Sunday, June 19, 2011

Playoff Pots

Playoff week is upon us, and we are days away from U.S. Soccer announcing the groups.

For those unfamiliar with the playoffs, there are eight groups with four teams in each. The pots - used to assign teams to each group - are assigned based on points per game in overall Development Academy games. I used goal differential as a tiebreaker where necessary. Teams from the same division cannot be placed in the same playoff group, so that will factor into the lot drawing as well.

Here is my best guess at the pots based on the standings on the Dev Academy website, which can fluctuate at any moment.  

U-18:
Pot 1: Seattle Sounders (2.08), NC Fusion (2.08), PDA (2.12), Weston (2.16), NYRB (2.19), Charlotte Soccer Academy (2.20), FC Dallas (2.35), CASL (2.40)

Pot 2: Real Colorado (1.76), Sockers (1.77), Alberston (1.77), Baltimore Bays (1.78), RSL-AZ (1.79)**, D.C. United (1.81), DC Wolves (1.83), Dallas Texans (2.04)

Pot 3: Empire United (1.65), St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri (1.67), Colorado Rush (1.67), Chicago Fire (1.70), Indiana United (1.74), Arsenal (1.75), CDA (1.76), St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro (1.76)

Pot 4: Seacoast United (1.31), Pateadores (1.54), Crew (1.61), PA Classics (1.63), Cosmos West (1.64), Chivas USA (1.64), Cal Odyssey (1.64), Concorde Fire (1.64)


U-16:
Pot 1: NC Fusion (2.04), North Meck (2.12), Seattle Sounders (2.32), Los Angeles Galaxy (2.25), Concorde Fire (2.52), Charlotte Soccer Academy (2.60), St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri (2.19), Baltimore Bays Chelsea (2.04)*

Pot 2: D.C. United (1.96), CASL (1.96), PA Classics (2.00), FC Delco (2.00), Solar Chelsea FC (2.04)*, Texas Rush (2.00), Albertson (2.00), Houston Dynamo (1.91)**

Pot 3: Real So Cal (1.82), Chicago Fire (1.83), FC Dallas (1.83), IMG (1.84), Pateadores (1.82), Empire United (1.81), RSL-AZ (1.86), Vardar (1.87)

Pot 4: Westchester (1.38), De Anza Force (1.52), Dallas Texans (1.70), New England Revolution (1.73), Sockers (1.74), Columbus Crew (1.78), South Carolina United (1.68), Sporting KC (1.81)


*No idea on the tie-breaker here. They are level on goal differential [44] and goals scored [19].
** Not listed on the Wild-Card standings on the Development Academy website, but I am pretty sure both have a rightful claim to a playoff spot.

Update 6/21 - First group pairing for U-18: Indiana United, FC Dallas, Real Colorado, Cosmos West - pots updated to reflect the new information.