Tuesday 26 April 2016

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Nine

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMRECORDUP/DOWNCOMMENTS
1Emaan6-1-1Emaan gave up a late goal to Ihsan to end in a 4-4 tie but with a playoff spot locked up and a solid hold on first its easy to see why this team may be taking things easy over the remaining games in the regular season.
2Shukr5-3-0Despite missing key players, Shukr did enough to defeat Haya and take sole possession of 2nd place.  They end the season with a pair of games against Ihsan where Coach K will want to get everyone healthy and on the same page going into the playoffs.
3Haya4-4-0Haya has now lost four in a row and while they showed some life in the final minutes of their game against Shukr it wasn't enough.  Missing their captain and reports of injuries have this team in a tailspin and they end their season with a pair of games against Sabr who are battling for their playoff lives.  Haya needs just a point to clinch a playoff spot but nothing' has been easy for this team as of late.
4Ikhlas2-4-2A last minute goal gave Ikhlas a tie which keeps them in fourth place.  A tough pair of games against Emaan are left and Ikhlas needs at least a win to position themselves for a playoff spot.
5Ihsan1-3-4Ihsan continued their strong play of late with a last minute goal against 1st place Emaan to salvage a tie.  Ihsan is clinging to 5th place but are undefeated in their last three games so they are moving in the right direction.
6Sabr1-4-3Sabr ends their season against Haya who are on a four game losing streak so both teams will be desperate to get a win.  Sabr needs to win and get some help to jump back into the playoff picture.

Monday 18 April 2016

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Eight

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMRECORDUP/DOWNCOMMENTS
1Emaan6-1-0Emaan defeated Shukr to tighten their grip on first place, they have clinched a playoff spot and can drop no further than 3rd place.  They face Ihsan next who are coming off their first win of the season and are in a struggle for a playoff spot.
2Shukr4-3-0Shukr came up with a bit short against Emaan last week but showed great poise as they worked to limit their opponents top line.  A date with struggling Haya is up next and a win puts either team in a great position for a top two finish.
3Haya4-3-0Haya lost their third game in a row, a humbling 3-0 loss to Ihsan who got their first win of the season.  Haya is struggling to generate offense and have spent far too much time in their own end over their last three games.  A chance to right the ship presents itself next week against Shukr where a win jumps Haya back into second place.
4Ikhlas2-4-1A huge 3-1 win over Sabr jumped Ikhlas into fourth place.  A rematch is on the schedule right away so while things could get chippy, its a chance for Ikhlas to build a nice cushion over one of the teams chasing them in the standings.
5Ihsan1-3-3Ihsan got their first win of the season with a strong 3-0 win over Haya.  Ahmad Hathout is finally producing and the result is a critical win.  A tough game against Emaan is up next but with their roster starting to click they are hoping to surprise their first place opponent.
6Sabr1-4-2Sabr came out a bit flat against Ikhlas and the result was them on the wrong side of a 3-1 score.  They get a rare chance for redemption right away and is almost a must win game as a win puts them back into a playoff spot.

Monday 11 April 2016

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Seven

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMRECORDUP/DOWNCOMMENTS
1Emaan5-1-0Emaan defeated Haya for the second time in two weeks, their strategy of rolling their top line out often worked again and Arif Bijabhai found his scoring touch as he finished with three goals and an assist.  They have the top offense in the league which makes them a tough match-up.  Emaan now faces Shukr who are in hot pursuit for first place.
2Shukr4-2-0Shukr came up with a big win last week over Ikhlas despite missing a number of key players.  Coach K set up the games only goal and with Sadat Malik getting into the groove this team is poised to make a run.  A key game against first place Emaan is up next as they look to make a run for first place.
3Haya4-2-0Haya started the season strong but consecutive losses to Emaan has them reeling.  They showed heart in their last loss, working hard to keep it close but it wasn't enough for a win.  Ozair Naveed was a bright spot in the loss with his hustle and speed and Haya will need more of it as they try to get their first win in April.
4Sabr1-3-2Sabr showed that their offense cannot be contained for long as a 3-0 early deficit to Ihsan last week was slowly chipped away at and a shorthanded goal tied it up late in the game.  Shuaib Hussein looked good in his debut with two goals and an assist as he is tasked with replacing Osama Soliman's offensive output.  The tie keeps them precariously close to the bottom of the table but for now they are hanging onto 4th with a big game against 5th place Ikhlas up next.
5Ikhlas1-4-1Ikhlas gave up a late goal in their game against Shukr and ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 decision.  While the loss hurts, the team has to be happy with their improved efforts of late and the energy they are playing with now.  A big game against Sabr is up next, a win jumps them into 4th place and in control of their own destiny as the playoffs approach - the two teams face each other in back to back games so Ikhlas will want to set the tone in the first meeting and limit Sabr's offensive punch.
6Ihsan0-3-3Ihsan came roaring out of the gate last week as they quickly built up a 3-0 lead over Sabr.  Things looked like they were
all going the teams way but little mistakes allowed Sabr to chip away and eventually tie the game up late.  The tie keeps this team in the hunt for a playoff spot but had to feel like a loss knowing they were so close to their first win.  A big positive was the play of embattled goalie Fraz Khan who made some critical saves to keep his team in it including a pair of spectacular glove saves in the final minute to preserve the tie for his team.

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Six

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMRECORDUP/DOWNCOMMENTS
1Emaan4-1-0Emaan rebounded from a loss to Sabr in Week Five to crush Haya by a 5-1 score.  Their top line carried the load once again as they logged heavy minutes and did all the scoring.  Another game against Haya is on the schedule with Emaan looking to get a firm grip on first place.
2Haya4-1-0Haya came up against their first big test in a game against Emaan and came up short as the top line for Emaan dominated.  Haya gets a chance for redemption as they get an immediate rematch with Emaan in Week Six but they'll need to show better team defense to try and contain the leagues top offense.
3Shukr3-2-0A huge win over Sabr last week gave Shukr a good grip on 3rd place and in position to jump into the top two where they were predicted to finish.  Coach K has been leading this team off the floor with his strategies and on the floor with his scoring touch of late.  Sadat Malik finally made his debut and while a bit rusty looked good so the second half of the season has high expectations for this squad.  A date with Ikhlas is up next.
4Sabr1-3-1Sabr dropped a critical game against Shukr last week which leaves them in fourth and precariously near the bottom of the standings.  A big game against Ihsan is up next which Sabr needs to get something from to hold onto their spot.  Rumours of an injury to a key player are circulating but no word on who the player is or the severity of the injury just yet.
5Ikhlas1-3-1Ikhlas made a bold trade before a critical game against Sabr and the results were positive to say the least.  A blowout 7-0 win over Ihsan pulled this team out of the basement and showed off the high octane offense that many had expected from them.  Humza Chaudhry is coming alive at the right time and will be counted on to lead the offense with the departure of Arif Bijabhai.  A game against 3rd place Shukr who won the previous meeting 4-2 between these two teams is up next.
6Ihsan0-3-2The wheels are close to coming off here for Ihsan who has yet to win a game and have the lowest scoring offense with just three goals in five games.  A 7-0 pounding against Ikhlas dropped Ihsan to last place where they will have to battle out from now.  A trade may be in the works to shake things up but this team has the talent to win games - they just are not performing that way.