To begin with, we feel the quarterfinal RFG Tournament Cup playoff series which appears the easiest to predict, is that between the Group A #3 seed, FC Belize, and the Group B #2 seed, Mango Creek. Except for the fact that Bent Burgess, who has returned to the top of his game, received a red card in a relatively meaningless game Saturday night with the San Pedro Seahawks, this series would look very much like Mango Creek. The core of Mango Creek is the old championship Sagitun franchise: they have playoff and international experience to burn. FC Belize has a great coach, Marvin Ottley, but their best defender, Ian ?Coco? Henry, was red carded in another relatively meaningless game, Wednesday night against Wagiya. So Mango Creek are missing their best striker, and FC their best defender. Our pick ? Mango Creek.

The hardest series to pick is the Group A #2 seed, Hankook Verdes, versus the Group B #3 seed, San Pedro. Vegas would call this ? pick ?em. San Pedro have more individual talent, but Verdes have great team cohesion and spirit. When we are in trouble like this, we go with the goalkeeper. San Pedro?s Charlie Slusher is one of the greatest porteros in the history of Belize football, but he is not a spring chicken anymore. In a two game money series like this, however, we cannot go against Charlie. Our pick ? San Pedro.

Kremandala, the #4 Group A seed, gained a lot of confidence in their late season loss to New Site Erei, the #1 Group B seed, at the MCC Garden, because Krem played most of the game with only ten men, and led early. Over the weekend in Griga, however, the man who stabilized Kremandala?s defence in the second half of the season, Erwin ?Bird? Flores, was badly beaten by unknown assailants and his jaw appears to be broken. The playoff edge therefore goes to New Site, who have lost only one game all year. Our pick ? New Site.

The #1 seed in Group A, Wagiya, should take out the #4 seed in Group B ? BOCA. BOCA slaps it around beautifully, and if they score first in any game, their opponents will have a headache. Wagiya, however, with resounding victories in their last two games, against Hankook Verdes and FC Belize, appear to be back in their early season form. Our pick ? Wagiya.