Detroit and St. Louis to Compete for US Open Championship
April 13, 2009 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) News Release
The Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro) announced today it has reached a compromise to have the St. Louis Illusion host the Detroit Waza on April 18 at The Game Arena in what will be the deciding game in the US Open Arena Soccer Championships.
The two teams had been locked in a stalemate in coordinating a date for their semifinal game, while the Stockton Cougars, who had already achieved a berth in the final, waited in the wings. The delays in scheduling, coupled with the recent sale of the Cougars, made it impossible for them to participate.
"The Cougars agreed to bow out of the tournament so that we can conclude this year's and start laying the framework for next year's," said PASL-Pro Commissioner Kevin Milliken. "The Cougars have several players already playing with their summer outdoor teams and they are rebuilding their front office from the ground up and currently don't even have a coach so the league, the Cougars, the Illusion and the Waza all agreed this was the best way to move forward under the circumstances. Certainly next year we want the entire tournament to be contained within the timeframe of the regular season."
Detroit finished the regular season 7-9 after an 0-6 start. They finished 6-2 at home, including a season-ending 15-7 rout of the Illusion on March 8. St. Louis, who struggled down the stretch, finished 8-8 and throttled Detroit 15-5 and 13-8 in their two previous meetings.
Detroit beat the West Virginia Quantum Force and upset 1790 Cincinnati to reach the final. St. Louis took out the Kansas City Kings to advance.
Kickoff for the Championship is at 7:15pm in the Glen Carbon facility.
Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from April 13, 2009
- Detroit and St. Louis to Compete for US Open Championship - PASL
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