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Welcome to another season of our Vancouver Whitecaps contest “Guess the Starting XI and Final Score”. As is tradition, thanks to former regular Spencer for starting this several years ago. It has grown into a great contest and I am appreciative of him for the original idea. Like last season, we will break the contest up into the three ‘seasons’: first half, second half, and non-MLS. We will continue to have fun monthly ‘bonus’ prediction categories, with some being based on whatever it topical at the time. Last season we had things like “Robbo post-match quotes”, “yellow cards”, “first goal scorer”, and several others. However, to start the season, we will keep March simple. With that out of the way, let’s remind you all how the scoring is done.
Contest Details
Contest article will be posted 2-3 days prior to game day.
- We will keep track of first half, 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, each half of the season will be based on 17 matches, with your worst two match predictions being dropped. This will allow everyone a few misses or bad guesses throughout the season.
- Predictions will be ‘valid’ if posted HERE half-an-hour 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!
After each match, I will tally the scores and update the standings, which will be posted with the following match’s prediction article. I will post three sets of standings. First, the results from the previous match. Second, the monthly standings. Third, the first/second half standings (with your worst two match predictions removed).
Previous Match Rankings
| Rank | User | Total | Lineup | Bonus | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | User | Total | Lineup | Bonus | Winner | Score |
| 1 | CDPrior | 19 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 1 | hbamaral | 19 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 3 | tecate | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | GreyHouseEffect | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | ZTJ9901 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | The Squirrel | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Tres_Tristes_Tigres | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | edmondk | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Jitsuo | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | jvenn | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | CascadiaCrunch | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | rtomsheck | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Isabelt | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | AtlantisB | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Island Life | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | AmandaC | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | AshMan77 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | chuckbiscuits | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Airos | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Westsider13 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | CapsOnTheDrive | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Slowkid | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
May Standings
| Rank | User | Overall Score | Rapids | Timbers | Atlanta | SKC | NYRB | FC Dallas | TFC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | User | Overall Score | Rapids | Timbers | Atlanta | SKC | NYRB | FC Dallas | TFC |
| 1 | Island Life | 114 | 16 | 21 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 20 |
| 2 | AtlantisB | 106 | 21 | 21 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 16 |
| 3 | CDPrior | 102 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 19 |
| 3 | ZTJ9901 | 102 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 17 |
| 5 | edmondk | 101 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 12 |
| 6 | AshMan77 | 98 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 19 |
| 7 | hbamaral | 95 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 17 |
| 8 | Airos | 94 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 17 |
| 9 | AmandaC | 93 | 16 | 21 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| 9 | Isabelt | 93 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 14 |
| 9 | rtomsheck | 93 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 11 |
| 12 | GreyHouseEffect | 90 | 18 | 12 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
| 13 | Fudmur | 88 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 14 |
| 13 | Tres_Tristes_Tigres | 88 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 16 |
| 15 | TillmanD | 85 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 10 |
| 16 | CascadiaCrunchFC | 84 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 21 |
| 16 | chuckbiscuits | 84 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 9 |
| 18 | The Squirrel | 83 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 14 |
| 18 | Westsider13 | 83 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 20 | tecate | 76 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 14 |
| 21 | AdamP 17 | 74 | 18 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 10 |
| 22 | CapsOnTheDrive | 70 | 16 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 16 |
| 23 | Columbian_Southsider77 | 68 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| 24 | Jitsuo | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
First Half Standings
| Ranking | User | Overall Score | Match #1 | Match #2 | Match #3 | Match #4 | Match #5 | Match #6 | Match #7 | Match #8 | Match #9 | Match #10 | Match #11 | Match #12 | Match #13 | Match #14 | Match #15 | Match #16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | User | Overall Score | Match #1 | Match #2 | Match #3 | Match #4 | Match #5 | Match #6 | Match #7 | Match #8 | Match #9 | Match #10 | Match #11 | Match #12 | Match #13 | Match #14 | Match #15 | Match #16 |
| 1 | Island Life | 204 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 15 |
| 2 | AtlantisB | 203 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 11 |
| 3 | Isabelt | 197 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 12 |
| 4 | tecate | 196 | 16 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 14 |
| 5 | edmondk | 194 | 8 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 10 |
| 6 | AmandaC | 192 | 11 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| 7 | CascadiaCrunchFC | 191 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| 7 | Westsider13 | 191 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 9 | ZTJ9901 | 190 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 12 |
| 10 | The Squirrel | 185 | 13 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 12 |
| 11 | chuckbiscuits | 184 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 9 |
| 12 | GreyHouseEffect | 183 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 9 |
| 13 | AshMan77 | 180 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 14 |
| 14 | hbamaral | 176 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 12 |
| 15 | Airos | 174 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 15 |
| 16 | CapsOnTheDrive | 172 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 16 | rtomsheck | 172 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 9 |
| 18 | Tres_Tristes_Tigres | 168 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 11 |
| 19 | AdamP 17 | 161 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 10 |
| 20 | CDPrior | 159 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 14 |
| 21 | Fudmur | 138 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 12 |
| 22 | TillmanD | 133 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 10 |
| 23 | Columbian_Southsider77 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| 24 | Jitsuo | 101 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 25 | AlexGangue91 | 77 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Jph003 | 71 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | MarcusEarth | 60 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | BlackPanther99 | 51 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | SnakeDave | 46 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Slowkid | 44 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | PowerOutOnTheKingsway | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | JStebeck | 35 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | olikchivas | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Derek L | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Hasslis2ndshirt | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | sammygee | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | JSONX | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Recap
Two in a row! It was a high scoring match for predictions against Portland Timbers. There was a five-way tie for first, with 21 points. rtomsheck scored 20 points, with a perfect lineup and predicting a Whitecaps victory and still had to settle for sixth!
It seems the lineup was easy to predict for most, as nine out of our 22 predictions had a perfect lineup. All but one had 10 or more correct. The key was predicting a Whitecaps victory and then getting some points on the first sub prediction. Still no ‘four’ points for first sub from anyone yet, but plenty of ‘two’ points.
A strong two first matches (first for both) from AtlantisB gives them (me) a five-point lead in the monthly standings. Still a long way to go though with five matches remaining. We will see if I can hold on!
AtlantisB (I hate talking in third person) also has a slim lead in the first half standings. I really should have given up calculating scores a long time ago! Just behind AtlantisB’s 123 are AmandaC and tecate with 121. Isabelt (120) and edmondk (119) round out the top five.
A Few Responses to Comments
CapsOnTheDrive: I don’t know. But, apparently ALL THREE are sad. Maybe we will get an answer to that this week. Speaking of which. Another shout-out to Tres_Tristes_Tigres for compiling the totals for this match!
hbamaral: They won!
AmandaC: Keep flying! Apparently it does you well.
ZTJ9901: Good call on the lineup edit.
GreyHouseEffect: Naw, you are good. Lineup and score approved! The worst is when I forget. I have done that several times and I write this thing each match!
Looking Ahead
The Vancouver Whitecaps will play two matches this week. First, they will host Atlanta United on Wednesday evening. Then they will fly to Kansas City to play Sporting on Saturday. Expect some rotation in this one. The question will be which match will see the rotation. Like the LAFC/Orlando City week, the harder match is at home, but the Caps were able to give LAFC their only loss so far this season. We could see a similar situation, although the Sporting Kansas City game is a bigger deal as they are a Western Conference foe.
As is the case all month long, correctly predict the first substitute in and receive two points. Predict the first substitute out, also receive two points. A slight change though. Since we have not had it happen yet, I think we can make the change. Correctly predict BOTH the substitute in and out and get a ‘bonus’ bonus point. Translation, two points for correctly predicting either substitute in or out. Five points for correctly predicting both.
As is often the case, we will have the Know the Enemy and Pre-Match articles up shortly. I will hyperlink to them here once they are up.
Good luck everyone!