We are at the halfway mark of the season for a good heaping of teams in the NPSL Midwest Region, and things are still up in the air for the region in terms of teams making the playoffs (as you'd expect). Ahead of another busy weekend, I thought this would be the best time to take an early look at the standings and forecast some possibilities in the regular and post season.
Those in the Hunt:
It is still early in the season, and anything can happen, but at this stage in the game we can definitely rule out a handful of teams with near-certainty. For example, the NPSL Great Lakes with under a point per game average -- Michigan Stars, FC Indiana, and Toledo Villa -- that can be pretty securely ruled out of postseason play this season. Likewise, the NPSL North have three teams in that same boat as well: Dakota Fusion, LC Aris FC, and Sioux Falls Thunder. Finally, the East has Syracuse FC with just one point in their first five games and Pittsburgh Hotspurs, who are pointless through three.
Now that that is out of the way, let's take a look at each division. First, the NPSL North. The North is making a strong case to be in contention with some of the most elite conferences in the discussion for that top-tier of NPSL conferences. The final two lossless teams in the Midwest are both in the North, and both currently sit in the top two places of the table. Med City FC have taken advantage of VSLT FC dropping out of the league for at least this season and jumped from their mid-level placement last season to the top point-per-game team in the region (2.43 PPG). Their two draws have been away to Duluth and home to Minneapolis, and while they see each of the other top five teams in the conference once more this season, three of those four games are at home, including against Duluth for the second time around.
Of course, they are nowhere near a sure thing to make the playoffs. Both Duluth and Minneapolis City have a game in hand on their conference rivals and winning that one in hand would draw Duluth level on points and put Minneapolis just a point back. The two playoff qualifying teams last season have a fun-to-watch rivalry that should only continue to heat up. Minneapolis's lone loss this season, after an unbeaten run last regular season, has been to Duluth -- who beat them in the Midwest Regional Semi-Finals last season. Duluth, on the other hand, has their aforementioned draw with Med City but also a 2-2 home draw with Minnesota TwinStars. They see LC Aris FC twice more alternating between conference six-pointers and Aris for the rest of the season.
The Great Lakes Conference is not short of drama either. At this stage, it, too, is a three-horse race. The closest team to a sure thing to make the playoffs seems to be Grand Rapids FC, at the moment. GRFC sit two points clear of Detroit City, who they've played the same amount of games as, and one point up on AFC Ann Arbor, who they also have a game in hand on. They slipped up on the road to FC Columbus and they drew with Detroit at home, but those have been helped over by victories on the road against AFCAA and Kalamzoo FC. In the battle for second as it stands, AFC have a one-point advantage on DCFC, but City have the game in hand.
There are still, however a good few moving parts in this conference. Each of the top three teams see each other once more this season, but the key could be the mid-table teams, Kalamazoo FC and FC Columbus. KZFC topped City at Keyworth Stadium early in the season and, as previously mentioned, Columbus beat Grand Rapids in Ohio. AFC survived their meetings with KZFC, snaring draws away from each of the two meetings, but blew Columbus away in each of their two meetings. Their remaining six matches are the meetings against the other two key players, but now they see FC Indiana and Toledo Villa twice each. On the other hand, Grand Rapids sees everyone but Toledo once more (and Michigan Stars twice) while City have their pair of 5-0 victories against FC Indiana already secure. Lots could change, and we could perhaps see one of the two spoilers jump into playoff consideration.
Finally, we have the NPSL East. Of the six teams in the conference, four of them have at least two points per game. Cleveland SC is out front on points with twelve in six, but no other team has played more games than them. Standing in second is Erie Commodores with ten points in five matches, but the two other key players in the conference also have fewer matches under their belt than them. In fact, it is Rochester Lancers who sit in the best position here in the East with nine points in five matches, good for 2.25 PPG. Rounding out the top four is FC Buffalo, who have six points in three matches.
The key in this conference will be the match-ups remaining in the season. Cleveland, for example, by the end of the weekend, will have seen both Rochester and Erie twice each this season. Buffalo, on the other hand, has lost to Rochester on the road and beaten Erie at home, but they will still get Erie on the road, Cleveland twice, and will have to host Lancers as well. Rochester get Syracuse twice but also will need to see Erie twice as well. This conference would figure to be the toughest to call at this stage of the season, given the disparity between the amount of games these teams have played.
Key Games to Watch:
I've highlighted two of the biggest games left in the season in each conference that could shape the playoff push.
North:
June 22: Duluth at Med City
July 12: Med City at Minneapolis
The obvious other choice is Round Two of DUFC and MPLS, but I've picked the two MCFC matches because of how important they will be for Med City. This is a massive opportunity for Med City to break into the upper echelon of the NPSL Midwest. Their final two 'big' matches are an opportunity for Med City to make a huge statement in the conference. If they can beat just Duluth at home, but take care of their other business at home, I fancy them to win the conference. Winning their next three matches means all eyes will be on Minnesota on July 7th when Minneapolis and Duluth square off.
Great Lakes:
June 30: AFC Ann Arbor at Grand Rapids
July 5: Grand Rapids at Detroit City
The context of these two matches make them massive. Ann Arbor has always had a rough go of things in Grand Rapids and after a loss already hosting Grand Rapids, they will want to bounce back with a win. Their defense has been elite, but Grand Rapids is the only team to score two goals in back-to-back seasons (this season and last) in the conference. After scoring four against Columbus, AFCAA will have two more matches to build up some scoring confidence (at Toledo and at Indiana) before this showdown. Following this match, on a short turnaround for GRFC, they must travel to Keyworth to take on a Detroit team that held them to a 0-0 already this season. This is a make-or-break stretch for GRFC. Two wins put them firmly on top of the conference. Two losses mean they are probably watching the AFCAA/DCFC match on July 7th while chomping their nails. Within a little more than a week, the NPSL Great Lakes will almost certainly be decided.
East:
June 14: Cleveland SC at Erie Commodores
July 7: Rochester Lancers at FC Buffalo
Two big matches for two different reasons. For Cleveland and Erie, this is a throwback to games of last season where the two sides played in short order to close the NPSL regular season then open up the NPSL playoffs. Both times were in Erie, and Cleveland got the last laugh with the playoff victory. Cleveland winning, and Rochester holding serve at home while stealing points on the road means there's a very real shot that Erie miss the playoffs this season. The second match I've highlighted is a tough away match for Rochester against their New York rivals. Depending how the earlier portions of their season go, this could be a vital three points that Rochester need to pick up. Buffalo, meanwhile, may reveal themselves to be in the playoff hunt for the long haul and would be hoping to snag three points at home en route to thrusting or establishing themselves into the top two or three ahead of their season finale in Cleveland.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more NPSL coverage, as well as Michigan basketball and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
Those in the Hunt:
It is still early in the season, and anything can happen, but at this stage in the game we can definitely rule out a handful of teams with near-certainty. For example, the NPSL Great Lakes with under a point per game average -- Michigan Stars, FC Indiana, and Toledo Villa -- that can be pretty securely ruled out of postseason play this season. Likewise, the NPSL North have three teams in that same boat as well: Dakota Fusion, LC Aris FC, and Sioux Falls Thunder. Finally, the East has Syracuse FC with just one point in their first five games and Pittsburgh Hotspurs, who are pointless through three.
Now that that is out of the way, let's take a look at each division. First, the NPSL North. The North is making a strong case to be in contention with some of the most elite conferences in the discussion for that top-tier of NPSL conferences. The final two lossless teams in the Midwest are both in the North, and both currently sit in the top two places of the table. Med City FC have taken advantage of VSLT FC dropping out of the league for at least this season and jumped from their mid-level placement last season to the top point-per-game team in the region (2.43 PPG). Their two draws have been away to Duluth and home to Minneapolis, and while they see each of the other top five teams in the conference once more this season, three of those four games are at home, including against Duluth for the second time around.
Of course, they are nowhere near a sure thing to make the playoffs. Both Duluth and Minneapolis City have a game in hand on their conference rivals and winning that one in hand would draw Duluth level on points and put Minneapolis just a point back. The two playoff qualifying teams last season have a fun-to-watch rivalry that should only continue to heat up. Minneapolis's lone loss this season, after an unbeaten run last regular season, has been to Duluth -- who beat them in the Midwest Regional Semi-Finals last season. Duluth, on the other hand, has their aforementioned draw with Med City but also a 2-2 home draw with Minnesota TwinStars. They see LC Aris FC twice more alternating between conference six-pointers and Aris for the rest of the season.
The Great Lakes Conference is not short of drama either. At this stage, it, too, is a three-horse race. The closest team to a sure thing to make the playoffs seems to be Grand Rapids FC, at the moment. GRFC sit two points clear of Detroit City, who they've played the same amount of games as, and one point up on AFC Ann Arbor, who they also have a game in hand on. They slipped up on the road to FC Columbus and they drew with Detroit at home, but those have been helped over by victories on the road against AFCAA and Kalamzoo FC. In the battle for second as it stands, AFC have a one-point advantage on DCFC, but City have the game in hand.
There are still, however a good few moving parts in this conference. Each of the top three teams see each other once more this season, but the key could be the mid-table teams, Kalamazoo FC and FC Columbus. KZFC topped City at Keyworth Stadium early in the season and, as previously mentioned, Columbus beat Grand Rapids in Ohio. AFC survived their meetings with KZFC, snaring draws away from each of the two meetings, but blew Columbus away in each of their two meetings. Their remaining six matches are the meetings against the other two key players, but now they see FC Indiana and Toledo Villa twice each. On the other hand, Grand Rapids sees everyone but Toledo once more (and Michigan Stars twice) while City have their pair of 5-0 victories against FC Indiana already secure. Lots could change, and we could perhaps see one of the two spoilers jump into playoff consideration.
Finally, we have the NPSL East. Of the six teams in the conference, four of them have at least two points per game. Cleveland SC is out front on points with twelve in six, but no other team has played more games than them. Standing in second is Erie Commodores with ten points in five matches, but the two other key players in the conference also have fewer matches under their belt than them. In fact, it is Rochester Lancers who sit in the best position here in the East with nine points in five matches, good for 2.25 PPG. Rounding out the top four is FC Buffalo, who have six points in three matches.
The key in this conference will be the match-ups remaining in the season. Cleveland, for example, by the end of the weekend, will have seen both Rochester and Erie twice each this season. Buffalo, on the other hand, has lost to Rochester on the road and beaten Erie at home, but they will still get Erie on the road, Cleveland twice, and will have to host Lancers as well. Rochester get Syracuse twice but also will need to see Erie twice as well. This conference would figure to be the toughest to call at this stage of the season, given the disparity between the amount of games these teams have played.
Key Games to Watch:
I've highlighted two of the biggest games left in the season in each conference that could shape the playoff push.
North:
June 22: Duluth at Med City
July 12: Med City at Minneapolis
The obvious other choice is Round Two of DUFC and MPLS, but I've picked the two MCFC matches because of how important they will be for Med City. This is a massive opportunity for Med City to break into the upper echelon of the NPSL Midwest. Their final two 'big' matches are an opportunity for Med City to make a huge statement in the conference. If they can beat just Duluth at home, but take care of their other business at home, I fancy them to win the conference. Winning their next three matches means all eyes will be on Minnesota on July 7th when Minneapolis and Duluth square off.
Great Lakes:
June 30: AFC Ann Arbor at Grand Rapids
July 5: Grand Rapids at Detroit City
The context of these two matches make them massive. Ann Arbor has always had a rough go of things in Grand Rapids and after a loss already hosting Grand Rapids, they will want to bounce back with a win. Their defense has been elite, but Grand Rapids is the only team to score two goals in back-to-back seasons (this season and last) in the conference. After scoring four against Columbus, AFCAA will have two more matches to build up some scoring confidence (at Toledo and at Indiana) before this showdown. Following this match, on a short turnaround for GRFC, they must travel to Keyworth to take on a Detroit team that held them to a 0-0 already this season. This is a make-or-break stretch for GRFC. Two wins put them firmly on top of the conference. Two losses mean they are probably watching the AFCAA/DCFC match on July 7th while chomping their nails. Within a little more than a week, the NPSL Great Lakes will almost certainly be decided.
East:
June 14: Cleveland SC at Erie Commodores
July 7: Rochester Lancers at FC Buffalo
Two big matches for two different reasons. For Cleveland and Erie, this is a throwback to games of last season where the two sides played in short order to close the NPSL regular season then open up the NPSL playoffs. Both times were in Erie, and Cleveland got the last laugh with the playoff victory. Cleveland winning, and Rochester holding serve at home while stealing points on the road means there's a very real shot that Erie miss the playoffs this season. The second match I've highlighted is a tough away match for Rochester against their New York rivals. Depending how the earlier portions of their season go, this could be a vital three points that Rochester need to pick up. Buffalo, meanwhile, may reveal themselves to be in the playoff hunt for the long haul and would be hoping to snag three points at home en route to thrusting or establishing themselves into the top two or three ahead of their season finale in Cleveland.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more NPSL coverage, as well as Michigan basketball and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
Comments
Post a Comment