Playoff Seeding - Cheat Sheets

[Gotham Gator]

NYC will finish either first, second or third in the Eastern Conference. Where we end up will depend upon where we finish relative to NJ and Toronto. If we finish above either one of them (but not both), we will finish 2nd and have a bye in the playoffs. If we finish above both of them, we will finish 1st and have a bye in the playoffs and a spot in next year's Concacaf Champions League.

The tables below show which team would finish ahead of the other depending upon the outcome in the last two games for each team. One table is for NYC and Toronto and one is for NYC and NJ.

 

[Ulrich]

NYC will finish either first, second or third in the Eastern Conference. Where we end up will depend upon where we finish relative to NJ and Toronto. If we finish above either one of them (but not both), we will finish 2nd and have a bye in the playoffs. If we finish above both of them, we will finish 1st and have a bye in the playoffs and a spot in next year's Concacaf Champions League.

The tables below show which team would finish ahead of the other depending upon the outcome in the last two games for each team. One table is for NYC and Toronto and one is for NYC and NJ.

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Didn't check all of them but it's off with Toronto. They can draw both and if we lose the first all we have to do is draw the second and we're still ahead on pts.

Edit: Toronto can also draw/win and we can lose/win and still be ahead of them. They net 4 to finish at 53 and we net three to finish at 54

Edit2: Toronto can draw/draw and we lose/lose and we still beat them since we have more wins as the tiebreaker.

 

[JGarrettLieb]

Didn't check all of them but it's off with Toronto. They can draw both and if we lose the first all we have to do is draw the second and we're still ahead on pts.

Edit: Toronto can also draw/win and we can lose/win and still be ahead of them. They net 4 to finish at 53 and we net three to finish at 54

Edit2: Toronto can draw/draw and we lose/lose and we still beat them since we have more wins as the tiebreaker.

I prefer to use the simpler logic of a raving fanatic. NINE POINTS IN THREE GAMES!

 

[Ulrich]

I prefer to use the simpler logic of a raving fanatic. NINE POINTS IN THREE GAMES!

errr, 6 points in two games???

I firmly believe IF we win out we take the east - I don't see RB taking 6 points.

I just noticed that the Crew close with 3 games on the road: Next Thursday at Chicago, then Sunday at RB, and then the following Sunday at NYCFC. That's just brutal and I wonder how they will prioritize the games - but regardless, they will likely be slightly more tired for our game with the amount of travel and close proximity of matches leading up to it.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Didn't check all of them but it's off with Toronto. They can draw both and if we lose the first all we have to do is draw the second and we're still ahead on pts.

Edit: Toronto can also draw/win and we can lose/win and still be ahead of them. They net 4 to finish at 53 and we net three to finish at 54

Edit2: Toronto can draw/draw and we lose/lose and we still beat them since we have more wins as the tiebreaker.

Thanks, yes, Toronto is off. For some reason, I thought we were 1 point up on them, not 2. I will fix and update above.

Appreciate it.

 

[SoupInNYC]

errr, 6 points in two games???

I firmly believe IF we win out we take the east - I don't see RB taking 6 points.

I just noticed that the Crew close with 3 games on the road: Next Thursday at Chicago, then Sunday at RB, and then the following Sunday at NYCFC. That's just brutal and I wonder how they will prioritize the games - but regardless, they will likely be slightly more tired for our game with the amount of travel and close proximity of matches leading up to it.

Crew just have to prioritize them all. If they draw at Chicago they are out. They need wins.

 

[Ulrich]

Crew just have to prioritize them all. If they draw at Chicago they are out. They need wins.

That plays into our hands - they will definitely be spent by the third game/us.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Crew just have to prioritize them all. If they draw at Chicago they are out. They need wins.

Absolutely. Playoff mentality, don't save for a tomorrow that may not come.

That said, and all you guys listen up here (Ulrich especially, since history shows you as the hubris spewing jinxmeister most likely to bring on an ass-beating):
Crew has 7 days between the prior and our matches. They aren't you and me, they are professional athletes. They may play like shit, but it won't be because they're tired.

It's quite possible that they don't have anything to play for by the 23rd, so

 

[SoupInNYC]

Absolutely. Playoff mentality, don't save for a tomorrow that may not come.

That said, and all you guys listen up here (Ulrich especially, since history show you as the hubris spewing jinxmeister most likely to bring on an ass-beating):
Crew has 7 days between the prior and our matches. They aren't you and me, they are professional athletes. They may play like shit, but it won't be because they're tired.

It's quite possible that they don't have anything to play for by the 23rd, so

Agreed. I just hope that they win in Chicago so they have something to play for in New Jersey.

 

[Ulrich]

Absolutely. Playoff mentality, don't save for a tomorrow that may not come.

That said, and all you guys listen up here (Ulrich especially, since history show you as the hubris spewing jinxmeister most likely to bring on an ass-beating):
Crew has 7 days between the prior and our matches. They aren't you and me, they are professional athletes. They may play like shit, but it won't be because they're tired.

It's quite possible that they don't have anything to play for by the 23rd, so

My record is pretty eff'ing good. I was wrong on two RB games (that you constantly bring up) and right on the third - I'd rather be optimistic than defeated before kickoff. Go look at my season prediction and talk to me after the Columbus game - if we win our last two games I will have been off by a single pt.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

My record is pretty eff'ing good. I was wrong on two RB games (that you constantly bring up) and right on the third - I'd rather be optimistic than defeated before kickoff. Go look at my season prediction and talk to me after the Columbus game - if we win our last two games I will have been off by a single pt.

It's the magnitude of the mistakes. You're welcome for me keeping you from heading too far down that path.

 

[Viewfrom226]

Crew just have to prioritize them all. If they draw at Chicago they are out. They need wins.

Indeed!

I find the psychological stuff nearly impossible to predict ahead of time or even evaluate after the fact. I'm pretty sure I've read all of the following narratives at some point in the past:

(1) Crew win the next two and have a chance to make the playoffs if they beat us and actually do beat us:
"They had tremendous momentum going into the match and were very confident coming off two prior wins."

(2) Crew win the next two, but lose to us:
"They had expended too much energy in the prior two matches and ran out of steam."
or
"They choked once there was real pressure and had a chance to actually make it."

(3) Crew out of the playoffs prior to our match, but beat us:
"They had no pressure on them because they had nothing to lose."

(4) Crew out of the playoffs and lose to us:
"They had nothing to play for and were phoning it in"

Watching the media spin narrative yarns after the fact both drives me nuts and is amusing sport. I'm not saying there isn't a psychological component to sports, but I'm pretty sure you cannot crack the code watching from the stands, couch or press box and yet so much ink is devoted to exactly that.

 

[Ulrich]

It's the magnitude of the mistakes. You're welcome for me keeping you from heading too far down that path.

Each was only three points - no different than any other game.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Watching the media spin narrative yarns after the fact both drives me nuts and is amusing sport. I'm not saying there isn't a psychological component to sports, but I'm pretty sure you cannot crack the code watching from the stands, couch or press box and yet so much ink is devoted to exactly that.

I really enjoy this last paragraph (not that the rest of your post wasn't good).

I really get frustrated in the sports world when the media tries to spin things up that fit a narrative that they kind of create.

One of those for me is "he/the other team wanted it more". I'm sure there are instances within sports where one particular player may not have been as competitive as the other, but really do not agree with the amount the media uses this phrase. Sometimes someone loses as simply because they were not good enough (at least on that day) and its as simple as that.

 

[Viewfrom226]

I really enjoy this last paragraph (not that the rest of your post wasn't good).

I really get frustrated in the sports world when the media tries to spin things up that fit a narrative that they kind of create.

One of those for me is "he/the other team wanted it more". I'm sure there are instances within sports where one particular player may not have been as competitive as the other, but really do not agree with the amount the media uses this phrase. Sometimes someone loses as simply because they were not good enough (at least on that day) and its as simple as that.

I do love that one. It really is so lazy. Another of my favorites is the tendency to attribute nearly all striker performance to "confidence". This one I think I can actually disprove, at least in one instance.

Nicklas Bendtner, former Arsenal man, widely understood to not be a very good striker at least by top-league standards. But then, there's this:
http://en.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/72181.html

Can't be reconciled

Anyhow, climbing off the soapbox.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Each was only three points - no different than any other game.

Bullshit and you know it. Even ignoring the derby nature of it, GOAL DIFFERENCE.

 

[JayH]

I really enjoy this last paragraph (not that the rest of your post wasn't good).

I really get frustrated in the sports world when the media tries to spin things up that fit a narrative that they kind of create.

One of those for me is "he/the other team wanted it more". I'm sure there are instances within sports where one particular player may not have been as competitive as the other, but really do not agree with the amount the media uses this phrase. Sometimes someone loses as simply because they were not good enough (at least on that day) and its as simple as that.

SoupInNYC Viewfrom226 did you ever see the clip of Cuban ripping on Bayless about this?

 

[sonastride]

I'm so excited for the playoffs! It would be definitely be great if we won our final two games. Wonderful chart. Let's get those six points and conquer the Eastern Conference!

 

[Viewfrom226]

SoupInNYC Viewfrom226 did you ever see the clip of Cuban ripping on Bayless about this?

Good stuff. I had never seen it, but nice to see someone call it out. The only thing better is that he did it with a smurf shirt on.

 

[Ulrich]

Bullshit and you know it. Even ignoring the derby nature of it, GOAL DIFFERENCE.

Oh geez, man you're dense at times. If you weren't being so high and mighty you'd recognize that I quoted PV's comments after each of the games, and I've since railed on his comments exactly because of the goal differential running contrary to his argument.

Yeah, the GD sucks, but them quitting during the game is no reflection of me hoping they'll win before kick off. Step off the pulpit before you trip.