PDL Conference playoff preview

Story courtesy USL Public Relations

Can Michigan and Laredo make it a three-peat?

The PDL postseason saw a miraculous occurrence last year when the Michigan Bucks and Laredo Heat both returned to the championship game in a league in which one team returning to the final is an extremely difficult task. Part of the reason for the difficulty is the game of ‘Survivor’ that the conference tournaments have become over the years with top seeds regularly bowing out early.

Last year, the Hampton Roads Piranhas became the fifth regular season champion in seven years to fail to advance to the league semifinal round, falling in the conference semifinals to Brooklyn via penalties after a 1-1 draw. As the eighth unbeaten team in league history, they also fell into the curse of no unbeaten ever claiming the league championship.

With the addition of the Divisional Round in the Central Conference this year, the playoffs are off to an early start and already one higher seed has been ousted as the expansion Kalamazoo Outrage knocked out the perennial power Chicago Fire 2-0 Tuesday. Cleveland and Thunder Bay prevailed in the other two to join the Michigan Bucks, who used the upset card to make history in 2006 as the lowest overall league seed (13) to win the championship.

Michigan’s role, however, has changed since claiming the title. The Bucks managed to return to the final despite being a target last year as the defending champion and number three overall seed. This year, they wear the burden of being the regular season champion, a position that has not resulted in a championship game appearance since the Calgary Storm lost in the final in 2001. Since then, the top seed has gone 4-5-1 in the postseason with three of six being eliminated in the conference semifinals.

For the second consecutive year, five teams among the conference playoff field are in the postseason for the first time, four of them expansion teams. In addition to Kalamazoo notching a win in the opening round, the Cleveland Internationals moved on in their first postseason appearance with a 2-1 win over Toronto. Expansion clubs Austin Aztex, Newark Ironbound Express and Vancouver Whitecaps will make their playoff debuts this weekend. Last year, none of the first-year playoff sides were able to register a victory in the conference semifinals.

TEAM BY TEAM PLAYOFF CAPSULES
(#) Overall PDL seed in parenthesis based on points

Central Conference Championship Tournament
Michigan Bucks (1): The 2006 champion Michigan Bucks (13-1-2) became the first PDL team to clinch a playoff berth July 5. Michigan clinched the Great Lakes Division title July 13. They earned the conference and league regular season title July 20. It is Michigan's 12th appearance in the playoffs in 13 seasons. The club has reached the final the past two years and in 2000. The Bucks are the host of the conference tournament.
Thunder Bay Chill (2): The Chill (13-2-1) clinched a playoff berth July 12 and are in the playoffs for the second time in eight years with the appearances coming back-to-back. The Heartland Division champions opened the 2008 postseason with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids U-23 in the Divisional Round.
Cleveland Internationals (9): The Internationals (10-3-3) clinched a playoff berth July 13. It is Cleveland's first winning record and postseason trip in five years of play. The Great Lakes Division runners-up opened the 2008 postseason with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Lynx in the Divisional Round.
Kalamazoo Outrage (19): The expansion Outrage (8-6-2) clinched a playoff berth July 13 and registered the lone upset in the Divisional Round, winning 2-0 on the road against the Midwest Division champion Chicago Fire.

Eastern Conference Championship Tournament
Reading Rage (4): The Rage (11-3-2) clinched the Mid Atlantic Division title July 11. Reading is making its first playoff appearance in five years in the PDL. They previously made the USL Second Division playoffs their first six seasons before missing twice and moving to the PDL.
Brooklyn Knights (8): The Knights (10-2-4) won the Northeast Division title July 12. Brooklyn is back in the playoffs for the second straight year and for the fourth time in 10 years.
Cape Cod Crusaders (13): The Crusaders (9-3-4) clinched the New England Division title July 20. It is the seventh straight postseason appearance in their last eight years since their move to the PDL from the USL Second Division, where they reached the playoffs twice in six seasons. They also reached the playoffs in what is now the PDL in 1994.
Newark Ironbound Express (12): The expansion Ironbound Express (8-2-6) clinched the wild card July 19. The Northeast Division runner-up advanced via a tiebreaker with Ottawa having won their lone meeting of the season.

Southern Conference Championship Tournament
Central Florida Kraze (3): The Kraze (11-3-2) clinched a playoff berth July 11. The Kraze clinched the Southeast Division title July 13. They return to the postseason for the fifth time in six years. Since missing the playoffs its first four years, the club has only missed the 2006 postseason since their playoff debut in 2003, winning the PDL championship in 2004.
Bradenton Academics (7): The Academics (10-2-4) clinched a playoff berth July 18, and are the runners-up in the Southeast Division. Bradenton is in the postseason for the fifth time in 11 years. Their last appearance was in 2006.
Austin Aztex (10): The expansion Aztex (10-5-1) clinched a playoff berth and the Mid South Division title July 6.
Laredo Heat (16): The defending PDL champion Laredo Heat (8-4-4) clinched a playoff berth July 19. The Mid South Division runners-up have reached the final the past two seasons and have not missed the playoffs in four official seasons of play.

Western Conference Championship Tournament
Tacoma Tide (5): The Tide (11-4-1) clinched a playoff berth and the Northwest Division title July 19. The Tide are in the playoffs for the second straight year in their brief three-year existence.
Vancouver Whitecaps Residency (6): The expansion Whitecaps Residency (11-4-1) clinched a playoff berth July 18 and are the runners-up from the Northwest Division.
San Fernando Valley Quakes (14): The Quakes (8-2-6) clinched a playoff berth and the Southwest Division title July 20. The Quakes are in the playoffs for the second straight year in their brief three-year existence.
Fresno Fuego (15): The Fuego (9-5-2) clinched a playoff berth July 20 as the Southwest runners-up. The Fuego advanced to the playoffs for the fifth time in six years with their one missed appearance coming in 2006.