The 2011 Belize Bank Super League Tournament playoff format does not afford any special advantage to the top seeded teams from the regular season; but some fans have noted that, with the top four teams all meeting each other twice in the playoff round, the format should result in the best two teams making it to the championship finals, which is the objective of any tournament.
Except for the two victories by defending champion Raymond Gentle-City Boys United, 3-0 over Placencia Assassin and 4-0 over Orange Walk United, all other playoff matches so far have been decided by 1-goal margins.
But another worthwhile statistic going into the critical Week #4 of the playoffs is that so far the home team has won every game: Week #1 – R.G. City Boys at home 3-0 over Placencia Assassin, and Orange Walk United at home 1-0 over Paradise/Freedom Fighters; Week #2 – Paradise/Freedom Fighters at home 1-0 over R.G. City Boys United, and Placencia Assassin at home 2-1 over Orange Walk United; and Week #3 – R.G. City Boys United at home 4-0 over Orange Walk United, and Paradise/Freedom Fighters at home 1-0 over Placencia Assassin.
The games this coming weekend match up the same teams from last Sunday, but it will be at a different venue. If the trend of home teams winning continues, the playoff standings will all be deadlocked after Saturday night.
It’s getting near to “money time” indeed. Every point counts, as at the end of playoff Week #6, the two teams with the most points (and better goal differential if there is a tie in points) get to enter the “big money” best-of-3 championship finals, where the winner gets $25,000.00 and the sub-champion $10,000.00.
Week #4 playoff schedule:
Saturday, June 25
7:30 p.m. – Placencia Assassin vs Paradise/Freedom Fighters – Placencia Football Field
7:30 p.m. – Orange Walk United vs Raymond Gentle-City Boys United – People’s Stadium