'00 ECNL Fall Rankings-Make Your Final Picks

One month left before the break. Make Your Predictions! Who finishes where by End of December?

Current Ranking/PPG.....PTS/GP.........Remaining Opponents
1. Lonestar/2.56...........23/9.............Sting, AHFC, Dfeeters, Sting

2. Dfeeters/2.33...........21/9.............FCD, Lonestar, AHFC

3. Texans/2.25.............18/8.............AHFC, Rush, Challenge, FCD

4. Solar/1.88................15/8............FCD, Challenge

5. AHFC/1.5..................12/8...........DTX, Lonestar, Sting, Dfeeters

6. FCD/1.45..................16/11.........Solar, Dfeeters, DTX

7. Rush/1.10.................11/10.........Challenge, DTX, TSC

8. Sting/0.88...................7/8...........Lonestar, TSC, AHFC, Lonestar

Packrabbit wrote:One month left before the break. Make Your Predictions! Who finishes where?

Current Ranking/PPG.....PTS/GP.........Remaining Opponents
1. Lonestar/2.56...........23/9.............Sting, AHFC, Dfeeters, Sting

2. Dfeeters/2.33...........21/9.............FCD, Lonestar, AHFC

3. Texans/2.25.............18/8.............AHFC, Rush, Challenge, FCD

4. Solar/1.88................15/8............FCD, Challenge

5. AHFC/1.5..................12/8...........DTX, Lonestar, Sting, Dfeeters

6. FCD/1.45..................16/11.........Solar, Dfeeters, DTX

7. Rush/1.10.................11/10.........Challenge, DTX, TSC

8. Sting/0.88...................7/8...........Lonestar, TSC, AHFC, Lonestar

 
I'll give it a go.
 
1 Lonestar
2 Texans
3 Solar
4 D'feeters
5 AHFC
6 FCD
7 Rush
8 Sting
9 TSC
10 Challenge 0.27

Familiarity-both of teammates and opponents- is making matches more competitive...

Current Ranking/PPG.....PTS/GP.........Remaining Opponents
1. Lonestar/2.56...........23/9.............Sting, AHFC, Dfeeters, Sting
Lonestar was done very well playing at home; I hear the hometown officiating is obvious. I think they can lose two of these games.

2. Dfeeters/2.33...........21/9.............FCD, Lonestar, AHFC
The big match up of #1 and #2, but AHFC did beat up the feet earlier in fall. I think feet will take 2 of 3.

3. Texans/2.25.............18/8.............AHFC, Rush, Challenge, FCD
Texans will win at least 2 of the 4 matches remaining.

4. Solar/1.88................15/8............FCD, Challenge
If Dream team win last 2, they can move their PPG up to 2.1; others have or stumble for them to move up

5. AHFC/1.5..................12/8...........DTX, Lonestar, Sting, Dfeeters
Playing 3 top teams; I gotta think AHFC is moving down... Unless

6. FCD/1.45..................16/11.........Solar, Dfeeters, DTX
... FCD has this type of schedule.... And

7. Rush/1.10.................11/10.........Challenge, DTX, TSC
Rush has two very winnable matches here... Should move up.

8. Sting/0.88...................7/8...........Lonestar, TSC, AHFC, Lonestar
If they continue to play hard and the sideline stays positive, I think Sting will surprise Lonestar on at least one of these matches. I think Sting takes 3 of 4 matches with tie or win.

End of December Predictions: Based the remaining scheduling, my super-computer algorithm says (couldn't get ahold of my bookie for the odds- he's been indisposed):
1. DFeeters - 2.33 PPG
2. Texans - 2.33 PPG
3. Lonestar - 2.23 PPG
4. Solar - 2.10 PPG
5. FCD -1.31 PPG
6. Rush - 1.31 PPG
7. Sting -1.25 PPG
8. AHFC - 1.25 PPG

Everyone is in striking distance come spring...
Good luck, may everyone dd stay healthy.

Packrabbit wrote:Familiarity-both of teammates and opponents- is making matches more competitive...

Current Ranking/PPG.....PTS/GP.........Remaining Opponents
1. Lonestar/2.56...........23/9.............Sting, AHFC, Dfeeters, Sting
Lonestar was done very well playing at home; I hear the hometown officiating is obvious. I think they can lose two of these games.

2. Dfeeters/2.33...........21/9.............FCD, Lonestar, AHFC
The big match up of #1 and #2, but AHFC did beat up the feet earlier in fall. I think feet will take 2 of 3.

3. Texans/2.25.............18/8.............AHFC, Rush, Challenge, FCD
Texans will win at least 2 of the 4 matches remaining.

4. Solar/1.88................15/8............FCD, Challenge
If Dream team win last 2, they can move their PPG up to 2.1; others have or stumble for them to move up

5. AHFC/1.5..................12/8...........DTX, Lonestar, Sting, Dfeeters
Playing 3 top teams; I gotta think AHFC is moving down... Unless

6. FCD/1.45..................16/11.........Solar, Dfeeters, DTX
... FCD has this type of schedule.... And

7. Rush/1.10.................11/10.........Challenge, DTX, TSC
Rush has two very winnable matches here... Should move up.

8. Sting/0.88...................7/8...........Lonestar, TSC, AHFC, Lonestar
If they continue to play hard and the sideline stays positive, I think Sting will surprise Lonestar on at least one of these matches. I think Sting takes 3 of 4 matches with tie or win.

End of December Predictions: Based the remaining scheduling, my super-computer algorithm says (couldn't get ahold of my bookie for the odds- he's been indisposed):
1. DFeeters - 2.33 PPG
2. Texans - 2.33 PPG
3. Lonestar - 2.23 PPG
4. Solar - 2.10 PPG
5. FCD -1.31 PPG
6. Rush - 1.31 PPG
7. Sting -1.25 PPG
8. AHFC - 1.25 PPG

Everyone is in striking distance come spring...
Good luck, may everyone dd stay healthy.

+1 on the healthy front.

I can't really argue your final standings. But I will anyway. You mention the home cooking that Lonestar enjoys and their final two games are at home. The beat AHFC 4-1 in the beginning of the season. The most I can say is a lost to Sting, a tie at AHFC and early Christmas dinner in mid December vs D'feeters and Sting part 2.

D'feeters will lose to Lonestar in Austin but beat FCD and AHFC

Texans will go 4-0 into the break

So pick and choose which ones you'll put before the bookie. I can see Vinny coming to collect - your broken bones.

Weather permitting, its last weekend before the 2 month break; conference and national ranking will change. Rust may be an issue for some NTX teams. Sting hasn't played in 2 weeks;  DT hasn't played in 3; FCD in 5; DFeeters hasn't played in 6;

December 14:
#5 FCD vs #3 Texans:
#6 AHFC vs #8 Sting
#2 DFeeters vs #1 Lonestar


December 15:
Lonestar vs Sting
DFeeters vs AHFC

December 14:
FCD 1 Texans 0
AhFC 2 Sting 1
Lonestar 1 D'feeters 0

December 15:
Lonestar 2 Sting 0
D'Feeters 1 AHFC 1

Hey Packrabbit. I know we have a ways to go before the Spring starts but I'm bored. Do you have any commentary on your "end of December" predictions?

End of December Predictions: Based the remaining scheduling, my super-computer algorithm says (couldn't get ahold of my bookie for the odds- he's been indisposed):
1. DFeeters - 2.33 PPG
2. Texans - 2.33 PPG
3. Lonestar - 2.23 PPG
4. Solar - 2.10 PPG
5. FCD -1.31 PPG
6. Rush - 1.31 PPG
7. Sting -1.25 PPG
8. AHFC - 1.25 PPG

Tiger, I hate to see you bored! The super-computer algorithm wasn't far off the mark, It just didn't account for so many games not being played! Of course, I tend to favor all NTX teams over STX and OK.

-------------------PPG   Pts   GP  W L T
01. Lonestar      2.33   28   12   8 0 4
02. D'Feeters     2.27   25   11   8 2 1
03. Dallas Tex.   2.20   22   10   7 2 1
04. Solar           1.88   15    8    4 1 3
05. FC Dallas     1.42   17   12   5 5 2
06. AHFC           1.18   13   11   3 4 4
07. Texas Rush   1.10  11    10   3 5 2
08. Dallas Sting  0.82   9     11   2 6 3
09. TSC             0.42    5    12   1 9 2
10. Challenge     0.33    3     9   1 8 0

-I didn't think Lonestar would tie the DFeeters, or beat Sting. It's my understanding that Sting dominated everywhere but the score board...
-DFeeters: tied Lonestar, edged AHFC on it road trip and FCD game not played.
-DTX: games against challenge and rush were postponed and scraped by FCD w/ tie.
-Solar: hasn't played a game since November 3rd, since their 2-0 loss to Lonestar. This board has  given DTX a hard time for canceling games, but they've played 2 to 4 games less than everyone else.
-FCD: just missed beating DTX.
-Sting: Last 5 matches were all very close ties and losses. Refs in STX love this team.

Spring preseason predictions will be interesting (if the high-brow ECNL crowd can pull themselves away from their cocktail parties)!

-Lonestar has the pole position going in and should keep top spot. Has top 3 NTX teams and 3 STX teams left on schedule. Ties against NTX and wins against rush, challenge and AHFC should be enough to finish 1st
-DTX and Solar have yet to play a match this year.
-DTX: 4 matches against top 4 teams, but has 3 matches against bottom teams.
-DFeeters has 4 matches against top 5 teams, but also plays TSC, Challenge and Rush
-Solar: 10 games remaining. Rush and Challenge are only struggling teams left.
-FCD: now that coach Waldrum has taken his house off the market, FCD appears to be the black horse of crowd... With the top 4 teams playing each other several times, FCD actually has a chance to control their own destiny with wins.

It appears Lonestar has a lock on going to nationals.  The question is, who is the conference #2 and the (assuming they qualify) wild card? From looking at the the other conferences nationally, the Tx conference seems to be one of the most competitive.

I would agree with you that Lonestars has to be feeling pretty good about themselves right about now despite their poor play.  They've got to be the luckiest team in captivity.

Stealing a line from a friend...Solar is in a good position.  They managed to not play very many games while their team was gelling (or not gelling) and now they've got months of practice on their side and practically a whole season ahead of them.  How they managed to only play 8 games in 6 months and only 2 games against teams with a winning record while they were in turmoil is utter genius!

My Texan comrades (or at least me) are sitting with disgust knowing that we pissed on the foot of the soccer god and he dealt us two straight losses on penalties in the box and a tie out of nowhere.  The fall season will be stressful to say the least.

I don't think 3 teams from the TX conference will get into the nationals this year.  The final wildcard spot should come down to TX and SoCal.  The #3 SoCal team has a better record than the #2 and #3 TX teams at this point, is up 2 games on their nearest in conference threat as well as a much easier schedule with 4 games left against Arizona and Nevada teams.  Slammers also has a relatively easy cross conference schedule should it come down to counting those cross conference games against Utah Avalanche, Mustangs and De Anza.

Packrabbit,

Thanks for the entertainment and insight.

Lonestar is a surprise at the top. I do think that the first two games that D'feeters have in the Spring will shake-up games in regards to standings. As outonthelimb said, Solar not having a game for several months should help with them with gelling - this is a team I thought would be at the top of the list.

outonthelimb wrote:I would agree with you that Lonestars has to be feeling pretty good about themselves right about now despite their poor play.  They've got to be the luckiest team in captivity.

My understanding is that most of the NTX teams had to travel to Houston and Austin on the same weekends, which is 2 hotels, two 3 hours drives. The good news for NTX teams is that they have to come up here to play (but they still don't have to switch hotels for 2 games). The bad news is, strategically, they can play for ties as long as they take care of business against Rush and Challenge.

outonthelimb wrote:Stealing a line from a friend...Solar is in a good position.  They managed to not play very many games while their team was gelling (or not gelling) and now they've got months of practice on their side and practically a whole season ahead of them.  How they managed to only play 8 games in 6 months and only 2 games against teams with a winning record while they were in turmoil is utter genius!

I've heard the same thing several times as well, and at the risk of inciting Solar nation's wrath, I have to admit, their postponed fall season seems very gratuitous. Due to the gloating, I think the word, "managed", may be an apt, diplomatic description of their fall schedule.

Whereas other teams in the conference had to "gel" during the Fall and then stay ready to play after 3-6 weeks off, Solar, with a healthy roster, will have a fairly regular season in the Spring without any 4-6 week layoffs. Keeping 13-14 yr olds ready to play at high levels during those extended layoffs would seem to be very challenging. Does anyone remember seeing this type of convenient scheduling of home games in past years?

Although I do believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, my cynicism does overwhelm my imagination in some situations. A wise man once said, if it looks like a turd, smells like a turd, feels like a turd, you shouldn't put whip cream on it and call it a sundae.

outonthelimb wrote:My Texan comrades (or at least me) are sitting with disgust knowing that we pissed on the foot of the soccer god and he dealt us two straight losses on penalties in the box and a tie out of nowhere.  The fall season will be stressful to say the least.

Your lady texans will have their work cut out for them this spring. All of the teams and competition should be better in the spring, including Solar, who you have to play twice.

outonthelimb wrote:I don't think 3 teams from the TX conference will get into the nationals this year.  The final wildcard spot should come down to TX and SoCal.  The #3 SoCal team has a better record than the #2 and #3 TX teams at this point, is up 2 games on their nearest in conference threat as well as a much easier schedule with 4 games left against Arizona and Nevada teams.  Slammers also has a relatively easy cross conference schedule should it come down to counting those cross conference games against Utah Avalanche, Mustangs and De Anza.

I don't have your body of knowledge, but that would be a shame. So the question is: who are the TX top 2, and who is the 3rd left at home?

Another benefit that Solar will have is that they won't have to play a lot of weekends when they have games on Saturday and Sunday. As of now, their schedule shows one weekend when they play a Sat & Sun weekend. The Texans, well they have a tough start. An away game against D'feeters then a three week layoff before they play host to the "finally gelled" Solar team -two games I don't see penalties in the box even being a factor. Wow, it'll be a tough.

It will be interesting. It very possible top 4 teams could end up 2 or more PPG, but only if they win matches.  Some things to consider:

-Challenge and TSC seem to be the only teams struggling right now, but most of their remaining schedule are home games.

-FCD, Sting, Rush are not mail-in wins at this point. They have gotten better as the season progressed. Wins by these team will shake up the top standings.

-Solar: Give them credit for making the most of their situation, but:
--they still have to play the games "to gel"; training and scrimmages can never replace game time situations.
-- big pressure: a few early ties or losses probably sends AS over the edge... Having CP standing behind you can't be a feel good, team bonding situation.

-Solar and DTX not only have to WIN matches at home and on the road, but the top 2 have to LOSE their matches.
-- 1 or 2 losses for either team are devastating, especially against each other.
--Ties will almost be like losses in the spring.
--if Lonestar and DFeeters 3 or 4 matches, it really does matter how either DTX and solar finishes.
--I still suspect the league is or will be looking at this situation of "managing" home schedules.

The question still is, who finishes #1 or #2 and #3 (if wildcard) and who stays home?

Should be fun; couldn't ask for more drama!  May all DD's finish the season healthy.

Your turn.

Packrabbit wrote:The question still is, who finishes #1, #2 & #3 (if wildcard) and who stays home?

Packrabbit,

In my limited ability, I'll try to keep the party going.  

I took time out to look at results from the fall and the sketchy schedule going forward. (I'm not sure why the Texans are waiting for so long to get their rescheduled games posted.) Solar can not have a mishap at all. Even a tie or two will put them in 4th. Even with this team gelling together and being the force they are, I think they tie Texans and a lose to Lonestar. It breaks my heart, but Solar ends with 34 total points and 1.88 PPG.

Texans end up in the #3 spot. They get off to a bad start and lose to D'feeters and tie Solar. They also tie Lonestar. Texans end up with 36 total point and 2.00 PPG.

D'feeters end up at the #2 spot. They lose to Solar and Lonestar's stingy defense. They travel to Houston and tie Rush. D'feeters end up with 38 total points and 2.11 PPG.

Lonestar will keep their #1 spot. Why? Defense wins championships. In this case the Texas Conference. They've allowed only 4 GAs through 13 games. With one goal coming in a 4-1 win. I would guess that goal was a garbage time goal.

So for me, I'm hoping that Texans 2.00 PPG is good enough to get them into the playoffs. Can't wait for March Madness - soccer wise that is.