2008 PDL season
The 2008 USL Premier Development League season was the 14th season of the PDL. The regular season started on April 26, 2008, and ended on July 20, 2008. The playoffs began on July 22, 2008, and ended with the PDL Championship Game on August 9, 2008.
Thunder Bay Chill finished the season as national champions, beating Laredo Heat on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the PDL Championship game in Laredo, Texas on 9 August 2008.
Michigan Bucks finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 13 out of their 16 games, suffering just one loss, and finishing with a +27 goal difference.
Yakima Reds striker Junior Garcia was the league's top scorer and MVP, knocking in 15 goals. Fresno Fuego's Fabricio Codeceira led the league with 13 assists, while Austin Aztex U23 keeper Miguel Gallardo enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals-against average of 0.615 per game, and keeping 9 clean sheets in his 13 games.
Changes from 2007
Name changes
- Abbotsford Rangers changed their name to the Abbotsford Mariners to reflect the name of their parent organization.
- Los Angeles Storm changed their name to the Los Angeles Legends to reflect the name of their parent organization.
- The expansion Austin Stampede were renamed the Aztex U23 after the Austin Aztex USL-1 franchise was announced for 2009 and acquired controlling interest in the PDL team.
New franchises
- Nine franchises joined the league this year, including six brand new teams:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
 Austin Aztex U23 | Greater Austin area | Round Rock, TX | expansion |
 Cincinnati Kings | Greater Cincinnati area | Wilder, KY | relegated from USL-2 |
| Houston Leones | Greater Houston area | Richmond, TX | expansion |
 Kalamazoo Outrage | Kalamazoo area | Kalamazoo, MI | expansion |
 New Hampshire Phantoms | Hillsborough County area | Manchester, NH | relegated from USL-2 |
 New Jersey Rangers | Northern New Jersey area | Denville, NJ | expansion |
| Newark Ironbound Express | Newark area | Newark, NJ | expansion |
 Panama City Pirates | Panama City area | Panama City Beach, FL | expansion |
 Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | Metro Vancouver area | Burnaby, BC | transferred from PCSL |
Folding
- Five teams left the league prior to the beginning of the season:
- *Albany Admirals - Schenectady, New York
- *Austin Lightning - Austin, Texas
- *Cocoa Expos - Cocoa, Florida
- *Delaware Dynasty - New Castle, Delaware
- *Sioux Falls Spitfire - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Final standings
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division
Midwest Division
Heartland Division
The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The Conference champion receives a bye into the Conference Semifinals, with the third place team from that division receiving a playoff berth.
Eastern Conference
Mid Atlantic Division
New England Division
Northeast Division
The Division Champions and the Second Place team with the most points qualify for the playoffs.
Southern Conference
Mid South Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Southwest Division
The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs.
Playoffs
The Divisional Round for the Central Conference took place July 22–23, 2008, with the Conference Championships taking place between July 25–27. The PDL Semifinals took place on August 2, and the final was played on August 9.Playoff bracket
Divisional round
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Conference semifinals
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Conference finals
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PDL semifinals
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Awards and All-League team
F: Carlos Araujo ; Felix Garcia ; Junior GarciaM: Will Beaugé ; Fabricio Codeceira ; Adam Gazda ; Nate Jafta
D: Darrius Barnes ; Mike Holody ; Norberto Papandrea
G: Miguel Gallardo
Coach: Wolfgang Suhnholz