2005 USL W-League season

The 2005 W-League Season was the USL W-League's 11th season.

Name changes
Three teams changed their name in the off-season:

Expansion teams
Five teams were added for the season:

Teams leaving
One team left for the WPSL:
 * St. Louis Archers

Eight teams folded after the 2004 season:
 * Asheville Splash
 * Calgary Wildfire
 * Columbus Lady Shooting Stars
 * Edmonton Aviators Women
 * Montreal Xtreme
 * Rhode Island Lady Stingrays
 * Toronto Inferno
 * Windy City Bluez

Standings
Orange indicates W-League title and bye into W-League semifinals. Blue indicates division title clinched Green indicates playoff berth clinched

Format
Five teams from the Eastern Conference, four teams from the Central Conference and two from the Western Conference qualify for the playoffs. All match-ups are in a one-leg format.

In the Central Conference, the division champions play the second-place team from the opposite division.

In the Eastern Conference, the division champion with the best record receives a bye, and will play the winner of the teams with the 4th and 5th-best conference records. The other division champion will play the seventh-place team, and plays the winner of the third-place and sixth-place teams.

The two teams in the Western Conference will play each other to advance to the W-League Semifinals.

The regular season champion, New Jersey Wildcats, received a bye into the W-League semifinals, with the eighth-place team from the Eastern Conference receiving a playoff berth.

Conference brackets
Central Conference

Eastern Conference

Western Conference