New England Teams Start on W-League Opening Night

Boston Renegades and Connecticut FC Gear Up for Opener

January 18, 2008

TAMPA, FL – The Boston Renegades and the expansion Connecticut FC are two of the 18 clubs that will see action on the USL's W-League Opening Night on Saturday, May 10.

The eight-game slate features the debut of six expansion sides, including Connecticut, and marks the 15-year anniversary of the now 41-team league.

The Renegades host Jersey Sky Blue at a time to be determined while Connecticut kicks off its existence at the New York Magic, time also TBD.

The other two New England teams, the Western Mass. Lady Pioneers and the Vermont Lady Voltage, open May 18 and 23, respectively. The Lady Pioneers host the Toronto Lady Lynx on Sunday the 18th and the Lady Voltage host the Laval Comets on Friday the 23rd.

Opening Night 2008 is a lot different than opening night 15 years ago when 18 teams took the field for exhibitions and a pilot tournament to test the waters for a women’s elite soccer league. That tournament led to the 1995 debut of what is now a 41-team W-League that stretches across North America and helped produce 33 W-League alumni in the Four Nations tournament currently underway in China and 54 players that were on Women’s World Cup rosters last fall.

Besides Connecticut, five other expansion sides make their debut that Saturday. The West Virginia Illusion host the Charlotte Lady Eagles, the Carolina RailHawks visit the Carolina Dynamo, and the Tampa Bay Hellenic host the Bradenton Athletics. The Ventura County Fusion will play host to fellow newcomer Pali Blues in the debut of W-League soccer in Los Angeles. Opening Night is rounded out with the Hampton Roads Piranhas, one of the inaugural W-League teams in 1995, visiting the 2007 finalist Atlanta Silverbacks, the Long Island Rough Riders playing host to the defending champion Washington Freedom and the Boston Renegades hosting Jersey Sky Blue.

The playoffs will begin almost immediately after the July 20th regular season finales with a midweek divisional playoff round. The three Conference Championship tournaments will be held July 25-27. The W-League Championship Tournament will be held August 1 and 3. The W-League Championship host is determined via a bid process with the host team receiving a bye to the W-League Semifinals August 1.