power rankings: UPSL mid-atlantic, week 9

This week on what the heck is going to happen in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the UPSL, the playoff picture got muddled even more. We have no idea what to expect at this point, or even who qualifies for the playoffs in the first place.

In any case, though, we know it’s exciting. And with that in mind, here are this week’s power rankings!

the rankings

1. SC Heat, +0 from last week (W 2-0 over San Lee). Back to dominance for Heat, and they should have the title mostly secured by now. Their last match is away to Myrtle Beach this weekend, and that won’t be an easy one, but as long as they get at least a draw from it, they’ve locked up the title no matter what other teams do.
2. Moros FC, +2 from last week (W 4-3 over Myrtle Beach). What a big result this will turn out to be for Moros. That puts them in prime position as they move in on the top of the table with two matches still to play, one of those being against Lobos. They’ve hit their peak at the right time with this win
3. Charlotte United, +3 from last week (W 3-1 over Soda City). A nice win for Charlotte that suddenly has them right back in the mix if they can win out in their last two. They face San Lee and Charleston, both of which are away matches. Those are two tough matchups, but it’s not improbable that they win both. If they pull that off and SC Heat drops points at Myrtle Beach, they steal the title from under everyone’s noses.
4. Myrtle Beach FC, -2 from last week (L 3-4 to Moros). Not ideal for the beach boys. They lose an opportunity to put pressure on Heat for the top spot and shield Moros from their second-place perch in the process, but they’re still in with a chance to win the title, since their last match is a home date with SC Heat themselves. If they get the win, they pass up the league leaders and will still have too many points for Moros to catch up to them. It would then come down to Charlotte’s last two results to see if they could be overtaken at the top.
5. Combine Rush, 0 from last week (no match). They’re just waiting things out around them, and with lots of teams making moves, that’s not the spot you want to be in. They’re in the clubhouse with 16 points, which may not be enough for a top five finish.
6. Charleston United, +3 from last week (W 6-0 over Lobos). Charleston got a nice result this weekend, and they can improve their situation drastically with two more wins in their last two. We’re not sure they will, though; it’s been a tough season for them up until now.
7. San Lee FC, -4 from last week (L 0-2 to SC Heat). San Lee struggled against the league’s best, and as a result, their momentum is gone. They can get it back in the two matches that remain, though, and could find their way to a top-three finish if they do.
8. Queen City FC, +0 from last week (D 0-0 with Lobos). The dragons have by far the most draws in the league, and draws like this one are painful for Queen City. If a couple of key results had gone QCFC’s way, they’d be in a much different position right now. They’ve been competitive all season, but it just hasn’t panned out for them in the end. That’s all their season holds, so they finish with 11 points from their 10 matches.
9. Soda City FC, -2 from last week (L 1-3 to Charlotte). Soda City just continues to struggle in matches where they don’t get a forfeit win. They’re not at the level of most other teams on the pitch this year, which is a surprising departure from their success in past years.
10. Lobos FC, +0 from last week (D 0-0 with Queen City AND L 0-6 to Charleston). The first positive result and clean sheet all season is promising for Lobos, and hopefully they’ll dwell on that positive over a weekend where they failed to score in 180 minutes. They now have a point in the table and can take something good from this season.

How about we try and make some sense of all this in the league table?

actual table

1. SC Heat – 17 pts, +13 GD. Form: LDWDW
2. Combine Rush – 16 pts, +5 GD. Form: WWWLL
3. Myrtle Beach FC – 15 pts, +7 GD. Form: WLWWL
4. Charlotte United – 13 pts, +4 GD. Form: WLLDW
5. Charleston United – 11 pts, +4 GD. Form: LWLLW
6. Moros FC – 11 pts, 0 GD. Form: WDLWW
7. Queen City FC – 11 pts, -6 GD. Form: WWLLD
8. San Lee FC – 10 pts, +1 GD. Form: LWLWL
9. Soda City FC – 10 pts, 0 GD. Form: WLWWL
10. Lobos FC – 1 pt, -28 GD. Form: LLLDL

It sure is wild how close everyone is. Here’s how the next weekend of fixtures looks.

next week’s matches

6) San Lee v 3) Charlotte

2) Moros v 10) Lobos

9) Soda City v 5) Charleston

4) Myrtle Beach v 1) SC Heat

There you have it. The final full week of the Mid-Atlantic Division is in front of us, and we’ll have almost everything sorted from the regular season by then!

Stay weird and support local soccer!

Blessings,

Danny