USSF D-2 Minnesota United FC

Stars in the Thick of Playoff Hunt

Published on September 20, 2010 under U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (Sept. 18, 2010) -- Minnesota's professional soccer team, the NSC Minnesota Stars, is in the thick of the playoff hunt in the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 Pro League. With only one match to play, the Stars can lock up a berth with either a win or tie against FC Tampa Bay on Friday night or with a combination of results from the league's other teams.

The Stars could learn their fate Wednesday night, when AC St. Louis plays at Miami FC. Anything other than a St. Louis win would clinch a postseason berth for Minnesota, although seeding for the eight-team playoffs is still up in the air. The Stars could finish the season as high as the No. 6 seed and as low as the No. 8 seed. Currently, the team is in seventh place, one point ahead of the Puerto Rico Islanders, who have played one less game.

The USSF D-2 Pro League is divided into two conferences. The winner of each conference earns either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the playoffs. The remaining six berths are allocated according to the highest point total regardless of conference. Each playoff round will consist of two games, with each team involved getting a home game, and the winner decided by the most total goals scored across the two legs.

Five teams have secured playoff berth: Rochester Rhinos, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Austin Aztex, Portland Timbers and Carolina RailHawks. Four teams are still in contention for the final three spots: Montreal Impact, the Stars, Puerto Rico and St. Louis.

Currently, the USL Conference's Austin and Rochester are battling for the No. 1 seed. Rochester currently leads Austin by one point but has played one more game. In the NASL Conference, Vancouver and Carolina are battling for the top spot. Vancouver currently leads by three points, and both teams have two games left to play. The battle for first in the NASL Conference could be critical, as the runner-up in the conference could slip as low as the fifth seed in the playoffs, losing the privilege of picking when to play its home game.

Montreal, Minnesota and Puerto Rico are jockeying for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds at the moment, with St. Louis currently on the outside looking in and needing to win all three of its games, two of which are on the road, to have a chance at the postseason. The Stars, Montreal and Puerto Rico are all within one point of each other, so playoff seeding will come down to the season's final round of games. Montreal plays at arch-rival Vancouver before finishing the season at home against Austin. Puerto Rico finishes with road games at Carolina and Miami.

Should the Stars clinch a postseason berth, playoff tickets will go on sale immediately, although the date of the game may not be known until the first week of October when the regular season concludes.

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from September 20, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central