The first three seasons of PASL-Pro action brought success to the growing Louisville Lightning franchise. With a roster full of local and international talent, tremendous fan support, and high scoring action on the field, the team is pushing more than ever before to make the league playoffs this year. Only five weeks remain in the 2011-2012 regular season and the Lightning hopes this is the year for playoff success to begin. 

Currently in second place in the Eastern Division, the black and yellow are expecting to make the PASL Playoffs for the first time in team history. After 11 games, the team finds itself at 7-4 (6-4 in league play), fourth place in the PASL, and second place in the Eastern Division. This year’s league playoffs include a new format, which invites four teams from the East and the West to compete in a quarter final match. The two quarter final matches in the Eastern Division will likely be hosted by the top seeded team. For example, if the playoffs started tomorrow, the Detroit Waza (first place) would host the Cincinnati Kings (fourth place) and the Louisville Lightning (second place) would host the Kansas Magic (third place). The two winning teams from the Eastern Division will then travel to San Diego to face the two winning teams from the Western Division for the Championships March 9-10. All playoff games will be single elimination. 

If this new format were to have been in place the previous two seasons, then the Lightning would have made the PASL playoffs both years. Despite hosting the National Championship game for the PASL US Open Cup in 2010, the Lightning barely missed the cut for the PASL playoffs. In 2011, the Lightning again finished a close second behind the Cincinnati Kings. So far this season, the Lightning defeated the Kings three out of four times and remain hopeful of overtaking Detroit in February. With six more games remaining for the Lightning and as many as nine more for two other teams, the fate of the Eastern Division is still very much undetermined. 

Detroit leads the Division with eight wins and one loss. Louisville sits 2.5 games back, followed closely by Kansas (3 games back), Cincinnati (4.5 games back), Illinois Piasa (5 games back), and Ohio Vortex (6 games back). Teams from the Western Division are also in a close contest with last year’s champion, the San Diego Sockers in first place at 9-0. However, the other teams are still very much in the race for the playoffs with the Turlock Express (2.5 games back), Tijuana Revolucion (4 games back), Anaheim Bolts (6 games back), Tacoma Stars (6.5 games back), and Arizona Storm (8 games back) jockeying for position as teams near the final few weeks of action. 

Louisville’s schedule for the upcoming weeks seems to be favorable. It includes four home games and only two road trips to meet the Ohio Vortex and Kansas Magic. Every point matters and every team is dangerous, especially when fighting for survival at the end of the season. However, the Lightning’s toughest challenges may be in February, when the team faces a strong and somewhat unpredictable Kansas Magic team at home and a powerful core of veteran players from the Detroit Waza during the last game of the regular season. The Lightning pulled out an incredible road win against the Magic earlier this year, but the Magic remain too close for comfort. Detroit has dominated every team in the Division since an early season loss to the Cincinnati Kings. The Lightning nearly came from behind to sneak a win on the road against the Waza last weekend, only to drop three unanswered goals late in the fourth quarter. 

The Lightning is positioned to surge ahead and lock in a playoff spot in the next few weeks. However, this will only happen if the team can overcome the recent heartbreaking loss in Detroit and take advantage of a schedule loaded with home games. Even now at this point in the season, every team is technically able to pull off a win streak and make the first round. It is simply too soon for any team in the Eastern Division to claim a ticket on the bus heading down the Road to San Diego.