Welcome back for another season of our contest "Guess the Starting XI and Final Score". As always, thanks to former regular Spencer for starting this several years ago. Like last season, we will keep the non-MLS and MLS standings separate. We will also do a first half, second half, and overall standings. Finally, I will have various monthly contests where we add in an ‘extra’ thing to predict, like goal scorers, cards, suspensions, etc. With the basics out of the way, let’s get to the scoring.
MLS Scoring Details
- Contest article will be posted 2-3 days prior to game day
- We will keep track of overall, first/second half, and monthly winners so that late joiners will have something to play for
- I will have a separate ‘contest’ for Voyageurs and Champions League.
- As the MLS season is 34 matches, the overall standings will be based on each participant’s top 30 match guesses. This will allow everyone a few misses or bad guesses throughout the season.
- The first/second Half standings will exclude your worst two match guesses.
- Predictions will be 'valid' if posted prior to the lineup being officially announced (1 hour before kickoff)
How Scoring is Determined
- You receive 1 point for every player you correctly guess to be in the Starting XI. Receive 1 bonus point for correctly predicting 10 starters. Receive 3 bonus points for correctly predicting 11 starters.
- You get 5 points for correctly guessing Win/Lose/Draw.
- You receive 1 point for correctly guessing each team’s final score. Receive 1 bonus point for correctly guessing both teams final score (for a total of 3).
- That means, if you correctly predict the Starting XI, Final Score, and Winner, you can earn 22 points!
At the end of each week, I will tally the scores and update the standings, to be posted with the next week's match thread.
August Standings (with Seattle Match Details)
| Previous Rank | Current Ranking | Change in Ranking | User | Overall Score | Lineup | Bonus | Winner | Score | Interval Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Rank | Current Ranking | Change in Ranking | User | Overall Score | Lineup | Bonus | Winner | Score | Interval Score |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | jacinto | 63 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | 5 | olikchivas | 56 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | Arjon | 55 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | 8 | AtlantisB | 54 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 5 | -3 | Rob R. Scott | 53 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 5 | 2 | chuckbiscuits | 53 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 7 | -1 | forbrydelsen | 52 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 7 | 0 | robbosg1 | 52 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 9 | 1 | BlackPanther99 | 51 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 10 | -7 | dfree646 | 50 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 10 | 2 | Westsider13 | 50 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | 12 | -7 | DougCuth | 48 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 12 | -2 | GreyHouseEffect | 48 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | 14 | 3 | MarcusEarth | 47 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | -1 | The Squirrel | 46 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | -1 | edmondk | 46 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | 17 | -1 | rtomsheck | 42 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 18 | 0 | MarcoD77 | 35 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | 19 | 0 | Jph003 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Second Half Standings (Best 15 Matches)
| Previous Rank | Current Ranking | Change in Ranking | User | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Rank | Current Ranking | Change in Ranking | User | Overall Score |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | olikchivas | 78 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | jacinto | 73 |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | chuckbiscuits | 72 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | AtlantisB | 71 |
| 4 | 5 | -1 | Arjon | 69 |
| 5 | 6 | -1 | BlackPanther99 | 68 |
| 12 | 7 | 5 | MarcusEarth | 65 |
| 12 | 7 | 5 | robbosg1 | 65 |
| 6 | 9 | -3 | The Squirrel | 64 |
| 6 | 9 | -3 | forbrydelsen | 64 |
| 6 | 9 | -3 | edmondk | 64 |
| 10 | 12 | -2 | GreyHouseEffect | 63 |
| 16 | 12 | 4 | Westsider13 | 63 |
| 17 | 14 | 3 | MarcoD77 | 62 |
| 10 | 15 | -5 | DougCuth | 60 |
| 12 | 16 | -4 | rtomsheck | 59 |
| 12 | 16 | -4 | dfree646 | 59 |
| 18 | 18 | 0 | Jph003 | 56 |
| 19 | 19 | 0 | Rob R. Scott | 51 |
| 20 | 20 | 0 | justcaps | 27 |
| 21 | 21 | 0 | tecate | 21 |
| 22 | 22 | 0 | Joel Prosser | 7 |
Match in Review (Seattle Sounders) and Preview (Orlando City SC)
Hopes were high that the Vancouver Whitecaps could come away from their match against Seattle with a victory. Unfortunately, that did not occur, so many of you were left without ‘Winner’ points. Olikchivas, AtlantisB, and chuckbiscuits were a little more caution in their prediction, selecting instead a draw. It paid off! Despite not predicting a draw, forbrydelsen was the only one to correctly predict the Caps would score in the 61 to 75th minute. Several of you were JUST off, instead choosing 46th to 60th minute. So close!
Today, the Caps make a long journey to Orlando. It is expected that we will see many lineup changes. In fact, Carl Robinson said so after the match. One change we will see for sure is in the middle of the pitch. Tony Tchani picked up two yellow cards against Seattle, so he is out. Will we see Andrew Jacobson and Russell Teibert? Or just one of them?
After a strong start to the season, Orlando City has not been that good. However, they do now have Dom Dwyer, who is always a thorn in the Whitecaps side. Can the Caps get back on the winning track? Draw? Loss? Time to pick. GOOD LUCK!
Oh, and since I forgot to add it last week, but you all remembered. In August you can get an extra two points by correctly predicting which 15-minute interval the Caps will score their first goal: 0-15; 16-30; 31-45; 46-60; 61-75; 76-90.
Known Out (will be updated as information becomes available)
Injured: Brett Levis, David Edgar, Matias Laba
Suspension: Tony Tchani (red card)