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# 029. ECNL BOYS PLAYOFFS: DID THE STRONGEST TEAMS WIN THEIR GROUP STAGES? (PART 1)
- URL: https://www.socceranalytix.com/029-ecnl-boys-playoffs-did-the-strongest-teams-win-their-group-stages-part-1/
- Published: 2024-07-02T04:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-08-29T14:00:11.000Z
- Description: Across age groups, only group stage winners "replicated" their regular season winning results.
- Author: Richard - From SoccerAnalytix

During the Playoffs, the Group Stage awaits 304 teams across 5 age groups. These teams reach these playoffs by dominating their respective conferences "back home". Can they replicate their regular season winning performances in California? Here's some data:

Here are takeaways:

- Group Stage winners delivered results that were "very similar" to their aggregate performances during the regular season. Nonetheless, the data suggests that their offensive capabilities were somewhat-impaired by the relatively-stronger competition (ie: GF-G dropped by 0.20).
- Group Stage participants - excluding the winners - delivered significantly-weaker results vs. their regular season:
  - They scored ≈1 less goal per-game
  - They conceded 1+ more goal per-game
  - ... which yielded underwhelming goal differentials.

Does this data support the narrative that "... the strongest teams probably won their group stages..."? There are some nuances at-play, but from a narrow perspective:

- Teams that "replicate" their *regional* regular-season winning performances inside group stages populated with *nationwide* opponents deserve a trip to the knockout rounds.

In next week's episode, let's dive-deeper into this data, and consider age group variations.

Richard - from SoccerAnalytix