| Season | 1998 | 
|---|---|
| Champions | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 
| ← 1997  1999 →  | |
The 1998 Premier Development Soccer League season was the 4th PDSL season. The season began in April 1998 and ended in August 1998.
San Gabriel Valley Highlanders won the championship, defeating the Jackson Chargers 3–2. Jackson won the regular season title, winning all 16 games and posting a whopping +84 goal difference. Four teams from the Pacific Coast Soccer League joined as associate members this season, with two (Abbotsford and Seattle) going on to become full members in 1999.
Changes from the 1997 season
Name changes
- Puget Sound BigFoot changed name to Seattle BigFoot.
New teams
13 teams were added for the season, 9 expansion teams and four associates from the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
Teams leaving
The Cincinnati Riverhawks were promoted to the A-League and the Miami Breakers were promoted to the D3 Pro League following the 1997 season.
7 teams folded after the 1997 season:
- Bellingham Orcas
- Chattanooga Express
- Lincoln Brigade
- Michigan Madness
- Omaha Flames (team folded early in 1998 season, division games were rescheduled)
- Southwest Florida Manatees
- West Florida Fury
The Lexington Bluegrass Bandits and Tucson Amigos went on hiatus for this year.
Standings
| Legend | 
|---|
| Division champion | 
| Team qualified for playoff berth | 
| Team gets bye into semifinals as host. | 
Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Comets | 16 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 16 | +24 | 39 | 
| 2 | Des Moines Menace | 16 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 51 | 27 | +24 | 29[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 3 | Twin Cities Tornado | 16 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 32 | 33 | −1 | 27 | 
| 4 | Kansas City Brass | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 21 | 
| 5 | Sioux City Breeze | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 17[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 6 | Colorado Springs Stampede | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 20 | 46 | −26 | 13[lower-alpha 2] | 
Notes:
Great Lakes Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Dynamite | 16 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 24 | +21 | 38[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 2 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 16 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 19 | +19 | 33 | 
| 3 | Kalamazoo Kingdom | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 21 | 
| 4 | Fox River Rebels | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 18 | 
| 5 | Indiana Invaders | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 26 | 33 | −7 | 19[lower-alpha 2] | 
| 6 | Lansing Locomotive | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 6[lower-alpha 3] | 
| 7 | Grand Rapids Explosion | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 56 | −50 | 0 | 
Notes:
Northwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spokane Shadow | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 15 | +47 | 39 | 
| 2 | Yakima Reds | 16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 27 | 
| 3 | Seattle BigFoot | 16 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 27[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 4 | Cascade Surge | 16 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 23[lower-alpha 2] | 
| 5 | Seattle Hibernian[lower-alpha 3] | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 16 | −11 | 6 | 
| 6 | Okanagan Valley Challenge[lower-alpha 3] | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 23 | −17 | 6 | 
| 7 | Victoria Umbro Select[lower-alpha 3] | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 19 | −8 | 3 | 
| 8 | Abbotsford Athletes In Action[lower-alpha 3] | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 28 | −19 | 1[lower-alpha 4] | 
Notes:
Southeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Chargers | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 17 | +87 | 48 | 
| 2 | Cocoa Expos | 16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 27 | 
| 3 | Bradenton Academics | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 4 | Alabama Saints | 16 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 21 | 
| 5 | Miami Tango | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 19[lower-alpha 2] | 
| 6 | Central Florida Lionhearts | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 16[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 7 | South Florida Future | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 79 | −51 | 13[lower-alpha 1] | 
Notes:
Southwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silicon Valley Ambassadors | 16 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 43[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 2 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 16 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 27 | +18 | 31[lower-alpha 1] | 
| 3 | Southern California Chivas | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 21 | 
| 4 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 31 | 39 | −8 | 15 | 
| 5 | Northern Arizona Prospectors | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 23 | 66 | −43 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 
Notes:
Playoffs
Format
Kalamazoo hosted the Finals and received a bye to the National Semi-Finals.
The top four teams from the Central, Great Lakes, Southeast, and Southwest divisions, however, if Kalamazoo places in the top four in the Central Division, the fifth place team will take their spot.  The top two teams in the Northwest Division will play the top two associate teams from the PCSL.  The team with the most points to lose in the Divisional rounds will play in the Regional round as a wild card against the Divisional champion with the most points.  The remaining four teams will play each other based on geography.
Divisional brackets
| Southeast Semifinals | Southeast Finals | ||||||||
| SE1 | .png.webp) Jackson Chargers | 7 | |||||||
| SE4 |  Miami Tango | 0 | |||||||
| SE1 | .png.webp) Jackson Chargers | 8 | |||||||
| SE2 |  Cocoa Expos | 2 | |||||||
| SE2 |  Cocoa Expos | 4 | |||||||
| SE3 |  Bradenton Academics | 3 | |||||||
| Cocoa Expos | 4–3 | Bradenton Academics | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
Jackson, Mississippi
| Jackson Chargers | 8–2 | Cocoa Expos | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
 | 
Jackson, Mississippi
| Southwest Semifinals | Southwest Finals | ||||||||
| SW1 |  Silicon Valley Ambassadors | 1 | |||||||
| SW4 |  Central Coast Roadrunners (AET) | 2 | |||||||
| SW4 |  Central Coast Roadrunners | 2 | |||||||
| SW2 |  San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 4 | |||||||
| SW2 |  San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 2 | |||||||
| SW3 |  Southern California Chivas | 0 | |||||||
| Silicon Valley Ambassadors | 1–2 (OT) (a.e.t.) | Central Coast Roadrunners | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report 1 Report 2 | 
 | 
| San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 2–0 | Southern California Chivas | 
|---|---|---|
| San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 4–2 | Central Coast Roadrunners | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report 1 Report 2 | 
 | 
| Northwest Semifinals | Northwest Finals | ||||||||
| NW1 |  Spokane Shadow | 1 | |||||||
| NWA2 |  Okanagan Valley Challenge | 2 | |||||||
| NWA2 |  Okanagan Valley Challenge | 1 | |||||||
| NW2 |  Yakima Reds | 4 | |||||||
| NW2 |  Yakima Reds | 1 | |||||||
| NWA1 |  Seattle BigFoot | 0 | |||||||
| Yakima Reds | 4–1 | Okanagan Valley Challenge | 
|---|---|---|
| Central Semifinals | Central Finals | ||||||||
| C1 |  Colorado Comets | 0 | |||||||
| C4 |  Kansas City Brass | 1 | |||||||
| C4 |  Kansas City Brass | 2 (0) | |||||||
| C2 |  Des Moines Menace (AET/PSO) | 2 (1) | |||||||
| C2 |  Des Moines Menace (AET) | 2 | |||||||
| C3 |  Twin Cities Tornado | 1 | |||||||
| Des Moines Menace | 2–1 (OT) | Twin Cities Tornado | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
| Des Moines Menace | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Kansas City Brass | 
|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes Semifinals | Great Lakes Finals | ||||||||
| GL1 |  Detroit Dynamite | 3 | |||||||
| GL4 |  Fox River Rebels | 2 | |||||||
| GL1 |  Detroit Dynamite | 0 | |||||||
| GL2 |  Mid-Michigan Bucks | 2 | |||||||
| GL2 |  Mid-Michigan Bucks | 1 | |||||||
| GL3 |  Indiana Invaders | 0 | |||||||
| Mid-Michigan Bucks | 1–0 | Indiana Invaders | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
Saginaw Township, Michigan
| Mid-Michigan Bucks | 2–0 | Detroit Dynamite | 
|---|---|---|
Saginaw Township, Michigan
Round of Six
| Region A | ||||
| GL2 |  Mid-Michigan Bucks | 2 | ||
| WC | .png.webp) Jackson Chargers | 3 | ||
| Region B | ||||
| SW2 |  San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 4 | ||
| NW2 |  Yakima Reds | 2 | ||
| Region C | ||||
| C2 |  Des Moines Menace | 3 | ||
| SE2 |  Cocoa Expos | 1 | ||
| Jackson Chargers | 3–2 | Mid-Michigan Bucks | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
Jackson, Mississippi
| Des Moines Menace | 3–1 | Cocoa Expos | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
PDSL finals bracket
| PDL Semifinals | PDL Finals | ||||||||
| WC | .png.webp) Jackson Chargers | 2 | |||||||
| H |  Kalamazoo Kingdom | 0 | |||||||
| WC | .png.webp) Jackson Chargers | 2 | |||||||
| SW2 |  San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 3 | |||||||
| SW2 |  San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 3 | |||||||
| C2 |  Des Moines Menace | 1 | PDL Third Place | ||||||
| H |  Kalamazoo Kingdom | 1 | |||||||
| C2 |  Des Moines Menace | 4 | |||||||
| San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 3–1 | Des Moines Menace | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
Kalamazoo, Michigan
| Kalamazoo Kingdom | 0–2 | Jackson Chargers | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
Kalamazoo, Michigan
| Kalamazoo Kingdom | 1–4 | Des Moines Menace | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
Kalamazoo, Michigan
| Jackson Chargers | 2–3 | San Gabriel Valley Highlanders | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Honors
- Organization of the Year:[2] Jackson Chargers
- Executive of the Year: Dave Nesbit, Des Moines Menace
- Fair Play Award: Spokane Shadow
References
- ↑ United Soccer Leagues (RSSSF)
- ↑  "Blast Named Organization of the Year". Indiana Blast. November 13, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 1999. Retrieved May 19, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)



