How do YOU want the cup to be run?

[illinifan999]

So far we have two ideas:

Supermans:

"I think we should use a NCAA B-ball tourney format. We take the top 64 teams will go to the big dance. The rest of the teams will go to the NIT tournament. We would use Frogman's ranking to give the seedings and placement.

It will make the tournament short and still make it fun to participate in. Should make it easy to organize in the format I have proposed."

Easy Mac's:

"The top 64 teams at the end of last year (removing anyone who doesn't want in or in the real cup, and such)

16 divisions of 4 teams. round robin. (weeks 6, 7, 8)

Top 2 teams from each division go into 8 divisions of 4 teams (based on points). Round robin. (weeks 9, 10, 11)

top team from each group does single elimination (weeks 12, 13, 14)

The other 50 some odd teams (65 and lower who aren't in the cup) can do a lower half tourney along the same lines if they'd like."

If you have any other idea's now's the time to share them.

[Easy Mac]

dammit, I forgot a week


WEEK 15 would be the championship game in my scenario. (16(week 12), 8(13), 4(14), 2 (15). week 15 is when people scramble for offseason frendlies anyway.

[McSweeny]

what about using the format for this past year's cup? i thought it worked pretty well

[illinifan999]

Kevin brought up a good piont about Supermans idea. Is it fair to have a #1 vs #64, etc format? Also this brings up the problem of that once a team loses their done. Do we want to have guranteed X amount of weeks for a friendly, or do we want to have a one and done type format?
Another way is to maybe have a best-of series between the seeded teams? At least tht way a team is guranteed at least two or more weeks of friendlies? Any other ideas?

[TargetPractice6]

I like group format myself. Not that I plan to be in it anyway... I hope to go fairly deep into the US cup this season.

[illinifan999]

Not that we'd want you in it. ;) We like to at least have a chance in the cup. ;)

[Nyarlahotep]

It's a Cup Tournement, it doesn't have to be fair. And if we are doing brackets instead of reseeding after every round, it might work out fairly decent for an underdog that pulls out a big upset.

[Doug5984]

I would like the NCAA B-ball tourney format- with the added influence on experience I will be hoping to play a lot more international friendlies so if the FOFC Cup was a little shorter than last year I would be much more willing to join it again this year.

[TargetPractice6]

My backups are pretty not-good, illini :)

[illinifan999]

Probably better than mine. ;)

[Superman=#54]

I'm sure we could add a few play in games for the #16 seeds.

[illinifan999]

C'mon guys, I know we have more than 23 members playing hattrick. Now's the time to be heard. :p

[McSweeny]

i still think group play is the way to go

everyone gets involved and everyone gets at least 5 friendlies out of it. That's one of the best part's about the Cup, not having to search out friendlies. I think the way it went this past year was just about perfect, with the consolation cup and everything

[illinifan999]

Group play would be nice, especially since I'd make a new sign up list, and hopefully that would eliminate any abandoned teams. That was the main problem with the group play last season was that one group had a couple of walkover games, and were rather pissed about it.

[DukeRulesMAB]

I agree with McSweeney, I liked not having to search for a friendly every week for a while. Big fan of group play.

[Nyarlahotep]

Wasn't there a sign up list last year in which the teams that ended up being walkovers expressed their intentions to play in? Single elimination is the way to go. Walkovers disappear after one week, it gets done quicker so people can move on to international friendlies to gain experience, and we still get the fun and possible bragging rights of an unofficial cup.

[illinifan999]

ANOTHER ISSUE

How do we decide who plays the international games in the cup? We have 7 Canadian teams, 1 Enlgish team, 3 French, and 1 Swedish team.

[thesloppy]

I'm definitely in support of not having to look for friendlies!

[Nyarlahotep]

If you do a brackets system, it isn't an issue.

[illinifan999]

What isnt an issue?

[Nyarlahotep]

Who plays international cup games. With brackets you just decide which positions are home and away and then fill in the seeds and that's all there is too it.

[MylesKnight]

You've got to be kidding me...

Check out who's 65th in FrogMan's Final Season #19 Rankings.. (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11233)

[Nyarlahotep]

65th will get to play unless some miracle knocks the top four teams on that list much earlier than they expect to be. Or is the starting date open for debate as well?

[Superman=#54]

You gotta remember tp6, billy, and apoc won't partcipate in this tourny since they will have long runs in the US cup and they don't partcipate in friendly cups. I say we have play in games for all the #15 and #16 seeds and the losers will have to go to the NIT tourney. The winners keep on dancin'...

There should be some interesting #8 vs #9 matches.

[sterlingice]

I definately like single elimination. I do *not* like having my friendlies spoken for every week for 5-10 weeks. I want to be able to go play international friendlies, especially with experience being so important. And I also like to go play supporters when I get a chance. Last season- I only had four friendlies all season after the US Cup took up 5 weeks and the FOFC Cup took up 7 more.

SI

[Superman=#54]

Those that get eliminated after the first round should get better and not complain if they get spanked in the first round.

[MylesKnight]

Originally posted by Superman=#54
Those that get eliminated after the first round should get better and not complain if they get spanked in the first round.
I take offense to that. I will raising all kinds of hell after I get smacked-down by the Superman's or the Seamen in Round #1, by a score of say 10-Nil.

It's my god-given right. :D

[Poli]

I'd prefer the single elimination.

One and your done.

Only problem I would see is determining the top 64 or so, along with the other potential play ins.

[Masked]

I also prefer single elimination.

Perhaps the play-in games could be done while some of the top teams are still in the US Open Cup. Automatic berths could be given to all teams still alive in the the fourth (or fifth round), and then seedings can be determined using the rankings. Teams still in the cup get the top seeds, and the "qualifiers" fill out the rest of the bracket.

[illinifan999]

Well either way works with making brackets. I got a blank NCAA tournament bracket that I'll change to reflect our hattrick stuff, and if we choose group play can just do that on a spreadsheet.

[Raven Hawk]

Just a note.

If we start the cup week 6 . . . those who are making cup runs won't be in. I think it is acceptable as it gives more people a chance to win the FOFC Cup.

Just make an annotation saying "Top 64 Teams not still in their respective cups" make it to the FOFC cup.

This eliminates the issue of non-played matches that we had last year.

[vex]

I prefer the single elim. as well. I hate not getting to choose for weeks who I play. And with the experience changes, I see international friendlies as VERY important.

[Vince]

I'm a little more partial to group play, but people make good points about International friendlies being more important now, so as opposed to last year, people are going to want international flavor to their games. With only 5 or so international teams in our cup, a prolonged FOFC cup could hinder experience gaining plans.

[DataKing]

If a 64-team single-elimination tournament is chosen as the format for this year's cup (and that certainly seems to be the way things are going), then there is no need to start the cup as early as week five or six. A 64-team single-elimination tournament would only take six weeks to complete. Add in a week for "qualification" if you like, and then you're still only talking about a seven week tournament. With 16 weeks in a HT season (14 league weeks, 1 qualification week, 1 off-week) there's no reason to start the cup any earlier than week 9.

[vex]

I might need a couple more weeks since I'll still be in the US Open Cup;)

[NAIWF]

I'm not going to enter either way. I screwed up my training regimen trying to win it, and it didn't turn out so well, so you can scratch me off the list.

[vex]

Then just don't screw up your training regimen trying to win, right?

[illinifan999]

Only 100 or so people left to vote. ;)

[illinifan999]

When should we end the poll and get to work on the seedings, etc?

[Superman=#54]

GIve it a few more days wait until after the first league match of the season. So we could see Frogman's new rankings and see were everyone stands.

[FrogMan]

thread is now a sticky, my first sticky, woohoo!!! :)

FM

[illinifan999]

Cool beans! Whoa, I gotta stop reading Marc V's posts......

[Superman=#54]

I had an idea. Lets say that more than 64 teams want to participate in this tournament. We could use the link I am about to give to take however amount of teams and make it a single elimination tourney.

http://www.crowsdarts.com/brackets/playoff-chart.html

[illinifan999]

Superman:

The only problem with that site is that it isnt a picture, so I cant save it to edit. I found another website, but the max people are 64.

[Airhog]

I would say make it a 64 tournament. Then if more than 64 people are interested, those that are the higest seeds will have to play 1 or 2 rounds extra. that would give you another 16 which would make it 70 people total. :)

[PilotMan]

The FOFC Tournament has always been about a come one come all tounament. Whoever wants to play can. Maybe we need to have a tounament, with no ranking, that is just randomly drawn.

I have no problem with a single elimination type cup. It will run quickly and we can run as many teams an possible.

A drawback that I see is that toward the end of the Cup interest wanes alot. Last years final was harly talked about. The Cup is really at its best when a large number of teams can be in the Cup and hang around for a while.

I thought that group play was fun, and I think it could work again. But maybe it lasted a little bit too long. I really love hosting international friendlies.

[MacroGuru]

We make a decision here yet?

[vex]

I think the only question now is when do we start?

[illinifan999]

Let's see this is what week 5, right? I guess unless the majority of the team's are still in the cup, we'll go with week 6.

We have 65 or 66 (if you count MK, but not sure if he is still playing hattrick?) teams so far. I'm guessing we can have a play in game, and just go according to FrogMan's ratings for this week.

[Alf]

So what's up for next week. Will the Cup start or do we need to book friendlies ?!

[Noop]

Easy Mac idea

[vex]

I think it's a little bit late:)

[FrogMan]

bump and unsticky

FM