By Nathaniel Gould
The A-League playoffs kick off Wednesday with four first-round series. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences — the top two finishers in each division and the fifth and sixth best finishers in each conference — have qualified. The top two seeds in each conference have first-round byes.
The first three rounds are two-game series decided on aggregate goals. The final (Sept. 28) is one game.
First-round preview:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
* Montreal Impact (3rd seed) vs. Charlotte Eagles (6th)
First leg: Sept. 4 in Charlotte
Second leg: Sept. 8 in Montreal
Montreal swept Charlotte in the season regular (1-0, 3-2). Montreal, the 1994 champion, returns to the postseason for the first time since 1998. It relies heavily on Eduardo Sebrango (18 goals). Charlotte barely made the playoffs, winning its last three games after going winless in the previous seven outings. Dustin Swinehart leads the Eagles with 10 goals and 6 assists.
Winner meets Charleston Battery (1st) in conference semifinals
* Atlanta Silverbacks (5th) vs. Richmond Kickers (4th)
First leg: Sept. 5 in Richmond
Second leg: Sept. 8 in Atlanta
Richmond beat Atlanta in all four encounters this season, outscoring it 11 to 3. Josh Henderson, Richmond's leading scorer (13 goals, 2 assists), struck just once against Atlanta, which acquired former MLS veteran goalkeeper Jeff Cassar (1.39 GAA, 2 shutouts) late in the season. Brian Piesner (7, 10) and Velko Iotov (10, 2) lead Atlanta in scoring.
Winner meets Rochester Raging Rhinos (2nd) in conference semifinals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
* Minnesota Thunder (3rd seed) vs. El Paso Patriots (6th)
First leg: Sept. 5 in El Paso
Second leg: Sept. 7 in Minnesota (live, Fox Sports World, 8 pm ET)
Both regular-season clashes went to overtime — a 0-0 draw in El Paso and a 4-3 El Paso win in Minnesota. Minnesota has relied primarily on John Menyongar (10 goals, 11 assists) and Johnny Torres (12, 5). Minnesota stormed through August, going 6-2-0 and outscoring opponents 23-9. Minnesota missed last year's playoffs after reaching the final three straight times, including its 1999 victory. El Paso is the only playoff team to have a negative goal differential (38-48). Daniel Frias (9, 3) and Luis Renato DaGama (8, 1) lead El Paso in scoring.
Winner meets Seattle Sounders (1st) in conference semifinals
* Portland Timbers (4th) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (5th)
First leg: Sept. 5 in Portland
Second leg: Sept. 8 in Vancouver
Portland and Vancouver split the series with two wins each. Portland's McKinley Tennyson (18 goals, 6 assists) and Fadi Afash (18, 0) tied with Eduardo Sebrango (Montreal) for the scoring title. Vancouver finished the regular season with a 3-1 win over Portland in Vancouver. Jason Jordan finished the regular season as the Whitecaps' leading scorer (9 goals, 2 assists).
Winner meets Milwaukee (2nd) in conference semifinals