A-LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2004 ALIGNMENT
Friday, December 19 2003
The United Soccer Leagues announced today the official alignments for the 2004 A-League season. The USL also announced 2004 A-League playoff details.
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.
Two expansion clubs highlight the 2004 alignment with Edmonton set to begin play as a member of the Western Conference and Puerto Rico a member of the Eastern.
The Edmonton Aviators join Calgary, Milwaukee Wave United, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and defending Western Conference champion Minnesota Thunder.
The Puerto Rico Islanders join the Atlanta Silverbacks, Montreal Impact, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Syracuse Salty Dogs, Toronto Lynx, Virginia Beach Mariners and defending A-League champion Charleston Battery.
2004 A-League Playoffs.
The 2004 A-League playoff format will see the top four teams from each conference advancing to the postseason where they will play 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 September 10 and 12. The semifinals will feature the fourth seed against the top seed and 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.
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