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2008 USL-1 Schedule Announced

January 14, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1) News Release


TAMPA, FL - United Soccer Leagues announced Monday the 2008 Regular Season Schedule for the USL First Division. The 164-game campaign, the first 30-game team schedule in league history, opens Saturday, April 12 with two games and wraps up Sunday, September 21.

Opening Night for the USL First Division will feature the Charleston Battery visiting the Miami FC Blues at 7:30 pm ET and the Vancouver Whitecaps playing host to Canadian rival Montreal Impact at 10:00 pm.

Fans will be able to watch the games back-to-back on USLlive.com. The 2008 campaign will mark the second season in which all matches not featured on national television will be available for viewing online via USL Live in partnership with Play On!, a division of Turner Broadcasting.

The defending champion Seattle Sounders open their title defense on the road the following week against the Charleston Battery on Saturday, April 19. The first rematch of the championship match with the Atlanta Silverbacks will come two weeks later in Atlanta on Friday, May 2. The Sounders will host the Silverbacks in the second game May 18 and in their final fixture on September 13.

The debut of the new Stade Saputo in Montreal will fall on Monday, May 19 when the Impact play host to the Whitecaps in the 13,000-seat, natural grass stadium on the Canadian holiday Victory Day. It will mark the opening of the fourth soccer specific facility in the USL First Division, joining the Charleston Battery's Blackbaud Stadium (1999), Atlanta Silverbacks' RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium (2006) and Rochester Rhinos' PAETEC Park (2006).

The 11 teams will be making USL-1 history in 2008 when they play a 30-game schedule for the first time in league history after playing 28-game schedules 10 of the last 11 seasons. Each club will play each opponent three times during the regular season. 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. The First Round will involve the #2 - #7 seeds competing in two-leg aggregate score series with the three winners advancing to Semifinals with #1 seed pitted against the lowest remaining seed.

Also announced Monday by USL is the suspension of its annual USL First Division College Player Draft. Following an evaluation process, the draft may return in 2009.

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