Power Rankings -- Week 5

Two very disparate divisions have cropped up with the most recent week's results, with both the first and fourth place teams in the East (Queens and Carolina) currently having a fairly incredible one and a half match lead in the race for the division title and the final playoff spot, respectively. When it generally comes down to the last week (at least for the final playoff spot certainly), with tiebreakers often needed, to decide those matters, such leads only halfway through the season are really quite an anomaly, especially considering how balanced the East has been throughout the League. On the flip side, the West has a whopping four teams tied in the races for the last playoff spots, with the division leaders not being far ahead, really making anything possible. It should be very interesting to see if the East standings can maintain their current structure, or if one of the 1 – 4 teams can make a crazy run in the second half of the season to make a race of it. Likewise, with such a mass of teams in the West all in good position to claim a spot, it's really anyone's guess who might emerge from that mass to make it to the playoffs.



1st: Queens Pioneers (5.0 – 0.0) (+1 from last week). I stated that once I felt Queens had clinched their playoff spot, I might promote them to the top spot and as they've done that (well, I suppose it's conceivable to design a set of results where at 5 – 5 they would not end up making it, but I for one am certainly not going to try), I have done just that (of course, San Francisco stumbling made it pretty easy also!). As Alex Lenderman noted in his blog, the focus for them now naturally is winning the division, as given their one and a half match lead, to not do so would definitely be quite a disappointment at this stage. Their big rematch with the second place Knockouts is coming up in Week 7, and a win there could well for all intents and purposes, clinch the division for the Pioneers should they achieve it. (Win Division: 66%, Make Playoffs: 100%), (Combined Current Record of Remaining Opponents: 14 – 11)


2nd: San Francisco Mechanics (3.5 – 1.5) (-1). It's very rare for the Mechanics to have a match as forgettable as I'm sure last week's was, as they could well have been swept had things gone slightly differently. Hopefully for them they got all the bad performances out of the way in that one match and can bounce back quickly since they clearly seem to be headed for a stiff fight with Dallas for the division title, and another loss might push them back into some of the logjam of the four currently 0.500 teams in the West. (33%, 89%), (12 – 13)


3rd: Dallas Destiny (3.5 – 1.5) (+0). Another very solid performance from the Destiny, albeit coming in a drawn effort rather than a win. Dallas just continues to look very tough all around, and with them now having Vazirova on the main roster and can now regularly use a strong IM on Board Three (especially in the postseason), the extra flexibility they now possess can only make them more dangerous. (32%, 87%), (10.5 – 14.5)


4th: New Jersey Knockouts (3.5 – 1.5) (+0). One of the quickest team victories for the Knockouts this week against the struggling Inventors puts New Jersey in prime playoff position, unless a big collapse allows one of the currently 1 – 4 teams to catch them. It's not unreasonable for them at this point to look higher towards trying to win the division title, but to get that, their Week 7 rematch with Queens is essentially a must win. (20%, 91%), (12 – 13)


5th: Boston Blitz (3.0 – 2.0) (+1). The Blitz team of recent years showcased itself as we'd come to expect in such a dominating win against the team many felt to be the best in the league. A definite relieving sign for them as two consecutive losses and then being matched against the Mechanics seemed to have a gloomy outlook to it, but Boston clearly showed they are still capable of what has made them so successful in the last two years. They now face four consecutive teams who currently sit at 1 – 4 and if anything can be a good opportunity to gain ground on the division leading Pioneers, one has to think that is. (12%, 79%), (9 – 16)


6th: Seattle Sluggers (2.5 – 2.5) (+2). A solid draw for the Sluggers against the defending Champions places them in the conglomerate of teams fighting for third in the West. There's little to say in terms of the keys to them successfully emerging out of that mass other than just to play well, and it should be an interesting test taking on the Knights and the Mechanics in the next two weeks, two teams the Sluggers have definitely struggled against in the past. (10%, 58%), (10.5 – 14.5)


7th: Miami Sharks (2.5 – 2.5) (-2). Like Seattle there's little to tell about Miami being caught in the huge tie in the West other than suggesting to them that winning would be a very good idea, especially considering their next two matches are both against teams which they are currently caught in that huge tie with, Chicago and Arizona. (9%, 56%), (15.5 – 9.5)


8th: Chicago Blaze (2.5 – 2.5) (+1). Chicago continues to look strong and very solid, but given the current competition, that might not alone be enough to get them to the promise land, as with such a deadlock currently, the teams that can reach really far down when it really counts are the ones who will emerge from the West. (8%, 53%), (14.5 – 10.5)


9th: Arizona Scorpions (2.5 – 2.5) (-2). While a draw against the Cobras is certainly not a super disappointing result, considering the fashion in which it was achieved definitely has to be quite disappointing for the Scorpions. In a league as balanced as the USCL, squeezing every possible point you can in every match becomes so important, and letting that half point go against Carolina and putting themselves in that huge tie as well, instead of having a leg up on it, is naturally a disappointment. But they have to move on as best they can, as they too are facing two teams they are currently in the large tie in the West with in two of their next three matches. (8%, 52%), (13.5 – 11.5)


10th: Carolina Cobras (2.5 – 2.5) (+0). While I felt at the beginning of the season (and still now) that Carolina didn't have quite the firepower of the other East teams (which is why I picked them to finish last), they certainly have displayed a far greater ability to play consistently than any of the three 1 – 4 teams languishing below them. I know I certainly wouldn't have expected them to have a one and a half point lead in the playoff race at this stage of the year, but they do and clearly they must utilize it. It certainly won't be easy as they still have to face Queens twice, and it seems reasonably certain that at least one of Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York will catch fire in the second half of the season and give them a run for their money so they still have their work cut out for them. (2%, 62%), (15.5 – 9.5)


11th: Baltimore Kingfishers (1.0 – 4.0) (+0). It had to be a fervent hope that the Kingfishers would not have to play any matches without a GM at the top as they did three times last season, as it's hard to realistically claim that that might not have made a real difference in their final standing, and likewise it's difficult to say that that might not have made a difference in their result this week also as they nearly drew the match in spite of that. Nevertheless, it is done, and they are running out of time to be able to recover so one can only hope that won't happen again. (0%, 24%), (11 – 14)


12th: Philadelphia Inventors (1.0 – 4.0) (+0). While having a tough schedule was obviously something expected from their last year's success, having to face the highest rated lineup in league history last week probably seemed a bit excessive. Like Baltimore though, what's done is done, and they too are running out of time. It certainly isn't going to get any easier though with them still having to face the Blitz twice, a team they've really struggled against throughout the league. (0%, 23%), (13 – 12)


13th: New York Knights (1.0 – 4.0) (+0). An eerily similar yet obviously not desired spot for the Knights who started last season at 1 – 4 also. They certainly showed then that they are capable of recovering such a start, but once again fighting against the variance that digging yourself into such a hole creates has a way of catching up eventually, and this may well be the year that the Knights miss the postseason for the first time. (0%, 21%), (11 – 14)


14th: Tennessee Tempo (1.0 – 4.0) (+0). Once again a lineup with Ehlvest proved its mettle for the team, especially with his individual win being the saving grace for the team. A solid result once again, but they too are still in a big hole with time not being on their side. Hopefully, with their GM's continued prescence they can start squeezing out some match wins very soon and keep themselves in the game for a playoff spot. (0%, 5%), (13 – 12)