Cougars, 1790 Express Clinch Playoffs
2/26/10 - The playoffs are coming into focus and all of the slots could be determined this weekend. Four of the six overall playoff spots have been clinched.
La Raza de Jalisco and Sidekicks del Estado de Mexico of the LMFR and the 1790 Cincinnati Express and California Cougars of the PASL-Pro have qualified.
Cincinnati (11-4) wrapped up their second straight Eastern Division title with a 5-3 road win over the St. Louis Illusion. California (12-4) clinched last night with a 9-6 win over the Edmonton Drillers.
The San Diego Sockers (11-3) are still waiting to get in despite their runaway 11-1 record to start the season. Not only would they qualify with a win in either of their two home games this weekend, but they would also win the Western Division.
The Louisville Lightning (10-5) needs a miracle to supplant the Sockers and advance to the postseason. Louisville must win tonight against the Detroit Waza, but they also need the Sockers to lose their last two home games. San Diego is 6-0 at Del Mar Arena this season.
In the CMISL the Saskatoon Accelerators can clinch their first CMISL title with a win Sunday when Calgary visits Saskatoon. If Calgary wins by more than two goals, however and sweeps their final two games against Winnipeg, they can still steal the title from Saskatoon’s clutches. The CMISL champion will be the final of six teams going to san Diego.
PASL-Pro Game Action
Louisville got a memorable win last Friday before a franchise-record 1,547 fans at Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club. The Lightning beat Cincinnati for the first time and kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-5 win. The win only delayed the inevitable, however, as the Express clinched the division two days later in St. Louis.
The Saskatoon Accelerators got a huge road win in Calgary Saturday, 6-4. The United had previously been unbeaten at home.
KICK STARTERS - Conversations you should be having about the PASL-Pro
Allen Eller, Ohio Vortex
Eller joined Kraig Chiles and Jeff Hughes in the 30-goal club with a spectacular six goal performance in Detroit on Saturday that also gave the Vortex its first ever home win. More amazing is that Eller now has two six-goal nights this season.
Viva la Revolucion
Revolucion Tijuana is the only team to beat the California Cougars and the San Diego Sockers this season after pinning a 9-6 loss on the Sockers Saturday. Tijuana, however, is 2-4 overall in their seven game series against California and San Diego.
Ohio at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre
The Vortex will play a doubleheader Saturday in Winnipeg and the games will be played at the 15,000 season MTS Centre. This is the only time this year that the Alliance will utilize the larger facility, but they are expecting a crowd that would be the highest of any PASL-Pro or CMISL game this year. The largest crowd so far is 2,997 in Stockton for the Stars of Mexico game in November and the largest regular season crowd so far is 1,862 also in Stockton.
The Week Ahead
Fri, February 26, 2010
7:00 pm San Diego Sockers vs Revolucion Tijuana Del Mar Arena
7:30 pm Louisville Lightning vs Detroit Waza Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club
Sat, February 27, 2010
2:00 pm Winnipeg Alliance vs Ohio Vortex MTS Centre
4:00 pm Winnipeg Alliance vs Ohio Vortex MTS Centre
6:15 pm San Diego Sockers vs Edmonton Drillers Del Mar Arena
7:00 pm Texas Outlaws vs Nino Soccer Club TCG Arena at NYTEX Sports Centre
8:00 pm 1790 Cincinnati Express vs Detroit Waza Game Time Training Center
Sun, February 28, 2010
12:00 pm Saskatoon Accelerators vs Calgary United Henk Ruys Soccer Centre
