SACRAMENTO, CA (07/08/10) - With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, the playoff picture in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) has become much more clear, as both favorites & upstarts alike have begun to drift out of focus. Taking a look at the respective conference races, the sprint down the stretch promises to be a tight one with the 2010 WPSL Final Four hosted by Dallas Premier this July 31-August 1 as the destination.

Speaking of the hosts, defending Big Sky-South Division champion Dallas Premier (2-1-2, 8 points) has their work cut out for them, as they will need to win out with some help from local rivals Forth Worth (3-1-1, 10pts) to qualify for the WPSL post-season. Both sides travel to face off against division leader Oklahoma Alliance F.C. (4-1-0, 12pts) and cellar dwellers Tulsa (0-4-1) this weekend, and if both are victorious then the division/season will come down to their local derby hosted by Fort Worth on Friday, July 6th at 7:00 p.m.

Dallas will need to win that match if they want to host the Big Sky-North Division winner on Thursday, July 29th for the final spot in the WPSL National Championship. The Big Sky-North race is even that much more of a question mark, as four teams are separated by four points with only three games remaining in the regular season.

Upstart Phoenix (3-0-2, 11pts) barely leads the pack with defending division champion Arizona (2-0-3, 9pts) right behind, with both teams hosting last-place F.C. St. George (0-6-0) this weekend. If both sides win, the season will come down to their road trip to Utah next weekend, as the Utah Starrz (2-1-2, 8pts) and Salt Lake City Sparta (2-2-1, 7pts) host the two Arizona teams with the division title essentially up for grabs.

Farther west, the Pacific Conference has its own share of drama as the season winds down. The defending North & South Division champions California Storm (8-1-0, 24pts) & Ajax America (5-2-0, 15pts) respectively have pole position on their repeat bids, but for the latter, their season may go down to the last result as the 2009 WPSL National Finalists can still miss the conference playoffs.

After a tough start to their 2010 season, San Diego (4-3-1, 13pts) has put together a string of strong results to get back into the race while LAFC Chelsea has been solid all summer (5-3-0, 15pts). LAFC and Ajax host SD United (3-3-1, 7pts) while with a win over cellar dwellers PSSCV (1-6-0) this weekend San Diego can set up a possible playoff-clinching match on Sunday, July 18th, when they host Ajax in their last match of the regular season.

The Pacific-South will host the four-team conference playoff the weekend of July 24-25, as the top two sides in each division battle it out for another spot in the 2010 Final Four. Unless California falls apart in their last three matches, the Brandi Chastain & Sissi-led squad should make the post-season while newcomers North Bay F.C. (6-2-0, 18pts) can cement their spot in second-place with a positive result at the Storm this Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. kick-off at Inderkum High School.

If the Wave lose, that result will open the door for a four-team race for second-place going into the last weekend of the regular season. Clovis (5-5-0, 15pts) can still keep themselves in the race when they host North Bay F.C. this Sunday, July 11th at 3:30 p.m. at Redwood H.S. BSC Portland (4-3-0, 12pts) and Spokane (4-4-0, 12pts) haven't been mathematically-eliminated with the latter playing three of their four remaining matches against the bottom two sides in the division: F.C. Sacramento (0-8-0) and San Francisco (3-6-0).

In the Midwest Conference, races in both divisions are tight ones as well, with the top two sides will battling it out the weekend of July 17-18 (host TBD) with the winner facing the Sunshine Conference champion the weekend of July 24-25 for the third spot in the 2010 Final Four. In the North Division, F.C. Milwaukee (4-1-0, 12pts) earned a critical 2-1 victory over Chicago Eclipse (3-1-0, 9pts) this past Tuesday, splitting their season series with the Select.

With two matches remaining, Iowa (3-3-0, 9pts) haven't been mathematically-eliminated yet and can throw a wrench in Chicago's post-season plans tomorrow night when they travel to Libertyville Soccer Complex for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off. After that match, both Chicago and F.C. Milwaukee face off against the bottom two sides in Madison (2-3-0) & win-less KUFC Pursuit, however, the latter sides' playoff plans could depend on their last match vs. the 56ers this Wednesday, July 14th.

In the Midwest-South, Fort Wayne F.C. (5-1-0, 16pts) has put together a strong run of play including a 2-0 win at Carmel United S.C. (1-5-1) last night with a vital showdown tonight, hosting second-place side Classics Hammer F.C. (5-2-2, 17pts) in their final game of the 2010 season. Fort Wayne still has their two-game road trip to St. Louis to navigate this weekend, while defending division champion OP Elite (6-1-2, 20 pts) hosts Carmel this Tuesday in the division finale.

The Midwest's opponent for the Final Four playoff spot looks to be the FSA Freedom (4-0-2, 12pts), who still have work to do as defending Sunshine Conference champion Miami (2-1-2, 8pts) still has a mathematical chance to catch them. The Kickers will have to win out - they host South Florida (0-6-1) tomorrow and can knock Palm Beach (3-2-1, 10pts) out of the race on the road this Sunday - including the regular season finale at FSA on Saturday, July 17th.

The new three-division format in the East Conference will usher in a revised post-season setup: two teams from each division will qualify for the East playoffs that start Saturday, July 17th with the top three teams being seeded 1-3 based on regular season results. The East Semifinals will kick-off on Tuesday & Wednesday, July 20-21 at the highest remaining seeds with the Final slated for Saturday, July 24th.

The 2009 WPSL National Champion Long Island Fury (7-2-0 East-Central, 21pts) and the Boston Aztec Breakers Reserves (7-0-1 East-Northeast, 22pts) have already clinched spots in the conference playoffs. The race for the second team from the Central Division will go down to the wire: Long Island can derail New York A.C. (4-4-0, 12pts) this Saturday; 2009 East Finalist Millburn (3-4-1, 10pts) can jump NYAC with two wins and a Fury victory this weekend; while BuxMont (3-5-1, 10pts) is still not mathematically-eliminated with a possible playoff showdown looming at Millburn this Sunday.

The Breakers Reserves sister team - Aztec U-23 (5-1-1, 16pts) - are in the lead for the second spot from the Northeast Division, as they only need to earn four of the remaining nine points to secure their first-ever playoff appearance. This past Tuesday, Aztec U-23 knocked the New England Mutiny (3-3-3) out of the playoffs for only the second time in eight seasons with a 3-0 shutout victory.

About the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL): The WPSL is a 50-plus team national league with five conferences starting in 2010 and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to: bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.

For more information, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info, phone us at 1-800-854-0913 or contact us via email at media@wpslsoccer.com. You can also keep up with our league on our social media networking sites on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!!

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