# 2008 PDL season

The 2008 USL Premier Development League season was the 14th season of the PDL. The regular season started on April 26, 2008, and ended on July 20, 2008. The league consisted of 67 teams across 10 divisions with the addition of the Midwest and New England divisions. The playoffs began on July 22, 2008, and ended with the PDL Championship Game on August 9, 2008.
Thunder Bay Chill finished the season as national champions, beating Laredo Heat on penalty kicks after a 1–1 tie in the PDL Championship game in Laredo, Texas on 9 August 2008.
Michigan Bucks finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 13 out of their 16 games, suffering just one loss, and finishing with a +27 goal difference.
Yakima Reds striker Junior Garcia was the league's top scorer and MVP, knocking in 15 goals. Fresno Fuego's Fabricio Codeceira led the league with 13 assists, while Austin Aztex U23 keeper Miguel Gallardo enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals-against average of 0.615 per game, and keeping 9 clean sheets in his 13 games.

## Changes from 2007
### Name changes

* Abbotsford Rangers changed their name to the Abbotsford Mariners to reflect the name of their parent organization.
* Los Angeles Storm changed their name to the Los Angeles Legends to reflect the name of their parent organization.
* The expansion Austin Stampede were renamed the Aztex U23 after the Austin Aztex USL-1 franchise was announced for 2009 and acquired controlling interest in the PDL team.

### New franchises

* Nine franchises joined the league this year, including six brand new teams:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
| Austin Aztex U23 | Greater Austin area | Round Rock, TX | expansion |
| Cincinnati Kings | Greater Cincinnati area | Wilder, KY | relegated from USL-2 |
| Houston Leones | Greater Houston area | Richmond, TX | expansion |
| Kalamazoo Outrage | Kalamazoo area | Kalamazoo, MI | expansion |
| New Hampshire Phantoms | Hillsborough County area | Manchester, NH | relegated from USL-2 |
| New Jersey Rangers | Northern New Jersey area | Denville, NJ | expansion |
| Newark Ironbound Express | Newark area | Newark, NJ | expansion |
| Panama City Pirates | Panama City area | Panama City Beach, FL | expansion |
| Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | Metro Vancouver area | Burnaby, BC | transferred from PCSL |

### Folding

* Five teams left the league prior to the beginning of the season:
** Albany Admirals - Schenectady, New York
** Austin Lightning - Austin, Texas
** Cocoa Expos - Cocoa, Florida
** Delaware Dynasty - New Castle, Delaware
** Sioux Falls Spitfire - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

## Final standings

* Legend
* Team won the Division Title
* Team qualified for playoff berth

### Central Conference
#### Great Lakes Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Michigan Bucks | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 13 | +27 | 41 |
| 2 | Cleveland Internationals | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 19 | +22 | 33 |
| 3 | Toronto Lynx | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 26 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Kings | 16 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 32 | −18 | 12 |
| 5 | West Virginia Chaos | 16 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 10 |

#### Midwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Chicago Fire Premier | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 30 |
| 2 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 26 |
| 3 | Indiana Invaders | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 22 |
| 4 | Fort Wayne Fever | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 33 | −17 | 11 |
| 5 | West Michigan Edge | 16 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 40 | −22 | 10 |

#### Heartland Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 17 | +25 | 40 |
| 2 | Colorado Rapids U23's | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 25 | +9 | 27 |
| 3 | Des Moines Menace | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 26 |
| 4 | St. Louis Lions | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 25 |
| 5 | Kansas City Brass | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 19 |
| 6 | Springfield Demize | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 48 | −40 | 0 |
The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The Conference champion receives a bye into the Conference Semifinals, with the third place team from that division receiving a playoff berth.

### Eastern Conference
#### Mid Atlantic Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Reading Rage | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 12 | +20 | 35 |
| 2 | Fredericksburg Gunners | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 24 |
| 3 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 21 |
| 4 | Virginia Legacy | 16 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 31 | −15 | 16 |
| 5 | Northern Virginia Royals | 16 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 14 |
| 6 | Richmond Kickers Future | 16 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 17 | 27 | −10 | 12 |

#### New England Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Cape Cod Crusaders | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 16 | +17 | 31 |
| 2 | Ottawa Fury | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 30 |
| 3 | Vermont Voltage | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 30 | −2 | 25 |
| 4 | New Hampshire Phantoms | 16 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 13 |
| 5 | Rhode Island Stingrays | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 38 | −17 | 11 |

#### Northeast Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Brooklyn Knights | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 33 | 17 | +16 | 34 |
| 2 | Newark Ironbound Express | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 17 | +16 | 30 |
| 3 | Long Island Rough Riders | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 28 |
| 4 | Westchester Flames | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 23 |
| 5 | Ocean City Barons | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 23 |
| 6 | New Jersey Rangers | 16 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 42 | −30 | 8 |
The Division Champions and the Second Place team with the most points qualify for the playoffs.

### Southern Conference
#### Mid South Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Austin Aztex U23 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 31 |
| 2 | Laredo Heat | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 28 |
| 3 | El Paso Patriots | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 27 |
| 4 | Mississippi Brilla | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 24 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge Capitals | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 22 |
| 6 | DFW Tornados | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 21 |
| 7 | New Orleans Shell Shockers | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 18 |
| 8 | Houston Leones | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 38 | −21 | 11 |

#### Southeast Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Central Florida Kraze | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 18 | +20 | 35 |
| 2 | Bradenton Academics | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 37 | 13 | +24 | 34 |
| 3 | Cary RailHawks U23's | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 29 |
| 4 | Atlanta Silverbacks U23's | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 29 | +9 | 28 |
| 5 | Panama City Pirates | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 35 | 20 | +15 | 24 |
| 6 | Carolina Dynamo | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 23 |
| 7 | Nashville Metros | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 42 | −30 | 9 |
| 8 | Palm Beach Pumas | 16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 62 | −53 | −1 |
* ↑ Palm Beach deducted 4 points for failing to fulfil three fixtures.

### Western Conference
#### Northwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Tacoma Tide | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 46 | 23 | +23 | 34 |
| 2 | Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 14 | +20 | 34 |
| 3 | Yakima Reds | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 31 | 25 | +6 | 28 |
| 4 | BYU Cougars | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 24 |
| 5 | Ogden Outlaws | 16 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 20 |
| 6 | Abbotsford Mariners | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 32 | −6 | 18 |
| 7 | Cascade Surge | 16 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 35 | −18 | 14 |
| 8 | Spokane Spiders | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 20 | 43 | −23 | 11 |

#### Southwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | San Fernando Valley Quakes | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 30 |
| 2 | Fresno Fuego | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 29 |
| 3 | Ventura County Fusion | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 27 |
| 4 | San Francisco Seals | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 27 |
| 5 | San Jose Frogs | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 24 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Legends | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 22 |
| 7 | Bakersfield Brigade | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 19 |
| 8 | Orange County Blue Star | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 18 |
| 9 | Southern California Seahorses | 16 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 27 | −12 | 14 |
| 10 | Lancaster Rattlers | 16 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 39 | −21 | 10 |
The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs.

## Playoffs

The Divisional Round for the Central Conference took place July 22–23, 2008, with the Conference Championships taking place between July 25–27. The PDL Semifinals took place on August 2, and the final was played on August 9.

### Playoff bracket

| Divisional Round | Divisional Round | Divisional Round | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | PDL Championship Game | PDL Championship Game | PDL Championship Game |
| | | | | | C1 | Michigan Bucks | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage (AET) | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| MW1 | Chicago Fire Premier | 0 | | | MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage (AET) | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 2 | | | | | | MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | MW2 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | Central Conference | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 4 | | | | | | | |
| HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 3 | | | | | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 4 | | | | |
| HL2 | Colorado Rapids U23's | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| HL2 | Colorado Rapids U23's | 1 | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | GL1 | Cleveland Internationals | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| GL1 | Cleveland Internationals | 2 | | | GL1 | Cleveland Internationals | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| GL2 | Toronto Lynx | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| GL2 | Toronto Lynx | 1 | | | | | | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | NW2 | Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | 1 | | | |
| | | | | | NW1 | Tacoma Tide | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SW2 | Fresno Fuego | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | NW1 | Tacoma Tide | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | NW1 | Tacoma Tide | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | NW2 | Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SW1 | San Fernando Valley Quakes | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | NW2 | Vancouver Whitecaps Residency (AET) | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | HL1 | Thunder Bay Chill (AET/PSO) | 1 (4) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MS2 | Laredo Heat | 1 (1) |
| | | | | | MA | Reading Rage (AET) | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | WC | Newark Ironbound Express | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | MA | Reading Rage | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | MA | Reading Rage | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | NE | Brooklyn Knights | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | NE | Brooklyn Knights (AET/PSO) | 0 (5) | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | NWE | Cape Cod Crusaders | 0 (3) | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | MA | Reading Rage | 0 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | MS2 | Laredo Heat | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | MS1 | Austin Aztex U23 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SE2 | Bradenton Academics | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | MS1 | Austin Aztex U23 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | MS1 | Austin Aztex U23 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | MS2 | Laredo Heat | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | SE1 | Central Florida Kraze | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | MS2 | Laredo Heat | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |

### PDL final
## Awards and All-League team

F: Carlos Araujo (Central Florida Kraze); Felix Garcia (Laredo Heat) (U19 Player of the Year); Junior Garcia (Yakima Reds) (league MVP) M: Will Beaugé (Ottawa Fury); Fabricio Codeceira (Fresno Fuego); Adam Gazda (Reading Rage); Nate Jafta (Michigan Bucks) D: Darrius Barnes (Cary RailHawks U23's); Mike Holody (Michigan Bucks); Norberto Papandrea (Austin Aztex U23) (Defender of the Year) G: Miguel Gallardo (Austin Aztex U23) (Goalkeeper of the Year) Coach: Wolfgang Suhnholz (Austin Aztex U23)