Playoff Field Set for 2014 AFL Postseason

July 27,2014





AFL Communications
CHICAGO – The 2014 AFL Playoff field is officially set as eight teams have qualified to compete in the AFL Quarterfinals this coming weekend.
The East Division champion Cleveland Gladiators (17-1) will kickoff the action on CBS Sports Network by hosting the Philadelphia Soul (9-9), a team they defeated twice this season in exceptionally dramatic fashion on the final play of the game. The No. 1 overall seed in the AFL Playoffs set the League record for wins in a season with 17, while the Soul overcame a sluggish start to the year with a late-season rally, clinching their third straight playoff berth in Week 20. Kickoff for the “NET10 Wireless Arena Football Saturday” matchup is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Pacific Division champion San Jose Sabercats (13-5) will also host the No. 3 seed Spokane Shock (11-7) Saturday night on ESPN3. This will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs this year; however, it will be their first-ever meeting in the postseason. Kickoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET Saturday.
Two more matchups are scheduled for Sunday afternoon on ESPN3.
The South Division champion Orlando Predators (11-7) will host the No. 3 seed Pittsburgh Power (15-3) at 2:00 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon. The two squads met once this season in a down-to-the-wire thriller on May 24 that saw the Power come away with a 62-61 win on the final play of the game. This will be the Power’s first-ever postseason contest, while it is the Predators’ first home playoff game since the 2006 season.
The Quarterfinals come to a close Sunday night as the two-time defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers (15-3) host the Portland Thunder (5-13) at 6:00 p.m. ET. The No. 1 seed Rattlers locked up the West Division title back on June 1, swept the season series against the Thunder, who clinched the first-year franchise’s first-ever playoff berth two weeks ago.
The winners of the four Quarterfinal matchups will meet in their respective Conference Championship games on August 8-9. One Conference Championship game will be televised on CBS Sports Network while the other will be shown on ESPN2.
The American Conference and National Conference champions will square off in ArenaBowl XXVII at 8:00 p.m. ET Saturday, August 23 on ESPN.