It would have been hard to pick two more unlikely finalists in the 24-team A-League than this year’s pair. The Milwaukee Rampage, a team that didn’t clinch a berth in the playoffs until the last day of the regular season, hosts the Carolina Dynamo, which began the year at 4-7, in the A-League final Sept. 27 at Uihlein Park. Milwaukee, coached by former U.S. national team coach Bob Gansler, eliminated the Vancouver 86ers, the last remaining team from the old A-League, in three games to take the Western Conference finals. Carolina swept Long Island, 2-0 and 2-1, in the Eastern Conference finals. The hero for Milwaukee was Dan Stebbins, who had a hat trick in Game 1 to give the Rampage a 3-1 win, its fifth straight victory in the playoffs. Vancouver won Game 2, 1-0, on a Dominic Mobilio penalty kick, but the Rampage won the mini-game, 3-0 in a shootout, after it ended 0-0. Stebbins, Eddy Berdusco and Nick Igel all scored for the Rampage. Carmine Isacco, Milwaukee’s Canadian keeper, stopped all three 86er shootout attempts. “It’s a heart-breaking way to lose but them’s the rules and you’ve got to abide by it,” 86er coach Carl Valentine told reporters after the game. Vancouver ù which lost youngsters Steve Kindel and Chris Clarke to Greek club OFI Crete on the eve of the Milwaukee series ù had eliminated California and Seattle in shootouts to advance to the conference final. Stebbins, picked up by the Dallas Burn from the Rampage in this winter’s MLS supplemental draft, played just one game in MLS before returning to Milwaukee late in the season. Berdusco, who had the winning goal for Canada in its only victory in World Cup qualifying this year, was acquired from Montreal in a midseason trade. Carolina’s sweep was a change from the first two rounds of the playoffs when it needed mini-games to oust Richmond and Charleston. Brian Loftin had both goals at Long Island, the second on a penalty kick in the 89th minute after he chipped Rough Riders goalie Manuel Carou and defender Kevin Anderson batted the obvious goal away. He had the first goal back home at Carolina’s Simone Stadium two days later. The second Carolina goal in High Point came on an own goal. Loftin is shooting for his second pro title this year. He won the NPSL title this spring with the Kansas City Attack. Carolina, which will probably move next season to Baltimore, made wholesale changes on its roster for the move up to the A-League. It won two USISL titles in 1993 and 1994.