mfls Champions League

[Wendys]

Does Champions League start this week or next?

[AJ]

Preston's web page indicated that the Champions League was to start this week, but he's not posted the participants or the groupings...

[Wendys]

I'd imagine he's just really busy, so I'm preparing like we have a match this week!

[AJ]

Since we've not heard from Preston and his site indicates the group play begins this weekend,I'll hold a draw into five groups and post the results by division... If he's got another draw somewhere else, that one will be official rather than mine. However, in the event that he's not held his own - we can use this one...

I've not taken the time to find out who the qualifiers from each division are. I'll try to do that in a bit.

Group A
1.USA v World
2.Fire Alarm Premier
3.LA Galaxy
4.River Ratz of the Nose

Group B
1.RevMFLS
2.CrewFan - McBride
3.BSSM Premier
4.Rochester Rhino Fans

Group C
1.River Ratz of the Tail
2.The Black & The Red
3.Casbah
4.League of Great Significance

Group D
1.CrewFan - John
2.Omega
3.Brew City (League)
4.Fire Season Ticket Holders

Group E
1.Yahoo SuxAss
2.Brew City (MFLS)
3.WizMFLS
4.CrewFan - Friedel

First Week: 1v4, 2v3
Second Week: 1v3, 2v4
Third Week: 1v2, 3v4

[AJ]

Once again I'll re-iterate that Preston may have already sorted all this out; and if that's true then his ruling counts. However, if it's true that he's not done it, my draw from the previous post translated into teams shakes out like this...

Group A
1.Wolf Riders (#7 overall)
2.Firefanz
3.Al Ataque VI (#14 overall)
4.High Plains Ballers

Group B
1.Rivendell Wednesday (#6 overall)
2.Blackbullet
3.\_o_/ (#16 overall)
4.Relegation Rangers

Group C
1.MOAV
2.The Holy Knights (#17 overall)
3.Rubio Begonias
4.Grainger Rebels

Group D
1.Beggar (#1 overall)
2.Hyde Park Rangers
3.Abracadabra
4.Machina

Group E
1.Pox
2.Top Shelf (#3 overall)
3.Maestro FC
4.Mpasi Monene

This Week:
A: Wolf Riders v High Plains Ballers
A: Firefanz v Al Ataque VI
B: Riverndell Wednesday v Relegation Rangers
B: Blackbullet v \_o_/
C: MOAV v Grainger Rebels
C: The Holy Knights v Rubio Begonias
D: Begger v Machina
D: Hyde Park Rangers v Abracadabra
E: Pox v Mpasi Monene
E: Top Shelf v Maestro FC

Good luck to all!

[sljohn]

AJ -- Thanks for taking the initiative to keep this going.

Also, I'll identify myself as the manager for \_o_/ of the BSSM Premier division.

[masoo]

Thanks, AJ!

Rubio Begonias, Team 3 Group C

[AJ]

(sarcasm) I sure am glad I stepped up to announce pairings, etc. for this year's Champions League. (/sarcasm)

I got the worst score in the whole league! :( I made too many changes - outsmarted myself, then left Diallo on my bench. What an idiot I am - my second straight year choking upon arrival. :(

Oh, well - on to the rest of the league, where some surprises await...

A: Wolf Riders 50:44 High Plains Ballers
A: Firefanz 45:34 Al Ataque VI
B: Riverndell Wednesday 40:28 Relegation Rangers
B: Blackbullet 27:44 \_o_/
C: MOAV 31:40 Grainger Rebels
C: The Holy Knights 47:49 Rubio Begonias
D: Beggar 54:57 Machina
D: Hyde Park Rangers 47:32 Abracadabra
E: Pox 24:6 Mpasi Monene
E: Top Shelf 38:16 Maestro FC

Tom Weible's overall leader beggar scores 54 points.... AND LOSE!

Group Standings:
A: Firefanz (3 pts, +11 GD), Wolf Riders (3 pts, +6), High Plains Ballers (0 pts, -6), Al Ataque VI (0 pts, -11)

B: \_o_/ (3 pts, +17), Rivendell Wednesday (3 pts, +12), Relegation Rangers (0 pts, -12), Blackbullet (0 pts, -17)

C: Grainger Rebels (3 pts, +9), Rubio Begonias (3 pts, +2), The Holy Knights (0 pts, -2), MOAV (0 pts, -9)

D: Hyde Park Rangers (last year's co-champion, btw) (3 pts, +15), Machina (3 pts, +3), beggar (0 pts, -3), Abracadabra (0 pts, -15)

E: Top Shelf (3 pts, +22), Pox (3 pts, +18), Mpasi Monene (0 pts -18), Maestro FC (0 pts, -22)

[AJ]

This week's pairings:
A: Wolf Riders v Al Ataque VI
A: Firefanz v High Plains Ballers
B: Rivendell Wednesday v \_o_/
B: Blackbullet v Relegation Rangers
C: MOAV v Rubio Begonias
C: The Holy Knights v Grainger Rebels
D: beggar v Abracadabra
D: Hyde Park Rangers v Machina
E: Pox v Maestro FC
E: Top Shelf v Mpasi Monene

[AJ]

Since this year's competition is underway, we'll hold to last year's format. However, it occurs to me that this first three weeks of competition will pare only four of the twenty teams from the field... shades of the 1980s NHL.

Perhaps it would have been better to have the five group champions advance directly to the Quarterfinals and then put the six next best records into one-game play offs to win the final three Quarterfinal spots. That would make the first three weeks much more meaningful, paring the field from twenty to eleven.

[Preston McMurry]

Sorry, I've been on vacation the last 10 days. I'm working on the update. I'll need to calculate backwards off the division rankings, from this week's scores, to see who led the diviions prior to this week. (Unless someone knows offhand.)

[Preston McMurry]

<b>Brew City News (22-July)</b>
<p>
<ul>
<li><u>Vacation</u>: I've been away from my computer for the last 10 days, so I've just now caught up with the last two weeks' results.
<p>
<li><a href="http://www.execpc.com/~pvmiii/brewcity/cupcomp.html#ChampionsLeague">Champions League</a>: There are five groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group, plus the best two third place teams, will advance. Four teams will have a walkover in the first knockout round, while the other eight teams compete for the four remaining quarterfinal spots. Third place teams are not eligible for a walkover. The teams have been seeded according to their MFLS points as of the end of week 17. The teams were grouped so that each group has the same relative strength -- i.e., 1-6-10-14 through 5-10-15-20. The first matches have been conducted. In Group A, beggar 54:44 \_O_/ and Maestro FC 16:45 Firefanz. In Group B, Top Shelf 38:47 Holy Knights and Rubio Begonias 49:44 High Plains Ballers. In Group C, Rivendell Wednesday 40:27 blackbullet and Grainger Rebels 40:24 Pox. In Group D, Wolf Riders 50:6 Mpasi Monene and Hyde Park Rangers 47:28 Relegation Rangers. In Group E, AL ATAQUE VI 34:57 Machina and MOAV 31:32 Abracadabra.
<p>
</ul>

Several teams are also in the Cup Winners Cup: \_O_/, Top Shelf, Holy Knights, Rubio Begonias, Rivendell Wednesday, Grainger Rebels, Wolf Riders, and perhaps a few others. If you spot any potential 'doubles' -- where teams play each other in both Cups in the same week -- let me know so I can deconflict.

[Wendys]

Oh Man! I went from winning my Champions League match to losing it! Glad you are back though, Preston!

[sljohn]

Same here... my bright shining victory, what happened to my bright shining victory? And, I'm still trying to figure out how as the 6th seed I got stuck playing the 1st seed (shouldn't the 10th seed get that honor?)...

Nonetheless, any annoyance I feel with such trivialities is over-shadowed by the fact that "I'm just glad to be here".

Thanks for all your work Preston in hosting these competitions. It definitely adds a nice twist to the season to be able to enter a high-caliber competition.

[Preston McMurry]

Maybe in the NCAA, but when I seed, I always seed so each group has the same relative strength, so that each team theoretically has the same possibility of going through. I've always done it that way. (Check out the Mug'O'Suds for another example, except it had eight groups, so the seeds were 1-9-17-25 through 8-16-24-32.) The driving philosophy is to keep as many managers interested for as long as possible, instead of stacking the deck for the higher seeded teams. That's also why in all my cups, the knockout stage is a blind draw with no seeding. (Or any finagling, other than to avoid doubling a result between cups, which would be unfair to the losing side.) Thanx for the compliment, though. :)

[AJ]

Welcome back, Preston!

Unlike sljohn and Wendys, my measly six point week was going to lose to anyone I was drawn against! :(

[masoo]

Originally posted by Preston McMurry
Several teams are also in the Cup Winners Cup: \_O_/, Top Shelf, Holy Knights, Rubio Begonias, Rivendell Wednesday, Grainger Rebels, Wolf Riders, and perhaps a few others. If you spot any potential 'doubles' -- where teams play each other in both Cups in the same week -- let me know so I can deconflict.

Doesn't really apply, but just in case ... Top Shelf and I (Rubio Begonias) meet this week in Champ League, and if we both win our first-round Cup-Winners match, we'll meet again there next week.

[Preston McMurry]

It absolutely does matter! :)

Originally you were scheduled to meet in week 20 in the CL, and could have met in the CWC if you both won your first round match. Since a win in one cup would automatically result in a win in the other cup (very unfair), I switched Group B's week 19 and 20 matches. Now, you cannot meet twice in the same week, but may meet two weeks in a row. Nothing wrong with that, and it gives the loser a chance at avenging their honor. :)

[Preston McMurry]

Originally posted by AJ
Unlike sljohn and Wendys, my measly six point week was going to lose to anyone I was drawn against! :(

Hey, at least you are not staring back-to-back relegations in the face like my Alewive FC is ...

[Preston McMurry]

<b>Brew City News (29-July)</b>
<p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.execpc.com/~pvmiii/brewcity/cupcomp.html#ChampionsLeague">Champions League</a>: The story of the CL continues to be the Little Team That Could, Abracadabra, the bottom seed, which topped Group E with its second straight win. (This week a convincing 59:38 over fifth-seeded AL ATAQUE VI.) In Group A, Firefanz are through to the knockout rounds with a 49:45 victory over beggar. In Group B, Holy Knights are through after defeating High Plains Ballers 40:34. In Group C, Rivendell Wednesday and Grainger Rebels are both through on six points, but meet each in week 20 to win the group. In Group D, all four teams are even on three points, with only 'goal' differential separating Wolf Riders, Hyde Park Rangers, Relegation Rangers and Mpasi Monene. No team has been eliminated, as all still have a mathematical shot at earning one of the two third place advancement spots. The CL also resumes after the MLS all-star break.
<p>
<li><font color=#ff0000><b>All-Star Break</b></font>: There are no real MLS matches this upcoming weekend (August 3), so the next round of MFLS competition will be on August 10. Sorry, but this Wednesday (July 31) matches do not count for any Brew City competitions.
<p>
</ul>