USL News Release

Thursday, January 24, 2008

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the official schedule for the Premier Development League’s 2008 regular season. The campaign will open April 26 with the 2007 PDL semifinalist Fresno Fuego playing host to the San Francisco Seals. The regular season concludes July 20 for the 16-game team schedules.

As has become traditional due to the favorable weather conditions, the PDL season will open in California as the defending regular season Southwest Division champions take on the Seals. A week later, the season gets into full swing as 11 more games mark the opening of play for the Southern and Eastern Conferences. The Central Conference will begin play May 10.

The defending PDL champion and 2006 runner-up Laredo Heat will open the season on the road when they visit the Mississippi Brilla May 9. The 2006 PDL champion and 2007 runner-up Michigan Bucks will open their campaign for a third straight championship appearance May 17 when they play host to the West Virginia Chaos. If Laredo or Michigan reaches the final, it would be the first time in league history that the same team reached the championship game three consecutive years.

The playoffs will begin almost immediately with the expanded Central Conference format in which seven teams will move onto the postseason, marking the first conference equivalent playoff system featuring more than four participants for the first time since the divisional playoffs in 1998. The four Conference Championship Tournaments will be held July 25-27 with the PDL Semifinals August 1-2 and the PDL Championship Saturday, August 9. All playoff hosts are determined via a bid process.

Central Conference Playoffs: The regular season conference champion receives a bye to the conference tournament semifinals. The remaining top two teams in each division will play a divisional round midweek to determine the three other qualifiers for the conference tournament. The number one seed will play the lowest seeded non-divisional opponent in the conference tournament semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.

Eastern Conference Playoffs: The three division champions and the top second-place club (wild card) advance to the conference championship tournament. The number one seed will play the lowest seeded non-divisional opponent in the conference tournament semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.

Southern Conference Playoffs: The top two teams in each division advance to the conference championship tournament. The division champions face the second place team from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.

Western Conference Playoffs: The top two teams in each division advance to the conference championship tournament. The division champions face the second place team from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.

Click to view PDF version of 2008 PDL Schedule [+]