NEWS

2008 USL-2 season details announced
Alignment and competition structure set for next season

TAMPA, FL ?– United Soccer Leagues announced Thursday details for the 2008 USL Second Division season. Among the details finalized at the 2007 Annual General Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, FL were the alignment, schedule and playoff details for the upcoming campaign.

The USL Second Division will be comprised of 10 teams with the return of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds along with the expansion Real Maryland club based in central Maryland. Longtime USL-2 side New Hampshire Phantoms and the Cincinnati Kings have joined the Premier Development League for the 2008 season.

?“With the addition of the two new franchises, Pittsburgh and Maryland, the USL Second Division is adding ownership groups dedicated to producing tremendous products on the field as well as administrations that will advance the goals of USL-2,?” said Director of USL Pro League Operations Steven Thompson.

USL-2 will also play 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 season will open Friday, April 18 and conclude Saturday, August 9.

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.

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