Knifey's Independent Power Rankings & Pre-Season Awards!!

Power Rankings
1) Borussia Dortmund: Roster A+, Pre-Season A
2) Schalke: Roster A, Pre-Season A-
3) Wolfsburg: Roster A, Pre-Season A-
4) Bayern Munich: Roster B+, Pre-Season B+
5) Koln: Roster B+, Pre-Season B
6) RB Leipzig: Roster A-, Pre-Season B
7) Hertha: Roster B, Pre-Season B
8) Frankfurt: Roster B, Pre-Season C+


1) Borussia Dortmund
BVB locked up first place in the pre-season table and cruised their way to the finals. The pre-season final was a little closer than they would've liked but it was another solid victory. They're every bit as good as I expected them to be. They also have a few starting caliber players who capped little or no games during the pre-season; if availability and chemistry comes together this team could get even more dangerous. 100% the team to beat, just as predicted.


2) Schalke
I docked Schalke points for signing me and not being more aggressive during bidding. However, this team has plenty of depth and were able to grind out points and follow up with a winning performance in the semi-finals. They lost 1-0 in the finals in a tight game against BvB and it looks as though they'll be spending another season trying to outpace Respec's crew.


3) Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg was underrated at #6 for my first rankings but that was before some roster changes occurred and we got a chance to see them in action. Alonzi moved to CB and the team still seems like they're working out their lineup. However, they dominated the first two days of pre-season until they stumbled on day 3 and fell short of a potential miracle comeback in the semi-finals. Regardless of pre-season outcomes, Wolfsburg has plenty veteran experience and should be a serious contender for the title race this season.


4) Bayern Munich
Bayern played tough and edged out the rest of the field for 4th place in both the pre-season table and my rankings. The multi-team tie for 4th place shows that every point will come tough this season and tie breakers may be a reoccurring theme. Bayern will be competitive this season but they need to show a little more than they did in pre-season if they want to make a run in management's first season.


5) Koln
Koln played great in pre-season; they only gave up 3 goals and showed a ton of composure making every game they played competitive. The only problem seems to be scoring goals as they only netted 4 in 7 games and lost out on knockout stage due to tiebreakers. Koln is a potentially dangerous team that will make a run if they start turning 0-0 draws into 1-0 wins.


6) RB Leipzig
Another team that won't give away points easily, Leipzig played well in the pre-season behind a Mayor-lead defense. They won 3 games 1-0 in strong performances but failed to score in their 4 losses. It's a team with a lot of new faces who I think can compete for a title if they keep putting things together and build on their pre-season wins.


7) Hertha
Someone had to be 8th place on my first go-around and I am pleased to see Hertha played well Monday night of pre-season. They were off to a poor 3-game start but bounced back with 3 strong wins on day 2. A bit of a reality check against BVB in table game #7 left Hertha outside looking in at the knockout stages. I think they'll be a tough team that can possibly compete a title this season if they can avoid a slow start like they had in pre-season.


8) Frankfurt
0 Wins, 1 Draw, 6 Losses in pre-season? This was unexpected from Frankfurt. I am going to assume that they've had some availability problems or perhaps just didn't really want to show their hand in pre-season play. We're all expecting much more competitive play from this team and I would be surprised if they are bottom of the table during the regular season. Unfortunately, this power ranking is heavily based on pre-season performance and I have no choice but to award them with #8 rank heading into regular season play.





Knifey's Awards:
Peter Pumpkinhead's Tournament MVP: JoshPR20 (Fuxion)
Pandemic “Lockdown” Defender Award: Alonzi
Best GK Threesome Award(s): Inferno, Mikey, Single (3-Way Tie)
Shawnna's Gettin' Some Headers Award: Gireud
Best Red Card: Sheik
Best 4-Way Tie Breaking Team: Bayern Munch
We Didn't Do Stats Award: Frankfurt
“Keys to the Castle” KeyPass Award Sponsored by KeyBank: Misteroot84
Funny Pun Here Interception Award: Ethan11
Nothin but Net Award: J_carlos_44
The Dick Butkus “Mr. Tackle” Award: Twiztid




Good games everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the pre-season and let's have a fun Season 9!

 

Best red card! Let's go!

 

Lol at the awards