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It may seem like the 2017 NPSL Season just started, but the Silverbacks are preparing for their final game of the regular season this Saturday. The Backs will host local rival the Georgia Revolution in a final bid to right the ship before the playoffs.
After losing their first match of the season to the Birmingham Hammers, the Silverbacks rebounded and jumped to the top of the Southeast Conference combined standings. However, the team stumbled as the season wore on, adding three more losses to their record including last week at home against the New Orleans Jesters.
The Silverbacks currently sit in second place in the Southeast Conference East Division standings behind the Knoxville Force and just ahead of the new kids on the block, Asheville City FC. In order to stay ahead of Asheville, the Silverbacks must win on Saturday against the Revolution.
If the Silverbacks win, they will have locked the second seed in the East Division and the right to host the first match of the division playoffs on Tuesday July 11. The winner of that match will go on to play the first seed in the West Division, the New Orleans Jesters, in Louisiana on Friday July 14.
If the Silverbacks lose to the Revolution and Asheville defeat Inter Nashville, the Silverbacks will drop to the third seed in the East Division. They will then travel to North Carolina on July 11 to play Asheville. The winner of that match then goes down to New Orleans to play the Jesters.
A draw on Saturday would put the Silverbacks level on PPG with Asheville City, but the Blues win the tiebreaker with a better head-to-head record (one win and one draw).
Should the Silverbacks defeat Asheville City on July 11 and the New Orleans Jesters on July 14, they will then play the Conference Final on Saturday July 15. If Atlanta is the highest seed remaining, then they will host the Final match. However, it is likely that Atlanta will need to travel elsewhere for the Final match, should they find themselves in that position.
The winner of the conference final will continue on to the Regional Finals and National Championship. You can find the outline for the tournament at npsl.com/playoffs.