Template talk:2010 USSF Division 2 Pro League USL Conference table

Official table is unexplained
The problem with the official table is that the rules governing placement are not explained. On 2010-04-28, Rochester won a game giving them the same number of points as Portland. They also had a higher goals for, which was a deciding factor in last weekends standings. In my mind, that would place them in first. However, the "official table" shows them in second. Does anyone know what the rules are, or are they making it up as they go along, or is there someone out there who is making mistakes when creating the official table? --Walter Görlitz (talk) 15:30, 29 April 2010 (UTC)
 * There are several standings tables as well:
 * http://ussf.demosphere.com/Schedules/2010/20952154.20104.html
 * http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/standings/
 * http://www.nasl.com/page/2010-ussf-d-2-standings
 * Each uses a slightly different format. None of them are updated on the day of the game. Since I'm writing a script to deal with the results, I'd like to know the rules. --Walter Görlitz (talk) 15:42, 29 April 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm inclined to go with the official standings page. The NASL page isn't even consistent between the conference and overall standings. Last week they had Portland above Puerto Rico in the conference table but below them in the overall table (where they should have been in the conference table). That right there is enough for me to NEVER trust the NASL table. I have no reference to league rules but the official table has been consistent with the following order: 1. Points, 2. Goal Difference, 3. Goals For. I would LOVE to see some rules. I heard a rumor that they've been printed in some game day programs but I've never seen them. DemonJuice (talk) 17:14, 29 April 2010 (UTC)
 * There are no official standings unless you're suggesting that the USSF standings are official. I'm going to write my script to follow FIFA rules, or at least the way they're implemented in European leagues. --Walter Görlitz (talk) 17:26, 29 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Also, none of the standings tables are updated the standings on game-day. Slackers! --Walter Görlitz (talk) 17:26, 29 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, I'm suggesting that the USSF standings are the official ones. They're running the league and it's on the official league page. FIFA rules work for me, though. They put GD ahead of GF right? And I'm willing to bet that when (if?) we see the rules there will be some head-to-head crap thrown in there. DemonJuice (talk) 17:31, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

OK, I have located the league rules in a RailHawks program: http://carolinarailhawks.com/uploads/assets/CAROLINA/2010MediaGuide/2010MediaGuidePages48-60.pdf The tie-breakers are there:
 * 1) Head-to-head points (if 3-way tie, points per game versus other 2 teams)
 * 2) Overall Goal Difference
 * 3) Overall Goals For
 * 4) Repeat rules 1-3 but only count road games
 * 5) Repeat rules 1-3 but only count home games
 * 6) Coin toss
 * I was just remembering the points rules for the NASL. A team received 6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, and 1 bonus point for each regulation goal scored up to three per game (for a maximum of 9 points per game). Why can't we just follow FIFA's rules in North America? --Walter Görlitz (talk) 18:11, 30 April 2010 (UTC)
 * PS: I'm not sure my script will be able to determine head-to-head points, so if I can't make that happen, I'll start at the second tie-breaker rule and changes may be made manually after that. --Walter Görlitz (talk) 18:13, 30 April 2010 (UTC)
 * No doubt, the USL always had crazy head-to-head tie-breakers like that, which is why I kinda figured they'd show up again. Must be a nightmare to script. DemonJuice (talk) 21:26, 30 April 2010 (UTC)