As is routine for every match, we have our regular Guess the Starting XI and Final Score contest. Let’s see how good you are at getting into the manager’s head and predicting how the game will turn out. In addition, we will have monthly, fun, bonus prediction categories, such as yellow cards, substitutions, goal scorers, etc.

How Scoring is Determined

• Predictions will be ‘valid’ if posted HERE half-an-hour prior to the lineup being officially announced, which means 1.5 hours before kickoff.
• 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 typically 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).

MLS is BACK Review

It was a little while ago now, but we concluded the MLS is Back Tournament. Congrats to our Cascadian compatriot Portland Timbers, who beat Orlando City to earn a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. As a result, let’s recap the last match that was and announce our winner. First, to summarize some of the scoring, as it may be a bit complicated. When putting together the scoring for this match I had not considered the penalty kick scenario. As a result, I decided to accept two score lines as being correct. The first was 0-0 draw. The second was 3-1 Sporting Kansas City. FYI, I am writing this and the bonus parts BEFORE tallying scores, to ensure that I am not accidentally giving someone an advantage. Therefore, as I write this paragraph, and those below, I have no idea who benefits and loses from these decisions. Second, we also had five bonus categories (who came up with that terrible idea!). Three bonus points for each correct prediction. Let’s quickly go through the ‘right’ answers.

Bonus #1 – Time of first substitute. It was not known at the time but in the 72^nd minute Hwang In-Beom stepped off the field for the last time for the Vancouver Whitecaps, replaced by Yordy Reyna. Correct answer was 65-75 minutes.

Bonus #2 – Total number of minutes by Gutierrez et al. Gutierrez started, and officially he played 90 minutes, so, since the one category was 60 minutes to <90, that means the correct answer is 90 minutes plus.

Bonus #3 – First goal scorer. This is a weird one, but it would be Owusu in the shootout. *later edit*. AmandaC and Isabelt both said no scorer, with AmandaC even referencing PK, so I gave them both three points for correct prediction as well.

Bonus #4 – Method of first goal. Technically it is a pk in a shootout, so that is the answer I am going with.

Bonus #5 – First yellow card. Owusu. Sigh…I was going to pick him and then I didn’t. Oh well.

Okay, now let’s get on to counting up the scores.

SUMMARY

Because we have a lot to get through, I am going to keep this short. First, congrats to chuckbiscuits who somehow got a perfect prediction and one bonus category for a total of 25 points. How you predicted Gutierrez is beyond me! AmandaC finished second (23 points) thanks to six bonus points; no one else got higher than three. Airos and their funky lineup naming came in third. I was last with my wild Whitecaps victory prediction!

On to the final standings. It was tight but tecate’s nine-points total against Isabelt’s eight-points total for the Chicago Fire match was the deciding factor. The two were neck and neck throughout, having the same prediction scores for San Jose, Seattle, and KC. Congrats to tecate, who I will add to our Master list of victors!

Match Preview - Toronto FC

This is a weird one. Major League Soccer is reconvening clubs for the 2020 season but because of travel restrictions, Canadian clubs will play each other to restart the season. A little added wrinkle, the team with the most points secures a berth to the Canadian Championship Final against the winner of the Canadian Premier League tournament winner.

So, what to expect from this match? I am not sure. The Caps will have their full roster back...I think, as players who did not travel to the MLS is Back tournament should be back playing. However, the club did transfer Hwang In-Beom, so that is one less player in their midfield. There are also question marks elsewhere. Obviously Crepeau is not back, so will it be Hasal (likely) or Meredith. Bikel and Godoy are still out, while Khmiri and Milinkovic are questionable. What will the lineup look like again Toronto on Tuesday? We might not know until shortly before kickoff.

Three final notes. First, I will pull in the scores from the first two matches of the season as part of our scoring. Second, we will have a Canadian Home/Away contest, which will include the Canadian Championship final if the Caps get that far. Since it will only be four or five matches we will count all matches to your final score. Third, the bonus category for the Canada tournament will be...time of first goal. We will use the typical 15-minute intervals 0-<15, 15-<30, 30-45+, 45-<60, 60-<75, 75-90+. Also, if you believe the Caps won’t score, you need to write no scorer (or something like that).

Good luck everyone!