Long Island Rough Riders (UWS) lost 3-1 to Boston. The Lady Riders went 11-3-0 during the 2002 season in the USL W-League. Coach Emma Hayes was named the W-League Coach of the Year. The Lady Riders ended the 2003 season in second place in the Northeast Division of the W-League at 9-5-0 (27 points). The team advanced to the divisional championships, where they were eliminated by the New Jersey Stallions, 4-2. Long Island went 11-3-0 (33 points) the next season; good for a second-place finish and a four-consecutive playoff berth. The Lady Riders defeated the New Jersey Stallions 1-0 in the Eastern Divisional Final and
Black Star Riders brought in Jimmy DeGrasso on drums, but no keyboard player has been recruited, with Gorham stating, "I don't think we are actually going to have keyboards in Black Star Riders. You never know what's going to happen down the road but that is the set-up right now with that." All the founding members are American with the exception of Warwick who is from Northern Ireland. Each had previously achieved success with other acts – Gorham with all incarnations of Thin Lizzy since 1974 and with 21 Guns; Warwick with The Almighty; Johnson with Brother Cane and Alice Cooper; Mendoza with