PDL Playoffs: Laredo Heat headed to El Paso
The Mid-South Division Runner-Up Laredo Heat Soccer Club (9-7-0 / 27 points) will open the 2005 Premier Development League (PDL) Southern Conference Championship Tournament on Friday, July 29, 2005 versus the Southeast Division Champion Cocoa Expos (11-3-2 / 35 points). The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM MST (7:00 PM Laredo Time) at Patriot Stadium in El Paso, TX.
The PDL playoffs are set up as a single elimination tournament and the Conference Championship Tournaments start the action off this weekend throughout the country. The Central Conference Tournament will be hosted in Des Moines, Iowa by the Des Moines Menace, the Eastern Conference Tournament will be hosted by the Ocean City Barons from Ocean City, New Jersey and the Western Conference Tournament will be hosted in Newport Beach, California by the Orange County Blue Star. For this 2005 PDL campaign, only 16 teams out of 54 made the PDL Playoffs.
Joining the Laredo Heat SC and Cocoa Expos in the Southern Conference Championship Tournament is the host team, El Paso Patriots, the Mid-South Division Champions and the Central Florida Kraze, runner-ups in the Southeast Division. The Patriots and Kraze will play right after the Heat and Expos game on Friday, July 29th at 8:30 PM MST.
The Central Florida Kraze is the defending 2004 PDL Champions.
Laredo Heat SC Head Coach, Israel Collazo, said, "I'm excited for the players and the experience that they will encounter in El Paso this weekend". Collazo, added, "This opportunity will make them better soccer players and their futures can only benefit from this."
Collazo, concluded, "The team is ready, both physically and mentally. We are headed to El Paso injury free and that itself is a huge plus."
The Laredo Heat will be practicing at United Day School, located on McPherson Rd. next to Doctors Hospital, on Tuesday, July 26th and Wednesday, July 27th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The team will depart to El Paso right after practice on Wednesday at 9:00 PM from the La Quinta Inn and Suites located at 7220 Bob Bullock Loop, next to the LEC.
For additional information on the Laredo Heat Soccer Club and complete game schedule and updates, please visit their web site at www.laredoheatsc.com
