TAMPA, Fla. – The field for the 2013 USL PRO Playoffs was set late on Saturday night as the Dayton Dutch Lions took a 3-1 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders to claim the final playoff berth and advance to the postseason for the first time in club history. The USL PRO Playoffs kick off on Saturday, August 24 after a dramatic final day that saw playoff seeding come down to the final game of the season.
Dayton fell behind early against Harrisburg as Coady Andrews gave the City Islanders’ a second-minute lead from a corner kick. The Dutch Lions rallied, however, as goals by Eli Garner, Gibson Bardsley and Brandon Swartzendruber in a 13-minute span gave their side a 3-1 lead with just over 20 minutes to play. The Dutch Lions’ victory also kept the City Islanders in fourth place, leaving the Charleston Battery to claim the No. 3 seed.
Dayton’s victory denied 2012 Finalist Wilmington Hammerheads a place in the postseason, with the club’s one-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player earlier in the season proving the difference as they took a 4-1 win against Antigua. The Los Angeles Blues took a 2-1 win against Rochester to earn the No. 6 seed in the final game of the season, with Matt Fondy scoring a stoppage-time winner to give him 10 goals in 10 games since joining the Blues in midseason.
The 2013 USL PRO Playoffs will open with four quarterfinals next Saturday, with the No. 4-seed Harrisburg City Islanders hosting the No. 5-seed Charlotte Eagles at Skyline Sports Complex at 2 p.m. ET. The two teams split a pair of regular-season meetings, with both teams winning on the others’ home field. Charlotte earned a 2-1 win in the last meeting between the teams on August 7, with Christian Ramirez recording a goal and assist as they rallied from an early deficit.
The Richmond Kickers will host the Dutch Lions at City Stadium at 7 p.m. as they aim to add to their regular season championship with the club’s first title since 2009. The Kickers took victory in both of their meetings with Dayton this season, including a 5-2 victory at City Stadium on August 10 that saw both Matt Delicate and Brian Ownby score a pair of goals.
Defending USL PRO champion the Charleston Battery will open the postseason against the No. 6-seed Los Angeles Blues at Blackbaud Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the two teams having split their home-and-home regular-season series. The Blues won the most recent meeting between the two teams, 2-1, in Los Angeles, but the Battery will enter confident having taken a 3-0 victory at home on July 27.
No. 2-seed Orlando City will open the playoffs against No. 7-seed the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at the Florida Citrus Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Riverhounds were one of the few teams to find success against the Lions this season, recording shutouts in both of their meetings as they took a 1-0 win in Florida on August 3 in their last meeting.
2013 USL PRO PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Saturday, August 24
No. 4 Harrisburg vs. No. 5 Charlotte, 2 p.m. ET, Skyline Sports Complex
No. 1 Richmond vs. No. 8 Dayton, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium
No. 2 Orlando vs. No. 7 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. ET, Florida Citrus Bowl
No. 3 Charleston vs. No. 6 Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. ET, Blackbaud Stadium
FINAL STANDINGS
Team
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
GD
Points
c-Richmond
26
15
1
10
51
24
+27
55
p-Orlando
26
16
4
6
54
26
+28
54
p-Charleston
26
13
7
6
48
29
+19
45
p-Harrisburg
26
14
10
2
55
39
+16
44
p-Charlotte
26
10
5
11
44
39
+5
41
p-Los Angeles
26
11
8
7
52
37
+15
40
p-Pittsburgh
26
10
8
8
36
33
+3
38
p-Dayton
26
10
9
7
43
46
-3
37
Wilmington (-1)
26
11
11
4
35
39
-4
36
Tampa Bay
26
9
12
5
41
39
+2
32
Rochester
26
6
10
10
25
39
-14
28
Phoenix
26
5
14
7
28
41
-13
22
Antigua
26
0
26
0
11
91
-80
0
c – regular season champion
p – clinched place in playoffs
RESULTS
Wednesday, August 14
Richmond 2, Orlando 0
Wilmington 4, Pittsburgh 1
Thursday, August 15
Charleston 3, Antigua 0
Friday, August 16
Tampa Bay 3, Charlotte 3
Rochester 4, Phoenix 3
Saturday, August 17
Pittsburgh 1, Richmond 1
Dayton 3, Harrisburg 1
Orlando 1, Charlotte 1
Wilmington 4, Antigua 1
Los Angeles 2, Rochester 1