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The Championship: Who’s No. 1? Who’s No. 4?

Two postseason seeds are still up for grabs in the final weekend of the regular season
Jack Bell (@JackBell} | Oct 29, 2015

Heading into the final weekend of the NASL’s regular season, much is left to be determined. The No.1 and No.4 seeds are still up for grabs with two teams vying for each spot – New York and Ottawa for the top seed; Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay for the final postseason place.

Here is a rundown of the potential scenarios of how the race to The Championship could shake out when the dust settles:

What Do We Know Now?: Ottawa Fury FC, the New York Cosmos, and Minnesota United comprise three-quarters of The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. Regardless of results, the Loons are the No. 3 seed. Tampa Bay leads Fort Lauderdale by a single point in the race for the fourth and final berth.

Scenario A: A win by Fury FC at Atlanta (4 p.m. Eastern) would enable the club from Canada’s capital city to add first place in the Combined Standings, and the No. 1 seed throughout the postseason that goes with it, to its Fall Season title. A win by the Rowdies at New York (7 p.m. Eastern) would send Tampa Bay to the postseason, eliminating Fort Lauderdale before the sun rises on Sunday.

Scenario B: A Fury FC loss and a Cosmos win gives New York the No. 1 seed throughout the postseason and would enable the club to host The Championship Final, should it win its semifinal game. A Tampa Bay loss and a Fort Lauderdale draw or win sends the Strikers against the top seed.

Scenario C: A Fury FC draw would force the Cosmos to not only win, but make up the goal differential (puls-19 to plus-17 in favor of Ottawa), which is the first tiebreaker. The Rowdies loss would again open the door for the Strikers to claim the final postseason spot.

Consider This: If the Cosmos should somehow overtake Ottawa and Fort Lauderdale loses at Jacksonville on Sunday (4 p.m.) then the Rowdies would have to play at the Cosmos two weeks in a row, once at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y., then on Nov. 7 at MCU Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.

Eyes Around The League: Minnesota, which hosts defending league champion San Antonio (8 p.m. Eastern) will probably spend some quality time in front of the TV on Saturday afternoon and early evening waiting to see how it all plays out in Atlanta and New York. The Loons will travel to play at the No. 2 seed.

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