2017 season prediction contest - ladders & scorekeeping

Discussion in 'NWSL' started by SiberianThunderT, Mar 30, 2017.

  1. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    #1 SiberianThunderT, Mar 30, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
    With preseason winding down, I guess it's about time to fire this ol' thing up again. I'll be reinstating weekly predictions this year, plus doing another overhaul of the ladder prediction aspect.

    Ladder + playoff predictions
    Regular season weekly predictions
    Playoff weekly predictions
    So right now, give us your ladder prediction plus who you think will advance through the playoffs based on your ladder! No need to give scores in the playoff predictions you do now, but specify whether those games are decided in regulation, OT, or PKs.
     
    lil_one, CoachJon and holden repped this.
  2. Airox

    Airox Member

    Mar 14, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ladder Prediction:
    1. NC Courage
    2. Portland Thorns
    3. FCKC
    4. Seattle Reign
    5. Chicago Red Stars
    6. Sky Blue
    7. Boston Breakers
    8. Houston Dash
    9. Washington Spirit
    10. Orlando Pride

    NC Courage defeats Seattle regular time in 1v4 semifinal
    FCKC defeats Portland Thorns regular time 2v3 semifinal
    FCKC wins in overtime Final over NC Courage
     
  3. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    1. Portland
    2. North Carolina
    3. Chicago
    4. Seattle
    5. SBFC
    6. Houston
    7. FCKC
    8. Orlando
    9. Washington
    10. Boston (I think it's a firmly established tradition that I pick Boston for last... so I'm sticking with it)

    Semis:
    Portland beats Seattle in regulation
    NC beats Chicago in OT

    Final:
    Portland over NC in PKs.
     
  4. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    This thread was just posted by the official BigSoccer Twitter account... @_@''
    That's new.
     
  5. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    I didn't even know they had a twitter account, let alone tweeted threads. I wonder how it decides what to tweet?
     
  6. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great stuff @SiberianThunderT . I am happy you are planning on doing the weekly predictions.

    Your ambitious scoring system looks like it will make a lot of work for you, assuming you will be the scorekeeper this year. its OK by me if you choose to simplify it.

    Thanks for doing this.
     
  7. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    You're welcome! Glad to do it. =-)
    It's actually not as crazy as it probably looks. X-D Everything related to the ladder is essentially what I've done before, just with different point values and a few extensions (two positions off instead of one, down to one playoff teams instead of down to two, etc.) and the weekly predictions are almost the same as before but just with the two little bonuses available. The playoff predictions are the only ones really beefed up from before, though half of it is just spelling out the if-then possible combinations that I've done before.
    Your guess is as good as mine. X-D
     
  8. Smallchief

    Smallchief Member+

    Oct 27, 2012
    Club:
    --other--
    1. Chicago (Lots of talent and a lousy offense last year will improve.)
    2. Portland. (Matches or exceeds Chicago in talent)
    3. North Carolina (MVP of the league could be S. Mewis)
    4. Seattle (A bit speculative, based on faith in Harvey as a coach)
    5. Sky Blue (lots of youth and Sam Kerr may come through for them)
    6. KC (could be in top 4 if A-Rod and Leroux return to form)
    7. Houston (Good offense)
    8. Boston. (Okay, maybe I'm tired of predicting that Boston will be last.
    9. Washington. (Something is rotten in Washington and it may be the owner)
    10.Orlando. (Sold the farm to get an unproductive and absent Alex Morgan)

    Chicago beats Seattle and NC beats Portland in semi-finals.
    Chicago beats NC in final.
     
  9. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    #9 SiberianThunderT, Mar 31, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2017
    It's interesting to me trying to predict how things will play out... my biggest questions right now:
    NCC - Barely squeaked into the playoffs last year as a young squad. They've got another year of experience now, but with barely any player movement, will they be stale?
    WAS - Absolutely decimated over the offseason and didn't do a good job of replacing talent. But how much lower will they land?
    CHI - They've consistently been top-5 but also a team with very little offseason movement. So will they be stale, or will the massive Aussie contingent mean they're sharper than ever?
    ORL - Even w/o Morgan, I think they were better than their record. How much better, though? And then there's the Marta question.
    BOS - Aside from SEA, I think they've benefited most from the WAS exodus. Also, there's the draft, and Beard's second full season with the team. I'm almost certain they'll rise, but how much?
     
    CoachJon repped this.
  10. liesse00

    liesse00 Member

    Jan 17, 2013
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Chicago
    NC
    Portland
    KC
    Seattle
    Sky Blue
    Washington
    Houston
    Boston
    Orlando

    Playoffs
    Chicago over KC in regulation (exercise those demons), NC over Portland in OT
    Chicago over NC in OT
     
  11. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My Table. This required two dartboards and a healthy administration of single malt.

    1. Chicago..............They are ready and it is time.
    2. Portland...............I think of Sinc and Tobin every time I start feeling Portland lacks "constitution."
    3. North Carolina.....If they did not move to NC, I would have put them 4th or 5th.
    4. Seattle.................In Laura we trust.
    5. Houston..............Because I want them to do well.
    6. FCKC....................ARod without Holiday isn't enough.
    7. SBFC....................I like Christie and Christy, but can’t put them higher.
    8. Washington.........Too much turnover; season will be a series of one goal disappointments.
    9. Orlando................Should be better than 9th, but I think each of the 8 higher up will have better records.
    10. Boston...............They'll be better; but league is too stable :eek: for a weak team to make a big move up.

    Semis:
    Portland beats Seattle; regulation
    Chicago beats NC; OT

    Final:
    Portland over Chicago; regulation
     
  12. Blaze20

    Blaze20 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Seattle Reign FC
    Sep 22, 2009
    Club:
    Philadelphia Independence
    I'm copying the format of Coach cause it looks nice

    1. North Carolina .... Young team that are close to reaching their peak.
    2. Portland ...............Very good team from top to bottom. They could rank anywhere from 2 to 6 in my opinion.
    3. Orlando ............... Strong defense and can overcome their lack of midfield with route 1 soccer.
    4. Chicago ............... Team have stagnated but will make the playoffs due to Press heroics
    5. Seattle................. Not sure how to evaluate this team without Little.
    6. FCKC.................. Leroux and Arod should help the lack of goals last season.
    7. Houston .............. Will continue to under perform. Lacks to true #9.
    8. Boston ................. Another off season with wholesale changes. Will it pay off?
    9. SBFC................... Did not upgrade their forward line which they desperately need help with.
    10. Washington ....... Gabarra is not a good enough coach to overcome what is on paper is a sub par team.

    Semis:
    North Carolina defeats Chicago
    Portland defeats Orlando

    Final:
    Portland defeats North Carolina
     
  13. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not doing my predictions until the rosters come out.

    @CoachJon Your playoff prediction isn't possible. You have 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 4. You might want to correct that.
     
  14. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks @BlueCrimson, however I am feeling bold and will stay with my playoff predictions - after all Portland and Seattle may be #1 and #4 or #2 and #3 at the end of the season. Same for Chicago and North Carolina. Yes, I goofed, but I choose to 'brass it out' as Michael Caine once said.
     
  15. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    My Lord, I've been busy...
    Just bumping this to get some more ladder predictions! I'm gonna add mine hopefully in the next few days. Late penalties begin at first kick!
    I'll also start the weekly predictions thread shortly. Then probably disappear again. #ded
     
    CoachJon repped this.
  16. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My predictions:

    1. Portland- Concerns at the back and in goal, but strong in the mid and up top.
    2. North Carolina- Same concerns as Portland, but stellar offense and underrated mid should carry them to a playoff spot.
    3. Chicago- Need someone other than Press to step up and score on a consistent basis.
    4. SkyBlue- My dark horse to get a playoff spot. Trending upwards under Holly.
    5. Orlando- Had them lower before the Marta signing, but not quite enough good pieces around her to crack the top 4.
    6. Kansas City- The offense is back, but the defense is a year older, and they still lack a standout attacking mid.
    7. Seattle- Hard to see this team get back to the postseason without Little.
    8. Houston- Worrisome defensive unit plus the goalscoring problems they've had without Lloyd.
    9. Boston- Some good pieces added, but a bit too much youth and inexperience.
    10. Washington- Too much quality lost while almost every other team has improved.

    Semifinals:

    SkyBlue over Portland
    North Carolina over Chicago

    Final:

    North Carolina over SkyBlue
     
    CoachJon repped this.
  17. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Alright, I guess I gotta make a prediction already... Let's just muse on last year's standings to begin with.

    POR is still as stacked as they were last year, but their player movement has been stale, and I think they weren't as good as their record was (that's not saying much, though, since they were over 2PPG). WAS has been absolutely decimated, and I don't think they've come anywhere near refilling that talent; that said, Garbagga did a lot more with the team last year than I expected him to - so I think they'll drop significantly, but I'm not confident on their floor. CHI is like POR lite... pretty darn talented already, but also little player movement, so I kinda expect them to be near where they were, maybe a tad lower unless no one else steps up. NCC has arguably improved, but they just barely got into the playoffs last time, and since they were such a young squad last year, was it a sign of what's to come or fleeting lightning in a bottle? SEA gained two of WAS's best but also lost Little and Solo, then lost DMath to injury, so while I think they're good, mid-table sounds about best they could do to me. KC has two NT strikers back active, but how much can both contribute in KC's system? Still think the team improves on last year, though. NJ is a bit of an enigma to me... always has been, so while others are saying they keep improving, I'm just not convinced. HOU were better than their record last year, and I expect that to get realized, though it may only be by a spot or two. ORL is *clearly* better than they were last year now that they have Krieger and Marta - I expect them to move up a lot, especially I think they also were better than their record suggested last year. Similar expectation for improvement with BOS considering the infusion they got this offseason, though missing Haavi will hurt.

    So where does this leave me? I dunno. X-D Let's see though...

    10. WAS : Someone has to finish last, and I can't give it to BOS this year, so I think it'll be either WAS or NJ. That said, I don't think either team will suck completely, so I expect WAS to still get at least 7/24 games won.
    9. NJ : see above
    8. BOS : I sooooo want to see them do better than this. But if I compare them to any other team, I think they come up just slightly short, even with the excellent rookie class. But they'll still get more wins than the past two seasons combined, plus will likely get better next year when everyone's had experience.
    7. SEA : Just not as complete as other teams near them might be
    6. NCC : Sure, they won the playoffs last year. But they didn't convince during last year's regular season, and I think their incredible scoring output might have been a flash in the pan - both their position and overall scoring were greatly helped by how much BOS sucked, too.
    5. POR : Parsons did well with his roster last season, bringing out from a 5th-place finish the year before. They're certainly a playoff-quality team, but I'm hoping someone just barely edges them out on a tiebreak.
    4. HOU : Not as good as CHI or KC, but I think they'll have a season similar to CHI's 2014 season - strong for the first half of the year, then maybe a little discombobulated once stars come back.
    3. KC : Defintiely an improvement from last year, but I don't think they'll ever completely click while trying to integrate both ARod and Leroux
    2. CHI : Stalwarts. But not enough star power to crack first.
    1. ORL : Ninth to first, you ask? Well, I'm not thoroughly convinced by POR/CHI/KC, and you have to also remember that Marta has never not finished first in the US. Is this an overshoot? Maybe. But it's a fun pick that I don't think is *too* far out there! Marta's not the only good INT on the team, and there's the Harris+Krieger combo in back, with eventual help from Morgan.
     
    CoachJon repped this.
  18. holden

    holden Member+

    Dundee FC, Yeovil Town LFC, Girondins de Bordeaux
    Oct 20, 2009
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Dundee FC
    Updating my predictions after seeing the preseason and the latest player transactions:

    1. North Carolina (Rises due to Portland's drop)
    2. Portland (Franch looked really shaky on the back line in the preseason, so I'm dropping them one position. If she doesn't settle down, I wouldn't be surprised to see Eckerstrom win the starting role)
    3. Chicago
    4. Orlando (they've got Marta now... so... if they don't make the playoffs that's bad)
    5. SBFC
    6. Houston
    7. Seattle (dropping Seattle because they barely eked out a win over UCLA... a UCLA without it's 2 best players)
    8. FCKC (drops because of Orlando's rise and I think Seattle will be better)
    9. Washington
    10. Boston

    Semis:
    NC beats Orlando in OT
    Portland beats Chicago in regulation

    Final:
    Portland over NC in PKs.
     
  19. Tokonta

    Tokonta Member

    Dec 11, 2008
    1.Chicago
    2. Portland
    3. Orlando
    4. Washington
    5. North Carolina
    6. Houston
    7. Kansas City
    8. Seattle
    9. Boston
    10. Sky Blue
     
  20. lil_one

    lil_one Member+

    Nov 26, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I keep staring at this and then changing one or two of them. So I'm posting before I can change my mind again!

    1. Chicago: talent all around; the year they break through and win it
    2. Portland: a stacked team; I just can't see them not making the playoffs
    3. Orlando: addition of Marta and Krieger means more offense and more defense and a significant jump up in the standings
    4. FCKC: if they can get everything to click, they definitely have the talent to make the playoffs, and they have Vlatko
    5. North Carolina: sure, they've got offensive chops but their lack of defense is going to come back and bite them
    6. Houston: a team with potential to make the playoffs, but they never seem to quite play up to their potential
    7. Seattle: another that has lost a lot during the offseason
    8. Sky Blue: just don't quite measure up to the other teams
    9. Boston: definitely look improved on last year, but by how much is the question?
    10. Washington: lost too much during the offseason and someone has to be last

    Semis:
    Chicago over FCKC in regulation
    Orlando beats Portland in OT

    Final:
    Chicago beats Orlando in regulation
     
  21. 59Amerinorsk

    59Amerinorsk Member

    Chicago Red Stars
    Norway
    Mar 31, 2017
    1. Chicago
    2. Portland
    3. NC
    4. Boston
    5. KC
    6. Seattle
    7. Orlando
    8. Houston
    9. Sky Blue
    10. Washington

    Semis: Chicago tops Boston in regulation and Portland tops NC in regulation
    Final: Chicago tops Portland in regulation
     
  22. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My Marta-driven Revised Table. Didn’t re-think everything; just shifted Orlando up, and fixed the playoff choices

    1. Chicago
    2. Portland
    3. North Carolina
    4. Seattle
    5. Houston
    6. Orlando
    7. FCKC
    8. SBFC
    9. Washington
    10. Boston

    Semis:
    Chicago beats Seattle; OT
    Portland beats NC; regulation

    Final:
    Portland over Chicago; regulation
     
  23. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Derp, I forgot to make my own playoff predictions...

    Semis: ORL in overtime, CHI in PKs
    Final: CHI in regulation
     
  24. DynamoManiac

    DynamoManiac Member+

    Jan 27, 2014
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    1. Portland
    2. Chicago
    3. North Carolina
    4. Orlando
    5. FCKC
    6. Sky Blue
    7. Seattle
    8. Houston
    9. Washington
    10. Boston

    Portland over Orlando, Chicago over North Carolina
    Portland over Chicago
     
  25. Tracer

    Tracer Member

    Apr 22, 2016
    New York
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    !. North Carolina
    2. Chicago
    3. KCFC
    4. Portland
    5. Sky Blue
    6. Seattle
    7. Orlando
    8. Houston
    9. Boston
    10. Washington

    Portland over North Carolina, in OT
    Chicago over KC, in regulation

    Chicago over Portland, in OT
     

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