You’ve seen them play?
Preseason DA Rankings
- Thread starter VTL1970
- Start date
Week 5 Rankings
(Record and Goals For/Against -- In league games only)
1. Blues (4-0; 12, 0) -- Shows they are class of league with 5-0 win over LA Premier. Only perfect team.
2. Surf (3-0-1; 10, 4) -- Nice 3-1 win over last week's number 2 team.
3. Galaxy SD (3-0-1; 9,3) -- Still undefeated. I have been on their bandwagon since day 1.
4. Slammers (2-1-1; 6,6) -- No shame in loss to superior surf team.
5. Legends (2-1-1; 17, 5) -- Barely squeak by del Sol, but they still lead the league in goals.
6. Galaxy (3-1; 12,7) -- Off
7. West Coast (1-2-1; 5, 6) -- Nice win over struggling Real.
8. Albion -- (2-1-2; 3,6) -- close loss to tough out of league Thorns team.
9. SC del Sol (1-3; 12, 14) -- 26 goals in 4 games. Their games certainly are exceeding.
10. Beach (2-1-1; 6,7) -- Off again. Strangest league schedule.
11. Real So Cal -- (1-3; 3,6) -- Definitely a bottom 4 team.
12. LA Premier (0-4; 2, 15) -- 0-4 with a -13 goals seems bad, but they've had to play Blues, Surf, and Legends. Potential to get some wins and move up.
13. Pateadores (0-4; 0, 8) -- Another week, another loss. Only team without a goal.
14. Eagles (0-4; 1, 14) -- They can't get a break as they had to play the top out of league team (Placer). Where's Burlingame when you need them.
(Record and Goals For/Against -- In league games only)
1. Blues (4-0; 12, 0) -- Shows they are class of league with 5-0 win over LA Premier. Only perfect team.
2. Surf (3-0-1; 10, 4) -- Nice 3-1 win over last week's number 2 team.
3. Galaxy SD (3-0-1; 9,3) -- Still undefeated. I have been on their bandwagon since day 1.
4. Slammers (2-1-1; 6,6) -- No shame in loss to superior surf team.
5. Legends (2-1-1; 17, 5) -- Barely squeak by del Sol, but they still lead the league in goals.
6. Galaxy (3-1; 12,7) -- Off
7. West Coast (1-2-1; 5, 6) -- Nice win over struggling Real.
8. Albion -- (2-1-2; 3,6) -- close loss to tough out of league Thorns team.
9. SC del Sol (1-3; 12, 14) -- 26 goals in 4 games. Their games certainly are exceeding.
10. Beach (2-1-1; 6,7) -- Off again. Strangest league schedule.
11. Real So Cal -- (1-3; 3,6) -- Definitely a bottom 4 team.
12. LA Premier (0-4; 2, 15) -- 0-4 with a -13 goals seems bad, but they've had to play Blues, Surf, and Legends. Potential to get some wins and move up.
13. Pateadores (0-4; 0, 8) -- Another week, another loss. Only team without a goal.
14. Eagles (0-4; 1, 14) -- They can't get a break as they had to play the top out of league team (Placer). Where's Burlingame when you need them.
Lazy Sunday and geeked out running some numbers on strength of schedule, comparing the records of each team's opponents in the GU15 DA SW Conference. Came up with the following, which includes all this weekend's games, from toughest schedule to lightest so far. Eventually, everyone will end up with the basically the same strength of schedule, so this is only a snapshot now. I only looked at games between the teams here in the SW Conference and ignored games against NorCal teams.
1. LA Premier (avg of opponents' points from W-L-T record per game played by LA Premier is 12.00)
2. SC Del Sol (11.40)
3. West Coast FC (11.40)
4. Albion (10.80)
5. Pateadores (10.60)
5. Eagles (10.60)
7. LAFC Slammers (9.60)
8. San Diego Surf (4.40)
9. Real So Cal (3.80)
10. LA Galaxy SD (3.40)
11. Beach FC (3.00)
11. Legends (3.00)
13. So Cal Blues (2.40)
14. LA Galaxy (1.75)
You can roughly compare team defenses against the quality of their competition by dividing a team's goals allowed by their opponents' points total. Defensive record of teams based on this scale, starting from strongest, goes like this:
1. So Cal Blues (goals against divided by opponents' points from W-L-T record is 0.00)
2. West Coast FC (0.14)
3. Pateadores (0.17)
3. LAFC Slammers (0.17)
5. Albion SC (0.22)
6. LA Galaxy SD (0.24)
7. SC Del Sol (0.30)
7. LA Premier (0.30)
9. San Diego Surf (0.32)
9. Real So Cal (0.32)
11. Eagles SC (0.43)
12. Legends (0.47)
12. Beach FC (0.47)
14. LA Galaxy (0.71)
And you can roughly compare team offenses against the quality of their competition by multiplying a team's goals for by their opponent's points total and dividing it by games played. Offensive record of teams based on this scale, starting from strongest, goes like this:
1. SC Del Sol (goals for multiplied by opponents' points from W-L-T record divided by games played is 138.00)
2. West Coast FC (91.20)
3. Legends (66.00)
4. LAFC Slammers (57.60)
5. Albion SC (54.00)
6. San Diego Surf (52.80)
7. So Cal Blues (50.40)
8. LA Galaxy SD (40.80)
9. LA Premier (36.00)
10. Beach FC (24.00)
11. LA Galaxy (21.00)
12. Real So Cal (15.20)
13. Eagles SC (10.60)
14. Pateadores (0.00)
Of course, there's lies, damned lies, and statistics, and this is probably a gargantuan waste of time, but it shows that some of the teams with bad W-L-T records have played some awfully tough competition and may not be as bad on defense or offense as you might think (e.g., Pateadores' defense looks really strong in light of their tough competition, although their offense is woeful; Eagles has been scored on a ton, but when you look at the toughness of their competition, they come out looking about the same quality on defense as Legends or Beach; SC Del Sol has scored a decent amount of goals against some tough competition). Okay, now feel free to heap on the ridicule for me having spent the last 90 minutes of my weekend with this stuff...
1. LA Premier (avg of opponents' points from W-L-T record per game played by LA Premier is 12.00)
2. SC Del Sol (11.40)
3. West Coast FC (11.40)
4. Albion (10.80)
5. Pateadores (10.60)
5. Eagles (10.60)
7. LAFC Slammers (9.60)
8. San Diego Surf (4.40)
9. Real So Cal (3.80)
10. LA Galaxy SD (3.40)
11. Beach FC (3.00)
11. Legends (3.00)
13. So Cal Blues (2.40)
14. LA Galaxy (1.75)
You can roughly compare team defenses against the quality of their competition by dividing a team's goals allowed by their opponents' points total. Defensive record of teams based on this scale, starting from strongest, goes like this:
1. So Cal Blues (goals against divided by opponents' points from W-L-T record is 0.00)
2. West Coast FC (0.14)
3. Pateadores (0.17)
3. LAFC Slammers (0.17)
5. Albion SC (0.22)
6. LA Galaxy SD (0.24)
7. SC Del Sol (0.30)
7. LA Premier (0.30)
9. San Diego Surf (0.32)
9. Real So Cal (0.32)
11. Eagles SC (0.43)
12. Legends (0.47)
12. Beach FC (0.47)
14. LA Galaxy (0.71)
And you can roughly compare team offenses against the quality of their competition by multiplying a team's goals for by their opponent's points total and dividing it by games played. Offensive record of teams based on this scale, starting from strongest, goes like this:
1. SC Del Sol (goals for multiplied by opponents' points from W-L-T record divided by games played is 138.00)
2. West Coast FC (91.20)
3. Legends (66.00)
4. LAFC Slammers (57.60)
5. Albion SC (54.00)
6. San Diego Surf (52.80)
7. So Cal Blues (50.40)
8. LA Galaxy SD (40.80)
9. LA Premier (36.00)
10. Beach FC (24.00)
11. LA Galaxy (21.00)
12. Real So Cal (15.20)
13. Eagles SC (10.60)
14. Pateadores (0.00)
Of course, there's lies, damned lies, and statistics, and this is probably a gargantuan waste of time, but it shows that some of the teams with bad W-L-T records have played some awfully tough competition and may not be as bad on defense or offense as you might think (e.g., Pateadores' defense looks really strong in light of their tough competition, although their offense is woeful; Eagles has been scored on a ton, but when you look at the toughness of their competition, they come out looking about the same quality on defense as Legends or Beach; SC Del Sol has scored a decent amount of goals against some tough competition). Okay, now feel free to heap on the ridicule for me having spent the last 90 minutes of my weekend with this stuff...
Good Stuff El Clasico; SOS (strength of schedule) and other statistics should level out what reality is with teams that have greater or lesser wins and losses. Most of the top W/L teams have played weak schedules. These top record teams did what they are suppossed to do, which is Win. BTW that's easier said than done.... Two questions though: Is your statistics a normal way at looking at soccer?; and how would you rank this years group?
I would think ranking is a combination with the statistics you mentioned above, and the eyeball test.
My top 5 rankings-
Blues, Galaxys SD, Legends, West Coast, Surf- Blues seem to be a clear cut #1, Galaxy SD real consistent, Legends is an egnima as they have an awesome record but SOS is so weak, West Coast is really improved and played the best teams ( I dont know if was much of a surprise at all West Coast beating Surf looking at your information above); Surf will come around( always do)...
I would think ranking is a combination with the statistics you mentioned above, and the eyeball test.
My top 5 rankings-
Blues, Galaxys SD, Legends, West Coast, Surf- Blues seem to be a clear cut #1, Galaxy SD real consistent, Legends is an egnima as they have an awesome record but SOS is so weak, West Coast is really improved and played the best teams ( I dont know if was much of a surprise at all West Coast beating Surf looking at your information above); Surf will come around( always do)...
I agree...the statistics don't tell the whole story and you have to eyeball it. I also agree that the top record teams winning games is easier said than done and part of why they are at the top is that they get it done against the rest of the competition. My top 5 right now in order are probably Blues, Legends, Surf and West Coast FC tied at 3rd, and LA Galaxy SD after them. Close behind at 6 and 7 would be Beach and Slammers. But the SOS numbers show that teams like Albion and Pats are probably better than their record looks. It's going to be interesting to see how it shakes out...
The strength of schedule above is a little off because you should not include the games against the team you are calculating for in the SOS calculation. If you do, the losing teams always have stronger SOS because the teams they played all got wins. That said, LA Premier has definitely had the toughest schedule to start and the rest of the order isn't far off. It will be interesting to see how it all balances out in the end.
Week 6 Rankings
(Record and Goals For/Against -- In league games only)
1. Blues (5-0; 21, 0) -- Machine shows no mercy with embarrassing demolition of Eagles. Free tip #1 - mark 16 and 17 (free tip #2 - it's easier said than done).
2. Galaxy SD (4-0-1; 9,3) -- Still undefeated. They are doing better than even I predicted (and I was really high on them).
3. Surf (3-1-1; 12, 7) -- Still a very strong team, but they are having a tough start given the talent they have. I still wouldn't want to play them.
4. Legends (3-1-1; 22, 7) -- Nice win over a good Albion team. They look to have one of the best offenses in the league.
5. West Coast (2-2-1; 8, 8) -- Great win over Surf moves these guys up into the top 5. They also tied Legends, so it is not a fluke.
6. Galaxy (3-1; 12,7) -- Off two weeks in a row. Schedule makers need some help.
7. Beach (3-1-1; 8,7) -- Nice win against Slammers makes their del Sol loss look like an aberration. Moving on up.
8. Slammers (2-2-1; 6,8) -- Loss to Beach moves them to the bottom half.
9. Albion -- (2-1-2; 3,6) -- The magic is starting to wear off. Still a strong team.
10. SC del Sol (1-3; 12, 14) -- Off. Will repeat that their games have 26 goals in 4 games. That's a lot.
11. Real So Cal -- (2-3; 4,6) -- Another win makes their record look good, but they have only beaten the bottom 2 teams, barely. . .
12. LA Premier (0-5; 3, 18) -- Already played all of the top teams but WCFC. They have a chance to prove they belong against the rest of the league.
13. Pateadores (0-5; 0, 9) -- They are not losing by much, but they still haven't scored. Tough welcome to the big leagues. Bottom 3 teams are 0-15. Ouch.
14. Eagles (0-5; 1, 23) -- I know they lost their coach, but this is starting to get ridiculous. A U15 academy team should not lose 9-0 against any team their age.
(Record and Goals For/Against -- In league games only)
1. Blues (5-0; 21, 0) -- Machine shows no mercy with embarrassing demolition of Eagles. Free tip #1 - mark 16 and 17 (free tip #2 - it's easier said than done).
2. Galaxy SD (4-0-1; 9,3) -- Still undefeated. They are doing better than even I predicted (and I was really high on them).
3. Surf (3-1-1; 12, 7) -- Still a very strong team, but they are having a tough start given the talent they have. I still wouldn't want to play them.
4. Legends (3-1-1; 22, 7) -- Nice win over a good Albion team. They look to have one of the best offenses in the league.
5. West Coast (2-2-1; 8, 8) -- Great win over Surf moves these guys up into the top 5. They also tied Legends, so it is not a fluke.
6. Galaxy (3-1; 12,7) -- Off two weeks in a row. Schedule makers need some help.
7. Beach (3-1-1; 8,7) -- Nice win against Slammers makes their del Sol loss look like an aberration. Moving on up.
8. Slammers (2-2-1; 6,8) -- Loss to Beach moves them to the bottom half.
9. Albion -- (2-1-2; 3,6) -- The magic is starting to wear off. Still a strong team.
10. SC del Sol (1-3; 12, 14) -- Off. Will repeat that their games have 26 goals in 4 games. That's a lot.
11. Real So Cal -- (2-3; 4,6) -- Another win makes their record look good, but they have only beaten the bottom 2 teams, barely. . .
12. LA Premier (0-5; 3, 18) -- Already played all of the top teams but WCFC. They have a chance to prove they belong against the rest of the league.
13. Pateadores (0-5; 0, 9) -- They are not losing by much, but they still haven't scored. Tough welcome to the big leagues. Bottom 3 teams are 0-15. Ouch.
14. Eagles (0-5; 1, 23) -- I know they lost their coach, but this is starting to get ridiculous. A U15 academy team should not lose 9-0 against any team their age.
El Clasico
GOLD
Too late. You see the sheer number of people on this board that has already completely bought into the concept even though all they have to do is look across the aisle at the men's program and see what a complete disaster it has been. If you were so inclined, you could literally follow the men's program down into the sewer over the course of the past 10 years. Along with the tremendous improvement in the women's programs in other countries, it would seem that our women's program's best days are behind it.
If anyone is having trouble seeing what is right in front of them, then we have no chance to reverse the slide.
GoWest
GOLD
It is a shame. We have to realize that the best male athletes in the US dont play soccer. US men's soccer athletes are at best second or third string players in most other US sports. Sad but true.
No it's a shame that people still think we need the best athletes to succeed. You think Messi would have been classed as the best athlete? Xavi? Iniesta? It's this misguided intelligence that's the root of the problem
Bananacorner
SILVER ELITE
When I was searching about athleticism in soccer, this came up
http://www.psvunion.org/page/show/468863-speed-and-soccer-the-myth
http://www.psvunion.org/page/show/468863-speed-and-soccer-the-myth
El Clasico
GOLD
It's not misguided intelligence, it's ignorance. For some, it's an excuse. They overhear the idiot next to them spewing that BS and they repeat it since they themselves have no idea what the hell they are talking about or looking at when they watch a game.
Let's just say for arguments sake that we accept the premise that in a country of approximately 325 million, that we can only get our "3rd string" athletes to play soccer, and T&T, with a population of only 1.36 million gets all their "best athletes" to play soccer. (actually, some would argue that cricket is their most popular sport and therefore, getting their "best athletes") Now, factor in that we out spend them by a margin of at least 1,000 to 1 and people still try to sell the "best athletes" BS.
Shows just how far we still have to go in this country. As I have stated before....at least two more generations
I would take....
A great soccer player
over....
A great athlete
ANYDAY!
GoWest
GOLD
Yes, actually I do. Ronaldo as well. Maybe I over-generalized in my statement. There are very good US male athletes that play the game but they are not on the same level as a Messi or Ronaldo IMHO.
Imagine combining the "great athlete" with a "great soccer player"....I will take that any day.
SOCCERMINION
SILVER ELITE
Imagine if we had a few Bo Jackson's growing up playing Soccer , and we had a structure in this country that promoted youth soccer development from an early age. It wouldn't take long for the US to catch up to the rest of the world. 20-30 years. Sports Marketing is always looking for new things to promote and Americans love jumping on the new thing. Soccer could be something someday in the US, if we had a few superstars of our own for our youth to idolize and emulate ..... Till then we will just have to focus on and take pride in the Women's Soccer Teams. Sadly, Most Americans believe Soccer is a girls sport you little sisters plays anyway....
windnsea26
BRONZE
Looking forward to seeing the updated rankings. There were a few surprises this weekend!
Lambchop
GOLD
Quite a difference in the number of games played. Very interesting.
windnsea26
BRONZE
Updated rankings after the weekend?
Lambchop
GOLD
I would take a great soccer player who is also a great athlete over everybody!