I skipped a Week 15 update as Week 16 was both starting and finishing just 3 days later. And then I managed to title the first table below Week 15 by mistake.
- Atlanta just keeps winning road games. Their Away game PPG is 2.13 which is better than any team’s combined full record. But Atlanta is not the only team getting it done Away. Here is a list of teams with a better Away record than NYCFC right now: Atlanta, Dallas, SKC, LAFC, RB, Columbus, Vancouver, Chicago, Portland and the Galaxy. That is basically every team NYC is trying to best for top of the East, for CCL, and Supporters Shield, plus a few head scratchers. Some of these are barely ahead of NYC on Away PPG, but the Pigeons should be well ahead of them. To be fair, NYC’s Away schedule has been extremely tough, but this is still a disappointment.
- Atlanta winning in Columbus was especially disappointing as it was one of 4 remaining Away games that stood apart from the rest of their schedule as being tough. The remaining 3 at this point are Dallas, in Harrison, and at Toronto on Decision Day, which is looking less and less tough every week. Their other Away games are going to be Philadelphia, Montreal, Orlando, DC, Colorado, San Jose. Anything can happen, especially at Away games, but except for Philadelphia and maybe DC, I don’t see these teams posing much of a threat. If Atlanta is going to stumble, it will likely be injuries, or just an inexplicable downturn in their run of form.
- NYC is 3-3-2, 1.375 PPG, over its last 8 games, evenly split between Home and Away. That’s not good at all.
- By virtue of PPG, NYC has a whisker thin edge over RB, but if RB wins it’s extra remaining game, it has the upper hand.
- Comparing East and West, the West team is better at spots 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, with spot 5 being a draw.
- Right now, the first 6 lines on the “what if” table all require NYC to play better than it has to date, and its record over 8 games, basically a quarter season, is way below all of them. The schedule gets easier, but if results do not turn around soon, true excellence and other regular season goals will move out of reach.
- Toronto has to finish above 2 of these teams to make the playoffs. Orlando and Philly are making that seem possible right now despite TFC’s continued disappointing results.
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