Wednesday 17 April 2013

Power Rankings by Not Anonymous

1) France – Looked dominant all tournament and never lost a game, despite having some tough opponents. Undoubtedly the top team this year, finally. Congrats to Les blues for an excellent tournament.
2) Poland – Only other team to go undefeated in round robin and made it to the final. Undoubtedly #2. They had a tough road to the final and they had to beat many top teams to get there (Canada, Nigeria, Sudan, Jamaica). Without a doubt the best keeper in the tournament as well.
3) Jamaica – Adding Collins and Brown may not have been a move that brought more popularity to Jamaica, bringing in the most infamous players in the tourney, but it sure made them a contender. That attack was relentless and they would have been in the final if Michal didn’t save Poland several times near the end of that game.
4) Laos – Here is where the criticism will start to pile on. But look at their numbers in the round robin from a tough pool. Their only loss was to Jamaica who was a shootout away from the final, and their goal differential was +20, with only 5 goals allowed. 5 goals given up while playing vs Josip and the DB and Collins connection. They were a better team than Afghanistan who just came out a little flat in one game.
5) Canada – Yes, two teams who didn’t make the playoff rounds are ranked 4 and 5. Again, Canada lost to Poland, the silver medalists, 2-1 in a very close game where they outplayed Poland for the most part. Their goal differential was +15, 14 goals better than Nigeria. If not for getting caught flat footed in their first game (or even if a call or two went their way at the end of that game) they would have been playing in the next round. All around they are a better team than Nigeria.
6) Nigeria – Just because I said Canada was better, does not mean I am trying to belittle Nigeria. They were a good team this year and proved that they deserved to be where they were. Taking the eventual champions to a shootout in the quarters was phenomenal. Ultimately, they are less skilled than the teams above, but their up-tempo style with quick counter attacks was enough to catch both Canada and France (two of the most technically skilled teams in the tourney) off guard.
7) Afghanistan – They picked and chose when to show up. They chose correctly in the case of Laos and Jamaica (though I don’t know how much effort Jamaica put into their game, given that #1 was already locked up and an Afghan win knocked out the perennial finalists, Laos) but they didn’t seem to show up with the same team vs Germany and France. Consistency was their issue.
8) Sudan – Both France and Poland put them in their place. They were dominant against ES, but their game against Italy was not nearly as convincing as was expected. Regardless, they play hard and they are exciting to watch. It was a shame was happened last Wednesday, thanks to a few players on both Poland and Sudan, but I hope the majority of the Sudanese team comes back next year with a desire to redeem themselves.
9) Republic of Ireland – Not the team they used to be without Mike, DB and Jonah, but they were still strong. They gave Jamaica a great game in the quarters, but they couldn’t even take first place in the weakest pool in the tournament.
10) Germany – Came out slow vs South Korea and narrowly got by, then Laos and Jamaica put them in their place. However a tie vs Afghan made us remember that they are still capable of playing with the top teams on any given day.
11) Serbia – I know they beat ROI, but aside from that, they merely beat mediocre teams (and lost to Scotland). Ultimately what determined their position for me, is how poorly they performed in the quarters, while ROI played a very solid game vs Jamaica.
12) El Salvador – They were never expected to advance, with Sudan and France standing in their way, but they were expected to go down with more of a fight. They looked more even with Italy than they did with France and Sudan.
13) Hungary – Impressive showing this year given a tough pool. The expectation for them was maybe pulling out at least one win. What they did was tie Norway and then beat Greece and Nigeria. They have some talented players and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them make the next round in the next few years.
14) Italy – Proved that last year’s strong showing wasn’t a fluke, by staying in their games with Sudan and ES. They are not the perennial 0-5 team of the past but they also proved that they are not strong enough to be a playoff team yet.
15) Scotland – They are definitely are improving, with a very young squad, but they were caught in the middle of the pack in a very weak pool. This makes me think that, if put in a tougher pool, they would still be much closer to the bottom.
16) Portugal – Very similar to above. They are a very mediocre team. They can beat other mediocre teams, sometimes, but I don’t see them doing much more.
17) Colombia – Disappointment of the tournament. I fully expected them to come out second in their pool (behind ROI) with relative ease (and then get crushed by first in pool B) but they just played poor. Apparently teams figured out their strategy of getting Paco the ball and hoping for the best.
18) Norway – Unless they add something to their team, I predict a steady decline over the next couple years, ultimately ending in them folding. They need to stop thinking of their current roster as a championship team (that was 6 years ago) and start bringing in some new, younger talent.
19) Northern Ireland – See Norway above. They are just not a good team.
20) Greece – If they weren’t trying so hard to get under the skin of the teams they were playing, they would lose by more every game. Their excessively physical play and goalkeeping are the only things that kept them close.
21) South Korea – Almost looked ready to upset Germany, then just fell off the map completely. Maybe the threats from North Korea had them rattled, but more likely they just lack the skill to play in this tournament. I love the multi-culturalism in this tourney and I would like to see them stick around, but only if they can significantly boost their talent level for next year.
22) Djibouti – 0-5 in the worst pool is a pretty good way to solidify your spot at the bottom. Please improve your team for next year if you plan to stick around.
23) Somalia – Not a single close game and then they wrap up their tournament by not showing up to their final game. I am very much against the idea of banning teams like Sudan and Poland for their brawl, since that was sparked by a few hot-headed players in the middle of a very intense game. Punish those players but not the entire teams. However, in Somalia’s case, when an entire team decides to just not show up and not tell anyone, I don’t see why they deserve to be back. Sure some players should still be allowed to play and I don’t think the Somalian country should be banned, but the group managing the team should not be allowed to manage another team, at least for a year or two.

I understand that many do not agree with me and I encourage feedback, but let’s try to keep it productive rather than just telling me I’m an idiot. I put a bit of work in to writing this, so if you want to call me an idiot, at least put some work into that and come up with a creative way to do so.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Laos is ranked way too high. You are basing their goal differential off of games that meant nothing. They scored a ton of goals on n.ireland and korea, then played the most boring game of the tournament with half their roster against a german team that also only had half their roster. You cannot base how good a team is off of games that are not competitive. They did not make it out of their group, therefor they cannot be ranked higher then a team that did make it out of that group. Laos didn't have the same spark in their game that they have had in the past, and from what i've heard they will not be the same team next year.

Unknown said...

FYI I used to be Not_Anonymous, but I can't seem to log in to that account anymore... same person though.

I thought about that one a bit an initially had them ranked lower, but like I said their only loss was to Jamaica who looked very good all tournament. Aside from coming out flat vs Afghan they were outright dominant in all the rest of their games. This is the same team that has been to the finals three straight years. If it wasn't for one little slip vs Afghan they still would have moved on and like would have at least made the semis. They have been too consistent for too long for me to write them off because of one bad game.

Anonymous said...

Are you from Laos? You sound bitter that you slipped up against Jamaica and afghan.

Anonymous said...

Mike Don't make excuses for Canada and Laos , they were not good enough to beat the top teams, they were not caught off guards or flat footed, they were beaten and give credit to those who beat them as they were the better teams, so u can't rank them 4&5 coz they didn't even make playoffs so just coz u know ppl on those teams and think are top 5 teams doesn't make sense, ROI was still atop team just did t have a goalie

Anonymous said...

thats because they were in the easiest group! and losing to Serbia 6-1 does not make you a top team, sorry annon 1202 you need to get a soccer brain.

Unknown said...

Mike didn't post those rankings, I did (aka Not_Anonymous). And the 8 playoff teams and the top 8 teams don't have to match. Pools like B and C ended up with the top three teams being very close or even tied. Canada and Laos both proved that they were a major step above the majority of teams, but one little slip by each team cost them a spot in the next round.

Italy beat ES last year... Hungary beat Nigeria this year... but no one would argue that either of those winning teams are better overall than the teams they beat. Upsets happen but that doesn't change the fact that I would rather play Afghan or Nigeria than Canada or Laos, because the latter are better teams.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the power rankings and all the work you put into them!

My only contention would be with your critique of some of the lowest ranked teams. The multiculturalism is one of the biggest draws of the this tournament! Instead of criticizing teams who work hard to compete but still come up short by implying that they are not welcome in this tournament, I would recommend that you look at this tournament from a fan's perspective. We love the distinctiveness of the different national backgrounds! This is why we tell our friends about this tournament, it's unique! I hope that South Korea, Dijibouti and Somalia come back and bring the Philippines, Sweden, Ethiopia and Mongolia with them! Yes, encourage them to improve (suggest specifics even), but let's not be snobs and elitists by telling them they are not welcome. If we get rid of any more of the multicultural distinctives, fans like me will quit coming because it's the only thing that sets this soccer tournament apart from all the others.

Moose Jaw Fan

culturalism in this tourney and I would like to see them stick around, but only if they can significantly boost their talent level for next year.
22) Djibouti – 0-5 in the worst pool is a pretty good way to solidify your spot at the bottom. Please improve your team for next year if you plan to stick around.

Anonymous said...

Collins, did you write this up, or was it one of your random group of friends that comes on here every year and trash talks absolutely everyone?

I'm curious to why people have been trash talking Team Djibouti the entire tournament. This trash talk started off before the tournament began. It makes me think that Collins friends are responsible for the majority of the trash talk. The only reason this blog got any attention at all, is because of all the random people trashing others.

I would like to see this blog cleaned up next year. Make accounts mandatory. If people don't come on here, so what. It will get rid of the crappy information provided, the lack of intelligent talk, and the random attacks on people. I'm fed up and your group of friends is getting rather annoying Collins. I guarantee the majority of the incompetent people are your friends. There are no need to name them, because we all know who they are.

Collins, you started trash talking Djibouti and because you are the blog owner and very biased, a number of your friends followed. It not only taints a team, but it makes the individuals on that team look bad. Give your head a shake.

There is no need for these anonymous posts at all. Some positive talk would be welcomed. This blog deters people away from the tournament and draws nothing but negative attention.

I love how you used peoples names like Paco, David, Jonah, and your own name, but you leave out Bandula. You call him the "best keeper" but can't put his name.

This blog is so full of it. It's all your buddies Collins trying to be cool, and make a name for themselves. The people who matter don't get mentioned.

It's truly a joke. Get rid of it.

Anonymous said...

Anon 15:45 I don't have to make a name for myself on this blog. I already had done that way before this tournament or blog were ever created.
You are a complete D-bag to say the least.

Mike's Other Friend

Anonymous said...

wasn't this tourney done last weekend

why are you morons still posting stuff?

Anonymous said...

I have quietly sat by and not said anything throughout this year but I feel now I have to say something. I am sick and tired of all these lies. First someone posts as "Mike's friend". Then we see a second post from "Mike's other friend". These lies are ridiculous. We all know Mike only has one friend, and that is his imaginary friend Bobo. Please people, let's keep this site honest.

Anonymous said...

You hate mike and his blog so much, but continue coming on here and posting. Good work. You keep living your life to the fullest and continue to let this blog impact you on the daily. You are a great soccer player, so good that no one knows what your name is and you are so influential on the regina soccer scene that your name has not been brought up once.

p.s. great tournament this year, you really put on a great showcase... unlike that mike collins guy, no one even knows who he is!

Anonymous said...

I heard TFC will be entering a team and Jermaine Defoe will be playing for them! they will be Mexico or one of those other Mexican daughter countries

-inside man

Mike Collins said...

Haha these are hilarious. Oh the memories. I received a lot of criticism for a post that I didn't even write here. Wow.