USL, Impact, Whitecaps Unwrap 2009 Season
2009 USL-1 SEASON UNVEILED
New championship format, season schedules announced
TAMPA, FL — United Soccer Leagues announced the details for the 2009 USL First Division season. USL unveiled the alignment, playoff details, and regular season and Fox Soccer Channel schedules for the 2009 competition, which will conclude with a championship series in October.
Set to kick off with 11 teams, including the expansion Austin Aztex and promoted Cleveland City Stars, on April 11, the USL First Division will again see each team play 30 matches with three against each opponent. The season will come to a close September 20 with seven teams advancing to the postseason. Not returning to the USL First Division are the Seattle Sounders (MLS expansion) and the Atlanta Silverbacks.
The biggest change will be the expansion of the two-leg, aggregate score series format, used in earlier rounds in USL-1 since 2000, to the USL First Division Championship. It will mark the first time the format will be used for a top-level US-based league since the North American Soccer League’s 1970 season. That season the Rochester Lancers were victorious in the first leg 3-0 at home against the Washington Darts, but survived on the road in a 3-1 second leg defeat to capture the title 4-3 on aggregate.
“The advancement in the quality of teams on and off the field in the USL First Division has given us the opportunity to bring this great format to the league, allowing fans of both teams to experience the championship,” said USL First Division Senior Director Chris Economides.
“The great series recently in Mexico’s Apertura Championship series that saw Cruz Azul rally from a 2-0 first leg deficit with two goals against Toluca in the second half of the second leg only to be denied in penalties was a fantastic example of the drama that can be witnessed in this format. We’ve seen numerous thrillers in the aggregate series format in the past eight years and we look forward to a captivating USL-1 Championship in 2009.”
Commissioner’s Cup
Once again this year, the top seven teams will advance to the playoff tournament, with the Commissioner’s Cup winner (regular season champion) receiving a bye into the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the #2 – #7 seeds will compete in two-leg aggregate score series, with the three winners advancing to semifinals. New in 2009, the final will also be played in an aggregate goal home-and-away series, October 10 and 17.
USL-1 Regular Season Schedule (pdf)
IMPACT TO PLAY ITS HOME OPENER MAY 9
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact revealed Friday its 2009 schedule in the United Soccer Leagues First Division. The club will play its first game at Saputo Stadium, Saturday May 9, at 3:30 pm, against the Rochester Rhinos for the 16th home opener in club history.
The Impact will kick off the 2009 season in the USL First Division Saturday April 18, against the Charleston Battery. Following three games on the road, the Impact will play the next three matchups at home. The games at Saputo Stadium will mainly be played Wednesday evenings and late afternoon on Sundays.
“Once again, we will start the season on the road. It will not be easy, but it’s something that we need to do every year due to the weather in Montreal, so we are used to it,” said Impact head coach John Limniatis. “The schedule is well balanced this year, considering that we will play our home games on Wednesday and Sunday, which will give us time to recover. This will also be beneficial for our fans, who will take advantage of this regularity, which is similar to how it’s done in Europe.”
For a second consecutive year, the 11 league teams will be playing a 30-game schedule, whereby each club will play each opponent three times during the regular season.
The Impact will play three rematches of its 2008 semifinal series against its Canadian rivals and defending champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, June 21 and September 9, in Montreal, as well as June 7 in Vancouver.
In 2009, the Impact will face two new teams: the Austin Aztex and the Cleveland City Stars. The Aztex will be in Montreal for the first time Sunday, May 17, while the first matchup against Cleveland will be held Wednesday, July 22, also at Saputo Stadium. Note that the Atlanta Silverbacks and the Seattle Sounders will not return in 2009.
The Montreal club will play its last season game at Saputo Stadium September 13 against the Minnesota Thunder and will end its regular season September 18 against the RailHawks in Carolina.
Note that the 2009 season tickets are currently available by dialling 514-328-3668 or visiting www.impactmontreal.com.
The Impact will play its third exhibition game of training camp Saturday against the Montreal University Carabins, at the Bell Sports Complex, at 8 pm. In its first two pre-season games, the Impact registered two wins by shutout, scoring a total of 10 goals.
WHITECAPS BEGIN CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENCE ON APRIL 11
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in conjunction with the United Soccer Leagues (USL), announced today the details for the 2009 USL First Division season.
In addition to the regular season schedule, the league unveiled the alignment, playoff details, and the Fox Sports World Canada (Fox Soccer Channel in the United States) schedule, which will conclude with a championship series in October.
The 2008 USL First Division champions, who are celebrating 35 years since their first season in the North American Soccer League (1974), will kick off their title defence at Swangard Stadium against Charleston Battery on Saturday, April 11. Once again, each club in the single-table USL-1 will play a 30-match regular season schedule, with each team playing each other three times.
New sides to the 11-team USL First Division include newly-promoted Cleveland City Stars from the USL Second Division, as well as expansion outfit Austin Aztex. The Seattle Sounders (Major League Soccer expansion) and the Atlanta Silverbacks will not return in 2009.
Swangard will host six matches on Saturday, four Sunday tilts – including two 4 p.m. starts, three games on Friday and two midweek matches. The ‘Caps will also be featured in five Fox Sports World Canada broadcasts, including their final regular season match at home to Cleveland on September 18.
Similar to last year, the top seven teams will advance to the playoffs, with the regular season champion (Commissioner’s Cup winner) automatically receiving the top seed in the semifinals. The remaining six teams will play in a two-leg aggregate score series in the first round. The three winners will advance to the two-leg aggregate score semifinal series, with the top seed pitted against the lowest remaining seed. Unlike previous years, the final will also be expanded to a two-leg, aggregate score series format.
Whitecaps 2009 season tickets are now on sale. Season tickets include all men’s and women’s team regular season and playoff home matches at Swangard Stadium, Nutrilite Canadian Championship home matches against Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, as well as priority listing for BC Place and the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. For more information on the 2009 season ticket packages, call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit whitecapsfc.com.
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