USL News Release 

Monday, July 19, 2010

TAMPA, Fla. – Now that the regular season schedule has concluded, the most exciting part of the 2010 United Soccer Leagues W-League season is set to begin. Twelve teams have punched their tickets to the playoffs, with a spot in the 2010 W-League Championship Presented by Umbro in Santa Clarita, California on the line.

One spot at the championship final four has been determined, with the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues earning an automatic berth after winning the regular season title by virtue of an 11-1-0 mark. Hudson Valley needed a 1-0 victory on the road at the Long Island Rough Riders Sunday afternoon to seal the top overall spot.

Eleven other playoff qualifiers will battle for the three remaining spots at the Final Four, with the Laval Comets (6-3-3) and Toronto Lady Lynx (7-2-3) kicking off the action in the Central Conference’s Great Lakes Division play-in game Wednesday afternoon in Toronto. The winner of that matchup advances to face the Midwest Division Champion Buffalo Flash (10-0-2) Saturday at Niagara Falls University in Buffalo.

Also heading to Buffalo for the Central Conference Championships are the Great Lakes Division champion Ottawa Fury (8-1-3), who will take on the Chicago Red Eleven (8-2-2), runners-up in the Midwest Division. The winners of Saturday’s Central Conference Semifinals will meet for a spot in Santa Clarita.

The Eastern Conference Championships are set to begin Friday at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, with the host Atlanta Silverbacks (7-2-1, Atlantic Division Champions) taking on the Northeast Division’s No. 3 team, the New Jersey Wildcats (7-4-1). Saturday’s other Eastern Conference Semifinal pits the Northeast Division’s runners-up, the Washington Freedom Futures (10-1-1) against the Atlantic Division’s Charlotte Eagles (5-3-2). The Eastern Conference title game is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Silverbacks Park.

By virtue of an undefeated 6-0-4 season the Vancouver Whitecaps took the top seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, and they’ll face the 3-4-3 Pali Blues Saturday afternoon at Swangard Stadium in Vancouver. While the matchup may seem like a mismatch on paper, it wouldn’t be wise to discount the two-time defending W-League Champion Blues once the playoffs begin.

The 2010 W-League Championship Presented by Umbro, hosted by the City of Santa Clarita, runs July 29-31.