2011 USL Pro Playoffs thread

The race is on these last two weeks! First off, a reminder of USL's standings tiebreaker rules:

Standings tiebreakers
The breaking of ties in the final league standings, playoffs and finals is accomplished by applying the following criteria, listed in order of importance:


The following two guidelines will be followed during the implementation of USL tiebreakers for all ties involving three or more teams:

1) The tiebreaker will determine the winner first.
2) The tiebreaker will continue to be followed in order to determine the ranking of the remaining teams without restarting from the beginning.


1) Head-to-head record based on total points in League games.*
2) Total wins in League games
3) Goal difference in League games.
4) Goals scored in League games.
5) Total points within smallest grouping. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage will be used.
6) Ranking based on points earned against top four group finishers. This tiebreaker will not be used if four or less teams comprise the group. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
7) Point percentage outside/smallest division or conference in League games
8) Total points in all regular season and Open Cup Qualifying games combined. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
9) FIFA Fair Play – Team with fewest disciplinary points in League games. (If number of games is unequal, points will be divided by games played to arrive at a common basis for comparison.)
10) Lottery conducted by USL at League office.


League games: refers solely to games that count towards the regular season standings. Open Cup qualifying specific games are NOT “League games” when it comes to determining placement in the League standings. (When utilizing these criteria to determine tiebreakers for Open Cup groups, “League games” should be interpreted as all games that count toward the Open Cup group standings.)


* Should more than two teams involved have played each other an UNEQUAL number of times, this tiebreaker will be skipped.


Group: term used to describe the primary unit in which a team competes (i.e. PDL – Southwest Division)


Point Percentage: number of total points earned / maximum possible points (3 per game)

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The following teams are still eligible for the Commissioner's Cup, and the right to home field throughout the playoffs (Points, Games):

Orlando City (42, 21)
Wilmington Hammerheads (39, 21)
Rochester Rhinos (37, 21)
Richmond Kickers (33, 20)
Harrisburg City Islanders (33, 21)

Orlando City has the H2H tiebreaker against both Wilmington (1-0-1 W-L-D) and Rochester (1-0-1). Harrisburg is still undecided since that is our season finale. Orlando City and Richmond are drawn H2H, but Orlando City has the advantage on goal differential (+14 to +9 currently).

The concept of magic number for soccer depends on points, the combination of points won by the team at advantage, and points lost by those chasing.

With that in mind, Orlando City has a magic number (before tiebreakers) of 7 against Wilmington, 5 against Rochester, 4 against Richmond and 1 against Harrisburg.

Great idea to get this thread up and running. Tonight features a game that's huge for determining the National Division playoff seeding: Antigua at Los Angeles. The Blues control much of their own destiny at the moment. They've already clinched a playoff berth, but having played two fewer games than the division leading Rhinos and City Islanders, they can earn the division's top seed or a home playoff game if they do well in these final two weeks. It won't be easy, they have five games in the next twelve days, but securing a home game would be huge for the Blues because they would avoid a cross-country trip. As a Harrisburg fan, I hope they don't win out because I'd like see the City Islanders host at least one playoff match. Have only two (Antigua and Dayton) of twelve teams been eliminated from playoff contention? The playoff race should be compelling to say the least.

I forgot about the LA Blues (30, 19). Magic number for Orlando City over them is 4. We'd have to go to goal differential against them, too, since we had no games against them.

LA Blues 1 - Antigua 1

Thus, the standings currently are:

Orlando City (42, 21) A
Wilmington Hammerheads (39, 21) A
Rochester Rhinos (37, 21) N
Richmond Kickers (33, 20) A
Harrisburg City Islanders (33, 21) N
Charleston Battery (32, 21) A
Los Angeles Blues (31, 20) N

The letter after the parenthesis indicates each team's division

Dropping of two points reduces the LA magic number to 2. A win by Orlando City tonight would eliminate them and Harrisburg.

It's possible that Tropical Storm Emily could be in the Orlando vicinity on Saturday, though right now it's only predicted to still be a tropical storm at that time. So stay tuned.

LA and Harrisburg are out of the top spot with the City win. It also puts Wilmington under the gun tomorrow against the Blues.

Has anyone seen the official playoff format released by USL?

Rochester has confirmed a home playoff date on Friday 8/12 and described the playoff format.

http://rhinossoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=146

Is Rochester's home playoff game the one to be carried by FSC that night?

I'd assume we'll know much more after tonight's games because some teams can clinch home matches. For example, if Harrisburg wins in Charlotte, they'll clinch a home game, and they'll want to announce the details of that ASAP.

Friday, August 12 is NOT a playoff date.

And if Charlotte beats Harrisburg, they will knock Charleston out of the playoffs.

I don't think they've picked which match will air on TV yet. I would think it would either be Rochester or Orlando right now, maybe Wilmington if they beat Richmond to secure the American #2 seed.

Rampage just got the date wrong, according to the Rhinos: "The Rochester Rhinos have clinched at least one home playoff game in the 2011 USL PRO playoffs. They will host the National Division semi-final at Sahlen’s Stadium on Friday, August 19th at 7:30PM. Gates will open at 6:30PM."

I agree that FSC will probably pick Orlando or Rochester for that Friday night TV game, after all, they are the top drawing teams in the league. I'm hoping the City Islanders can clinch a home playoff game, and it'd be perfect for me if they could host it Saturday or Sunday, but I suppose the USL-PRO playoffs aren't all about me...

I figured that's what happened.

Richmond beat Wilmington last night, 2-0.

With that loss, not only will there be no tie at the top of the American Division, but Richmond could beat LA Blues on Friday and Sunday and rip 2nd place. (Of course, one dropped point gives it to Wilmington.)

With their 1-0 win over Charlotte, Harrisburg locks up 2nd in the National. They have a 1-0-2 H2H record over LA Blues, and the best the Blues can do is a tie on record.

Charlotte's loss leaves them one point ahead of Charleston, with only their head-to-head match left. But a win or tie gives Charlotte the last playoff spot and sends them to Orlando. Charlotte is 0-1-1 against Orlando (tie was there). Charleston is 1-3 in all competitions, two losses in Orlando.

Don't forget that Harrisburg can still win the National Divison depending on how the Rhinos do against Pittsburgh and how the City Islanders fare against Orlando.

Harrisburg wins the division if:
Rochester loses and the Harrisburg ties or wins, or,
Rochester ties and Harrisburg wins

Rochester wins the division if:
Rochester wins, or,
Rochester ties and Harrisburg ties or loses, or,
Rochester loses and Harrisburg loses

Essentially, Harrisburg needs a better result than Rochester this weekend to win the division because the Rhinos have the tiebreaker.

Orlando smacked around Harrisburg tonight, 4-0, meaning Rochester wins the National Division title and #1 seed. Thus, the National Divison bracket is:

Pittsburgh at Rochester
Los Angeles at Harrisburg

Charleston hangs on to beat Charlotte 4-3, snagging the 4th and final playoff slot from the American Divisoon. Thus, their bracket is:

Charleston at Orlando
Richmond vs. Wilmington (home field tbd)

Harrisburg went all in with three forwards, but was drawing dead, as Jamie Watson hit a three of a kind.

I thought I read somewhere that Fox Soccer would televise a couple of playoff games and then the Championship.

Now, their schedule doesn't list any games and the only one they announced is the Championship on September 3rd.

The matches aren't planned out yet, so that's not surprising. The original announcement was one match for each round.

Rochester 4-0 Pittsburgh
Harrisburg 3-2 LA Blues
Wilmington (4) 0-0 (5) Richmond

quite the battle in Harrisburg from the sound of it. LA went up early, Harrisburg fought back took the lead, LA equalized, Harrisburg retake lead. get a guy sent off.

watched both the other matches. Rochester just rolled on Pittsburgh. and the Wilmington Richmond match would have ended in regular time if not for the Hammers keeper Duckworth, who made at least three or four great saves.

Battery take on Orlando tonight at 7:30
game on www.usllive.com and audio via the Battery website (www.charlestonbattery.com)

yeah Duckworth really impressed me this season. Its too bad he has roots in Wilmington, he's one of the Keepers I wouldn't mind seeing in Kickers colors when Pascale finally decides enough is enough.

both Orlando and Richmond finished the season with more points so the winner of tonight's match will host the final.

And there seems to be some confusion to Becher's dismissal from the match. The ref. never indicated he gave him a card. He was removed for by security after he pushed one of them while he was arguing with the ref at half time. So unless USL takes action and suspense him, I think he can be on the sideline at the match.