USL Restructures Pro Divisions
City Islanders to play in USL Second Division in 2005; season tickets now on sale

(Harrisburg, PA, November 10, 2004) – United Soccer Leagues announced Wednesday that the organization and its member professional teams have restructured its two professional leagues, the A-League and Pro Soccer League, to form a new two-tiered professional division. The two tiers of USL’s professional division will be officially referred to as the USL First Division and USL Second Division.

For the 2005 campaign, the Harrisburg City Islanders will participate in the USL Second Division, which will field a total of nine eastern-based teams aligned in a single-table format. The Charlotte Eagles, Long Island Rough Riders, New Hampshire Phantoms, Northern Virginia Royals, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Western Mass Pioneers, and Wilmington Hammerheads all make the transition after competing in the PSL in 2004, and an expansion franchise in Cincinnati will round out the Second Division field. Three PSL sides from a year ago, the California Gold, San Diego Gauchos, and Westchester Flames, have moved to the Premier Development League, while the Utah Blitzz will not compete in the USL this season.

The USL Second Division will play a 20-game regular season with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs. A two-leg, aggregate score system will be utilized for the semifinals, which will be followed by a single-game championship. The host of the championship will be determined by a bid process between the two participants.

Season tickets for Harrisburg’s 2005 home slate (10 games) are now on sale. Ticket prices will remain the same as a season ago, with General Admission, Reserved, and Club Paradise packages available from $100 - $250 for adults and starting at just $50 for youth. Tickets are available by calling 717-441-GOAL and will be available online at www.cityislanders.com in the near future. The 2005 USL Second Division schedule is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The USL First Division will also employ a single-table format featuring 12 teams: the Atlanta Silverbacks, Charleston Battery, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, Portland Timbers, Puerto Rico Islanders, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Raging Rhinos, Seattle Sounders, Toronto Lynx, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Virginia Beach Mariners. Henceforth, the First Division will field a maximum of 16 teams.

The changes were approved at the USL’s recently-completed organizational meetings in Florida, where the City Islanders were presented with the PSL’s 2004 Marketing Excellence Award, becoming the first expansion franchise in USL history to attain that honor.

The Harrisburg City Islanders will begin their second season of play in the summer of 2005. The club’s inaugural campaign was marked by a 10-7-3 record, a playoff appearance, and three sellouts at Skyline Sports Complex on City Island. For more information on the City Islanders, call 717-441-GOAL, or visit www.cityislanders.com.