As L.A. Infamous celebrated their Pro Finals win in the muddied Badlands of Chicago, it marked the close of the PSP’s second event. It also signified the halfway point to the 2010 season. Who’s hot and who’s not? Where does your team rank? Who will be the best team in the world for 2010?
To help answer these questions, ProPaintball.com introduces the 2010 Pro Power Rankings. We’ve taken a look at and broke down the available numbers. The formula includes pertinent data from the two PSP and two NPPL events of the Pro Divisions. Included are ranking positions, top 6 and 8 finishes, and game winning percentages.
Brace yourself for some surprises; it’s that kind of year in Professional paintball. Don’t agree with what the Power Poll says? Jump in and share your thoughts! New Rankings will be out following the results of the NPPL DC Challenge August 6-8 and the PSP’s MAO August 13-15.
1 ) Edmonton Impact is the cream of the crop for the first half of the season. They hold the number one spot in both pro leagues. They made a noteworthy addition with Ryan Moorhead in the offseason. Impact has had a solid group of players that has played together for some time now. The addition of a dynamic player has paid off nicely.
Power Points: 328.5
Trend: NEUTRAL
2 ) L.A. Infamous had landed on the podium for every event in both leagues this year. They went 3-0 on Sunday to capture their first win at PSP Chicago. With a potent mix of veterans and experienced youth, Infamous will no doubt have a say in who walks away with a championship in both leagues.
Power Points: 288.58
Trend: UP
3 ) Tampa Bay Damage comes in at the number three spot. With the best coach in the league, Paul Richards and a solid core of veteran players who have been together for several years now, Damage has three straight finals, winning the NPPL in Chicago. Tampa Bay will be focused on wrestling away the top spot by year’s end.
Power Points: 282.24
Trend: UP
4 ) San Diego Dynasty pulled off a season opening win in the Huntington Beach venue which has been very good to the boys in blue. What has followed has been less than stellar, but in a year of teams stepping up and falling off, Dynasty is still a team to be reckoned with. With their core players largely intact, Dynasty will be a team to watch closely in the second half.
Power Points: 199.08
Trend: DOWN
5 ) Boston Red Legion since its inception has had an outstanding staff, a strict training regiment, and a serious approach to the game. While their win percentage is near the top of the PSP, they have faltered in the Sunday rounds. Russia was definitely looking to add another gun to their roster after Phoenix. Whether they find a good fit or ride it out as their younger talent develops remains to be seen.
Power Points: 129
Trend:UP
6 ) Chicago Aftershock Since last season, Shock committed itself to finding and putting together the pieces needed to step out of the middle of the pack. Starting off the 2010 PSP season with a Top 3 finish bodes well for this young team. Always capable of pulling the upset in recent years, Shock has built a team that is perhaps one player away from being a top contender.
Power Points: 128
Trend: DOWN
7 ) Newport Entourage made the move to Pro in seven-man at the beginning of the year and into PSP’s Pro ranks after Phoenix. While they went winless in their first PSP Pro event in Chicago, they benefit from a 50 transfer from Semi-Pro. Their seventh place rating is supported by back to back 5th place finishes in NPPL Pro; Entourage will look to step it up in the Race to Format. Power Points: 127.32
Trend: DOWN
8 ) Oakland Blast Bob Long’s guys have had their moments this season. A third place finish in Huntington Beach led Blast to a solid start for 2010. However Blast faltered in Chicago, going 3-4 and managed to miss the finals in the process.
Power Points: 84.32
Trend: DOWN
9 ) X-Factor came into the Pro ranks of the PSP in 2007 and promptly made a splash. The Texans then went on win their first NPPL Pro event, and they would like nothing better than to regain that form. Roster defections have hurt, but the team looks like its playing harder than in recent memory.
Power Points: 81
Trend:: NEUTRAL
10 ) San Diego Aftermath was the surprise of PSP Chicago as their move back to Pro proved noteworthy. With only 4 of their 10 players having played any Pro ball, they managed to not only record the first Pro PSP shutout of the season, but did so with back to back shutouts. Aftermath have proven that they can compete, now they just need to follow Chicago with another trip to Sunday.
Power Points: 79
Trend: UP
11 ) St. Louis Avalanchehas played some good ball in the first half of the season in the NPPL. In Chicago they showed resolve and fought their way to a top four finish.
Power Points: 77.98
Trend: UP
12 ) Sacramento XSV While the team did a great job making it to the final day in the NPPL’s Chicago event, they faltered and finished 7th. XSV’s inconsistency was confirmed again in the PSP– after a 1-2 record in Phoenix, the team posted a 0-4 record in PSP Chicago going 12-28.
Power Points: 63.22
Trend: DOWN
13 ) Naughty Dogs After a Sunday showing in Huntington Beach, the Dogs promptly went 2-5 in Chicago and finished 12th.The Naughty Dogs defensive style has them using more of the clock per game than any other team in the league this season.
Power Points: 58.06
Trend: DOWN
14 ) Vancouver Vendetta Vendetta broke into Pro NPPL with a Sunday showing and an 8th place finish. As many new Pro teams have found out, finding consistency is key. While Vendetta failed to make the final day in Chicago, they were not far off.
Power Points: 47.14
Trend: NEUTRAL
15 ) Los Angeles Ironmen After much success over the last few years, the Men failed to make a Sunday in the first half of 2010 season. While still possessing the bulk of their core players, they do have some works in progress, and Kevin Bredthauer (former Dynasty) will be coaching them for the MAO as their coach as the Ironmen look to get back on track.
Power Points: 42
Trend: DOWN
16 ) Chicago Legend missed Sunday at Huntington Beach, but with the second venue in Chicago, a Top 8 seemed within reach. Once again, it’s about who can step up and win the big points. While playing solid on the front and backend of the prelims, the middle portion proved costly. Legend went 3-4 that fateful Monday, not making the cut.
Power Points: 25.3
Trend: NEUTRAL
17 ) Vicious is a first year PSP Pro team who is still adjusting to the Pro Division. Even so, they got their first win in Chicago against Entourage. Vicious has had several roster changes during the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see whether the staff looks to solidify their roster with outside help or from within their feeder team.
Power Points: 21
Trend: UP
18 ) San Francisco Explicit started strong in Chicago and let it slip away. That proved to be significant as they missed the cut by one spot. Regardless they showed improvement from Huntington Beach.
Power Points: 16.88
Trend: UP
19 ) Indianapolis Mutiny It was good to see Mutiny play hard and although they stood 0-5 at one point in the prelims, they finished with back to back wins.
Power Points: 10.5
Trend: NEUTRAL
