With the PlayStation 4 AVPL kicking off this week, Outside90 contributor Jordan Gifkins takes a look at the things we learned from an enticing opening week.
1) Pied Piper are favourites for a reason
While many predicted Pied Piper to be strong performers this season, not many would have seen them come out of week one with maximum points as the AVPL favourites kicked off their campaign in stylish fashion. Despite playing one less game than the teams around them, Piper managed to amass five wins from five, scoring 19 goals in the process. If their opening week hasn’t sent out a message to the rest of the competition, a similar week two will.
2) Like no Otha are ready to take the next step
While Pied Piper were the talk of the town, Like no Otha similarly enjoyed a fruitful week, winning three of their opening four games with their only loss coming at the hands of Pied Piper. Led by the versatile The___R3D___eViL, they stunned the competition by heavily defeating title contenders Mr Robot and The Empire. With some tough matches to come, it’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain this early season form.
3) The heavyweights struggle
The opening week threw us surprising results, but potentially none more so than some of the performances of the AVPL’s best. Slated for playing too defensively during the week, The Empire struggled to assert their numerical dominance in each match, winning just twice from their opening five. Next in line is Aus Finest, who were one of the most talked up sides during pre-season. Littered with talent across the park, they could only manage the single win from their opening five. AngerManagement returned from their mini hiatus to also struggle, only gaining the single win from four starts.
4) The Golden Boot is an open race
The most prestigious individual award for all strikers in the AVPL, the Golden Boot looks set to be a tight knit race this season as plenty enjoyed fruitful opening weeks. Leading the pack is the talented Juzzomac, whose nine goals for Pied Piper have seen them take an early lead this season. He sits alongside BrandonM2112, with the ex-Playnation utility finding his home up front for Guuunneerz. Rounding out the top three is New Zealand international Sameer25, with his eight goals for Wild Cats assisting their positive start to the season.
5) XBOX sides will learn from their opening week
A much talked about topic pre-season was the introduction of some high class XBOX AVPL sides making the switch to PS4 to test themselves against the best. HereForBeer FC, who came second in XBOX AVPL season five, won two of their opening six games but showed signs they can perform, beating Aus Finest 2-0. Meanwhile, XBOX AVPL season three runners up ParkThePlane FC drew four of their six games, despite coming up against some good opposition. Both teams will be out to improve on their opening week performances.
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