and the Bermuda Hogges visit the Charlotte Eagles. The fourth game features the 2006 champion Richmond Kickers hosting the Western Mass Pioneers, who will visit the expansion Real Maryland side for their debut match on Sunday, April 20.
The Wilmington Hammerheads will be the final team to open the 2008 season the following weekend when they travel to Bermuda Saturday, April 26.
Those awaiting a rematch of the 2007 USL Second Division Championship between the Kickers and City Islanders will have to wait until Friday, June 6 in Harrisburg with their second meeting coming June 21 in Richmond.
USL-2 will play a 20-game season for the sixth straight campaign with each team playing all of the other teams home and away with the remaining fixtures being made up versus geographically proximate opponents.
The top six clubs will advance to the postseason which will consist of teams seeded three through six playing a single-game elimination round midweek. The winners of the First Round will advance to the Semifinal Round the following weekend versus the top two clubs, who received byes. The teams will not be re-seeded after the first round, pitting the regular season champion against the winner of the 3-v-6 match-up and the number two seed against the 4-v-5 winner. The Semifinal winners advance to the USL-2 Championship match on Saturday, August 23. The 2008 season will mark the first time since 2004 that more than four clubs will advance to the playoffs.
Click to view PDF version of 2008 USL-2 Schedule [+]
