Cocoa Expo Press Releases

W- League Press Release:

2006 W-League Schedule announced

W-League season kicks off May 6

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the W-League regular season schedule for 2006. The season begins with the Atlanta Silverbacks visiting the Carolina Dynamo Saturday, May 6.

The season really gets under way the following week with 11 games the following weekend, including matches featuring three of the four 2005 W-League semifinalists. On Saturday, May 13 the semifinalist Central Florida Krush play host to the Dynamo, the defending champion New Jersey Wildcats visit the Long Island Lady Riders and the 2004 champion Vancouver Whitecaps host the rival Seattle Sounders.

The next day features the first game featuring an expansion team as the Cocoa Expos host the Dynamo. In a showdown of first-year sides, the Hamilton Avalanche visit the Laval Comets Sunday, May 20 in the inaugural game for both teams. The Minnesota Thunder’s new W-League team will start their season May 27.

Also on May 27, the 2005 finalist Ottawa Fury open their campaign at home against Hamilton.

The season wraps up with 22 games on the final weekend of play July 21-23 with seven games on the final day of the season.

The playoffs begin the next week following the same format as 2005.

The Eastern Conference regular season champion will receive a bye and host the conference tournament as the two divisions hold playoff games to determine who advances. During the week, the top two teams in the Northern Division with face off while the top four teams in the Northeast play (1-v-4, 2-v-3) to determine the two other participants for the conference tournament to be held the first weekend of the postseason.

The Central Conference will feature the top two teams from each division playing in a conference tournament at the site of one of the participants the first weekend of the postseason.

The Western Conference playoffs consists of a conference championship game between the top two teams at the site of the higher seed the first weekend of the postseason.

The W-League Championship tournament will be held August 4-6 at a site to be determined. The host team, to be determined, will receive a bye to the semifinals, joining the three conference champions.