By Josh Weinfuss for the Panama City News Herald [+]
Thursday, July 16
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The formula for the Panama City Pirates to reach the USL’s Premier Development League playoffs isn’t bogged down with a lot of “if’s” and “has to’s.”
It’s pretty basic. If Panama City wins two games, it will qualify for the team’s first postseason in its brief two-year history.
“It just means in our minds the playoffs are starting one week earlier,” Pirates coach Bill Elliott said. “I don’t know if it’s pressure … excitement I would say. You go into the last week of the season with a chance to make the playoffs and most teams are eliminated already.”
The Pirates have 20 points, two points behind third-place New Orleans. They host the Jesters in the season finale at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Mike Gavlak Sports Complex. But Panama City needs a win against Nashville at 7 p.m. Friday at home to set up a win-or-go-home final match.
The top three teams in each division advance to the playoffs.
There are four scenarios in which the Pirates could advance to the playoffs. The easiest is winning out. They also could win Friday and tie on Sunday, tie and win or even lose and win. But the Jesters would have to cooperate by either losing or tying both games.
In the event that they are sharing third place after this weekend, the first tie-breaker is head to head, the teams playing to a 0-0 draw in June. The second is league wins, and as long a both teams win Friday night the Pirates would advance.
If they are tied again after that, the third tie-breaker is goal differential. Heading into this weekend, New Orleans has a 10-goal margin and Panama City has a negative-two goal differential and would lose that tie-breaker.
The Pirates could have made things little easier if they would have secured one three-point win in their last three games. After losing 5-3 to the Baton Rouge Capitals on July 4, the Pirates tied both games on last weekend’s road trip, 2-2 against Central Florida on Saturday and 1-1 with division-leader Bradenton on Sunday.
“We’ve been thinking about it and talking about it after two ties this weekend,” forward Kenneth Robinson said. “We really wanted to get a win the first game.
“We are definitely confident with our ability and our chances of getting into the playoffs. We know what’s at stake.”
The Jesters are undefeated this season, but have won only four times and tied a PDL-leading 10 games. Robinson feels New Orleans is bound to continue that trend.
“We have a really good chance of them tying again or losing,” he said. “I really think Atlanta could pull out a win against them. We’re not really too terribly concerned.”
Before the Pirates can look ahead to Sunday’s game and a possible playoff berth, Elliott said his team will need to address a lingering problem.
“We have to be more efficient in the 18-yard box on both ends of the field,” Elliott said. “I think we’ve been playing well enough 18 to 18, but our efficiency in scoring goals and keeping balls out of the net needs to improve if we’re going to make any type of playoff run.
“At this stage of the season there’s no style points. It doesn’t matter how pretty or how ugly, just win.”
PDL tiebreakers
1. Head-to-head record based on total points in league games.*
2. Total wins in league games
3. Goal difference in league games.
4. Goals scored in league games.
5. Total points within smallest grouping. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage will be used.
6. Ranking based on points earned against top four group finishers. This tiebreaker will not be used if four or less teams comprise the group. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
7. Point percentage outside/smallest division or conference in league games
8. Total points in all regular season and Open Cup qualifying games combined. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
9. FIFA Fair Play – Team with fewest disciplinary points in league games. (If number of games is unequal, points will be divided by games played to arrive at a common basis for comparison.)
10. Lottery conducted by USL at league office.
*Should more than two teams involved have played each other an unequal number of times, this tiebreaker will be skipped.
