With only two weeks left in the regular season, the time for teams to overtake others in the standings grows short. While two teams in the West have punched their ticket to the postseason, the other two spots still remain very much up for grabs as well the very important draw odds in the divisional playoffs that are determined by seeding. Click here to see Monday Week 9 Lineups!
Up first is Carolina taking on Dallas. The Cobras got back in realistic postseason contention with a big win last week but definitely cannot stop there as, with so many teams vying for the fourth spot in the West, without a win this week also, they may well be eliminated. The Destiny, while already in the Playoffs, have to still be hoping to take the coveted top spot, something which is now far from a lock after their loss last week as the Arch Bishops are poised to overtake them should they suffer another defeat, making this a huge match for both teams.
Next is the battle between the bottom two teams in the West currently as Miami takes on Los Angeles. The Sharks, after a nice comeback midseason, have suffered two tough losses in a row and find themselves on the brink of playoff elimination, desperately needing a win this week to maintain their chances. The Vibe will need two wins and a ton of help in other matches to even have a chance at the playoffs, and while their chances may be narrow, as history as shown many times, no team should give up until all hope is gone.
In another extremely pivotal match, St. Louis then battles Arizona. The Arch Bishops have continued to shine, locking up their playoff spot and will definitely not be looking to stop there as they try to vie for the division crown, being only a half point out of first. The Scorpions rebounded nicely from their Week 7 unpleasantness, scoring a huge victory in Week 8 to retake fourth place in the West but cannot stop there as with three teams only a half point behind, to main that position will almost certainly require at least a drawn match this week.
Ending the evening sees Seattle taking on San Francisco. The Sluggers suffered a tough loss last week but fortunately are still in comfortable playoff position right now with a win this week guaranteed to lock them up a spot and a draw likely to do so as well. But with a loss, it will likely all come down to their Week 10 match, something which they’d obviously prefer to avoid. But it won’t be easy as the Mechanics, after a tough season, showed that they still have some strength in them, knocking off the first place team last week and keeping their narrow playoff hopes alive. With them needing a win to maintain realistic chances, and the Sluggers really not being able to afford another loss, this match should be another tremendously hard fought one.
Tune in Monday to catch all the great action as we find out which teams will move on and which may have their ticket home punched prematurely.