In the Power Rankings I will first of all put the top ten teams in the Stable. Then, I will put the rest of The Herd out to pasture (in no particular order). Finally, I will name The Deuce, the two teams in the PASL that are stinking up the outhouse.
THE STABLE
1. Monterrey Flash I decided to keep the Flash at the #1 Spot because a loss on the road to a quality La Fiera squad in overtime is not that terrible, especially when you recall that La Fiera lost an overtime match in Monterrey at the beginning of the season. I also felt that moving the Flash down would be a knee jerk reaction. Instead of moving the Flash down, I think that Hidalgo should move up.
2. Dallas Sidekicks In week #5 I predicted that the Sidekicks would finish the season at 14-2 and win the Central Division. Dallas only have 2 teams in the remainder of their schedule, Hidalgo and Las Vegas, with winning records, and the Legends game is late in the season at the Allen Events Center. What makes the season even more of a cake walk for the Sidekicks is that 5 of their next 11 games are against teams that haven't won a single game yet this season. Their weak strength of schedule makes me want to move them down, especially if Dallas isn't blowing out the Deuces. What does my reader base think?
3. San Diego Sockers The Sockers are in good form after winning 4 straight games on the road in the Pacific Division. Their offense is still left wanting in comparison to previous seasons, but as the old adage goes, "defense wins championships."
4. Hidalgo La Fiera And speaking of defense, Hidalgo has been holding their opponents to an average of 5 goals this season, plus they are good on the penalty kill and have one of the best goalies in the league in Juan Gamboa, who has a league leading 3.67% goals against average and 6 wins under his belt. La Fiera is on a 6 game winning streak, but will face the Sidekicks in their next game.
5. Chicago Mustangs The undefeated Mustangs are on a roll at 7-0 on the season, and could go the whole season without a loss considering that the only team that they play for the rest of the season with a winning record is Cleveland. This last road trip they came off was very impressive, and it is possible the Mustangs are ranked too low in the Stable, but none the less they have punched a ticket for the postseason.
6. Las Vegas Legends The Legends suffered a bad loss at home to the Sockers, but they were without 2 key players in the line up. They still have a potent offense and are one of the top 10 teams in my book, and deserve to be in The Stable.
7. Detroit Waza Flo The Waza have lost 2 games in a row to the Chicago Mustangs and are sitting on a 3-3 record, which puts them at the #3 spot in the East. Detroit plays nothing but divisional games from here on out against Cleveland, Harrisburg, Cincinnati, and Illinois. Their chances to win the Division are minimal considering that the Waza are 3.5 games back from a team that could easily go undefeated. Detroit needs to take that #2 spot from Cleveland, but the Freeze won't be losing anytime soon.
8. Ontario Fury They looked completely flat against the Sockers and they have a losing record, but Ontario is a team, in my opinion, that is still a few clicks short of dialing it up as a real contender. We shall wait and see how the Fury does on the road against Monterrey, Saltillo, and San Diego during their upcoming three game road trip. A good road trip could be what it takes to put this team back on track after losing three straight. But a bad road trip could put them 6 games back with only 8 games left in the season, and 4 of those against San Diego and Las Vegas.
9. Bay Area Rosal The Rosal seem to have found the missing link in goalkeeper Jakubek to boost the squad to the 3rd spot in the Pacific Division. Bay Area have 3 game in a row and look to make it 4 as the Rosal travel into Las Vegas to try and hand the Legends their second straight loss of the season. A win in Vegas would be huge for the Rosal and keep them in the #3 spot in the Pacific.
10. Cleveland Freeze The Freeze got the pants beat off of them at home by the Mustangs, but recovered and traveled to Cincinnati to hand the Saints a loss in the Battle for Ohio. Cleveland is the King of Ohio and will hold that title until February 8th when the two teams face off once again. Cleveland is 3rd in the league in converting power plays, and are currently in the 2nd spot in the Eastern Division, and could hold that position given that their next 4 games are against teams with a combined 3 wins. The true test for the Freeze comes when they play Chicago, Detroit, and Cincinnati in their last 5 games.
THE HERD
- Mexico Toros
- Harrisburg Heat
- Cincinnati Saints
- Saltillo Rancho Seco
- Wichita B-52's
- Turlock Express
- Texas Strikers
- Sacramento Surge
1. Tulsa Revolution They had a chance to win their first game of the season at home but failed to get it done. Then they went on the road and were held to only 2 points in Wichita. Franck Tayou is the only one on this team who seems to have any clue how to play indoor soccer. Things look bad as they play the Sidekicks two time in a row, but maybe they can pick up their first win against the win less Texas Strikers.
2. Illinois Piasa Not only can they not win on the road, they have been loosing at home, and to teams that are not in the league. The AAC Eagles came into "The Field" and handed the Piasa a huge loss a home. Now the Piasa have to try and salvage their home stand by beating the Freeze next week.
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