Another big week in CASA brought the playoff picture into better focus and gave some teams a clear picture of what they need to do to survive the drop.

Primera

Cracovia and Grey Lodge secured their hold on the top two spots with big wins over West Philly and Cannons. Both teams put in four, showing that they are rounding into offensive form just in time for the playoffs. Elsewhere, Penn United and Philly Soccer Firm solidified their places in Primera next year by pulling off huge victories over Real Optimus and Philly United respectively.

The Penn United win leaves Drinker’s Pub and Cannons in the two relegation spots, although neither team is out of it yet. Both teams play Penn United – Cannons this week and Penn in the final week – and if they both win, one will escape the drop. Cannons needs to win out in order to have a chance to stay up. If Penn United can secure all three points in either of the last two weeks, they’re assured of a spot in Primera next season.

In other notable matches, AC Milan looks to creep into the top four with a win over first place Grey Lodge. Milan has yet to lose so Grey Lodge will have to keep the offense firing on all cylinders if they want to remain kings of the mountain. And in a match so big they had to move it to Sunday to accommodate the fanbases, West Philly and Philly Soccer Firm face off in the biannual Ed Farnsworth’s Footy On The Telly No Divers Allowed 700 Derby.

Segunda

There are three teams with a winning record in Segunda and they’re pulling away from the pack. NewPhillyUnited, Stoney United, and Nittany United all posted big victories, with shutouts for Stoney and Nittany. This puts third place Nittany five points above fourth place United Nations, so it’s looking like all three of these teams will have home field advantage come playoff time.

Organized Chaos and Memphis Taproom took tough losses to top three opponents and remained in the drop zone. But they can take heart from United Nations FC’s 3-0 win over Philadelphia Athletic. It keeps everyone alive for the last two weeks of the year. A big thumbs up to Sporting Philly, who secured their Segunda future with an enormous 2-1 win over Steagles. With nine points, they’re clear of the drop and can start looking to make a playoff run.

Looking forward, it’ll be an amazing race at the bottom of Segunda. Organized Chaos and Memphis Taproom face off this weekend and one team needs all three points to put themselves in a good position going into the final week. If Chaos can win this weekend, they’ll set up a huge showdown with Philadelphia Athletic in the final week that could very easily determine which team goes down. Chaos has a game in hand on the other two teams, and that game is against Skulls this Sunday. Skulls have been treading water in the middle of the pack all year, but now they have a chance to make a big impact in the race to stay up.

Tercera

Revolution 76 continued to struggle through tough seas as they lost for the second straight week to a top two opponent, thanks in part to the refs disallowing their second goal. That 2-1 loss, coupled with wins by Bayern Makefield (over Loose Cannons) and Lot Lizards (over Spartans) leaves three teams with eight points, only three above the drop zone with two games to go. The crazy stat here: All three teams have the same -2 goal differential. Coughcoughcopycats.

The top of Tercera is quite clear: Quaker City has 19 points while Mt. Laurel is right behind with 18. Only one team will gain promotion from the regular season, so expect one of these teams to make a huge push to hit their stride during the playoffs. Of the two, Quaker City has the tougher schedule. After facing off with Tri-County this week they head to Spartans for the final game of the season. Both opponents are middle-of-the-pack and always dangerous. Mt. Laurel has Loose Cannons this week. It’s a game they should win, but Cannons have everything to play for, as a win can put them into position to climb out of the drop. With five points, they really need to win out if they want to stay up.

For the three teams at 8 points, every game matters. Makefield and Lot Lizards face off this weekend and a win by either team puts them in great position to avoid the drop. Lizards really need to win now, as they will have to take on Mt. Laurel in the final week while Makefield gets last place SoB – Independence. Revs76 have an interesting set of games ahead of them. They get SoB – Independence this weekend, which should be a welcome change after the gauntlet of top teams they’ve been through recently. Then they hit Tri-County in the final week. Tri-County shouldn’t have much to play for by then, but that won’t mean they’ll take it easy.

Abierto

While AOH61 and Sweet Lucy’s took care of business, Spruce Goose was busy knocking SoB – Zolo from their precarious perch atop the division. That big win leaves Goose, AOH, and Sweet Lucy’s tied atop Abierto with two games to play. But don’t count Zolo out. They’re only two points back and face two bottom half teams to close out the year. The Abierto playoffs are going to be ridiculously exciting so set your DVRs.

The bottom half of Abierto has a chance to play spoiler in the race for the top spot. The Incredibles can make the biggest impact as they play Sons of Ben – Zolo and Spruce Goose to close out the season. A win in either game would really shake up the top. Of the four battling it out for the division, it’s clearly Sweet Lucy’s with the toughest road ahead. A visit to Spruce Goose this weekend is followed by a tough match against AOH61 to close out. AOH61 gets Revolving United before the showdown with Spruce, so they need to be in top form this weekend.

So there you have it! All to play for as the season winds down. Everybody wants to secure their future before the playoffs, and time is running out.