What if...a MO Soccer Promotion/Relegation Scenario

The end of 2021 is almost here and while classes are finishing up and the high school soccer season is still close enough in our rearview to have a decent remembering, we thought we'd finish with a nod to the 2022 season while acknowledging one of our sport's biggest areas of debate - the postseason tournament and classifications.

Much has been written and discussed regarding MSHSAA's Championship Factor and the impact that it has had on the past few postseasons. In the spirit of tweaking the system a bit to try to make the playoffs a little more "even" (for lack of better word), we toyed with our Missouri Power Rankings and came up with a "what if" scenario that places schools into classifications based on a  three-year success window. As stated on our website page, this isn't a "real" thing and there are some issues with geography and MSHSAA enrollment size guidelines that we didn't have the time to completely figure out. However, with a little bit of imagination this study does allow for a fairly clear picture to be considered for those interested in seeing a Promotion/Relegation Tournament scenario. Who knows, maybe this is something MSHSAA could explore for all sports...???

This will likely be our last blog of 2021 - we hope these have provided some fun and thoughtful musings on soccer in MO. Much of what we have been able to discuss comes because of the work of Ryan Schweain at Cape Notre Dame, who would likely not want to have any kind of attention brought his way, but whose ideas have been the basis for many of these writings. Many thanks to Ryan for his work for our association!

Enjoy - have a safe and happy holiday season!