2nd Division: Pepper Preview and Predictions

D2's Pepper conference is of the strongest D2's the league as ever seen. See who Michael Schieber likes to come out on top.

2nd Division: Pepper Preview and Predictions

 

2nd Division Overview:

There is so much at stake here for D2 teams here it’s incredible. Week in and out every D2 club more than ever has every incentive to perform their absolute best. With the addition of a new division next year and all non playoff teams moving their teams better be ready to go all out each and every Sunday. I can’t wait to see how this year plays out in both D2 divisions.

 

Pepper Burning Questions:

 

So how does Pepper shape up next to their D2 counterpart in Simpkin?

Yesterday I talked about how I thought there was a divide between the top and bottom 6 in Simpkin but here in Pepper things are much much closer overall to me. I do think there are 3 top clubs that have separated themselves on paper at least. The races here for playoff spots will be rough and even more so for relegation I think. Pepper to me is stronger overall then Simpkin and I think we’ll see that play out in a closer table. Overall I think this is the strongest crop of D2 clubs that the league has ever seen quite honestly.

 

Which teams are the paper champs then? 

If its strictly on paper I think Mes Que FC might simply stand alone. I mean this team has good talent that have played for not just premier clubs but the best of the best premier clubs as prime contributors(Steele & Sengbusch). Couple that with a roster full of exciting young players with bags of potential (Adams for example) and this looks scary. But we play the games for a reason and because their is just a larger number of youth to vets I wonder what that means. I think it’s more likely that the vets are here to show the way and let the young guns run while spelling them and acting more so as bench bosses. I could be wrong but it seems plausible which makes them a little less frightening. 

 

Didn’t you say there like three top clubs though?

Certainly. We could look at the continued growth of defending Wood Cup champs Devils. they made some good additions that make me believe they could add some more silverware to the trophy case come August. But for me the team that will catch most by surprise (maybe not with Rumors recent #1 preseason seed) is the lads at Kilimanjaro Bandits. While the names won’t be familiar to most this team has seen its fair share of BDSL action under different names in the past. This clubs has brought together some of the best talent out of the those ranks. The main reason for any doubt with them will be leadership. It seems that leading these teams has proven difficult in the past. But if the managerial team is as strong as I think then this team is going to be very dangerous.



 

What other teams could be playoff threats?

Revolution SC just continues to impress me. I recall when they first got into D2 I thought it would be a short spell here but they have been a consistent playoff quality team almost every season. This year I expect no less as they scooped up Premier players like ex Raider Justin Wainwright & late Pendelton United Dan Mascaro. These types of signings keep them on the rise even with the rest of the division improving. I also really think the revamped North Buffalo FC could be a good dark horse choice. Derik Craft is an excellent playmaking addition here and the defense here looks solid. 

 

Seems like you like everyone here.

I do! I think despite last years bottom finish Buffalo Brighten Stars have improved their team. Scooping up Antonio Toe right before end of rosters is a great addition to give them more of a scoring punch. I think Medina is due for a bounce back season. Nothing at all went right for them in 2019 despite little roster changes and I for some reason can’t see that happening again on them. Honestly i think most teams here are better then their 2019 versions but the issue is they are all better so hard for anyone to be favored. 

 

Can you talk bad about some teams here? These previews are supposed to stir things up a bit.

I wouldn’t say I’m talking bad here but I can express some doubts on a few teams sure. I’m not quite sure about Youngstown here. I think this is the first time I’ve ever been down on them but while the rest of the division jumped things up they sorta have remained level. Kingsmen SC really surprised me last year and while they made some good adds here, Linhart one of their best, I’m doubtful that they’ll keep up with the rest of the teams offensively. Tesla FC I always seem to undervalue and why change now so I’m not really sure they can compete here either. 

 

Might as well just say something about Westside and Lasalle so everyone gets mentioned at this point. 

These two clubs are the biggest question marks for me. Westside Blitz has a lot of unknown players to me coming in. Still at their best they are probably a playoff team but I’m not sure they’ll be able to match that consistency and cope with the loss of last year’s leading striker Irakoze. I think they’ll struggle. And Lasalle, while I like the additions of Corey Nash and Michael Ranieri, I have question on how they’ll hold up defensively. To me its not enough to be a playoff team



 

D2 Tiers:

 

Relegation Zone: Tesla FC, Kingsmen SC

Pretenders: Youngstown Marksmen, Westside Blitz, Medina Mustangs FC, Lasalle FC, Buffalo Brighten Stars FC

Contenders: Devils, Revolution SC, Mes Que FC, North Buffalo FC, 

Favorite: Kilimanjaro Bandits

 

Simpkin Table:

 

  1. Kilimanjaro Bandits

  2. Revolution SC

  3. Mes Que FC

  4. Devils

  5. North Buffalo FC

  6. Buffalo Brighten Stars FC

  7. Westside Blitz

  8. Medina Mustangs

  9. Lasalle FC

  10.  Youngstown Marksmen

  11.  Kingsmen SC

  12.  Tesla FC

 

 

3) Mes Que FC over 6) Buffalo Brighten Stars FC

5) North Buffalo FC over 4) Devils

 

1) Kilimanjaro Bandits over 5) North Buffalo FC

3) Mes Que FC over 2) Revolution SC

 

1) Kilimanjaro Bandits over 3) Mes Que FC