USSF Division 2 Playoff Race - July

The USSF Division 2 playoff structure is very generous, with 8 of the 12 teams being selected for the playoffs.  The top two teams from each conference are automatically selected, and the remaining six are selected based on total points.

All three rounds of the playoffs feature two game series, with a home and away game for each team.  Just like last season, aggregate goals decide who wins the series, so it's a good thing American soccer fans are good at math. 


How the race currently stands:
#1 Austin (1st in USL, 32 points, 2.00 ppg)
#2 Vancouver (1st in NASL, 29 points, 1.71 ppg)
#3 Rochester (27 points, 1.69 ppg)
#4 Minnesota (24 points, 1.26 ppg)

#5 Portland (23 points, 1.44 ppg)

#6 Carolina (21 points, 1.50 ppg)
#7 Tampa Bay (20 points, 1.25 ppg)
#8 Montreal (20 points, 1.25 ppg)

No team has been mathematically eliminated, so here is the rest of the field:
#9 Puerto Rico (18 points, 1.20 ppg)
#10 Baltimore (16 points, 1.00 ppg)
#11 Miami (14 points, 0.88 ppg)
#12 St. Louis (13 points, 0.87 ppg)

Where the Timbers Stand
The Timbers sit fairly comfortably in the middle of the playoff contenders, but they still have 10 road matches remaining and only four more at PGE Park.    If they can perform on the road, Portland is still within striking distance of catching the Aztex for the conference lead.  Currently the Timbers are 1-2-2 in away matches.

Portland's Remaing Games
@Vancouver (7-2-8)
@St. Louis (3-8-4)
@Tampa Bay (5-6-5)
@Rochester (7-3-6)
Minnesota (7-9-3)
@St. Louis (3-8-4)
@Minnesota (7-9-3)
Austin (9-2-5)
Baltimore (4-8-4)
Puerto Rico (5-7-3)
@Carolina (5-3-6)
@Puerto Rico (5-7-3)
@Baltimore (4-8-4)
@Vancouver (7-2-8)
(W-T-L in parentheses)