North Carolina Courage Can Clinch Playoff Spot with Midweek Win

It’s win and they’re in for the North Carolina Courage as goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland and her teammates prepare for a midweek match against Mallory Pugh and the Washington Spirit at Maryland Soccer Plex on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Anything less than all three points against Washington will postpone the postseason party until at least the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Spirit will come into the matching having been officially eliminated from playoff contention – along with the Boston Breakers – in Week 18.

2017 NWSL PLAYOFF PICTURE

#	Team	Pts.	GD	GR	Max Pts.	Magic No.	Elimination No.
1	North Carolina Courage	39	+ 12	6	57	3	—
2	Portland Thorns FC	37	+ 10	4	49	5	—
3	Chicago Red Stars	32	+ 3	4	44	10	—
4	Orlando Pride	32	+ 11	4	44	10	—
5	Sky Blue FC	29	– 6	4	41	—	10
6	Seattle Reign FC	27	– 5	4	39	—	8
7	FC Kansas City	23	– 6	4	35	—	4
8	Houston Dash	23	– 9	5	38	—	7
9	Boston Breakers	16	– 10	4	28	—	Eliminated
10	Washington Spirit	16	– 10	5	31	—	Eliminated

Glossary – Pts: Points, GD: Goal Difference, GR: Games Remaining, Max: Maximum points possible

Magic Number formula*

The Magic Number for a team to clinch a playoff spot is determined by subtracting that team’s current points total from the maximum number of points possible for the fifth-place team, then adding one.

Elimination Number Formula*

The Elimination Number for a team to confirm their exclusion from the playoffs is determined by subtracting that team’s maximum number of possible points from the current number of points of the fourth-place team, then adding one.

* = The Magic Number or Elimination Number for each team does not reflect scenarios that require tiebreakers. Tiebreaker scenarios are required when a team’s Magic Number or Elimination Number is 1.