FALL '18 - SPRING '19 CLASSIC LEAGUE KICK-OFF by Gameday

This is an updated look at the Gameday Power Rating with mostly everyone with12 games in the books and only 6 to go later this Spring. Also a look at who is likely to win promotion, and who is squarely in the dreaded relegation zone.

DIVISION 1
5.3 Chelsea East looking even stronger.
4.2 Dallas Kicks busy getting extra touches.
3.7 FCD Premiere regrouping and ready to run.
3.3 FCD Kang fighting for a Top 4 spot.
-0.2 DT Faber not going away quietly.
-0.6 FCD Pino just hanging in the middle.
-1.5 Solar still putting up a fight.
-1.9 FC Premiere staying out of relegation zone?
-2.9 DT Rangel facing threat of relegation.
-4.0 DT Badii - no offense but they didn't earn their way into D1.  
The Texans and their strategy to try to do everything this year has really watered down their Brand as far as the 04s go. Their downward trend points toward mass defections in the open window.

DIVISION 2
6.2 Falls Town as virtually promised is moving on up.
5.8 FCD ETX- told you they were a team to watch!
4.3 Rayos can maybe make things interesting?
3.7 FC Premiere may be staying put in D2?
.....
-6.1 Liverpool couldn't keep their best players...
-7.7 FCD Red will re-group in D3.

DIVISION 3
7.2 FCP Dynamos will transition and make a nice addition to D2.
5.0 Dallas Roma in 3rd but 2nd best performance- real threat to earn promotion.
3.5 FCD Gold
3.5 Barcelona
The following teams need to improve in head to head play and hope for a little luck to keep from being relegated out of the Classic League;
Inter United
Dallas Cosmos (will resurface as who?)
FCD N
FCD W
Impact Murador
Athletico Español (where will their good players resurface?)

Stay safe out there on those turf High School football fields and the wise ones will save something for the Spring push!

The "spring season" is here and in just the next 30 days, it will be clarified who will unfortunately be relegated, who will be staying put, who will be the TOP 4 participating in the Frontier League next year, and who will be the Classic League Champions!

Predictions asside, here are each teams remaining "strength of schedule". As each team is currently placed 1st through 10th, the numbers show the remaining six games vs. for example the 2nd place team/ the 7th place team... etc.

What is exciting is that we currently have four Top 100 ranked Gotsoccer teams in Div. 1:

CHELSEA EAST #27 Nationally ranked
5/7/10/6/8/4

DALLAS KICKS #41 Nationally ranked
2/5/9/3/7/10

FC DALLAS PREMIERE #87 Nationally ranked
9/8/6/2/10/7

FC DALLAS KANG
2/6/8/9/5/1

TEXANS FABER #75 Nationally ranked
1/2/7/8/4/6
(Statistically the second most difficult schedule)

FC DALLAS PINO
7/4/3/1/9/5
(Statistically the third most difficult schedule)

SOLAR HEDGES
6/1/5/10/2/3
(Statistically the most difficult schedule)

FC PREMIERE FORZI
10/3/4/5/1/9

TEXANS RANGEL
3/10/2/4/6/8

TEXANS BADII
8/9/1/7/3/2

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

A big slate of games on the schedule, but an even bigger storm on the radar. Today's games are likely a wash, so we'll focus on Sunday's (go to early Mass) noon kickoff.

DIVISION 1
Solar Hedges vs. Texans Badii is interesting in terms of the points race out of the relegation zone. Badii is coming on strong with 2 wins in its last 2 games.

FCD Pino vs. Chelsea East who look to avenge their only loss of the year. We'll find out if Pino has cracked the code, or if Chelsea just had an off day?

FCD Premiere vs. Dallas Kicks who look to hold off Dane to maintain the #2 spot in hopes of closing in on Chelsea East. FCDP looking over their shoulder at Kang?

DIVISION 2
FCD ETX vs. FC PREMIERE will say a lot in terms of who will win that second spot for promotion. Look for both to "leave it on the field".

DIVISION 3
FC Dallas Gold, Inter United and Roma all need results this weekend as they are tightly embattled for that coveted second spot for promotion.

Stay dry and don't mingle under trees.

CRUNCH TIME??
How do you finish (40) Div. 1 games and the Dallas Cup, by the May 2nd kickoff date of the State Cup?

And don't count on the weather cooperating this Saturday to give anyone a head start.

The answer- just cram it in!
Some teams will play on the 22nd, 24th, 27th and 30th. But the Kicks and FCD Premiere who will be coming off of the Dallas Cup will have the extra challenge of playing on 24th, 25th, 27th and 30th.

Get the Bengay and club passes ready because the State Cup waits for no one, (in theory, right?)

Here's an updated look at how things stand in Division 1 with the four remaining games to be played in the next 10 days.

AT THE TOP
CHELSEA EAST plays on the 24th, 25th, and meet FCD Kang on the 27th which last time was a draw. Their season finale on the 30th is vs. FCD Pino which was their only loss. Can they finish strong on their march to what could be an impressive 3rd consecutive Classic season as a #1???

DALLAS KICKS play on the 24th. 25th, 27th and with a potentially meaningful finale vs. FCD Premiere. Bragging rights and recruitment talking points are on the line.  

FC DALLAS PREMIERE also play on the 24th, 25th, 27th and on the 30th in that big finale. Can they reestablish their identity or will unmet expectations  completely blow this team apart in the offseason? Till I die??

Notice that the League is giving the Kicks and FCDP a couple days off extra rest coming off of the Dallas Cup which is appropriate.  It's not really fair to say that either team was overwhelmed in the tournament, but posting goal differentials of 3/5 and 2/5, and a combined 1-3-2 record says that even expending max effort they likely fell short of even their own expectations. For the rest of us it would've been great to see one of our own advance in this level of international tournament- to use as a type of barometer of our collective skill level.

OPINION- while we're on the topic let's review the Dallas Cup selection process, as it reflects the collective  thought process of the Leagues and tournament organizers that handed out bids.
Classic League awarded the Dallas Kicks a bid based on the standings at the end of the first 9 games which is appropriate.  It is unknown by us as to the rationale of FC Dallas Premiere bid since they were in 3rd place after 9 games so it wasn't the League?  So a handshake between the Dallas Cup and the Franchise made it happen?  Politics, whatever?

Then remember the genius move by the Dallas Texans who awarded the Austin Texans a "non-North Texas" bid? Well, they posted a 3/9 goal differential and an  0-3 record. Does this affirm their "non-North" decision? Was having an additional South Texas team the real difference maker to this prestigious global tournament? Baffling.

The other South Texas team was the RGV Toros who earned their bid if memory serves correct in last year's Memorial Day tournament. A quick glance shows that they have been struggling ever since, but seemingly played way over their heads posting a 4/2 goal differential and a 1-0-2 record. Compare that to the North Texas DA's? Solar 2/4 GD 1-2-0 and Texans 2/3 also 1-2-0. The only outlier is of course FC Dallas who looked tremendous. But where is it written that all of the North Texas DA's must get an auto invite? Don't get us started on which other North Texas teams could probably beat the weaker DA's?

In non-related to North Texas rant, how in the world did Oklahoma's West Side Alliance get in? Free comps at the casinos for the organizers? Another was TSF Academy from New Jersey? Mob involvement?? Look, I guess it's cute to have a team from Canada participate but C'mon Man! And just because a team is from Mexico, Angeles Soccer Elite- going scoreless. Just, wow?

Coming up next we'll look at WHO'S AT THE BOTTOM and possibly on their way out of D1. Also an updated look at the D2 race to promotion.

And now a look how things are shaping up AT THE BOTTOM.
13 Solar Hedges
12 FCP Forzi
11 Texans Badii
8 Texans Rangel

If you look at each team's remaining schedule, AND ONLY IF they have the same result as the first time they played, you end up with the following;

16 Solar Hedges
16 FCP Forzi
12 Texans Badii
9 Texans Rangel

However, the following head to head matches will have a lot to do with how things actually finish up;
Solar Hedges vs. Texans Badii.  But especially the
FCP Forzi vs. Texans Rangel game can potentially swing the final standings.  Get your popcorn ready for that one!

WEATHER UPDATE
With this cram to finish the season before the State Cup, don't expect any games on Wednesday or Thursday as 1.8 inches of rain is expected.  Tough luck for the Kicks and FC Dallas Premiere as they will have to compress their final 4 games into a smaller window to finish the season.  

DIVISION 2
Things are more tightly packed than expected;
35 Falls Town
33 FC Dallas ETX
29 FC Premiere Opoku
26 FC Dallas Molina

The great thing again is multiple head to head matches. Keep an eye out on
Falls Town vs. FC Premiere and FCD.

Also worthy of a jumbo popcorn is
FCD ETX vs. FC Premiere which will say a lot about who will win that second promotion spot!

Good luck to everyone!!

Where do things stand now in relation to finishing the season and starting the State Cup?

In the relegation zone Solar Hedges came up with a big 3-0 win over Texans Faber to give themselves just a little breathing room.  

MATCH OF THE WEEK - Saturday
FC Premiere (12 pts ) vs. Texans Rangel (8 pts)
A win for Forzi could nudge them toward the safe zone and virtually bury Rangel. But a Rangel win could keep the bottom 4 tightly packed.  

THE CRAM
It appears that the League will not, can not finish the season before the State Cup. They have scheduled games no later than Tuesday, but rain is again in the forecast.  

FREE AGENCY
So it appears as the Classic season will finish post State Cup with everyone in free agency. This brings up a couple of questions.
Players are free to practice with other teams?
Will participating teams bring in players now in recruitment efforts?

Could get interesting.
Coming soon, the State Cup preview.

It's going to rain. The question is really how much and more importantly when?

There are some meaningful games on the schedule for Tuesday,  but will the rain bring a start to what will be chaotic scrambling? The big questions are how to finish the Classic season and how to start the State Cup? Here's a rundown on what happened over the weekend and what's on the line on Tuesday.

Chelsea East faces FC Dallas Pino who apparently knows how to crack the code? Pino's sizable 3-1 victory sort of remains a bit of a mystery. Were their club passes involved? Or did Chelsea have players missing? Whether it was a fluke or not this is what's on the line for Chelsea. A win earns them the Classic League Championship and their third consecutive year atop their Division.

Dallas Kicks suffered a setback over the weekend when they surprisingly drew Texans Badii 3-3.  Are all those extra tournaments beginning to take their toll? Are they suffering from tired legs? In order for them to come out as Champions they must win their 3 remaining games and hope for 2 losses by Chelsea East.  This seems improbable. The Kicks faceoff against their nemesis FC Dallas Premiere and bragging rights are on the line. Recruitment talking points are more importantly on the line. Think about those DA PLAYERS who will be looking for a new home next year so this game does mean a lot.

Texans Badii clawed closer to getting out of the relegation zone but still need results in their last 2 games.  

FC Dallas Premiere has cemented a Top 4 position in Classic earning them an invite to next year's Frontier League. FC Dallas Kang needs to keep FC Dallas Pino in their rearview mirror on order to grab the 4th place spot.

In Saturday's Game of the Week Texans Rangel came up huge 4-1 over FC Premiere who themselves regrouped quickly earning a valuable point by tying Texans Faber on Sunday.

We're taking Solar Hedges (16 pts) out of the the relegation zone for now so as things stand:

13 pts. FC PREMIERE - 1 game remaining
12 pts. Texans Badii - 2 games remaining
11 pts. Texans Rangel - 3 games remaining

Back to the weather, depending on the timing and the amount of rain could seriously affect the State Cup which is set to start on Friday. Will games be postponed to later in the weekend or possibly moved to next week? You're guess is as good as ours.

IT'S DOWN TO THE WIRE-WEDNESDAY!

We're back on Classic schedule to begin the final push. This is how things stand.

FC DALLAS Pino posted a 4-2 win last night pushing Texans Rangel a step closer to relegation.

CHELSEA EAST vs. FC PREMIERE FORZI
It is the highs and the lows, Chelsea can win Div. 1 with a win while simultaneously dealing a fatal blow to Forzi who would be first to finish their season, at 13 points and dangerously in the relegation zone. They just met in the State Cup with predictable results.  

SOLAR HEDGES vs. DALLAS KICKS
The Kicks must win their final 3 games and hope for 2 Chelsea losses to claim the Championship. After their performance at State Cup they may just cruise into the off-season?  

TEXANS BADII vs. FC DALLAS PREMIERE
Badii's bunch has made a late push and has posted a motivated 2-1-1 record in their last 4 matches. Can they come up with another big result?  

RELEGATION ZONE
13 FC PREMIERE FORZI
12 DALLAS TEXANS BADII
11 DALLAS TEXANS RANGEL

Good luck and play safe!

BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS
Quite a few Division 1 & 2 teams are battling it out for their opportunity to advance, or avoid relegation.  

DIVISION 3
Congratulations are in order for FCP DYNAMOS and INTER UNITED FC for earning promotion.  A good sign of both teams intention to compete at the next level is both of them participating in the Ken Smith.  

DIVISION 2
Congratulations to FC DALLAS ETX for punching their ticket to Div. 1.  We identified them in the Fall and gave heed of their potential push up the ranks, sure enough they earned their spot. That second spot for promotion is coming down to FC PREMIERE GREEN and FALLS TOWN FC who has two more chances to overtake it.  This would be Falls Town second consecutive year earning promotion.

DIVISION 1
We have a new Champion! Chelsea East has just completed a remarkable three-peat by their third consecutive year on top of their Division.  While other notable teams have spiraled downward, Chelsea has taken the stairs up, up, and up.  From what we understand the team is coached by non-licensed coaches, but what an organic system of soccer! Whatever your attitude on coaching licenses,  it's hard to argue with this level of success.

The Dallas Kicks and FC DALLAS PREMIERE are still battling for the second spot. FC DALLAS KANG are fighting to keep the fourth spot with FC DALLAS PINO wanting to crash the Top 4 party and their opportunity to play in the Frontier League next year. Pino's tough task is playing max out on the State Cup Final on Sunday then facing Chelsea East on Monday who look to avenge their only loss this season.  

The RELEGATION ZONE
13 POINTS FC Premiere Forzi schedule is finished.
12 POINTS Texans Badii have one more shot at points vs. Solar Hedges.
11 POINTS Texans Rangel have 2 tough chances at points vs. Kang and Kicks, not easy and they may be on their way down?

THE HOME STRETCH
Finally, we find ourselves at the finish line and with favorable weather. This is how things stand;
1. Chelsea East and their 3-peat.
2. FCD Premiere who regathered and gave a great effort in the Spring.
3.  Dallas Kicks, faded at the end but a great season overall.
4.  FCD Kang with their own type of 3-peat, promotion in the past 2 years and now a Top 4 finish and a berth into the Frontier League.

RELEGATION ZONE
Basically FC Premiere Forzi has 3 outs.  DT Rangel has 2 chances at a win, DT Badii has 1 chance at a win to overtake Forzi. Let's see how this plays out!