PDL News Release
Sunday, July 20, 2014
TAMPA, Fla. – The field for the PDL Playoffs was completed on Saturday night, with three conference championship fields set in the Central, Southern and Western Conferences, and the Des Moines Menace crowned the league’s regular-season champion.
The Menace clinched the regular-season title with a 2-0 victory against WSA Winnipeg to finish with a record of 12-1-1, good for 37 points. The Mid South Division’s Austin Aztex and Northeast Division’s Seacoast United Phantoms finished a further two points backs, while FC Tucson finished fourth overall with 34 points.
As regular-season champion, the Menace will host the Central Conference Championship at Valley Stadium as they welcome fellow Heartland Division member the St. Louis Lions and the Great Lakes Division’s Michigan Buck and K-W United. Michigan will face St. Louis on Friday, July 25 at 4:30 p.m. CT, with the Menace set to face K-W United later that evening at 7:30 p.m. CT. The two winners will meet for the conference championship on Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
FC Tucson was awarded the right to host the Western Conference Championship after it claimed a 2-1 win on Saturday night in its conference quarterfinal against the LA Misioneros in Las Vegas. Tucson will face the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 on Friday, July 25 at the Kino Sports Complex at 8 p.m. PT, while the Northwest Division champion Kitsap Pumas will face the Southwest Division champion Ventura County Fusion in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. PT after the Fusion defeated the BYU Cougars 1-0 on Saturday. The two winners will then meet on Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. for the conference title.
Defending PDL champion Austin was selected to host the Southern Conference Championship and will meet the SW Florida Adrenaline in the conference semifinals on Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT. That game will be preceded by the semifinal between the Ocala Stampede and Laredo Heat at 5 p.m. CT, after the Heat earned a return to the postseason with a 3-1 win against the Houston Dutch Lions on Saturday night in its final game of the regular season.
The host for the Eastern Conference Playoffs has yet to be determined, with the Phantoms being joined by Mid Atlantic Division champion the Jersey Express, and South Atlantic Division champion West Virginia Chaos in the semifinals. The Eastern Conference Playoffs kick off on Tuesday night as the Mid Atlantic Division’s Reading United hosts the Northeast Division’s CFC Azul at 7:30 p.m. ET for the final semifinal berth. Should Reading advance, it would face Seacoast United, while CFC would face the Express if it were to take victory on Tuesday night.
Follow all of the action from the 2014 PDL Playoffs via twitter (@USLPDL), and also on Facebook and Instagram as the league’s 20th season shines the spotlight on some of the top college and academy prospects from throughout the country.
2014 PDL PLAYOFFS
Conference Championships
Eastern Conference Division Playoff
Tuesday, July 22
Reading United AC vs. CFC Azul, Gurski Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET
Eastern Conference Championship
To be determined.
Central Conference Championship
At Valley Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa
Semifinals
Friday, July 25
Michigan Bucks vs. St. Louis Lions, 4:30 p.m. CT
Des Moines Menace vs. K-W United, 7:30 p.m. CT
Final
Saturday, July 26
Semifinals winners, 7:30 p.m. CT
Southern Conference Championship
At House Park, Austin, Texas
Semifinals
Saturday, July 26
Ocala Stampede vs. Laredo Heat, 5 p.m. CT
Austin Aztex vs. SW Florida Adrenaline, 7:30 p.m. CT
Final
Sunday, July 27
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m. CT
Western Conference Championship
At Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz.
Semifinals
Friday, July 25
Kitsap Pumas vs. Ventura County Fusion, 6 p.m. PT
FC Tucson vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23, 8 p.m. PT
Final
Saturday, July 26
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m. PT