The season isn't over yet, but the Timbers have solidified a spot in the 2010 USSF D-2 playoffs. The Timbers play the final four matches of the regular season on the road and the better the results, the better the seed for the Timbers.The Timbers are currently in 3rd place in the USL conference and in 4th place overall in the division. The overall points leader at the end of the season will get the No. 1 seed, while the top team from the other conference will get the No. 2 seed. The rest of the six teams will be seeded according to their points regardless of conference.
The USSF D-2 Pro League playoffs begin in early October, following the conclusion of the league’s regular-season schedule on Oct. 3. The league will announce additional details about the postseason, including playoff format and dates, at a later time. The Timbers will also unveil playoff details, regarding venue, tickets and kickoff times, at a later date.
from Portlandtimbers.com
Now it's time to start talking about playoff positioning. It's unlikely that Portland could pass both Austin and Rochester, so 3rd place is in most scenarios the best they could do. Portland is 7 points behind Rochester, with four games remaining. The problem is that Rochester has 2 games against bottom-dwelling Miami and one against AC St. Louis remaining, so it's going to be tough to catch up to them.
ReplyDeleteThis means that fourth place is likely still the best Portland can do. They have a 4 point lead over Carolina and the Railhawks have a game in hand, this makes Saturday's game against Carolina vital for Portland to finish in 4th. Having home advantage in the first round should allow the Timbers to choose to play their home game second.
Seems a bit early to say Portland has no chance at 3rd place. 4 games = 12 potential points. Just need Rochester to suck it up a bit. Timbers can do this!
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