Replies

So what. They didn’t qualify within their division to get into the playoffs.

But what I am trying to point out is - the World Cup is the equivalent of the playoffs. 204 teams have been whittled down to 32....proportionally, its the equivalent of the sweet 16 in college basketball or the second week of the NFL playoffs....Situations where we expect it to be win or go home.

Instead, in soccer, even that late in the finals, it can be win AND go home...err...because you scored fewer goals than another team two games back. This is exactly what happened to Portugal.

That’s why its goofy.

But what I am trying to point out is - the World Cup is the equivalent of the playoffs. 204 teams have been whittled down to 32....proportionally, its the equivalent of the sweet 16 in college basketball or the second week of the NFL playoffs....Situations where we expect it to be win or go home.

So your complaint appears to be that the process is arbitrary. And your solution is to be, uh, arbitrary.

It's a sport, fercrissakes, not the recipe on the back of a mac&cheese box.

Instead, in soccer, even that late in the finals, it can be win AND go home...err...because you scored fewer goals than another team two games back. This is exactly what happened to Portugal. That’s why its goofy.

It is just as goofy to have the Arizona Cardinals be shut out of the NFL playoffs with a 10-6 record and see Green Bay and San Diego advance with poorer records. The NFL regular season is similar to the group stage of the World Cup.

There are 8 divisions of four teams each in the NFL. In each division the teams play a round robin schedule with one another, i.e., they play each other twice. The other 10 games are outside the division. After the regular season, then the knockout phase (playoffs) begin. To qualify for the playoffs, there is a convoluted system that most fans don't understand.

TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION

If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined. Two Clubs

Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).

Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.

Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.

Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.

Strength of victory.

Strength of schedule.

Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.

Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.

Best net points in common games.

Best net points in all games.

Best net touchdowns in all games.

Coin toss

And there are a similar list of tiebreakers if more than two teams are involved. And then there is an even longer set of rules for the selection of wildcard teams. Imagine, if all else fails, you use a coin toss. Talk about goofy rules.