USL2: Western Mass Pioneers, GPS Portland Phoenix await playoff games

Western Mass Pioneers midfielder Jeremy Fricker, who recently played at American International College. (Western Mass Pioneers)

To find the last time a team from New England won a USL League Two national title, one has to go back nearly two decades to 2003.

That’s when the Cape Cod Crusaders, in what was then known as the Premier Development League, captured their second straight title, downing the New Orleans Shell Shockers.

As the 2019 USL2 playoffs near, two teams from New England are in contention, with the Western Mass Pioneers and GPS Portland Phoenix part of the last 16 squads standing.