The playoffs begin this weekend, so I decided to make a Postseason Power Rankings looking into the future at the games to come in both the Ron Newman Cup and the US Open Cup. As a result of the nature of scheduling, the disparity of talent in the PASL, and as a result, the skewed statistics and divergent scores, I don't feel like I am able to rely totally on the statistics accumulated during this regular season. The Postseason is different. What is in between the ears matters. What is in the heart matters. Experience matters. Leadership matters. Luck matters. Team matters. These are untangles that can't be measured, but they are the things that have the biggest impact on the game.
1. Detroit Waza Flo After tuning up at home on the Illinois Piasa this weekend, the Waza will host either the Cincinnati Saints or Cleveland Freeze. Both the Saints and Freeze are making their first Ron Newman Cup appearance, and neither team has gone into Detroit and won a game ever. Detroit can beat Chicago. Chicago beat the Waza in the two times they met in the regular season, but Chicago beating Detroit 3 times in a row is just not a bet I would make. Detroit has made it to the Ron Newman Cup final the last 2 years in a row, and their roster is full of players that know how to play playoff soccer in the PASL. Costea Decu, Aaron Byrd, and Miki Djerisilo, are three good reasons to fear the Waza. These guys have been key players in Detroit's last two Ron Newman Cup Final runs, and are experienced players that seem to perform at their highest level in the postseason, especially Decu. Costea Decu was spectacular in both previous finals appearances for the Waza, at times seemingly dragging the Waza back into the game single handily with his unprecedented skill and game changing goals. Detroit is not just three great players, the core of the Waza have plenty of experience and skill to make it one of the most solid and deep benches in the PASL. Grba, Sampson, the Scicluna Bothers Tino and Dominic, Wilkes, Flores, Quinn, and Djokic are all solid players with playoff experience and are fundamental to the Waza's quality core. The team with the hottest goalie is the one that usually wins championships, and Joey Kapinos is coming off of a great game against the Freeze. If Kapinos can stay hot, Detroit has the best chance at making it to the Ron Newman Cup Finals and winning their first PASL Championship. The magical playoff number is 3. 3 playoff wins and Waza are the Champs.
2. Las Vegas Legends The Legends have a good chance at winning both the Ron Newman Cup and the US Open Cup. 5 is the magic number for the Legends if they want to win both titles, but 3 is the magic number in the Ron Newman Cup if Las Vegas wants to be champions. Enrique Tovar is having a record year statistically, and as Captain of the team, has led the Legends to an impressive 13-3 season as well as secured the team their second straight division championship. Ivan Campos, Alex Caceras, and Eric Guzman are three quality players on their squad that have been key to their success this season and will be key to the success of the Legends in the playoffs. The X-factor on the team is Ricardino Sobreira, if he is hot he is capable of shutting down a defense and changing the tide of the of the game. Felipe Gonzalez is out for the season, but Franck Tayou is back after being acquired from Tulsa. Isreal Sesay and Luis Piffer are two players acquired from Ontario that have only made the Legends better. Edgar Nava and Ridrigo Barbirato are two other players on the squad that can play quite and solid games, and then out of nowhere step up and make spectacular plays that drastically shift the games momentum. Zeke Sanchez is a goalie who can be lights out when he gets hot and could carry the team to a championship if he plays at the top of his ability.
3. Dallas Sidekicks Dallas didn't show up in last years PASL postseason, and they haven't forgot that. The thing that stood out to me when I have watched the Sidekicks play is that they look like they are having fun playing together. Team chemistry can be everything, and it is another one of those intangibles that can make or break a team when the tension is high in a pressure situation. Dallas has a strong midfield with Jamie Lovegrove, Franck Mbemba, Patrick Shamu, and Ricardinho holding it down in the neutral zone. Cody Ellis, Sean Bellomy, and Nick Stavrou are three defenders that have put in a lot of time on the field this season and will need to hold down the back field if they want to stand up against the hottest offenses in the league. Sagu is a proven commodity in the goal and could be the crux of Dallas's success. If Dallas' defense can hold it down and keep the opposition's goals down, the Dallas's offense should be able to do the rest. The Dallas offense, led by Nestor Hernandez, needs to bring their best stuff if they want to get through Genoni Martinez and the Flash defense, and Juan Gamboa and the Hidalgo defense. Hernandez is the fire starter on that offense with his speed and skill, and is the guy that makes that offense dangerous, either by making plays himself, or by forcing the double coverage that exposes the defense opening up other offense weapons. Dallas is legit, but their path to Chicago is through two difficult teams, and the wear and tear from getting to Chicago could be their ultimate undoing.
4. Chicago Mustangs I guarantee you that the Mustangs will finish at least 4th in both the Ron Newman Cup and the US Open Cup. Chicago has had a perfect regular season and has a chance to win both the Ron Newman Cup and the US Open Cup. Their path to the finals in the Open Cup is through the Cleveland Freeze, a team they have beaten twice with scores like 20-11 and 13-4, but the final in the Open Cup will be against either Hidalgo or Las Vegas, two quality teams that have really come into the spotlight this season. In order to get to the Ron Newman Cup Final, the Mustangs will need to go through the Waza, a team of season veterans with plenty of postseason experience. Chicago has some tough games ahead and since they are on top, everyone is ginning for them. The Mustang offense is high powered. Their 4 dominant midfielders, Miguel Vaca, Luis Ortega, Victor Sanchez, and Adrian Ortiz, have a combined 84 goals and 55 assists. Their midfielders feed both Wilo Martinez and Bryan Moya, who have a combined 80 goals and 38 assists. Chicago has a lot on their plate in the next month and will need to withstand the pressures of both the Ron Newman and US Open Cup.
5. San Diego Sockers The Sockers have a tough road ahead of them in their quest for another shot at the Ron Newman Cup. When you have dominated the PASL as the Sockers have done over the years, every team is gunning for you, and that makes every game that much harder. Mexico will be a tough opponent to start out the playoffs against. Last time the Toros came to the Valley View Casino Center they came out fire up and ready to play, catching the Sockers off guard, and almost pulled off the upset. If the Sockers can make it past the Toros, then they have to travel into Las Vegas and take on the Legends on their turf. If they can make it past the Las Vegas, then they will have to take on the Central Division Champ, and who ever that is will most definitely be difficult. If they can make it to the finals in Chicago, they could possibly be facing the Detroit Waza, and I don't like betting on Waza losing 3 in a row to any opponent. The Sockers added Santos to the line up late in the season, and he seems to be fitting into the Sockers system. Nelson Santana, who was picked up by the Sockers by the deadline, will most likely make his debut with the team against Mexico. Santana is a good player, but his addition so late in the season seems questionable, but if our defense needs a boost, he is the guy to do it. Kraig Chiles is back into MVP form, Jeff Hughes seems to have found his place in the offense, Evan McNeley has had a huge season so far this season and has contributed greatly to the teams success, Farber has really had some great moments this season and is his usual speedy offensive self this season, Reza has really came around as an indoor player this year, and Chiky Luna, Edwardo Velez, Anthony Medina, Diego Rivera, Ze Roberto, and Brian O'Connor are the seasoned veteran core of this team that make them so good and so deep in the bench. Chris Toth has been excellent all year playing with great constancy and poise in the Keeper position. He is one of the best Goalies in the league. Team Captain Aaron Susi will be retiring at the end of the season, and if anyone in the league know anything about winning championships it is him, and of course he wants to go out on top. The Sockers can do it, but they have to play their best soccer 4 games in a row.
6. Hidalgo La Fiera La Fiera is in a good position at the top of the Central Division, and only 3 games away from a Championship and 2 games away from a US Open Cup Championship. They have a strong defense led by keeper Juan Gamboa, and defensive staples Joel Perez and Damien Garcia. Their offense is headed up by indoor veteran Carlos Farias, who leads the team with 33 assists. Erick Flores and Robson de Souza are the other offensive weapons that have a combined 48 goals and 27 assists. Edgar Teran and Edgar Flores have done a good job for La Fiera in the midfield, and have helped La Fiera have one of the top offenses and penalty kills in all of the league. Whoever Hidalgo plays in their first game will be strong, and rolling with momentum after escaping the Allen Events Center with a win. They one thing that worries me about La Fiera is some of the trouble with fouls and controlling emotions in the past, as well as some of the posturing that I have seen in the few games that I have seen of Hidalgo. For example, in their blowout win at the end of the season against Tulsa, I saw some Hidalgo players showing up other Hidalgo players for missing passing opportunities much in the same way an NFL wide receiver, say Terrel Owens, might stand in the open field with his hands in the air after the play is done looking at the Quarterback as if saying "hey look at me, I was open stupid." Junk like that is poison. It shows a lack of control and a lack of leadership, especially this late in the season. When I see behavior like that it makes me think that La Fiera might be prone to lose composure when the pressure really piles up in a tight game.
7. Monterrey Flash The Flash also have a very difficult road to the Ron Newman Cup Finals. First, they need to go into Dallas and pick up a win against the Sidekicks at the Allen Events Center. Then, they would have to go into Hidalgo and try and beat La Fiera in Hidalgo for the first time. After that they would have to go through the surviving Pacific team, before facing the remaining Eastern team.
What Monterrey does have is one of the best defenses in the league led by Genoni Martinez and Louis Birche. La Fiera has had a great penalty kill all season and has only allowed 76 total goals. Erick Tovar, Lourenco Andrade, and Omar Tapia are the three key forward when it comes to making their offense work, and they have plenty of combined experience to make the long climb to the finals. Monterrey is a powerful and dangerous team, and if they can make it out of Dallas alive, they will be a handful of rolling momentum that will be difficult for La Fiera to contain.
8. Cleveland Freeze Cleveland can beat Cincinatti, and they should on March 1st, but getting through the Waza afterword will be a monumental task, especially after having to play their achilles heel, Chicago, in the US Open Cup. If the Freeze are going to make it through Detroit and into Chicago, Allen Eller, Stephan Ostergren, and Josh Grossman are going to have to play at their best. David Jordan and Mike Green are really going to have to get that defense together and try and contain Detroit's offensive weapons. If Mike Mason can get hot, Allen Eller can facilitate that offense like he has all year, and guys like Ostergren and Grossman can net some goals, then Cleveland has as good a chance as any team in the East of making it to Chicago. The thing that makes Cleveland dangerous is that they have no real expectations this year. They have nothing to lose. If they can go out to Detroit, relax, and play their game, then the Freeze might catch some luck, or a good bounce of the ball, and end up in Chicago as a Final Four team in their first season.
9. Mexico Toros The Toros have it tough. They need to go into San Diego and get a win, something that they have never done. Then they need to go into Las Vegas and beat the Legends, something else they have never done. The Toros came out with a strong game plan the last time they came to San Diego and caught the Sockers off guard leading the game 2-0 at the end of the first and going into the half with a 2-2 tie. Mexico's coach Joe Pollard will have his team ready this weekend to go into the VVCC to do battle, and if they can pull off the win, it would probably be the biggest playoff upset in the history of the PASL.
10. Cincinnati Saints The Saints need some magic, a little luck, and a miracle to get into Chicago. The Saints have only won 1/3 of their games this season, and they are on a three game losing streak, the last loss being a 23-6 dismantling by Chicago. The Saints beat the Freeze once at the beginning of the season, but the Freeze have come a long way and won't give up their first postseason game as a member of the PASL without a fight.
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