|
Post by Antimatter on Apr 28, 2014 6:22:38 GMT -6
The team that did qualify could have been 0-3 and then there would have been an 0-3 team advancing. Storm seemed to be playing uninspired as all Baton Rouge needed to do was win or tie to advance over them. I do feel the travel pain for Shreveport. Those girls had to come all the way down to New Orleans this weekend and then have to go to Lafayette next. They showed little road wear and played well.
I guess I feel some empathy for the folks at LSA becuase there is no perfect way to break these down in a way that won't negatively affect some team. I think they do a pretty decent job of trying to make it right.
|
|
p_malinich
Data Expert
www.elevenlions.com
Posts: 4,201
|
Post by p_malinich on May 19, 2014 7:57:11 GMT -6
There's an active discussion on the girls side over a 6-team flight. I'm expecting it may happen here after this coming weekend. I posted the following on the girls side & am also including it here.
Here is the highlights of a proposal I've shared for all size brackets. I'm trying to look at it from primarily a player's perspective and with the goal of crowing a season-long champion (and runner-up for RPL purposes). I know there are other factors.
Let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of tournaments. Wear-and-tear on players. Not playing at top of game (tired factor). More focus at times on winning tournaments than good play (when your team can't win & you're at a distance, the discussion about skipping the last game usually begins).
I also don't like that league games have little impact (now) other than to group teams into "similar" brackets. I would like to see them have more of a factor in the path to the Cup. My guess is that in-season results on "decent" rest are generally more indicative of performance than prelims weekend with multiple games (3 usually) in a short (28 hours usually) period to see who advances.
That all said, I would eliminate the preliminary weekend as we know it. We already allow teams to be auto-seeded from RPL, but we essentially ignore the results of full length LCSL games (bracket match-ups, especially in 6-team flights, often create odd matchups). At the older age groups, teams often play each other twice (or even 3 times with GSPL tossed in now) in 2 (or 3) weeks. I would do away with prelims as it exists.
I would seed teams based on regular season results and start playoffs from there. I like 8 teams & would go with:
Day 1 - 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, and 4v5 Day 2 - 1/8 v 4/5 and 2/7 v 3/6 (semi's) Day 3 - Finals (a week later)
If you went with 6 teams (and variations as necessary for other sizes), I would probably go with:
Day 1 - 3v6 and 4v5 (1 & 2 get a bye on day 1) Day 2 - 1 v 4/5 and 2 v3/6 (semi's) Day 3 - Finals (a week later)
Less games but ones that mean more. Less travel. No repeat opponents. League games mean more. Head to head is the only advancement at State Cup. It shifts the current paradigm. Every state cup game then is important because it is win or go home. But if you lose, you save on hotel & head on home (there's a parent perspective).
It doesn't deal with who the 3rd place team is because they probably wouldn't want to travel the next weekend for a consolation & hope at 3rd place, but maybe you compare how the 2 teams did in league & declare a 3rd place finish (since it's rare LA ever gets that 3rd RPL spot anyway).
Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by loveofthegame11 on May 19, 2014 11:19:48 GMT -6
That change failed to address what many saw as a flaw in that one backet could have three teams go 3-0 and the 3rd 3-0 team would go home while two 0-3 teams advance. Look at the U16 boys Comp 2 and you will see this scenario. Bracket A winner went 2w-1d-0L and then 2nd and 3rd finish 0-3. Bracket B winner went 2w-1d-0L and it was a tie for second with 2 teams at 2w-1L. So you have a zero win team (who scored 1 goal in 3 games) moving on into the semis while a 2-1 team stays home.
|
|
|
Post by rlb2024 on May 19, 2014 11:40:38 GMT -6
Paul, it's not that rare that a third-place LA team fills an RPL slot -- we've been playing RPL for three years and this is the first time MS has filled both of their slots in our age group. Overall there are four 3rd-place teams (and two 4th-place teams) from LA filling RPL slots for either AR or MS this year . . .
|
|
p_malinich
Data Expert
www.elevenlions.com
Posts: 4,201
|
Post by p_malinich on May 19, 2014 11:56:08 GMT -6
Paul, it's not that rare that a third-place LA team fills an RPL slot -- we've been playing RPL for three years and this is the first time MS has filled both of their slots in our age group. Overall there are four 3rd-place teams (and two 4th-place teams) from LA filling RPL slots for either AR or MS this year . . . Good to know. I stand corrected. I would still think the in-season game could help determine that (giving every game lots of importance).
|
|
p_malinich
Data Expert
www.elevenlions.com
Posts: 4,201
|
Post by p_malinich on May 25, 2014 17:28:34 GMT -6
The 6-team flights continue to advance some unusual selections. The latest example is the U15 Boys C1, where 7 of the 9 games were won by teams in the same bracket. The other 2 games were won by a team in the other bracket.
Part of this scenario was due to the #5 team winning an "administrative protest" against the #3 team (based on league play) and the game result changed to them being awarded a forfeit. It caused the 2 teams to swap seeding spots headed into prelims weekend. So it put #1, #5, and #6 (based on league play pre-protest/forfeit) in 1 bracket and #2, #3, and #4 in the other bracket. Coupled with the negative nuances we've already been discussing with the current nature of the 6-team flights, and it results in an unusual advancing scenario.
Before I continue, please understand that I'm a "the rules are the rules" kinda guy so I'm not complaining about this year. Frustrated, but not complaining. I am continuing to lobby though that a change NEEDS to be made going forward.
Back to the U15's. * Bracket A - 1 team finished with 6 points & the other 2 teams with 0 points each (and actually scored 0 goals) * Bracket B - 1 team finished with 9 points & the other 2 teams with 6 points each
So who advances in the current system? * Bracket A - Team with 6 points AND the better of the 2 teams with 0 points (and 0 goals) * Bracket B - Team with 9 points AND 1 of the 2 other teams with 6 points
And who sits home? * A team with 6 points (yes, my middle son's team) and a team with 0 points (who won the league game protest). And by the way, the team with 6 points won 3-0 over the team with 0 points that's advancing.
Don't get me wrong. I will be there to cheer for that team with 0 points. It's actually my son's team from last year. I don't fault them their advancement. They held the 9-point team to 1 goal & advanced on goal differential over the other winless team. So they played within the rules & I hope they succeed tremendously next weekend.
But next year... some kind of change MUST occur ... especially in 6-team flights. I've seen at least 3 or 4 examples of not advancing teams with the most points. Something needs to change.
|
|
|
Post by laffysoccermom on May 25, 2014 17:36:39 GMT -6
Even some of the winless teams that advanced don't feel like they belong there. I know one parent on one of the teams and she expressed that. I got the drift that there may have been an argument over that issue among some of the parents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using proboards
|
|
|
Post by rlb2024 on May 25, 2014 18:26:01 GMT -6
That change failed to address what many saw as a flaw in that one backet could have three teams go 3-0 and the 3rd 3-0 team would go home while two 0-3 teams advance. Look at the U16 boys Comp 2 and you will see this scenario. Bracket A winner went 2w-1d-0L and then 2nd and 3rd finish 0-3. Bracket B winner went 2w-1d-0L and it was a tie for second with 2 teams at 2w-1L. So you have a zero win team (who scored 1 goal in 3 games) moving on into the semis while a 2-1 team stays home. And ironically, the zero-win team (STYSA Elite) ended up winning in both the semis and the finals. Congratulations to them, but how must the 2-1 team from prelims weekend feel now???
|
|
|
Post by Antimatter on May 25, 2014 19:13:35 GMT -6
Happened in the u14 C1 boys as well. 0 wins 0 ties one goal advances while the Cabosa team with two wins and a loss is out.
|
|