Rochester, MI (July 24, 2007) -- The 2006 North American Premier Development League (PDL) Champion Michigan Bucks begin their title defense with their opening playoff match this Friday night at Lake Orion High School.  The Great Lakes Division champion Bucks (11-2-3) will take on the second place finisher in the Heartland Division, St. Louis Lions (10-6) in the late game Friday (8:00 kick off).  The Chicago Fire Premier (8-4-4, second place Great Lakes Division) will take on the Thunder Bay Chill (10-3-3, Heartland Division champion) at 5:30 in the early game of the evening.  The PDL Central Conference champion will be determined when Friday night’s winners clash at Lake Orion High School on Saturday night (7:30 PM kickoff).

Tickets for Friday or Saturday’s matches are $10 Adult (16 and over) and $5 Youth (under 5 free).  For a limited time only, the Bucks are offering a Central Conference Playoff pass that you can purchase for $11 Adults and $6 Youth and will allow you seating at ALL three of the PDL playoff games held on the weekend of July 27-28.  Tickets can be purchased online until Friday at 12:00 noon.

Here is a brief look at each team’s history:

Michigan Bucks -- The Bucks won their first PDL title last year in their eleventh season and have qualified for the PDL playoffs in 11 of 12 campaigns.  The Bucks hold several PDL records, including most overall wins, most playoff wins and most playoff appearances in the 63 team league that covers the entire US and Canada.  The Bucks are led by leading scorer Kenny Uzoigwe (15 goals, 5 assists) and Nate Jafta (7 goals, 9 assists).  Both players are candidates for PDL player of the year.  Goalkeeper Steve Clark finished the season 11-0-3 and only conceded 10 goals in 14 games, including 6 shutouts.

Thunder Bay Chill -- The Chill began play in the PDL Heartland Division in 2000. This is their first season qualifying for the playoffs. They come into the postseason as Division champions with a record of 10-3-3 on 33 points. Brandon Swartzendruber (Midwestern State University, Wichita, TX) is the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals and 4 assists (30 points). Gustavo Oliveira (Brazil) is the creative force behind the team recording 5 goals and 13 assists for 23 points. Goalkeeper Stephen Paterson (Western Illinois) has recorded 7 shutouts in 15 matches.

St. Louis Lions -- The Lions began play in the PDL Heartland Division in 2006, finishing in 4th place. In just their second year the team  finished in 2nd place, earning a record of 10-6-0 (30 points), good enough to earn a playoff berth. Tommy Heinemann (Rockhurst  University, Kansas City) leads the team with 14 goals and 1 assist for 29 points. Jarius Holmes (McKendree University, Lebanon,  IL) heads into the playoffs with 7 goals and 7 assists for 21 points.

Chicago Fire Premier -- Founded in 2001, the Fire Premier have qualified for the playoffs every year since their inception into the league. This is the first year in the team’s existence in which they haven’t finished 1st in their division. The Fire Premier have more alumni playing professional soccer than any other team in the Premier Development League, with names including Jay DeMerit (Watford - ENG, US MNT), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United - ENG, US MNT), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA, - MLS, US MNT), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo, US MNT), and many others. The team has four players tied to the state of Michigan. Midfielders Nader Jarun, Peri Marosevic, and goalkeeper Patrick Sperry all play at the University of Michigan, while defender Rauwshan McKenzie plays for Michigan State.

For more information, please visit the Bucks web site at buckssoccer.com.