A-League Alignment Announced 18/12/03
United Soccer Leagues announced today the official alignment for the A-League for the 2004 season. USL also announced details of the 2004 A-League playoff structure.
The 16-team A-League will remain with a two-conference format while eliminating the division format within. The Eastern Conference will be comprised of nine clubs while the Western will include seven.
The Richmond Kickers will join the Atlanta Silverbacks, defending A-League champion Charleston Battery, Montreal Impact, first-year club Puerto Rico Islanders, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Syracuse Salty Dogs, Toronto Lynx, and the Virginia Beach Mariners in the Eastern Conference.
The Western Conference will consist of another first-year team in the Edmonton Aviators, along with Calgary, the Milwaukee Wave United, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and defending Western Conference champion Minnesota Thunder.
2004 A-League Playoff Format Set
The 2004 A-League playoff format will remain relatively the same with the top four teams from each conference advancing to the postseason and playing in a two-leg, aggregate score series in the conference semifinals and conference final to determine who will advance to the A-League Championship.
"Although the disparity in the number of teams competing in each Conference creates the challenge of selecting a playoff structure equitable to teams from both Conferences, we are excited to have arrived at a format consistent with recent A-League seasons," said A-League director Tim Holt. "Selecting the top four teams from each of the two Conferences puts an emphasis on the importance of success throughout the regular season, as well as increasing the likelihood of the added drama when teams face their rivals in the race for the A-League Championship."
The Conference Semifinals series will be September 3 and 5 with the Conference Final series being held September 10 and 12. The semifinals will feature the fourth seed against the top seed with the second and third seeds squaring off. The A-League Championship will be held the weekend of September 18 and will be broadcast on Fox Sports World.
The A-League boasts 16 teams from coast-to-coast in the US and Canada, and is the highest level in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) system. For more information please check out our web site at www.RichmondKickers.com.
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