Playoffs are in full swing and we’ve already had some interesting results. The biggest surprise has to be Cal United Strikers knocking off NY Cosmos 2-0 in Group B play. With the weakness of the Western Conference schedule, it was difficult to gauge how the teams would do against the more battle-tested Eastern Conference clubs. Don’t forget that many of the East clubs also played in Independent Cup matches, giving them close to triple the matches of anyone from the West. And while the Cosmos weren’t the most impressive club in the East, they were a strong side that got points in all but one match.

The other club in Group B, Chattanooga FC continued their impressive run, adding their 4th win in a row after their opening-season loss to Michigan Stars. When I asked Coach Fuller about that string of wins he described it as “ the natural evolution you go through in a season…We made 5 or 6 changes [after the loss to Stars] before the next weekend match against Detroit. We moved some people around, we changed a little of how we defended, and it just seemed to click.” They won 2-0 over a newly-constructed LA Force that were hard to predict coming into this tournament due to massive roster restructuring.

Friday becomes a pivotal one for the two losing sides from Tuesday, as a win for both Chattanooga or Cal United would eliminate their opponents from advancing. Certainly with the shortness of rest in the playoff, that will be the intent, as both sides could give key contributors time off in the rubber match between the two. LA Force or Cosmos, can wreck all those plans with a result, so we shall see.

Cal United clashed with NY Cosmos on Tuesday. Image courtesy of NISA.

In Group A, a surprise, though lesser in stature, was the opening win for Michigan Stars over host Detroit City FC. Coach Trevor James emphasized the difference in size between the two clubs repeatedly in his press conference on Wednesday. “Not too much went wrong. We lost markers on two crosses. The game we thought we were going to get, we got. It was a hard game....We’re a smaller group. The Stars are much larger, more physical, more strength and power.” The size difference was enough to make the difference on two scoring plays that resulted in Stars winning 2-0 and taking a power position in the group.

The other Group A winner from Monday was Oakland Roots, who dispatched New Amsterdam FC with ease. It was the fifth match this season that saw New Amsterdam surrender 3 goals to their opponent. It’s bad enough that postgame, NAFC keeper Aldo Munoz described three as his new unlucky number. The NAFC backline’s woes continue as Roots passed through them like butter. Oakland sits even with Michigan Stars on top of the group, though certainly their next match will be more of a test.

Oakland will go from NAFC’s worst defense in the league to DCFC’s second best. It should be an interesting contrast of styles on Thursday. Michigan Stars will take on winless NAFC and can almost lock up a trip to the semifinals with a win. Should DCFC win against Oakland, it will make for some interesting final matchday permutations. We’ll discuss those on Saturday, our next off day.

First match kicks off at 5p ET on Thursday.

- Dan Vaughn