Sounders FC U23 News Release -- www.soundersu23.com
Friday, July 13, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. – The Sounders FC U23 will kick off their 2012 PDL Playoffs campaign on Saturday night at Franklin Pierce Stadium at 7:30 p.m. PT They will host the Washington Crossfire FC, a team the Sounders U23 faced twice during the regular season, taking victory on both occasions. Free admission will be allowed for any fan wearing a Sounders U23 T-shirt that can be purchased on SoundersU23.com.
The top four teams in the PDL’s Northwest Division qualified for a chance to play in the PDL Western Conference Championhip, but must first face each other to decide which two teams will move on. The No.1 seed Sounders U23 will face the No.4 seed Washington Crossfire. In the division’s other contest, the No.2 seed Portland Timbers U-23s host the No.3 seed Kitsap Pumas on Sunday night.
The winners of these division first-four games move on to face qualifiers from the Western Conference’s Southwest division. The higher remaining seed will face FC Tucson, with the lower remaining seed facing the Southwest Division champion Ventura County Fusion.
The side that manages to emerge from the heap will be considered the Western Conference Champion, and will qualify to represent the west in the PDL National Semifinals. The final four consists of conference champions from the league’s four conferences -- Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western. The Central Conference will face the Eastern Conference qualifier, and the Southern will play the West.
In order for the Sounders U23 to reach the National Final Four, they must take the first step by defeating the Crossfire for the third straight time in 2012. In their previous meetings with Crossfire, the Sounders U23 kept the Redmond, Wash.-based club’s goalscorers off the score sheet. The Sounders won 2-0 at home, and then 1-0 on the road.
The Crossfire finished their regular season losing four straight matches. However, a strong showing during the middle portion of the season earned them enough points to hold on to the fourth spot in the Northwest Division standings.
After suffering a 3-0 loss to the Kitsap Pumas at home on June 15, the Sounders U23 closed out the season winning six in a row. The streak included road-wins over the Timbers U-23s, Crossfire and the Pumas, outscoring their opponents during the stretch 18-5.
For more information about Saturday’s match, including how to purchase tickets, visit SoundersU23.com. Reminder, fans wearing a Sounders U23 T-shirt, or purchasing a shirt that can be picked up at the gate, will get a free ticket to the match! Then, follow us on twitter for inside information and live updates from the match @SoundersU23.