With 21 games played, we have completed THREE rounds. Current standings (W/D/L) are: Los Pupitos ------- 17-1-3 = 52 pts // 2113 (499+653+961) Sasha Jrs ------ 16-0-5 = 48 pts // 2096 (501+663+932) Joga B ---------- 12-0-9 = 36 pts // 1897 (442+603+852) Pingree Park -- 11-0-10 = 33 pts // 1783 (414+520+845) thetrickytrees -- 10-0-11 = 30 pts // 1738 (453+563+722) Mighty Q -------- 9-0-12 = 27 pts // 1346 (368+465+513) The Bruisers -- 6-0-15 = 18 pts // 1391 (400+464+527) Stormin U ------ 2-1-13 = 7 pts // 1322 (366+456+500) In round 3, Sasha Jrs went 6-1, Los Pups and Joga B were 5-2, Pingree and trickytrees were 4-3, Mighty Q were 3-4, Stormin U were 1-6, and Bruisers went 0-7, although Bruisers gave Los Pups quite a scare in GW21 and had a big lead after the Wednesday games of the game week. The only change in the standings was for Mighty Q to jump to 6th and swap places with Bruisers. Assuming the last 3 weeks are set aside for the playoffs, there are only 4 games to play in round 4 (so a short round, and not everyone plays each other). After splitting the first two meetings, Los Pups and Sasha Jrs faced off for the final time in the regular season in GW20. It was set to be a tie, but Los Pups ditched 5 points on the bench and took a gamble with Hartel, only to see Hartel play his best fantasy game of the season to win it for Los Pups. In the race for 1st place, Los Pups are up 1 win and 1 tie, with 4 games to play, but no one counts Sasha Jrs out! And, it is tight as can be between 3rd and 6th as teams jockey for playoff seedings. As before, the parentheses breaks down the points by each team in each round (first 7 games, second 7, third 7). With the double gameweeks in round 3, significant bumps in scoring per game in round 3 for everyone......
Round 4 ends and the regular season ends. Final standings are attached. Los Pupitos take the supporters shield. We now turn to the playoffs. No team with the #1 seed has won the Cup yet. It's single elimination. Who can now win 3 in a row?
To do a quick summary re round 4, in the last 7 games of the season, the teams scored the following points: Los Pups ---- 731 Sasha Jrs --- 731 Joga B -------- 682 Pingree Park -- 617 tricktrees ------ 429 Mighty Q ------- 467 The Bruisers -- 423 Stormin U ------ 448 While Los Pups and Sasha Jrs scored the same points over the last 7 games, they did not spread them out the same way. Los Pups, along with Joga B and Pingree Park all went 6-1, while Sasha Jrs and trickytrees went 3-4, with the Bruisers going 2-5 down the stretch, and Mighty Q and Stormin U rounding it out with 1-6 performances. Over the last 7, Pingree Park had top score in g22 and g23, Joga B topped the table in g24, Sasha Jrs was top in g25, and then Los Pups took the last 3 weeks (g26, g27, g28). Obviously, good scheduling never hurts, but you know you can't lose if you outscore everyone..... The playoffs are 1v8, 2v7, etc., with the top 4 teams in the standings entering the quarterfinals as heavy favorites to get to the semis based on their recent scoring averages and their season scoring averages. Will there be a round 1 upset?
Quarterfinals wrapped up on Sunday..... 1 - Los Pups -------- 136 8 - Stormin Union -- 78 2 - Sasha Jrs ------- 150 7 - The Bruisers ---- 86 3 - Joga Blakerito -- 142 6 - Mighty Quinn ------ 84 4 - Pingree Park Rangers -- 59 5 - thetrickytrees44 ----------- 55 Teams 1, 2, and 3 took the straightforward path to victory of captaining Messi during a double gameweek. If you didn't have him at all, or had him but didn't captain him, it was going to be a tough game week. Teams 4 and 5 missed the Messi train, which made for a low-scoring and exciting affair. As Sunday's last game headed into the 95th minute, with 7 minutes having been added, Team 5 held a 59-60 lead. This included the 7 points needed for the win from Cincy defender Orellano, who had been subbed out in the 80th minute. US international and Orlando defender Alex Freeman headed a goal to tie the game, and--in my opinion--one of the craziest fantasy rules kicked in to have the goal scored against Cincinnati counted to break up Orellano's clean sheet even though he was out of the game at this point. This is how fantasy MLS rolls, and the rules apply to everyone, but this one makes no sense to me. (This isn't like the FPL rule, where goals get counted against you if you got a red card, which makes sense because by forcing your team to play shorthanded, the red carded player is a part (and potentially a significant part) of the subsequent goals). In any event, subtract 5 from Orellano's score and from thetrickytrees total, and Team 4 slips into the Semis. Going out on a limb, surviving this kind of close call can be the type of moment that propels a team to a championship..... For the Semis, it's: 1 - Los Pups 4 - Pingree Park Rangers 2 - Sasha Jrs 3 - Joga Blakerito FC And, the week kicked off on Tuesday with Messi on another double gameweek, and all four teams have him and captained him. So, we'll see how the rest of everyone's teams do this weekend to sort out the winners......
Semis: 1 - Los Pups ------------------------131 4 - Pingree Park Rangers ---- 133 2 - Sasha Jrs ----------------------- 129 3 - Joga Blakerito FC ----------- 118 The curse of the Shield is real, as yet again the Shield winner has failed to run the table in the playoffs to grab the table. PPR is looking like a team of destiny at the moment, charging hard from the #4 position, with needed good fortune coming in the closing minutes of the final game of the week in both playoff rounds. In the quarters, the late Orlando goal broke Cincy's clean sheet and cost trickytrees the game, and in the semis, Denis Bouanga broke through on a breakaway as the 90th minute approached, needing only a goal or assist to send Los Pups through. Bouanga didn't shoot, and tried to pass to the wide open Son, but didn't hit the ball square and the opportunity drifted wide of the goal, sending PPR through. In round 1, PPR scored 7th, but faced the 8th lowest scoring team, and in round 2, PPR finished with the top score when it needed it, just edging the second highest score. In a critical decision, PPR kept Zinckernagel in as a starter even when he started the first game on the bench, with Z rewarding this confidence with 9 points in the second game of the double gw and providing critical points for the win. In the other semi, Sasha Jrs coasted to the final with a massive 37 points from the bench with scores of 8, 9, 10, and 10 (also including the aforementioned Zinckernagel). Joga B (as well as Los Pups) had initially placed Zinckernagel in their starting lineups, and made late switches upon seeing that he wasn't starting. PPR (under a different name) will try to ride its current good form to its second championship, while Sasha Jrs enters the final with multiple Shields from prior seasons but still searching for its first championship. Sasha Jrs holds a healthy scoring advantage over the entire season but with PPR putting up the top score in the league this past season, the title is up for grabs in what looks to be one of the trickiest gameweeks ever. The championship match will conclude on Oct 18.
Indeed. This gameweek covers two weeks, so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. One game played this past Wednesday, with PPR taking an early lead, but lots of games to still to play. They're squeezing in 4 more today and 1 more tomorrow to make up postponed games even with several stars away on International Duty.... All of the teams will have a double gameweek (except for LAFC on the triple gameweek). Then we'll have full round of games next weekend on Decision Day! Good luck to both finalists, and thanks to Norm for setting it up and having the trophy "engraved" each year!
and the winner is... Sasha Juniors! The MLS All-Rockstars Cup can now be engraved with their name for all time. It was a fun season everyone and congrats again to Sasha Juniors (also a great battle put up by PPR as well)
It was a Messi or not to Messi kind of final. Didn't think Messi would make both matches so he was a bench play. The rest of the league captained him. Pingree Park Rangers went with no Messi at all. Finally win the MLS All-Rockstars Cup!
Congrats to Tarv! After 3 prior seasons with the Supporters Shield for the top record in regular season, they run the playoff gauntlet to win the franchise's first MLS All-Rockstars Cup! Scoring in the final (with Messi as an auto-sub off the bench being the difference) was: (2)Sasha Juniors --------------- 185 (4)Pingree Park Rangers --- 143 In the unofficial 3rd place game, victory went to the younger member of the LAFC family: (1)Los Pupitos ------------------ 219 (3)Joga Blakerito -------------- 231 Both squads were left thinking about what might have been had they just been able to get through the semis to be in the finals. Next stop is to enjoy (hopefully) the actual MLS playoffs. Might there be a Philadelphia-LAFC rematch of the phenomenal final from a few years ago, but this time in Philly??? Will Messi, or Muller, or Dreyer, or Evander prevent that from happening with Los Pups, Joga B, Might Q, and Stormin Union watching on??? And, then, we'll look for Norm to set us up again for next year, and invite a couple new teams from All Rocks to join in to fill the spots covered by non-Rocks-affiliated squads this season. For the history books, 2025 ends: 2025: Sasha Jrs (Shield: Los Pupitos) 2024: Los Pupitos (Shield: Sasha Jrs) 2023: JBT4 (Shield: Los Pupitos) 2022: Los Pupitos (Shield: Sasha Jrs) 2021: Los Pupitos (Shield: Sasha Jrs) Note: JBT4 = the team currently known as Pingree Park Rangers
definitely will run this again next year and the trophy is going to be engraved very soon (and will post it this week coming up). In terms of the Union I think this is the most cohesive group they've had since day one. I'm a fan of Jim Curtin, but it's amazing what Bradley Carnell has done in just his first year with the union. I recently broke the bank to get tickets for my family and I to go to the World Cup in Seattle (second USA game is there) next year, but there is no doubt that if Philly is hosting the MLS cup final that I am definitely going there even if I have to go into debt. It's just how it is if you're a soccer fan a lot of people don't understand it, but it is what it is (and I think you guys know what I'm talking about as fellow soccer fanatics)
Hate to say it, but I don't think the 2023 win was me, but was what is now TrickyTrees44. He beat me in the final and still has a copy of your coloring book trophy to rub in my face. Great job SJ and thanks to Norm for running the show!
Ooops, my bad, and my apologies to TrickyTrees44 (formerly known as JBT4). And good on him for keeping the trophy to remind you!!!!
The trophy is almost ready, just finishing up the gold inlay and the diamond cut engraving. Planning to post it tonight, thanks again for a fun tournament and congrats to Sasha Juniors!
@Norm Coyle It appears they've dropped the old league site for fmls. Perhaps check out Sofascore as an option? There is another one-Kickbase'-but looks like it is app only. Personally, I like the option of accessing by computer. I've no idea if there are scoring differences and if the crazy switcheroo is still allowed under either or both but season starts next weekend so you need to pick a platform.....
No response yet from @Norm Coyle ..... We are less than 48 hours from season kickoff. I like Sofascore better and would use that platform. If i set up a league, do people want to play? Seems unlikely we get this off the ground but I'm in if there is interest.
Have you looked at the 2 platforms? Sofascore has no head2head option.... Kickbase has h2h, but has my head spinning with options.
I did set up a league on Sofascore. I've shared the code with Norm, Tarv, Wendy's, and JogaBlakerito. Family members invited as well. Hopefully everyone can join. New rules will take some time to learn and adjust to.... If anyone else would like to join, get your teams formed before tomorrow's deadline if you can and shoot me a note for the code... @Norm Coyle @tarvinodos @Wendys
Sorry havent been on this site for a while so just saw the messages today, but after deadline already passed. it's been a bit crazy lately with my house getting damaged by the recent ice storm and now Philly could be getting a blizzard tomorrow as well (my family and I are staying in hotel now until we can get our house fixed). hope you were still able to get your league going and hopefully next season can join,
Terrible start for the Union and can’t say I’m too optimistic for the club this season. The front office are idiots, they gave up our best scorer from last year Tai Baribo for $4.5 M to DC and then picked up a forward Ezekiel Alladoh from the Swedish league who looks like a complete bust (got red carded in the game and wasn’t effective at all). And of course Baribo scored the goal which won the game, and could have scored another one or two as well. One of the dumbest moves that the club has ever made. Why would you give up one of the best forwards the club has ever had, to get an unknown forward from a so-so european league? Makes no sense