The Brand Spankin' New Series Preview Thread

[PilotMan]

Post 'em here. We all need something to read since it will be 2 weeks a week and a half until the first match of the season.

This is taken straight from my team homepage.

Back with the PMR rankings for a whole new division, and a bunch of teams that I do not know. For those of you who are not familiar with PMR it is a weighted system, based on a number of different variable and weighted against each other team in each category. The idea is that it should provide a number from which to compare each team, the number will also give an idea of the level that each team plays at as well. Teams that exist in the same number set should be roughly on the same level (e.g. 30's, 20's, 10's...) The index is called the PilotMan Rating (PMR). This index is based on data at the end of last season. Any changes made since will not be included in the index. Here we go!

I have decided to list teams in the order of highest PMR first.

1. Minutemen - (PMR - 37.7 : Hatstats 305.0 : Stars 70.1)
They should kick the living crap out of all the teams here, but depending on how far they take themselves in the US Open Cup, they may find a loss or two along the way.

2. Munchers - (PMR - 33.7 : Hatstats 240.67 : Stars 58.5)
A tough team, relative to the rest of the teams in the division. How they managed to come in 5th place is beyond me. That speaks to the difficulty and unexpectedness of this game.

3. Monkey of Doom - (PMR - 26.8 : Hatstats 231.75 : Stars 56.5)
Last years 3rd place team I have back in 3rd. Another very tough team that should be fighting near the top of the division all year long. They have done extremely well for themselves as this is only their 4th season in III. They will promote from this division eventually.

4. Mechanic FC - (PMR - 24.7 : Hatstats 234.42 : Stars 56.0)
This team has been in III.5 for frickin ever. That means two things. They are tough and well seasoned at this level. Second it means that they are hungry to leave. A second place finish last season, and a longshot to win this year means another season in III.5.

5. Bolivar FC - (PMR - 19.3 : Hatstats 228.54 : Stars 52.5)
The best of the promotees from division IV. This is a well aged team that has been waiting a long time to break into divsion III. They stand a good chance of staying here as they are good. Probably a step lower in quality then the top 4, but the best of the rest.

6. Group TNT - (PMR - 14.7 : Hatstats 231.25 : Stars 51.9)
This team has been in division III.5 almost as long as Mechanic FC. They came in 4th last season so they know how to survive and win. This team could be the dark horse of the divison for causing problems to other teams, and they are not to be taken lightly.

7. St. Louis Imperfect Assembly - (PMR - 11.0 : Hatstats 210.86 : Stars 50.1)
A team that auto-promoted and just barely sneaked over the auto line. They are a fellow FOFC squad. They will begin the uphill battle to stay out of 7th and 8th place, but they will need to find wins in the right places, and fight the good fight.

8. Midwest Ice Storm FC - (PMR - 6.0 : Hatstats 210.08 : Stars 50.6)
Well, here we sit. We have gone from the throne to the gutter and will need to clean up if we want to look nice for the ball. Staying out of the bottom slots will need to be a priority and improving the squad from the field through the front office will need to be done if we are to keep our spot in our first ever DIII run.

[PilotMan]

And while I am at it, my preview for IV.6 of which I graduated from, but still contains 3 FOFC teams.


1. Griffs - (PMR - 37.5 : Hatstats 219.83 : Stars 53.6)
Last year tied for first but lost on goal differential is the favorite to win this season. They will have a fight on their hands, but then again when don't they. They need to figure out how not to win on the road. I know that they are making some significant changes and want, badly to win this season.

2. Farim Foxes - (PMR - 35.0 : Hatstats 219.25 : Stars 52.7)
My worthwhile opponent who took the unfortunate fall in the qualifier. I was shaking my head after that match too. I mean, you had me set up just where you wanted but got no chances to score. Likely scorned, angry and ready, they could break out this year.

3. High Tops - (PMR - 28.7 : Hatstats 218.0 : Stars 51.1)
They just sold their #1 player, now the question is, "Where does this team get better at?" Defense was a problem for them last season, but I would attribute that to the 3-4-3 against some tough midfields. Last seasons favorite saw their season end at the turn, when they were swept by Confeds. Revenge has to be on their minds.

4. Jedi Knights - (PMR - 21.3 : Hatstats 175.17 : Stars 43.3)
If I have one piece of advice for this team it is, "Never, ever lay down in a home match." Thanks for all the goals, you helped me to win the title. This team would have been 4th if they would have believed in themselves. They are rated higher this season and should cause a fair bit of trouble for everyone else.

5. Confederates - (PMR 16.5 : Hatstats 172.25 : Stars 40.3)
Like the Phoenix this team rose from its ashes, and kicked some ass starting in week 7. A 3rd place finish and a much improved squad later, there is a lot expected of them now. Thier PMR is much higher than last season, but can they avoid the sophomore slump?

6. Morningside FC - (PMR 16.0 : Hatstats 183.1 : Stars 43.8)
One of the new teams to IV.6 is not new to division 4. This is their 3rd go at it, and they will bring game with each match. They are capable of competing right away. They do not make this division any easier.

7. Xtreme FC - (PMR - 13.2 : Hatstats 165.25 : Stars 40.7)
Don't worry about them, they will find a way not to finish 7th or 8th. A team that has always been middle of the road will have a hard match each week. This may be their toughest season in IV.6.

8. Independiente AC - (PMR 6.8 : Hatstats 160.2 : Stars 40.0)
A true newbie to division IV competition. They remind me of Confeds last season. It will be a steep learning curve for them but they may find a way to climb the mountain to glory in IV.6. Don't feel too bad, you got a higher PMR rating here than I did in my new division. I guess I have a long way to go too.

[akickku]

I'll rank teams based on where I think they will finish after week 14 in season 26.

1. White Sox aka the Chicago Cubs
Hatstat Average 192.43
Choking is what this team does best down the stretch. Thealmighty would probably agree with me here that this was the best club in our series during season 25. Just so happened he choked against me in week 12 and then proceeded to choke in week 13 and week 14 and managed to not win the title :) FoG took it from him fair and square. This guy is the dead on favorite once again to win the title. If he gets a qualifier I expect him to win it next season as he's better then a lot of teams in IV. He'd probably finish top 4 in most IV's. A striker trainer with some serious studs up front and a deadly midfield to back that up. I don't think I can take him out, my year hopefully will be season 27.


2. Rockin the Suburbs aka we can't win on the road ...
Hatstat Average 180.87
I'd be up in IV by now if it weren't for my incredibly tough series. But I'll just bide my time until more talent clears my way to the title. I had the best defense last season in a 3-4-3 giving up the fewest goals. That will continue as my keeper is a god for V talent wise. I'll have a very talented midfield to combine with my blossuming striker trainees. This season will have RtS putting up record attack ratings near the end of the season once my trainees start popping to world class. I had trouble scoring last season, this season it will be less of an issue. I'll be one of three others giving the Sox a challenge for the title.


3. Dinner Music of the Gods
Hatstat Average 170.71
Balanced club that trains midfield. Should also be a legit contender for the #1 spot. After three straight 3rd place finishes, he dropped to 4th last season. I don't think he's improving as fast as RtS and the White Sox.

4. Odessa Dudes
Hatstat Average 178.08
This is the guy that lost the qualifier to our #1. This is not the series he wanted to demote too. He's team horribly balanced, he pulls wussy events every other week and has a terrible midfield compared to our top three. I woudln't be surprised if he quits sometime during this season because he's gonna be in for a rough ride. He's a defensive trainer that presses ... not a recipe for success in my opinion.

5. PL Kings
Hatstat Average 163.64
Mr. Counterattack. Worked decently well as he tied both myself and White Sox last season, despite being outmatched horribly in the midfield and attack. I think he can take out Odessa Dudes and jump up to 4th if he plays his cards right. CA > Press at least for getting points.

6. Troyeija
Hatstat Average 107.86
Ok now we are down to the horribly outclassed and overmatched clubs. Lucky for him our two autopromoters are god awful and he can probably beat them. He's the favorite for 6th again next season.

7. ToChallenges
Hatstat Average 101.36
Has a chance at 6th, probably be a battle between this club and Troyeija. Nothing like battling to stay out of VI to make a miserable season a little better.

8. DeesNUTS Mr. 0-14
Hastat Average 80.21
He's done it once before, he's gonna do it again. How bad will his goal differential be? Stay tuned.

[Havok]

Post 'em here. We all need something to read since it will be 2 weeks a week and a half until the first match of the season.

This is taken straight from my team homepage.

Back with the PMR rankings for a whole new division, and a bunch of teams that I do not know. For those of you who are not familiar with PMR it is a weighted system, based on a number of different variable and weighted against each other team in each category. The idea is that it should provide a number from which to compare each team, the number will also give an idea of the level that each team plays at as well. Teams that exist in the same number set should be roughly on the same level (e.g. 30's, 20's, 10's...) The index is called the PilotMan Rating (PMR). This index is based on data at the end of last season. Any changes made since will not be included in the index. Here we go!

I have decided to list teams in the order of highest PMR first.

1. Minutemen - (PMR - 37.7 : Hatstats 305.0 : Stars 70.1)
They should kick the living crap out of all the teams here, but depending on how far they take themselves in the US Open Cup, they may find a loss or two along the way.

2. Munchers - (PMR - 33.7 : Hatstats 240.67 : Stars 58.5)
A tough team, relative to the rest of the teams in the division. How they managed to come in 5th place is beyond me. That speaks to the difficulty and unexpectedness of this game.

3. Monkey of Doom - (PMR - 26.8 : Hatstats 231.75 : Stars 56.5)
Last years 3rd place team I have back in 3rd. Another very tough team that should be fighting near the top of the division all year long. They have done extremely well for themselves as this is only their 4th season in III. They will promote from this division eventually.

4. Mechanic FC - (PMR - 24.7 : Hatstats 234.42 : Stars 56.0)
This team has been in III.5 for frickin ever. That means two things. They are tough and well seasoned at this level. Second it means that they are hungry to leave. A second place finish last season, and a longshot to win this year means another season in III.5.

5. Bolivar FC - (PMR - 19.3 : Hatstats 228.54 : Stars 52.5)
The best of the promotees from division IV. This is a well aged team that has been waiting a long time to break into divsion III. They stand a good chance of staying here as they are good. Probably a step lower in quality then the top 4, but the best of the rest.

6. Group TNT - (PMR - 14.7 : Hatstats 231.25 : Stars 51.9)
This team has been in division III.5 almost as long as Mechanic FC. They came in 4th last season so they know how to survive and win. This team could be the dark horse of the divison for causing problems to other teams, and they are not to be taken lightly.

7. St. Louis Imperfect Assembly - (PMR - 11.0 : Hatstats 210.86 : Stars 50.1)
A team that auto-promoted and just barely sneaked over the auto line. They are a fellow FOFC squad. They will begin the uphill battle to stay out of 7th and 8th place, but they will need to find wins in the right places, and fight the good fight.

8. Midwest Ice Storm FC - (PMR - 6.0 : Hatstats 210.08 : Stars 50.6)
Well, here we sit. We have gone from the throne to the gutter and will need to clean up if we want to look nice for the ball. Staying out of the bottom slots will need to be a priority and improving the squad from the field through the front office will need to be done if we are to keep our spot in our first ever DIII run.


dammit... i should be in Div.III

[sterlingice]

Ditto. Except Minutemen, I can beat all of those teams.

SI

[Raven Hawk]

Series III.11

1. TROGDOR the BURNINATOR (262.4, 58.8)
2. Wittgenstein Hotspur (238.4, 57.0)
3. arabia (237.4, 56.4)
4. Gargoyles (234.0, 55.1)
5. Spottswood Strikers (233.1, 56.4)
6. Sco United (205.1, 48.8)
7. Upstate Rangers (204.4, 46.9)
8. Sienna AC (Walkover)

The ranking of these teams is by now means a reflection of any kind of predictions that I am making, it is solely based off of last season's average hatstats rating.

TROGDOR the BURNINATOR and arabia have both been doing a lot of shuffling as they are both settling into new training programs. Both of these teams should still compete very effectively in this division despite their change in training regiment.

Spottswood Strikers and Sco United are both sitting on a heap of cash. Spottswood will stick around for sure. Hell, he even has a good chance of winning the damn thing. Sco is a hard team to get a bead on. He may be content dropping down to IV and saving his cash, but I expect that if he gets in trouble this season, he'll spend the cash to stay up.

Wittgenstein Hotspur is a much better team than his ratings imply. He made a hell of a cup run last season, making it to Round 11 before being bounced. His ratings are skewed by the fact that he played a 4-3-3 and PIC'd many of his league games. He'll be in contention for the title this season.

Upstate Rangers are a decent promotee and they just added a 6* striker to their squad. It seems like they are serious about competing to get a qualifier this year and may jump up and surprise some teams.

Gargoyles, that's me. We'll be happy with another qualifier this season. After hearing about the amount of $ that Spottswood and Sco have stored up (I can verify Sco's but not Spottswood's claims), I'll be happy with a 6th place finish. Our numbers are skewed a little for last season as well, since we spent the 1st half of the season recovering from an offseason 0% training adjustment/MOTS for our qualifier to get into this series. We hope to fare better this season.

Sienna AC is a walkover from Div II and will be a nice needed PIC break amidst the season.

[PilotMan]

Having a walkover during the year will screw everything up. It really depends on where you get it in your schedule that makes the difference.

To Havok and SI: Yeah, you both should be in III, but your not. I am. :0 At least for 1 season. ;)

But seriously. If I don't win some and stay up I will be sorely dissapointed, because we are better than our ratings look. At least I think so.

[Raven Hawk]

I've got the walkover in weeks 2 and 13 . . . not a very good draw, but it will help if I clinch a qualifier and can PIC the last two games.

[sterlingice]

Hopefully I'll promote this season and if not, next for sure.

SI

[YoSoySean]

Spotswood will stick around for sure. Hell, he even has a good chance of winning the damn thing.Make sure to call him Sputwood every time you reference his team in PAs or in the conferences. I am in contact with him regularly, as he is one of the people that I directly introduced to the game. He might get a laugh out of it ;)

[Havok]

Ditto. Except Minutemen, I can beat all of those teams.

SI


yep

i could possibly get second or third in that divison! :)

[Havok]

. To Havok and SI: Yeah, you both should be in III, but your not.


lol!!! i got pwned ;)

[YoSoySean]

You IVers probably have a better team than I do as well. If only I ever had a healthy team so I could know how good they actaully are....

[Havok]

You IVers probably have a better team than I do as well. If only I ever had a healthy team so I could know how good they actaully are....


oh i agree... i've spent more time with team form below passable then any HT'er i think :) The only time i've ever had good form over the last 3 seasons, is usually my last 3-4 games. Kinda wierd........

plus injuries cost me 1 important win last season, which lead to me throwing another game so the team ahead of me could promote.

/complaining off

this should/better be my season :)

[YoSoySean]

My comment referred more to injuries, as I think I had about 4 matches last season without any of my IMs either hurt in the match or already out with an injury...

Edit: I did a quick check and TECHNICALLY it's six but there was one match where my #2 IM got a red card and he was suspended for the next match... so I had my top 3 IMs play a whole match together in 4 of my 14 league matches.

[sterlingice]

My situation's different. It wasn't until this season that I was ready to move up talentwise but the time is nigh :)

SI

[bjceac]

I should be in III as well!!!, but I got beat on stinking Goal Differential! I'll get there next season!