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Six more clinch A-League playoffs Posted: Thursday August 22, 2002 6:10 PMUpdated: Thursday August 22, 2002 6:24 PM
By Nathaniel Gould, Soccer America PLAYOFF PICTURE TAKES SHAPE: The Milwaukee Rampage, Minnesota Thunder, Rochester Rhinos, Montreal Impact, Richmond Kickers and Atlanta Silverbacks secured playoff bids this week, joining Seattle and Charleston as the first eight teams to reserve berths in the A-League's 12-team postseason field. Milwaukee cliched a berth with a 2-0 victory over the Cincinnati Riverhawks on goals by DIGITAL TAKAWIRA and RANKO GOLIJANIN. Minnesota's road wins over Portland and Seattle put the Thunder in. Minnesota and Milwaukee are now fighting it out for the Central Division title (in the Western Conference). El Paso, Portland, Vancouver and Cincinnati are vying for the three remaining Western Conference playoff spots. Cincinnati (38 points) is the farthest out. Portland is in the best shape with 50 points and two games in hand over El Paso (53) and Vancouver (49). Cincinnati has two games in hand but is 15th in the league in goals-scored and has difficult games ahead against Minnesota and Milwaukee. Cincinnati should have an easier time with Calgary and Pittsburgh, which are out of playoff contention. Fighting for the remaining playoff spot in the Eastern Conference is Toronto (43) and Charlotte (36). Both have three remaining games against teams that have secured a playoff berth. Toronto plays Rochester (twice) and Atlanta. Charlotte meets Richmond (twice) and Rochester. RECORD CROWD IN INDIANA: The Indiana Blast drew a record crowd of 4,557 last Saturday against the Rochester Rhinos. The previous club record was 3,511 against the Charleston Battery in 2000. Kuntz Stadium was built for the Pan American games in 1987 and holds 6,760. The 2-2 draw was televised on Fox Sports World. GANSLER INDUCTED INTO RAMPAGE HALL OF FAME: Kansas City Wizards coach BOB GANSLER, who guided the Milwaukee Rampage to the 1997 A-League title, will be inducted into the Rampage Hall of Fame. Gansler, whose stint with Milwaukee ended when his contract was not renewed after the 1998 season, will be honored when Kansas City takes on Milwaukee in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on quarterfinal on Saturday in Milwaukee. Gansler compiled a 44-30 record with the Rampage in three seasons. He took over in Kansas City in April 1999 and guided the Wizards to the MLS title in 2000.
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