World Footy News

The USAFL Nationals are set to get underway in Austin Texas this weekend.  USAFL matches have been underway since early in the year but for most clubs all those games are the warm-up for this tournament.  This year 36 men's teams and 9 women's teams from all over the US will battle it out in warm conditions at Onion Creek Soccer complex in Austin.

The Austin Crows will be favourites in their own backyard to take the title as they did here two years ago, their most likely rival in the final is set to be the reigning champions the New York Magpies.  Don't be surprised though if Austin's neighbours in the Dallas Magpies can work some magic to make it an all Texas affair in the final.  In the Women's Division the Denver Lady Bulldogs are looking to go 6 in a row but will face stiff competition from the other four teams in their division.

Read on for all the details on the schedule of events, the pools, my predictions and the USAFL Weekly Report show schedule for the Nationals. 

The tournament schedule is as follows

Time	Event	Location
Friday, October 16
8am - 4pm	Administrator's Conference	Wyndham - Executive Learning Center
1pm - 5pm	Umpire's Clinic	Wyndham - Guadalupe/Barton Creek
3pm - 5pm	Player's Clinic	Onion Creek Soccer Park
4pm	AGM	Wyndham - Executive Learning Center
6:30pm - 11pm	Player Registration	Wyndham Foyer
7pm - 8pm	Women's Meeting	Wyndham - Executive Learning Center
8pm - 9pm	Official Welcome Function	Wyndham - Highland Lakes Ballroom
9pm	Coaches Meeting	Wyndham - Executive Learning Center
9pm	Umpires Meeting	Wyndham - Guadalupe/Barton Creek
Saturday, October 17
8am	Player Check-in Opens	Onion Creek Soccer Park
8am - 6pm	Day 1 of Competition	Onion Creek Soccer Park
1pm	College Exhibition Game	Onion Creek Soccer Park
2pm	Kid's Clinic	Onion Creek Soccer Park
6:05pm	Women's Photo	Meet in front of Tournament Central
Sunday, October 18
9am - 6pm	Day 2 of Competition	Onion Creek Soccer Park
1pm	Masters vs Legends	Onion Creek Soccer Park - Field 1
2pm	Division 4 Final	Field 4
2pm	Division 3 Final	Field 1
3pm	Division 2 Final	Field 1
4:30pm	Division 1 Final	Field 1
5:30pm	Awards Ceremony	Field 1
7:30pm	Official After Party	The Market

MEN'S DIVISION 1:
(Two pools of four teams, round robin.  Winners advance to Grand Final)

Seed	Pool A	Pool B
1	Austin Crows	New York Magpies
2	Los Angeles Dragons	Orange County Bombers
3	Calgary Kangaroos	Denver Bulldogs
4	Golden Gate Roos	Dallas Magpies

Alex's Predictions

Unlike the previous years where the teams in Division 1 would same pushovers and powerhouses, all of the teams this year are in the top 15 in the USAFLWR standings. Add Calgary to that mix and it becomes the toughest Division One tournament in the last 7 years.
Pool A Prediction: Pool A is the easier of the two pools this year, but don’t underestimate any of the 4 teams in the pool. Calgary has a strong contingent and with Golden Gate and LA both playing each other twice and tying once, it’s a tough sledding. Pool A Champion: Austin Crows
Pool B Prediction: Pool B is the toughest of all 12 pools in the men’s divisions and in Division 1. 4 of the top 7 teams in the USAFLWR standings will be fighting on this one and expect a battle. It will literally be decided on percentage and who has the firepower to do it in. Pool B Champion: Based on past experiences and since they are the defending Premiers, New York, but don’t be surprised if Dallas or Denver can sneak up to win the pool.
Grand Final: Austin vs. New York. A rematch of 2 years ago when Austin won the game by the tightest margin in USAFL history. New York hasn’t forgotten on that and they are going for 2 straight Premiers, a feat that hasn’t been done in nearly a decade. Expect a battle. Premiers: Austin Crows by 2.
 

MEN'S DIVISION 2:
(Two pools of four teams, round robin.  Winners advance to Grand Final)

Seed	Pool A	Pool B
1	Columbus Jackaroos	Minnesota Freeze
2	Boston Demons	Houston Lonestars
3	Sacramento Suns	Chicago Swans
4	Ft. Lauderdale Fighting Squids	Quebec Saints

Alex's predictions

Defending Division 2 Champions are the clear favorites. That being said, expect the unexpected in this division as always.
Pool A Prediction: This pool is almost too cut and dry with Columbus on a roll and no other team in the Division with better than a break-even record. If any team outside of Columbus makes it in, it’s because of upsets. Columbus is just that good. Pool A Champion: Columbus Jackaroos
Pool B Prediction: This pool, like Pool A, is almost too cut and dry. Quebec has been the 4th seed before and yes have won a game in this pool, but Chicago and Houston are much tougher despite their records. Whoever wins between Minnesota and Chicago in their match (3 pm Saturday) will win the pool. Pool B Champion: Minnesota Freeze
Grand Final: Columbus vs. Minnesota. The last time these two teams played each other last year, Columbus won by nearly 3 goals. With a powerful team, expect a first in this Division…Back-to-back Premiers. Premiers: Columbus by 13.
 

MEN'S DIVISION 3:
(Two pools of four teams, round robin.  Winners advance to Grand Final)

Seed	Pool A	Pool B
1	Tulsa Buffaloes	Portland Steelheads
2	Philadelphia Hawks	Nashville Kangaroos
3	North Carolina Tigers	Des Moines Roosters
4	Ohio Valley River Rats	Austin Crows*

Alex's predictions

Division 3 expect a wide open field and surprises during the weekend.
Pool A Prediction: Tulsa got the top seed thanks to Sacramento moving up to Division 2 and North Carolina is moving up to their pool and Division 3 because of their win last year in Division 4. With those two, expect a lot of scoring as well as from Ohio Valley. Philadelphia has surprised a many of teams in the past 2 years, so expect a dogfight. Ironically enough, whoever wins the 9 am game on Saturday between Ohio Valley and Tulsa will win the pool. Pool A Champion: Tulsa Buffaloes
Pool B Prediction: This is the more interesting pool of the two as 3 of these teams have never faced each other (Nashville has faced Austin 3 times and won twice). Expect some interesting games to say the least. The game that will decide the pool will be the last game on Sunday @ 10 am between Portland and Nashville. Whoever wins that game wins the pool considering both of those teams have winning records. Pool B Champion: Nashville Kangaroos
Grand Final: Tulsa vs. Nashville. If this happens to be the final, it will be their first ever meeting against each other. Dustin Brasel’s team is a tough competition in the USAFL Southwest region, but the Kangaroos have had tough games with Chicago, Columbus and Atlanta, going 4-2 between the matches. Expect a major battle that will come to the final minute to decide. Premiers: Nashville by 3.
 

MEN'S DIVISION 4:
(Four pools of three teams, round robin.  Winners advance to semi-finals, winners of semis advance to Grand Final)

Seed	Pool A	Pool B	Pool C	Pool D
1	New York*/Columbus*	Calgary*/Milwaukee Bombers	Orange County*/San Diego Lions	Seattle Grizzlies/Portland*
2	Los Angeles*	Baltimore-Washington/Edmonton Emus	Dallas*/Austin*	Denver*/Indianapolis Giants
3	Kansas City/Cleveland	Golden Gate*	Atlanta Kookaburras	Houston*/Baton Rouge Tigers

WOMEN'S DIVISION 1
(Round Robin, best record declared champions)

Seed	Club
1	Denver Lady Bulldogs
2	San Francisco Iron Maidens
3	Minnesota Freeze
4	New York Lady Magpies
5	Sacramento Lady Suns

Alex's predictions

What an interesting year that the top 5 teams have had, especially the 5-time defending champion Denver Lady Bulldogs have had. Coming in with only 3 games under their belt, they have their work cut out for them as they face what could be their toughest competition to date. If Denver can beat New York (Saturday at 1 pm), then their rematch for the 3rd time will be set against San Francisco (Sunday @ 4 pm). Premiers: Denver will take their 6th straight.

WOMEN'S DIVISION 2
(Round Robin, best record declared champions)

Seed	Team
1	Calgary Kookaburras/Boston Lady Demons
2	Columbus/Baltimore-Washington/Portland/Chicago
3	Arizona Lady Hawks/Tulsa Buffaloes
4	Montreal Angels/Minnesota Freeze*

 

For the record here is how the teams have fared during the 2015 USAFL season.  The table includes the USAFLWR standings based on points for matches played, the USAFL standings based on an opinion poll ranking the top 20 teams and the seedings of each team and their pool for the Nationals.

 

Team	USAFLWR Standings	USAFL Standings	W-L-D	PF	PA	Pct.	Pts.	Nationals Pool: Seedings
Columbus	1	11	10-2-0	713	300	237.67	28	Division 2: Top Overall Seed: Pool A
New York	2	2	8-2-1	693	334	207.49	27	Division 1: 2nd Overall Seed: Top Seed: Pool B
Austin	3	1	11-3-0	595	295	201.69	26	Division 1: 1st Overall Seed: Pool A
Denver	4	5	9-5-0	805	527	152.75	23	Division 1: 6th Overall Seed: Pool B: 3rd Seed
Dallas	5	6	10-2-0	607	349	173.92	22	Division 1: 8th Overall Seed: Pool B: 4th Seed
Atlanta	6	26t	6-4-0	508	636	79.87	21	Division 4: 11th Overall Seed: Pool C: 3rd Seed
Orange County	7	3	7-3-0	570	343	166.18	20	Division 2: 3rd Overall Seed: Pool B: 2nd Seed
Cincinnati	8	24	7-5-0	664	406	163.55	20	Division 3: 8th Overall Seed: Pool A: 4th Seed
Nashville	9	12	7-5-0	555	530	104.71	19	Division 3: 3rd Overall Seed: Pool B: 2nd Seed
Minnesota	10	8	7-4-0	564	517	109.09	17	Division 2: 2nd Overall Seed: Pool B: Top Seed
North Carolina	11	22	4-2-0	387	262	147.71	16	Division 3: 6th Overall Seed: Pool A: 3rd Seed
Fort Lauderdale	12	19	4-4-0	373	363	102.75	16	Division 2: 8th Overall Seed: Pool B: 4th Seed
Los Angeles	13	4	4-2-1	339	205	165.37	15	Division 1: 4th Overall Seed: Pool A: 2nd Seed
Golden Gate	14	9	5-3-1	333	252	132.14	13	Division 1: 8th Overall Seed: Pool B: 4th Seed
Tulsa	15	20	5-10-0	530	976	54.3	13	Division 3: 1st Overall Seed: Pool A
Portland	16	18	4-2-1	301	203	148.27	11	Division 2: 2nd Overall Seed: Pool B: Top Seed
Houston	17	10	3-9-1	483	474	101.9	11	Division 2: 3rd Overall Seed: Pool B: 2nd Seed
Chicago	18	13	2-5-1	328	373	87.94	9	Division 3: 6th Overall Seed: Pool B: 3rd Seed
Boston	19	14t	2-3-0	300	259	115.83	8	Division 2: 4th Overall Seed: Pool A: 2nd Seed
Philadelphia	20	16t	2-5-0	234	476	49.16	8	Division 3: 4th Overall Seed: Pool B: 2nd Seed
Seattle	21		2-6-0	209	489	42.74	8	Division 4: 4th Overall Seed: Pool D: 1st Seed
Sacramento	22	14t	3-3-1	209	249	83.94	7	Division 2: 5th Overall Seed: Pool A: 3rd Seed
Baltimore/Washington	23	21	2-4-1	195	380	51.32	7	Division 4: 7th Overall Seed: Pool B: 2nd Seed
Des Moines	24	26t	2-6-1	363	437	83.06	6	Division 3: 6th Overall Seed: Pool B: 3rd Seed
Baton Rouge	25	26t	1-6-0	428	545	78.53	4	Division 4: 12th Overall Seed: Pool D: 3rd Seed
Kansas City	26		2-4-0	327	383	85.82	3	Division 4: 9th Overall Seed: Pool A: 3rd Seed
Cleveland	27		1-2-0	158	358	44.13	2	Division 4: 9th Overall Seed: Pool A: 3rd Seed
Milwaukee	28		0-2-1	13	86	15.12	1	Division 4: 2nd Overall Seed: Pool B: Top Seed
Tampa Bay	29		0-1-0	59	74	79.73	0
Indianapolis	30		0-6-0	138	479	28.81	0	Division 4: 5th Overall Seed: Pool D: 2nd Seed
San Diego	31	23	0-3-0	89	345	25.8	0	Division 4: 3rd Overall Seed: Pool C: Top Seed

Womens Division

USAFLWR Standings	Team	W-L-T	PF	PA	Pct.	Pts.	Nationals
1	New York Lady Magpies	6-2-0	398	174	228.74	20	Division 1: 4th Seed
2	San Francisco Iron Maiden	3-1-2	157	101	155.45	9	Division 1: 2nd Seed
3	Sacramento Lady Suns	2-1-1	102	72	141.67	8	Division 1: 5th Seed
4	Minnesota Lady Freeze	2-2-0	121	68	177.94	6	Division 1: 3rd Seed
5	Denver Lady Bulldogs	2-1-0	78	74	105.41	4	Division 1: Top Seed
6	Boston Lady Demons	1-3-1	48	220	21.83	3	Division 2: Top Seed
7	Baltimore/Washington Lady Eagles	1-1-0	34	50	68.00	2	Division 2: 2nd Seed
8	Columbus Lady Jillaroos	1-1-0	13	29	44.83	2	Division 2: 2nd Seed
9	Arizona Lady Hawks	0-2-0	35	80	43.75	0	Division 3: 3rd Seed

 

USAFL Weekly Report Show Schedule

You can catch the USAFL Weekly Report shows right throughout the Nationals on Youtube.  The timing for each of the scheduled shows is below (and subject to change).

Day	Time (CDT)/ Length Show	Show Title	Description
Thursday 15 October	9:00 am (1 hour)	15-45/N12: Breakfast @ The Nationals- Day 2	Our Thursday morning show to preview the day ahead and our shows from Austin.
	11:00 am (30 minutes)	15-46/N13: Lunch @ The Nationals-Day 1	From the USAFL HQ hotel @ Wyndham Garden Hotel in Austin as we get set for Opening Ceremonies tomorrow.
	1:00 pm (30 minutes)	15-47/N14: On The Field	Our first field report with Grilla as we talk on the field conditions.
	7:00 pm (90 minutes)	15-48/N15: Preparation Show	Our 2nd preparation show as we talk with Lisa Albergo and Stephen Kerbow as they make their final preparations.
Friday 16 October	9:00 am (1 hour)	15-49/N16: Breakfast @ The Nationals- Day 3	Our Friday morning show with our arrivals from Stephen Kerbow and Lisa Albergo later in the day and our Opening Ceremonies later in the day.
	11:00 am (15 minutes)	15-50/N17: Arrival of Stephen Kerbow	Our arrival of co-host Stephen Kerbow and his wife, Lana, from San Antonio.
	2:30 pm (15 minutes)	15-51/N18: Arrival of Lisa Albergo	Our arrival of co-host Lisa Albergo @ Austin International Airport.
	5:00 pm (2.5 hours)	15-52/N19: OPENING CEREMONIES	Our Opening Ceremonies from Wyndham Garden Hotel Main Ballroom with our entire USAFLWR family.
	10:00 pm (30 minutes)	15-53/N20: Day Recap	Recap of the day from Austin and get set for a very busy Saturday.
Saturday 17 October	6:15 am (30 minutes)	15-54/N21: Breakfast @ The Nationals- Day 4	Our Saturday morning show with a first look at the weather and our day’s shows ahead.
	Noon A (45 minutes)	15-55/N22: On The Field- Lunch @ The Nationals- Saturday	Our opening On The Field show with a recap of the Saturday games in the docket and a preview of the second half of the day.
	7:30 pm (1 hour)	15-56/N23: Dinner @ The Nationals- Saturday Recap	Our recap of Day 1 of the Nationals from Candlewood Suites (USAFLWR HQ) with Lisa Albergo and Stephen Kerbow.
Sunday 18 October	7 am (30 minutes)	15-57/N24: Breakfast @ The Nationals- Day 5	Our Sunday morning show with our look at Sunday’s weather and the field conditions.
	Noon A (45 minutes)	15-58/N25: On The Field- Lunch @ The Nationals- Sunday	Our final round robin to get set for the Grand Finals from Onion Creek Soccer Fields.
	5:30 pm (45 minutes)	15-59/N26: Closing Ceremonies LIVE!	Our Closing Ceremonies with all of the awards given!
	8:30 pm (1 hour)	15-60/N27: Nationals Recap	Our Nationals Recap from the After Nationals Party site.
Monday 19 October	9:00 am (1 hour)	15-61/N28: Breakfast @ The Nationals- Day 6	Our Final Show from Austin as we have our final thoughts of Austin 2015 and a look ahead to 2016.