D1 West Playoffs Semifinals Predictions

Contrary to D1 East, D1 West only had one upset in which 5 seed Magic X upset 4 seed Ackerman FC 1-0. However, every game was close at one point, with Famous pulling away in the second leg, Cracks winning on penalties and 06 Society only winning by a goal in their matchup. With only 2 series left before the D1 Grand Final, which of these teams will stake their claim and become West Champions?

Playoff Teams:

1 – Famous XI, Won 4-1 on aggregate over Vicious XI

2 – Cracks Nation, Won on penalties over Royal X

3 – 06 Society FC, Won 3-2 on aggregate over Daily Bread

4 – Ackerman FC, eliminated

5 – Magic X, Won 1-0 on aggregate over Ackerman FC

6 – Daily Bread, eliminated

7 – Royal X, eliminated

8 – Vicious XI, eliminated

Biggest Surprise: 06 Society being taken to the wire by Daily Bread

Prior to this first round, 06 Society had been on a fine run of form, beating Famous XI and picking up several wins in the process to get to the third seed in West. However, Daily Bread almost upset them and took them to the wire. Can 06 Society pick up their form and advance to the West final?

Favorite Matchup: Cracks Nation vs 06 Society FC

The 2 and 3 seeds will square off with a trip to the West final on the line, with both teams narrowly avoiding an upset in the past round. Whoever wins this round will have a slugfest against either Famous XI or Magic X to make it to the D1 Grand Final.

Matchups:

1 Famous XI vs 5 Magic X:

Famous XI should be feeling content after handling the problematic Vicious XI 4-1 in the first round, while Magic X will have high aspirations after shutting Ackerman out over 2 games. Whoever can score first in this matchup will have a huge advantage going forward.

Prediction: Famous XI wins 4-2 over Magic X

2 Cracks Nation vs 3 06 Society FC:

Two of the best defensive teams in the entirety of ACL will face off with a trip to the West final on the line. Cracks will continue to rely on their backline and Goalkeeping to keep the game close, especially in periods when 06 Society wants to push the tempo going forward. I believe this series will be incredibly low scoring.

Prediction: Cracks Nation wins in penalties over 06 Society after a 1-1 aggregate over 3 games