2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Asheville City SC kept the Atlanta Silverbacks FC off the scoreboard in the other Southeast Conference Semifinal, until Aaron Walker converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute, and Nyambi Jabang, who was returning to action after a hamstring injury and entered the match as a halftime substitute, followed with a goal on a counterattack two minutes later, that bounced off the goalpost and into the net. Bryce Billington recorded the shutout in a 2–0 win.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
The Midwest Region Quarterfinals were played on July 13 and 14. The Erie Commodores FC hosted Cleveland SC at McConnell Family Stadium for the second time in six days. The Commodores had won the previous match and claimed the East Conference title and home-field advantage in this clash. All four regular starters Cleveland had rested in the previous match returned from their injuries.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
After Vincent Bell scored the second of his three goals in the 56th minute to give Cleveland a 2–0 lead, Jacob Alatorre received a part of yellow cards a minute later to put the Commodores down a man. Antonio Manfut's goal in the 63rd minute put Cleveland up, 3–0, and Bell struck again in the 76th minute to complete the scoring in a 4–0 Cleveland victory. Austin Solomon got his second yellow card in the 89th minute, and the Commodores finished the match playing with only nine men. Marijo Musa kept a clean sheet.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Duluth FC went ahead of Grand Rapids FC in the other Midwest Region Quarterfinal, 2–0, on Ryan Tyrer's header off a corner kick in the 46th minute and David Rice' goal in the 51st minute. However, Grand Rapids mounted a furious comeback, getting goals from Matthew Whelan in the 83rd minute and Kenroy Howell in the second minute of stoppage time to tie the score and send the match to extra time. In the 118th minute, Duluth substituted Alberto Ciroi for NPSL Golden Glove winner Jan Hoffelner in preparation for a penalty kick shootout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs
Earlier in extra time, they had substituted Ricardo Ramos, who was returning from an injury, into the match for his penalty kick prowess. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the teams went to penalty kicks. Ciroi saved the efforts of Trent Vegter and Joe Broekhuizen on Grand Rapids's third and fourth kicks, respectively. After David Rice hit the crossbar on Duluth's fourth penalty kick, captain Kyle Farrar's goal made it 4–3 and sent Duluth to the region semifinals.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
All seven conferences that have conference championship matches staged them on July 14. After Joshua Fawole put FC Baltimore in the lead in the 18th minute, FC Frederick responded with goals by Justin Lee in the 26th minute and Graham Guidry in the 47th minute to gain the lead. After Shawn Baker drew a red card in the 86th minute for serious foul play, Frederick was forced to weather the storm for the balance of regulation and five minutes of stoppage time as Baltimore sought an equalizer. Frederick held on to earn an upset victory.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
Frederick, who qualified for the playoffs on the regular season's final day by a standings tiebreaker and had to overcome a one-goal deficit in extra time and win a penalty-kick shootout in the conference semifinal against an opponent that had beaten them twice in the regular-season, had overcome the odds to beat Baltimore, to whom they had also lost both regular-season matches, and win the Mid-Atlantic Conference title. The loss by Baltimore meant they needed both New York Cosmos B and FC Motown to win their conference titles in order to reach the Northeast Region Semifinals as the wildcard.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
West Chester United SC, who had been responsible for FC Motown's only regular-season loss, took an early lead over Motown in the Keystone Conference Final on Charles Wilson's goal in the 28th minute. The score remained 1–0, until Lucas Terci equalized for Motown in the 90th minute. No goals were scored in extra time, and the match went to penalty kicks. Down, 4–3, in the shootout and needing a goal on their fifth kick, United goalkeeper Charlie Sales failed to score and gave Motown the Keystone Conference championship and a trip to the region semifinals. The loss eliminated West Chester United, who had 2.1 average points per game, since FC Baltimore, who averaged 2.2, had already lost the Mid-Atlantic Conference Final.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
James Thristino's goal in the 67th minute gave the Brooklyn Italians a lead over the New York Cosmos B. Zaire Bartley scored an equalizer for the Cosmos B in the 75th minute. However, two minutes later, Rafael Garcia was issued a red card for violent conduct, and the Cosmos B were forced to play with 10 men. Neither team was able to score in the balance of the second half or extra time, and the match went to penalty kicks.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
After Kevin Tenjo saved Thomas Suchecki's effort on the Italians' fourth kick, Jonathan Borrajo scored to give the Cosmos B a 5–3 win in the shootout and the North Atlantic Conference title. The Italians and FC Baltimore had identical 7–2–1 regular-season records. Baltimore won the tiebreaker for the Northeast Region wildcard on average goal difference per game at 2.7 compared with 2.2.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
Kris Tyrpak's goal in the eighth minute staked Miami FC 2 to a 1–0 lead over the Jacksonville Armada FC in the Sunshine Conference Final. The Armada tied the match in the 29th minute on Ciarán Kilduff's goal. Five minutes later, Darío Suárez gave Miami FC 2 another lead. Tyrpak scored again in the 53rd minute, and Miami FC 2 went on to a 3–1 victory and the Sunshine Conference championship in a game free from disciplinary actions by the referee.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
Philip D'Amico of Chattanooga FC and Bryce Billington of the Atlanta Silverbacks FC both kept clean sheets for 120 minutes. D'Amico saved Aaron Walker's penalty kick in 112th minute to preserve his shutout. Soren Yuhaschek swept away a 78th minute shot, which had been deflected by D'Amico but trickled past him, just before the ball reached the goal line, to ensure the Southeast Conference Final would be decided by penalty kicks. On the Silverbacks's third and fourth penalty kicks, D'Amico made saves but was called for moving before the ball was kicked. The Silverbacks scored on both re-kicks. With the shootout tied at 5, Cameron Woodfin's shot went over the crossbar on Chattanooga's sixth kick. Mohammed Issahaku followed with a goal to win the shootout for the Silverbacks, 6–5, and give Atlanta the Southeast Conference title.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
FC Wichita and the Little Rock Rangers also played 120 scoreless minutes in the Heartland Conference Final. Mark Weir recorded the shutout for Wichita, and Walid Birrou kept the clean sheet for the Rangers. Andres Ochoa failed to score on Wichita's third kick, and Donald Benamna scored to make it 5-for-5 for the Rangers and give them a 5–3 win in the shootout and the Heartland Conference title.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
Arthur Rogers scored two first-half goals, the second on a penalty kick, to put the Houston Dutch Lions FC in front of the Laredo Heat in the Lone Star Conference Final. The Heat battled back on goals by Ziyad Fares in the 67th minute and Petteri Pietola in the 74th minute to send the match to extra time. Tor Trosten scored twice in extra time, in the 96th and 101st minutes, to give the Heat the lead. Yinka Lawal answered for the Dutch Lions in the 104th minute, but Houston could not get an equalizer, and the Heat won the Lone Star Conference championship.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Conference finals
Home teams won four of the seven conference championship matches. Four of the seven conference championship matches were decided by penalty kicks, and one more was decided in extra time. Three teams that were trailing in conference championship matches scored equalizers in the 74th minute or later and ended up winning their matches.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
The West Region Semifinals were contested on July 14 and 15. El Farolito fell behind FC Mulhouse Portland on a Reed McKenna goal in the 21st minute. Luis Galeano, a 55th minute substitute, added an insurance goal in the 77th minute. With Portland leading, 2–0, Farolito goalkeeper Mario Martinez saved a penalty kick to keep his team in the game. Following the save, Farolito pressed and forced Portland goalkeeper Scott Dalrymple to make several saves and earn his clean sheet and a road victory.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
Alessandro Canale's brace led Orange County FC to a 4–2 road win over FC Golden State in a West Region Semifinal match. Golden State got on the board first when Gabriel Henrique Silva scored in the 22nd minute, but Canale's goals in the 33rd and 63rd minutes sandwiched a Dakota Collins tally in the 61st minute. Adrien Perez scored in the 84th minute to cut Golden State's deficit to 3–2, but Kevin Jeon's 90th-minute goal sealed the victory for Orange County.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
The South Region Semifinals were played on July 17. Miami FC 2 and the Atlanta Silverbacks FC exchanged first-half goals. Sean McFarlane Jr. opened the scoring for Miami in the 22nd minute, and Thierry Jules answered in the 36th minute. Atlanta's David Koloko drew a red card for serious foul play in the 79th minute, and Miami capitalized on the man advantage two minutes later, when Kris Tyrpak scored the winner in a 2–1 victory.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
The Little Rock Rangers took an early lead over the Laredo Heat in the other South Region Semifinal, when Trevor Reed scored in the 31st minute. The Heat got the equalizer from Rodave Murray in the 87th minute to send the game to extra time. Donald Benamna's goal in the 115th minute gave the Rangers a 2–1 upset victory and handed the Heat its first loss of the season.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
The Northeast Region Semifinals were contested on July 18. The New York Cosmos B got a brace from Zaire Bartley and a clean sheet from Kevin Tenjo to beat FC Frederick, 2–0.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
A brace by Daryl Kavanagh and a goal by Christopher Katona led FC Motown to a 3–0 victory over FC Baltimore in the other Northeast Region Semifinal. Abdou Karim Danso earned the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
The final four teams in the Midwest Region met in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 20, for the region semifinals. Duluth FC took an early lead over the region's top seed, Minneapolis City SC, on a 17th-minute goal by their captain, Kyle Farrar. In the opening moments of the match, Minneapolis City starter Abdallah Bah was removed from the field, and City was unable to get a substitute on for him for just over 15 minutes. They played a man down until Farrar's goal, after which they sent Martin Browne, Jr. into the game to replace Bah. After they returned to full strength, Branden McGarrity responded for Minneapolis City in the 36th minute, and the score remained tied, until Ricardo Ramos converted a penalty kick in the 115th minute, giving Duluth a 2–1 victory.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region semifinals
Serge Gamwanya scored a goal in the 55th minute, and AFC Ann Arbor made it hold up in a 1–0 Midwest Region Quarterfinal victory over Cleveland SC. Nick Barry kept the clean sheet for Ann Arbor.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
All four region final matches were contested on July 21. Miami FC 2 cruised to a 3–0 victory over the Little Rock Rangers to win the South Region championship. Jaime Chavez, Dylan Mares and Darío Suárez each scored for Miami FC 2, and Mario Daniel Vega earned the shutout.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
Walter Calderon, Christopher Katona and Dilly Duka (on a penalty kick) each had a second-half goal to give FC Motown a 3–0 lead over the New York Cosmos B. Ivan Berterame scored two goals for the Cosmos B during second-half stoppage time. Seconds before the referee blew the final whistle, Abdoukarim Danso dove to his left to get a hand on Darwin Espinal's free kick, and the rebound attempt by Joey Sanchez went wide with the flag up for offside anyway. Motown held on for a 3–2 win and the Northeast Region championship.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
Ryan Tyrer opened the scoring for Duluth FC in the 12th minute of the Midwest Region Final against AFC Ann Arbor. Chrispinus Odhiambo answered in the 23rd minute, but Ann Arbor conceded an own goal a minute later to fall behind again. Duluth increased their lead to 3–1, when their captain, Kyle Farrar, scored in the 39th minute. Jack Cawley's 42nd-minute goal brought Ann Arbor within a goal at the half. Azaad Liadi kept Ann Arbor's hopes alive with a goal in the forth minute of second-half stoppage time.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
Just as they had in their region quarterfinal match, Duluth substituted Alberto Ciroi for NPSL Golden Glove winner Jan Hoffelner in the 118th minute in preparation for a penalty kick shootout. In the second minute of extra-time stoppage time, Ciroi took a kick to the head from Odhiambo, who was shown a yellow card. Three other players drew yellow cards in the ensuing scuffle. Neither team scored in extra time. In the shootout, Ciroi saved Matthieu Braem's attempt on Ann Arbor's second kick and Michael Shaikly's effort on their fourth kick.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
Ann Arbor goalkeeper Nick Barry extended the shootout by saving Aidan Hill's attempt on Duluth's fourth kick. Kyle Breitmeyer's shot hit the crossbar and then Ciroi's back before settling into the net and keeping Ann Arbor in the match. Liam Moore won the shootout for Duluth, 4–3, when he scored on their fifth kick, and Duluth celebrated the Midwest Region championship.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, Region finals
Orange County FC and FC Mulhouse Portland played a wild first half in the West Region Final. Both teams held the lead for stretches of a half that ended 3–3. Orange County got goals from Alessandro Canale, Michael Bryant and Dakota Collins. Fred Braun, Christian Thyron and Alex White scored for Portland. Orange County took a 4–3 lead, when Cody Shelton scored in the 53rd minute, but Portland responded in the 60th minute with Braun's second goal of the match. Reed McKenna's goal put Portland in front in the 78th minute. Jonathan Bryan drew a red card for a serious foul play in the 84th minute that forced Orange County to play with 10 men. Luis Galeano's 90th-minute goal put away a 6–4 win for Portland that gave them the West Region championship.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, National semifinals
The NPSL National Semifinals were played on July 28. Miami FC 2 got goals from Ariel Martínez (on a penalty kick), Sean McFarlane Jr. and Jeff Michaud to beat Duluth FC, 3–0. Jan Hoffelner had 10 saves for Duluth, before leaving the match in the 88th minute, after suffering an injury. Mario Daniel Vega kept the clean sheet for Miami.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, National semifinals
In the other semifinal match, Dilly Duka put FC Motown in front of FC Mulhouse Portland with a goal in the 55th minute. Nick Evans responded for Portland in the 63rd minute to tie the score. David Nigro, who had just entered the match as a substitute in anticipation of a penalty-kick shootout, headed in the game winner on a cross from Lucas Terci in the first minute of extra-time stoppage time to send Motown to the NPSL Final.


2018 NPSL season, Season overview, Playoffs, NPSL Final
FC Motown hosted Miami FC 2 in the NPSL Final on August 4, in front of a sellout crowd of 2,143 spectators. Miami struck first on a Jonny Steele goal in the 33rd minute. Dilly Duka answered for Motown two minutes later. Motown was reduced to playing with 10 men in the 58th minute, when Chris Riordan drew his second yellow card. One minute later, Dylan Mares's goal put Miami back into the lead. Jeff Michaud added an insurance goal in the 81st minute, and Miami FC 2 went on to win the NPSL championship in its inaugural season.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format
Source: In the Northeast and South Regions, conference champions are determined by postseason playoff tournaments. In the Midwest and West Regions, conference champions are determined by regular-season standings. The playoff qualification and format rules vary among regions and conferences. Once teams reach the regional playoffs, either by their performance in their conference tournament, their regular-season results or, in the case of the Northeast Region wildcard team, a combination of the two, all matches are knockout matches. The four regional champions advance to the national semifinals and are seeded based on regular-season average points per game.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format
Regular-season average goal difference per game is the first tiebreaker used to determine seeding, if needed. Regular-season average goals scored per game is the second tiebreaker. If the tie is still not broken, a coin toss determines seeding. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one national semifinal, and the #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other national semifinal on July 28. Semifinal winners advance to the NPSL Championship Match on August 4. Home-field advantage in national semifinal and final matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Northeast Region Playoffs
Four teams qualify for the Northeast Region Semifinals. These are the three winners of the conference championship playoffs and the conference finals loser with the best regular-season average points per game. The four semifinalists are seeded based on regular-season points per game. The three conference champions are not automatically awarded the highest seed; the wildcard team could be the top seed. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one regional semifinal. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other regional semifinal. Semifinal winners advance to the Northeast Region Championship Match. Home-field advantage in a regional playoff match is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Northeast Region Playoffs, Keystone Conference Playoffs
The top four teams qualify based on conference standings. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one conference semifinal. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other conference semifinal. Semifinal winners meet in the Keystone Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Northeast Region Playoffs, Mid-Atlantic Conference Playoffs
The top three teams qualify based on conference standings. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in a semifinal match, and the winner plays the #1 seed in the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Northeast Region Playoffs, North Atlantic Conference Playoffs
The top four teams qualify based on conference standings. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one conference semifinal. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other conference semifinal. Semifinal winners meet in the North Atlantic Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, South Region Playoffs
The four conference playoff champions qualify for the South Region Semifinals. Teams are seeded based on regular-season average points per game for hosting purposes, but the semifinal matchups are fixed with the Heartland and Lone Star Conference champions meeting in one semifinal, and the Southeast and Sunshine Conference champions matched up in the other semifinal. Semifinal winners advance to the South Region Championship Match.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, South Region Playoffs, Southeast Conference Playoffs
The top six teams qualify based on conference standings. The top two teams receive byes to the conference semifinals. The #3 seed plays the #6 seed, and the #4 seed plays the #5 seed in conference quarterfinal matches. The #1 seed plays lowest seeded quarterfinal winner in one semifinal match; the #2 seed plays higher seeded quarterfinal winner in the other semifinal match. Semifinal winners meet in the Southeast Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, South Region Playoffs, Sunshine Conference Playoffs
The top three teams qualify based on conference standings. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in a semifinal match, and the winner plays the #1 seed in the Sunshine Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, South Region Playoffs, Lone Star Conference Playoffs
The conference is split into three groups: Red, White and Blue. The top two teams from each group receive playoff berths. The three teams that finish first in their groups are awarded the top three seeds based on conference standings. The three teams that finish second in their groups are awarded the fourth through sixth seeds based on conference standings. The top two seeds receive byes to the conference semifinals. The #3 seed plays the #6 seed, and the #4 seed plays the #5 seed in conference quarterfinal matches. The #1 seed plays the lowest seeded quarterfinal winner in one semifinal match; the #2 seed plays higher seeded quarterfinal winner in the other semifinal match. Semifinal winners meet in the Lone Star Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, South Region Playoffs, Heartland Conference Playoffs
The top four teams qualify based on conference standings. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one conference semifinal. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other conference semifinal. Semifinal winners meet in the Heartland Conference Championship Match. Home-field advantage in conference playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Midwest Region Playoffs
Conference champions are determined based on the regular-season conference standings. The top two teams from each conference qualify for the region playoffs based on conference standings. The three conference champions are awarded the top three seeds. The three teams that finish second in their conferences are awarded the fourth through sixth seeds. The top two seeds receive byes to the region semifinals. The #3 seed hosts a region quarterfinal match against the team seeded 4 through 6 that is geographically closest to it. The remaining two lower seeds play each other with the higher seed hosting.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, Midwest Region Playoffs
The #1 seed plays the lowest seeded quarterfinal winner in one semifinal match; the #2 seed plays higher seeded quarterfinal winner in the other semifinal match. Semifinal winners meet in the Midwest Region Championship Match. The semifinals and final are held at one venue voted upon by Midwest Region club owners; designation of home teams is determined by the highest seed in each match. Riverbank Stadium at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan was selected as the host venue.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, West Region Playoffs
Conference champions are determined based on the regular-season conference standings. Eight teams qualify for the region playoffs based on conference standings and one conference playoff match: two from the Northwest Conference, three from the Golden Gate Conference and three from the Southwest Conference. The third team from the Southwest Conference is determined by a play-in game between the third and fourth-place finishers in the conference standings, hosted by third place team. The region quarterfinals are fixed pairings with the top seeds from each conference hosting lower seeds from their own conference and one interconference match as follows:


2018 NPSL season, Playoff format, West Region Playoffs
Following the region quarterfinals, the teams are reseeded 1 through 4. The #1 seed plays the #4 seed in one regional semifinal. The #2 seed plays the #3 seed in the other regional semifinal. Semifinal winners advance to the West Region Championship Match. Home-field advantage in  regional playoff matches is awarded to the highest seed.


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, Northeast Region conference playoffs results, Keystone Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, Northeast Region conference playoffs results, Mid-Atlantic Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, Northeast Region conference playoffs results, North Atlantic Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, South Region conference playoffs results, Southeast Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, South Region conference playoffs results, Sunshine Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, South Region conference playoffs results, Lone Star Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Central Daylight Time (UTC−5)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, South Region conference playoffs results, Heartland Conference Playoffs results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout scoreAll times Central Daylight Time (UTC−5)


2018 NPSL season, Playoff results, Regional and National Playoff results
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2018 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup qualification
The NPSL ranks its top 30 clubs based on results of the 2018 season for the purposes of qualification for the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. The NPSL champion earns the top ranking, and the other finalist is second. The national semifinal loser from the region with the larger number of teams is ranked third, and the remaining national semifinalist is ranked fourth. The four regional final losers are ranked fifth through eighth based on the number of teams in their region, from largest to smallest.


2018 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup qualification
The remaining 22 slots in the rankings are allocated among the regions based on their sizes. The total number of slots allocated to each region are South 9, Northeast 8, Midwest 7 and West 6. Since the United States Soccer Federation has not yet determined how many berths NPSL clubs will be awarded in the U.S. Open Cup, each of the 22 slots available in the rankings for teams that did not reach the region finals are each allocated to a specific region. This ensures that, regardless of the number of berths awarded to NPSL clubs, the berths will have been allocated as fairly as possible, taking into account the relative sizes of the regions. The allocation of the ninth through 30th slots for this season is as follows:


2018 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup qualification
Starting with the ninth slot, no conference that already has a team in the rankings may have an additional team claim a slot, until every conference in the region has at least one team in the rankings. Ties in the standings are broken using regular-season conference tiebreaker procedures.


2018 NPSL season, Statistics, Top goalscorers
The NPSL's top ten goalscorers for the 2018 season were as follows:


2018 NPSL season, Statistics, Awards
The NPSL presented the awards shown in the table below in 2018.


2018 NPSL season, Statistics, Awards
The NPSL National XI shown below were selected by teams, media and supporters through an online voting process.


2018 NRA boycott
In February 2018, a boycott emerged against the U.S. gun rights advocacy group National Rifle Association (NRA) and its business affiliates. The boycott and social media activism campaign arose in the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The NRA was criticized for its response, including its recommendation for schools to arm teachers and opposition to bans on certain weapons. Calls for companies to sever their ties to the NRA resulted in several companies discontinuing their business relationships with the NRA and cancelling discount programs offered to NRA members. The boycott extended to Canada where Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Running Room cut supplier relationships with Vista Outdoor. Public pressure also caused a number of gun retailers to increase the age required to buy firearms and place other restrictions on gun sales.


2018 NRA boycott, Background
After the Parkland shooting, there was an unprecedented upsurge of public support for gun control advocacy groups and significant backlash against the NRA for its response to the shooting, having argued that schools required more armed security to protect against the possibility of future attacks, and its continued calls to preserving the right to own semi-automatic firearms, such as those used in the shooting.


2018 NRA boycott, Background
On February 20, 2018, ThinkProgress asked over two dozen corporations offering discounts to NRA members whether they would continue their relationships with the NRA. Several companies terminated their agreements with the NRA, and their announcements went viral, along with hashtags such as #BoycottNRA, started by activists like Michael Skolnik. One of the first to respond to the boycott, First National Bank of Omaha, the largest privately held bank in the United States, announced that it will not renew its deal for the "official credit card of the NRA."


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Affinity marketing
One class of companies targeted generally offer or offered discounts or free trials to NRA members, often advertised on the NRA website, in what is often termed affinity marketing. Access to discounts is a benefit of paying NRA membership dues and the NRA promotes the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars more than the cost of membership.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Affinity marketing, Severed ties
Companies that have severed ties with the NRA as of February 24, 2018, span banks, airlines, car rental services, hotels, and software companies. They include:


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Affinity marketing, Retained ties
Several companies have been pressured to disaffiliate with the NRA, but have not, or have not issued statements indicating that they will.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Affinity marketing, FedEx
Pressure on FedEx to drop NRA discounts of up to 26 percent had been going on for nearly a year before the Florida shooting. After several companies cut ties with the NRA, calls to boycott FedEx arose on social media under the hashtag #BoycottFedEx. In a statement, FedEx affirmed that while it does not fully agree with the NRA on issues of gun policy, it will continue its business relationship with the organization. Due to a drop in NRA related volume that made the organization ineligible for discounts, the NRA was dropped from the program on October 30, 2018.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Insurance providers
In response to the NRA boycott several companies discontinued insurance products targeted at NRA members.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Vista Outdoor
Vista Outdoor manufactures AR-15-style rifles under the Savage Arms brand and ammunition under the CCI and Federal brands as well as a range of bike related and other outdoor products including the Bell, Giro, CamelBak, and Blackburn brands. After the Parkland shooting, consumers called on retailers to stop selling all Vista Outdoor products specifically over the company's support of the NRA.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Vista Outdoor
Bicycle retailers in several states stopped selling all Vista Outdoor products, citing the company's support for the NRA. Some cancelled orders or returned existing stock. Canadian retail cooperative Mountain Equipment Co-op similarly announced on March 1, 2018, that, in response to a petition by its members, it would no longer stock products by Vista Outdoor brands in its 22 stores. The co-op does not sell guns. In the United States Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) announced that they would stop ordering all Vista Outdoor products due to the company's NRA support. Running Room, Canada's largest dealer of athletic apparel announced it will discontinue Camelbak products across the chain of 120 Canadian and two US stores, citing strong customer support for the move.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Broadcasters of NRA programming
NRATV, the NRA's online video channel, is a prominent forum used by the organization to disseminate its message and with a large follower base on social media. In the aftermath of the events in Parkland, activists created the hashtags #stopNRAmazon and #DumpNRATV asking Amazon to discontinue streaming programs from NRATV, an initiative supported by celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Denis O’Hare, Evan Handler, Ben Gleib, Joshua Malina, Warren Leight, Genevieve Angelson, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Misha Collins. Other companies offering NRATV programs as part of their streaming services became the target of a similar campaign launched by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and Everytown for Gun Safety.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Broadcasters of NRA programming
The following companies continue to stream NRATV, despite petitions for them to stop:


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
On February 28, 2018 Dick's Sporting Goods discontinued the sale of all assault-style rifles, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. The company also immediately restricted the sale of any guns to customers aged 21 or older. As justification for the move, Dick's praised the Stoneman Douglas students who are campaigning for gun control and for businesses to side against the NRA. They also noted that Dick's had legally sold a shotgun (not used in the assault) to the Parkland shooter.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
Dick's also launched a corporate campaign for officials "to enact common sense gun reform" including regulations to require universal background checks, raise the age to purchase guns to 21, and ban the firearms and accessories that Dick's no longer sells.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
Since Dick's is a large gun dealer their moves were cited as "one of the biggest steps taken by a US company" after the Parkland shooting energized the gun control debate.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
Citing "recent events" on February 28, 2018, Walmart announced it would raise the required age to buy all guns and ammo to 21 and require background checks on all purchasers. Walmart also stopped all sales of air rifles and toys that look like assault rifles on its website and called for tougher gun control measures. Walmart stopped selling semi-automatic rifles in 2015, and has been reducing the number of stores that sell guns for some years. It does not sell handguns (except in Alaska) and it does not sell bump stocks or high capacity magazines.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
On March 1, 2018, US grocery chain Kroger announced it would stop selling guns and ammunition to people under 21 at 45 of its Fred Meyer locations. Their grocery stores do not sell firearms, but did sell a variety of gun periodicals until March 16, 2018, when Kroger announced it would no longer sell gun periodicals that included content about assault-style rifles. L.L.Bean also announced it would end sales of guns to anyone under 21 years old. In response, several lawsuits were filed against Dick's and Walmart claiming age discrimination.


2018 NRA boycott, Companies involved, Gun dealers
In the wake of boycott, Dick's first quarter net income increased to $60.1 million compared to $58.2 million for the same quarter the previous year, and sales were up by 4.6%. The results suggest that threats of a boycott against Dick's have not had the intended effect and that the company's policy change has had a positive business impact. This trend reversed in the second quarter. The decline was blamed in part on new firearms sales policies adopted after the Parkland, FL school shooting.


2018 NRA boycott, Publix
National grocery retailer Publix suspended all political donations after Stoneman Douglas survivor David Hogg organized a "die in" and a public boycott to protest the company's support of Adam Putnam, an NRA-backed candidate for Florida governor. The NRA had labeled Putnam with its highest endorsement and Putnam called himself on Twitter a "proud NRA sellout." Hogg stated "Anyone who supports an NRA sellout is an NRA sellout," as the reason for the action. Prior to the in store protests Hogg called on Publix to donate $1 million to the Stoneman Douglas Victims fund.


2018 NRA boycott, Response
In a statement released February 24, 2018, the NRA accused the companies involved in the boycott of "a shameful display of political and civic cowardice" and added, "Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world."


2018 NRA boycott, Response
Following the NRA's response, conservative commentators and gun rights supporters voiced opposition to the boycott, calling it "mob justice" and accusing supporters of silencing free speech. Tim Hentschel of HotelPlanner.com said he would not mix business and politics, and that his decision to maintain the company's relationship with the NRA was not based on money.


2018 NRA boycott, Response
Republicans in the Georgia state Senate voted to remove $50 million in jet fuel tax sale exemptions from a tax bill in response to Delta Air Lines' decision to sever ties with the NRA. Republican Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle tweeted "I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back." Delta CEO Ed Bastian responded, saying, "Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale."


2018 NRL Finals Series
The 2018 NRL finals series determines the winner of the 2018 National Rugby League season. The series ran over four weekends in September 2018, culminating with the 2018 NRL Grand Final at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on 30 September 2018.


2018 NRL Finals Series
The top eight teams from the 2018 NRL Season qualified for the finals series. NRL finals series have been played under the current format since 2012. The qualifying teams are Melbourne, Sydney, South Sydney, Cronulla-Sutherland, Penrith, Brisbane, St George Illawarra and New Zealand.


2018 NRL Finals Series, Qualification
Melbourne qualified for their 8th straight finals series. Sydney qualified for their 2nd straight final series. South Sydney qualified for their first finals series since 2015. Cronulla-Sutherland qualified for their 4th straight finals series. Penrith qualified for their 3rd straight finals series. Brisbane qualified for their 5th straight finals series. St George Illawarra qualified for their first finals series since 2015. New Zealand qualified for their first finals series since 2011.


2018 NRL Finals Series, Venues
The matches of the 2018 NRL finals series were contested at four venues in three different states around the country.


2018 NRL Finals Series, Venues
Melbourne's AAMI Park hosted 2 matches, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium hosted one match and Sydney hosted the remaining 6 matches, which were played at Allianz Stadium and ANZ Stadium.


2018 NRL Finals Series, Finals structure
The system used for the 2018 NRL finals series was a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight received a "double chance" when they played in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team lost in the first week it still remained in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight played knock-out games – only the winners survived and moved on to the next week. Home-state advantage went to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.


2018 NRL Finals Series, Finals structure
In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals received a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final played the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two played the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches moved on to the grand final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.


2018 NRL Grand Final
The 2018 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2018 National Rugby League season and was played on Sunday September 30 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between minor premiers the Sydney Roosters and defending premiers the Melbourne Storm. In front of a crowd of 82,688, Sydney won the match 21-6 to claim their 14th premiership title and their first since 2013. Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the game's official man of the match.


2018 NRL Grand Final
The match was preceded by the inaugural NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final and the 2018 NRL State Championship. Pre -match entertainment was headlined Sydney alternative rock band Gang of Youths. Australian singer Samantha Jade performed the Australian National anthem. The match was broadcast live throughout Australia by the Nine Network.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Background
It was the first time the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters contested for an NRL premiership, with both teams having made the most grand final appearances since the beginning of the NRL era in 1998. Only on six occasions since 1998 has there been a grand final that did not feature either club. Both sides have also claimed every minor premiership since 2013, with the Roosters finishing first in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018, and the Storm doing the same in 2016 and 2017. The Roosters qualified for their first grand final since they won the premiership in 2013.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Background
The club had reached the preliminary finals in 2014, 2015, and 2017, yet were denied a grand final berth on each occasion when they were defeated by the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys, respectively. The Storm qualified for their third-straight grand final, replicating the milestone they achieved in 2006, 2007 and 2008. They are the first NRL side to make three consecutive grand finals on more than one occasion. It was Trent Robinson's second grand final in his sixth year coaching the Roosters, while Craig Bellamy equalled Wayne Bennett in reaching eight grand finals as a first grade coach.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Background
Sydney and Melbourne finished first and second on the premiership ladder respectively, making up a top four in which all teams (together with the South Sydney and Cronulla-Sutherland) finished on 34 points. The sides faced each other only once during the regular season, with the Storm edging out a 9-8 victory over the Roosters at Adelaide Oval courtesy of a Cameron Smith field goal. Having a double home game advantage, both teams defeated the third-placed Rabbitohs and fourth-placed Sharks to earn a week off from the semi finals and a place into the grand final.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Background
Sydney, playing at Allianz Stadium, defeated the Sharks 21-12 in the second qualifying final. In the preliminary final, they defeated the Rabbitohs 12-4 in front of a record crowd of 44,380 in the last ever NRL game held at Allianz Stadium before its scheduled knock-down and rebuild. Melbourne, playing at AAMI Park, narrowly defeated the Souths 29-28 in the first qualifying final, before beating their 2016 grand final opponents Cronulla-Sutherland 22-6 to join the Roosters in the premiership decider. Sydney and Melbourne last played each other in the finals in 2015, where the fourth-placed Storm defeated the minor-premiership winning Roosters 20-18 in the first week of the finals.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Teams
The grand final would be Billy Slater's final game before his retirement after playing 319 first grade games in the NRL, becoming the 16th player to finish their career playing over 300 games at one club. However, many felt Slater was extremely lucky to be playing in the game after being charged for a shoulder charge against Cronulla player Sosaia Feki in the preliminary final the week before. The judiciary cleared Slater of any wrongdoing, presenting him with the opportunity to win a grand final in the final game of his illustrious career.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Teams
Melbourne captain Cameron Smith surpassed Darren Lockyer in becoming the most capped finals player in the NRL, with 36 appearances. Brodie Croft, Joe Stimson, Christian Welch, and Brandon Smith were the only new additions to the Storm's grand final winning squad from the previous year.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Teams
Roosters halfback Cooper Cronk played in his eighth grand final, after playing all seven previous grand finals for the Storm; he equalled Steve Menzies in becoming the fourth most-capped NRL player in history; he also became the first player to win back-to-back premierships with different clubs since Johnny Mayes accomplished the feat in 1973 with Manly-Warringah then 1974 with Eastern Suburbs. Daniel Tupou, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jake Friend, Boyd Cordner, and Mitchell Aubusson were the last remaining members from their 2013 premiership winning squad, while Frank-Paul Nu'uausala wasn't selected to play. Luke Keary was the only other Roosters player to have experienced premiership success, having played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in their victorious 2014 Grand Final.


2018 NRL Grand Final, Aftermath
As premiership winners, the Sydney Roosters qualified to play in the 2019 World Club Challenge. Against the Super League XXIII champions the Wigan Warriors, the Roosters won the match 20-8 at Wigan's DW Stadium.


2018 NRL Touch Premiership Season
The 2018 NRL Touch Premiership season is the inaugural season of the NRL Touch Premiership in Australia, and coincided with matches in the 2018 NRL season. The premiership was launched in partnership with Touch Football Australia and the National Rugby League, and was made up of a three round regular season split into two conferences - Queensland and New South Wales - with the first-placed teams in both conferences progressing to the grand final.


2018 NRL Touch Premiership Season, Teams
The premiership included six teams in its inaugural season, extracted from the 2018 Elite 8 Series. Each team was aligned to a current NRL club, and was made up of players selected by Queensland Touch Football and NSW Touch Football based on their performances at the 2018 National Touch League.


2018 NRL Touch Premiership Season, Regular season
The regular season was broken into two conferences, consisting of three teams each - Cowboys, Titans, and Broncos in the Queensland conference and Eels, Knights, and Tigers in the NSW conference.


2018 NRL Touch Premiership Season, Grand Final
The grand final is played between the first-placed team in the Queensland conference, and the first-placed team in the New South Wales conference.


2018 NRL Women's season
The 2018 NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW) was the first season of professional women's rugby league in Australia.


2018 NRL Women's season, Pre-season
Only two of the four sides, the Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors, took part in pre-season trial games. The Warriors played two fixtures against a combined Auckland side, while the Broncos played the Papua New Guinea Orchids as a curtain-raiser to the Brisbane Broncos-Manly Sea Eagles NRL fixture. The Sydney Roosters were due to play the North Sydney Bears but the game was cancelled due to player availability. They instead underwent an opposed session with the Roosters' under-20 Jersey Flegg Cup side.


2018 NRL Women's season, Regular season
The inaugural season will operate under a round-robin format, with games played as curtain-raisers to the 2018 NRL Finals Series. The top two finishing teams will then contest the Grand Final, which is to be played before the men's Grand Final on 30 September.


2018 NRL Women's season results
The 2018 NRL Women's Premiership is the first season of professional women's rugby league in Australia.


2018 NRL season
The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 teams playing 25 weekly rounds of matches from March until September, resulting in the top eight teams playing a series of finals matches to determine which two teams reached the 2018 NRL Grand Final.


2018 NRL season, Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 12th consecutive year.


2018 NRL season, Pre-season
The 2018 pre-season featured the 2018 World Club Challenge match with the NRL premiers Melbourne Storm defeating the Super League champions Leeds Rhinos.


2018 NRL season, Regular season
With the City vs. Country representative game having been scrapped, the NRL scheduled 6 games to take place in regional areas of New South Wales and Queensland as a replacement: Tamworth, Bathurst & Mudgee, and Toowoomba, Gladstone & Cairns.


2018 NRL season, Regular season
The overall structure of the season's draw was also revised. The second game of the 2018 State of Origin series was played as a stand-alone fixture on a Sunday to avoid conflict with the regular season. Due to this the competition was shortened to 25 rounds and each team got 1 bye as opposed to 2 in previous years.


2018 NRL season, Regular season
Bold – Opposition's Home gameX – Bye* – Golden point gameOpponent for round listed above margin


2018 NRL season, Player statistics and records
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 25.


2018 NRL season results
The 2018 NRL season was the 112th  season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League.


2018 NRL season results, Regular season
All times are in AEST (UTC+10:00) on the relevant dates.


2018 NWHL Draft
The 2018 NWHL Draft took place on the 19th and 20 December 2018, the first and only draft in NWHL history to happen while the season was underway. The expansion Minnesota Whitecaps would take part in the draft for the first time.


2018 NWHL Draft
A total of 30 players were drafted, of which twenty were American, four were Canadian, and one was Swedish. Four players were drafted from Boston College, along with three each from Merrimack College, Colgate University, and Wisconsin University.


2018 NWHL Draft
The 2018 draft was the first draft in NWHL history not to see a goaltender selected in the first two rounds, and the first to see an NCAA Division III player selected.


2018 NWHL Draft, Format
There was five rounds, with each team having one pick in each and having 90 seconds to make that pick. Draft order was decided using each team's winning percentage in the first half of the season, with goal difference being the tiebreaker. The final draft order was:


2018 NWHL Draft, Format
Players who were drafted were not guaranteed to sign with the team that drafted them.


2018 NWSL College Draft
The 2018 NWSL College Draft was held on January 18, 2018 at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft
The 2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft was held by the National Women's Soccer League on January 30, 2018, after the Boston Breakers ceased operations on January 28, 2018. The draft order is determined using a random weighted draw based on teams' playoffs qualification in the 2017 NWSL season.


2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft
Eligible players include Boston's contracted players, 2018 NWSL College Draft selections, players on its Discovery List, and all other players whose NWSL rights were held by Boston. Eligible players who opt out of the draft would not be eligible to play in the 2018 NWSL season.


2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft
Contracted players and 2018 draftees, if selected, will not count against a team's roster size limit, salary cap, or international player limit for the 2018 NWSL season. Any players who opted to participate in the draft but were not selected immediately become discovery eligible.


2018 Nadeshiko League
The 2018 L. League season is the 30th edition since its establishment. NTV Beleza are the defending champions, having won the Division 1 title in each of the past three seasons.


2018 Nadeshiko League, Nadeshiko League Division 1
The season began on 21 March 2018 and ended on 3 November 2018.


2018 Nadeshiko League, Nadeshiko League Division 2
The season will begin on 21 March 2018 and will end on 28 October 2018.


2018 Nadeshiko League Cup Final
2018 Nadeshiko League Cup Final was the 11th final of the Nadeshiko League Cup competition. The final was played at Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium in Tokyo on July 21, 2018. Nippon TV Beleza won the championship.


2018 Nadeshiko League Cup Final, Overview
Nippon TV Beleza won their 7th title, by defeating INAC Kobe Leonessa 1–0 with Mina Tanaka goal.


2018 Nadkarni Cup
The 2018 Nadkarni Cup is the 111th season of the Nadkarni Cup, a football competition played in Mumbai, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The 16 teams will play the tournament on knockout cum basis. The matches will be played at RCF Ground, Chembur. The cup will commence from 6 February 2018.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide
On September 20, 2018, a landslide caused by heavy rainfall and quarrying operations by Apo Land and Quarry Corporations (ALQC) in Naga, Cebu, Philippines, killed 78 people. Five others are missing. This is the second deadly landslide to occur in the country in five days; the first occurred in Itogon, Benguet, on September 15, triggered by Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong), leaving at least 35 dead.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide, Background
According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the area had long been identified as landslide-prone. Prior to the landslide, the MGB discovered the cracks in the mountain on August 28. On August 29, the letter from MGB addressed to the Naga Mayor Kristine Chiong said that the cracks "do not pose an imminent danger to the neighboring community". This prompted Chiong to order the mining operator, Apo Land and Quarry Corporation (ALQC), to cease all operations of quarrying. The MGB replied to Chiong, saying that, based on her technical report, they "considered decision" to resume the operation. Chiong allowed the operations to resume on September 5 with the conditions given, including the "creation of an evacuation and relocation plan". However, on September 11, the size of the crack increased from a previous 3 mm to 35 mm.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide, Landslide
Early on the morning of September 20, 2018, a hillside began to crack and collapse into several homes in Sitio Sindulan, Tinaan, Naga, Cebu after days of heavy rainfall, killing at least 53. About 50 people were reported to have been trapped. According to the local authorities, there were 6 partially damaged and 77 totally damaged houses due to the landslide. The landslide also covered part of the river, prompting officials to dig a temporary canal. The landslide covered about 80.12 hectares.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide, Aftermath
The local government issued a state of calamity in the villages of Tinaan, Naalad, Mainit, Pangdan, and Cabungahan. According to a local resident named Cristita Villarba, they heard a rumbling sound coming from the mountain and then the ground shook as if it was like an earthquake. More than 600 families were evacuated from their homes, fearing that the landslide will occur again. According to the police chief inspector Roderick Gonzales, they received messages coming from a person who was trapped in the rubble, indicating signs of life. At least 77 bodies were recovered in the rescue operations. A total of 2,087 families or 8,655 persons have been affected by the landslide. An actual video of the landslide was recorded on CCTV camera.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide, Aftermath
On the afternoon of September 21, President Rodrigo Duterte visited the landslide victims and mourned the deaths caused by the disaster. Duterte also vowed to relocate the affected residents. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that they temporarily suspended all quarrying activities around the country, following the landslide.


2018 Naga, Cebu landslide, Aftermath
The Department of Social Welfare and Development reported a total of ₱80,475,632.13 worth of relief assistance, with the department extending relief support and financial assistance worth ₱8,653,230.18 and local government units providing ₱45,282,880.60. The National Housing Authority (Philippines) also committed ₱175 million to build 320 housing units for the landslide victims, while the city government of Naga allotted an initial amount of P25 million for the construction of 50 housing units. The provincial government of Cebu also donated 2.7 hectares of the "Balili property" to be used as the relocation site.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, 2018 was held on 27 February 2018 in 59 out of 60 constituencies of the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland. The scheduled election in Northern Angami II constituency did not take place as only incumbent MLA Neiphiu Rio was nominated and was therefore declared elected unopposed. The counting of votes took place on 3 March 2018.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Background
The tenure of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly ended on 13 March 2018. On 22 Jan 2018, former CM KL Chishi joined the BJP along with 12 other leaders and former lawmakers, including former Independent legislator Jacob Zhimomi, at an event in Dimapur.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Background
11 parties issued a statement calling for the postponement of the polls.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Background
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the ruling Naga Peoples' Front dissolved their electoral alliance prior to the election. The BJP instead chose to form an alliance with the newly formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, led by former CM Neiphiu Rio.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Schedule
The dates of the election were announced on 18 January 2018.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Result
9 parties registered to contest the election, as well as a further 11 independent candidates. Lok Sabha MP and former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party was declared elected uncontested in the Northern Angami II constituency after no other candidate was nominated against him.


2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Government Formation
Neiphiu Rio, the leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Nagaland on 8 March 2018. The ministry had 12 Cabinet ministers including the Chief Minister. 5 incumbents including the Chief Minister belong to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, while 6 ministers including the Deputy Chief Minister belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party. 1 minister is an Independent MLA. NPP party MLA's merge their party with Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party.


2018 Nagasaki gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 4 February 2018 to elect the next Governor of the Nagasaki Prefecture. Incumbent Governor Hōdō Nakamura ran for a third consecutive term, challenged by Toshihiko Haraguchi from the Japanese Communist Party.


2018 Nagasaki gubernatorial election
While Haraguchi focused his campaign on welfare issues, Nakamura prioritized the creation of new jobs and the domestic migration from other Japanese prefectures. Subsequently, Nakamura came out victorious, securing his third term by receiving 76.8% of the votes.


2018 Nagoya Grampus season
The 2018 Nagoya Grampus season was Nagoya Grampus' first season back in the J1 League following their relegation at the end of the 2016 season, their 25th J1 League season and 35th overall in the Japanese top flight. They also took part in the Emperor's Cup and the J. League Cup.


2018 Nagoya Grampus season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Naiste Meistriliiga
The 2018 Naiste Meistriliiga was the 26th season of women's league football in Estonia. The season was played between 31 March 2018 and 10 November 2018. Flora won their first Estonian league title and qualified for the Champions League.


2018 Naiste Meistriliiga, Format
The eight teams played each other twice, for a total of 14 matches, with the top four teams qualifying for a championship round and the bottom four teams playing a relegation round.


2018 Naiste Meistriliiga, Playoff
Tammeka won 5–1 on aggregate and remain in the Naiste Meistriliiga.


2018 Namibia FA Cup
The 2018 Debmarine Namibia Cup is the 25th edition of the Namibia FA Cup, the knockout football competition of Namibia.


2018 Nashville SC season
The 2018 Nashville SC season will be the club's inaugural season both as an organization and as a member in the United Soccer League (USL). Nashville SC plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL.


2018 Nashville mayoral special election
The 2018 Nashville mayoral special election took place on May 24, 2018, and elected the mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. David Briley, a Democrat who became interim mayor after the resignation of Megan Barry, won outright without a runoff election.


2018 Nashville mayoral special election
Former Mayor Megan Barry resigned on March 6, 2018, and the Davidson County Election Commission scheduled an election for August 2, 2018 to coincide with the state primary elections, school board elections and the election of several other municipal officials. However, mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace sued on the basis of state law (T.C.A. § 2-14-102) and a 2007 Metropolitan government charter amendment, both requiring an earlier election if the next general metropolitan election was more than twelve months away. The Tennessee Supreme Court agreed with Wallace's argument, unanimously ordering a mayoral election between May 21 and May 25.


2018 Nashville mayoral special election
Early voting was scheduled from May 4 to May 19. The election is officially nonpartisan. If no candidate had won a majority of the vote, a runoff would have been held on June 28 between the top two finishers.


2018 Nashville mayoral special election, Candidates
Fourteen candidates nominated for the mayoral election. David Briley was the sole candidate in support of Nashville's transit plan, which was decided in a referendum on May 1. Nashville voters overwhelmingly rejected the plan, by about a 2–1 margin.


2018 National
The 2018 Boost National was held from December 11 to 16 at the Conception Bay South Arena in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador. This will be the fourth Grand Slam and second major of the 2018–19 curling season.


2018 National
The first all-Scottish Grand Slam final  saw Ross Paterson of Glasgow beat defending champions Bruce Mouat of Edinburgh 4–3 in an extra end to win his team's first Grand Slam. Rachel Homan beat Kerri Einarson 4–1 in the women's final, to win her ninth slam.


2018 National
The event was sold out all week, owing to the popularity of the hometown Brad Gushue rink. The total attendance was 23,500 which was a Grand Slam record at the time.


2018 National, Qualification
The top 14 men's and women's teams on the World Curling Tour order of merit standing as of November 5, 2018 qualified for the event. The Grand Slam of Curling may fill one spot in each division as a sponsor's exemption. In the event that a team declines its invitation, the next-ranked team on the order of merit is invited until the field is complete. The sponsor's exemption was not used, and the spot  was allocated to the highest-ranked remaining team on the order of merit.


2018 National, Qualification, Men
Top Order of Merit men's teams as of November 5:


2018 National, Qualification, Women
Top Order of Merit women's teams as of November 5:


2018 National, Men, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Newfoundland Standard Time (UTC−3:30).


2018 National, Women, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Newfoundland Standard Time (UTC−3:30).


2018 National Camogie League
The 2018 National Camogie League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues, commenced in January 2018 and was won by Kilkenny.


2018 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
The 2018 National Camogie League consists of three divisions: eleven teams in Division 1, thirteen teams in Division 2 and four in Division 3; Divisions 1 and 2 are divided into two groups. Each team plays every other team in its group once. 3 points are awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.


2018 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
If two teams are level on points, the tie-break is:


2018 National Camogie League, Format, League structure
If three or more teams are level on league points, rankings are determined solely by points difference.


2018 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotion and relegation
The top two teams in each group in Division 1 contest the National Camogie League semi-finals. The last-placed team in each group contest the relegation playoff.


2018 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotion and relegation
The top two teams in each group in Division 2 contest the Division 2 semi-finals. The last-placed team in each group contest the relegation playoff.


2018 National Camogie League, Format, Finals, promotion and relegation
All four teams in Division 3 contest the Division 3 semi-finals.


2018 National Challenge Cup
The 2018 Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup was the 27th edition of domestic cup competition in Pakistan. 24 teams participated in the competition, from 21 April–10 May 2018. The Pakistan National Challenge Cup is held in Karachi after FIFA lifts ban.


2018 National Challenge Cup, Teams
The 24 teams participating in the tournament are as below:


2018 National Challenge Cup final
The 2018 National Challenge Cup final was a football match between Pakistan Air Force and WAPDA played on 10 May 2018 at KPT Football Stadium in Karachi. Pakistan Air Force won their second National Challenge Cup title after having won the first in 2014.


2018 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2018 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 87th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for Gaelic Athletic Association county teams. Thirty-one county teams from the island of Ireland, plus London, compete. Kilkenny do not participate.


2018 National Football League (Ireland)
The first six rounds in all four divisions were scheduled to have been played before 24 March 2018, allowing the final round seven matches to be played on that date. Due to poor winter weather, some fixtures in Division 2 (round 6) and Division 4 (rounds 5 and 6) had not been played by that date. The GAA decided to proceed with the final round seven matches in the four divisions before the completion of the earlier rounds.


2018 National Football League (Ireland)
This decision proved controversial - for instance, in the rescheduled Division 2 match between Louth and Meath which was played on 31 March 2018, Meath needed to win to avoid relegation while Louth had nothing to play for as they were already relegated irrespective of the result. Meath beat Louth by 1-12 to 0-07, thereby ensuring that Down were relegated.


2018 National Football League (Ireland)
Eir Sport and TG4 provide live TV coverage of the league on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons respectively. The highlights programmes are RTÉ2's League Sunday on Sunday evenings and TG4's GAA 2018 on Monday evenings.


2018 National Football League (Ireland)
The league concluded on 1 April 2018 with Dublin defeating Galway in the division 1 final. It was their fifth Division 1 title in six years.


2018 National Football League (Ireland), Format, League structure
The 2018 National Football League consists of four divisions of eight teams. Each team plays every other team in its division once, usually four home and three away or three home and four away. Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw.


2018 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If only two teams are level on league points -


2018 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If three or more teams are level on league points, score difference is used to rank the teams.


2018 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations, Division 1
The top two teams in Division 1 contest the National Football League final. The bottom two teams are relegated to Division 2.


2018 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations, Division 2, Division 3 & Division 4
The top two teams in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted and contest the finals of their respective divisions. The bottom two teams in Divisions 2 and 3 are relegated.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at Amalie Arena in  Tampa, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 28, 2018. Tampa last held the NHL All-Star Game in 1999. The All-Star Game was played in lieu of NHL participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, as the NHL Board of Governors ruled against interrupting the season to send players to Pyeongchang from February 10 to 25.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The Pacific All-Stars won the All-Star Game, which was in its third straight year of a four-team, 3-on-3, single elimination format, with one team representing each of the league's four divisions. Rookie Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks was named the Most Valuable Player, scoring two goals with an assist. He became the first rookie to win MVP since Mario Lemieux in 1985.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Format
The 2018 All-Star Game again used the 3-on-3 tournament format successfully introduced in 2016, in which teams representing each of the NHL's four divisions (the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific) played a single-elimination tournament, with each game consisting of two 10-minute halves played 3-on-3 and going directly to a shootout if tied after 20 minutes.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Format
In keeping with the four-team format, four separate uniforms were unveiled on January 3, one for each division. As with the previous year, the jerseys are meant to be of high contrast against one another to avoid confusion regardless of which teams face off. The primary colors of each jersey mirror the colors used by the event's host, the Lightning, with the Pacific division in white, the Central in black, the Atlantic in blue, and the Metropolitan in gray.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Format
Accent colors of "solar red" (on the Western Conference uniforms) and "UV yellow" (on the Eastern Conference uniforms) are meant to evoke the "warm, vibrant sunset tones and the energy of the Tampa Bay area." The custom-designed number font also includes a pattern based on the suspension cables of the nearby Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The uniforms also see a nod to classic 1980s All-Star uniforms in the inclusion of stars on the sleeves, one for each division.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Skills Competition
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place the day before the All-Star Game on January 27, 2018, at Amalie Arena. Event winners were awarded a $25,000 prize, with new events the passing challenge and goalie save streak added to the competition. The winners were:


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
As in the previous two All-Star Games, captaincy of each division was determined by a fan vote, running from December 2, 2017 until January 1, 2018. On January 3, 2018, after a month of fan voting, the four captains were announced by the NHL. Steven Stamkos of the hosting Lightning was selected captain for the Atlantic Division. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was selected for the Metropolitan Division. P. K. Subban of the Nashville Predators and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers were selected to captain the Central and Pacific Divisions, respectively, for the second consecutive year.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
On January 7, Jon Cooper of the Lightning was named head coach of the Atlantic Division Team. Joining him as coaches are Peter Laviolette of the Predators (Central), Barry Trotz of the Capitals (Metropolitan), and Gerard Gallant of the Golden Knights (Pacific). Coaches are chosen from the team in each division with the highest points percentage through January 6, the season's halfway point: the Lightning sat at 0.744 with 61 points as the top team in the NHL, trailed by the Golden Knights at 0.725 with 58 points. The Predators, with a 0.659 percentage and 54 points, were ranked fourth while the Capitals, sitting at a 0.646 percentage for 53 points, ranked sixth overall.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Full team rosters were announced on January 10, 2018. Brock Boeser, the Vancouver Canucks' first-round draft pick in 2015, was the sole rookie selected to appear in the 2018 All-Star Game. As of January 10, he led all rookies in goals and points with 22 and 40 respectively through 40 games, placing him fifth overall in goal scoring in the entire NHL.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Rosters
Under a week prior to the game, Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings elected to not accept his invitation. As a consequence, he was suspended for one regular season game. Mike Smith of the Flames replaced Quick and joined Marc-Andre Fleury as the goalies for the Pacific Division. As well, Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils was injured and replaced by Brian Boyle in the Metropolitan Division.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Uniforms
As with the previous game, the NHL used four uniquely-colored jerseys for each of the four division teams. As this was the first game with Adidas as the uniform supplier, the uniforms all featured Adidas' trademark three stripes down the sides of the jerseys, underneath the arms. The colors for each division were: blue with yellow trim, with blue pants, for the Atlantic; gray with yellow trim and black pants for the Metropolitan; black with reddish-orange trim and black pants for the Central; and white with reddish-orange trim and white pants for the Pacific. White pants had previously only been worn in the NHL by the 1974–75 Washington Capitals for a few games, and the Los Angeles Kings for the 2015 NHL Stadium Series game. The numbers on the back of the jerseys featured a pattern based on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities and entertainment
All-Star celebrations began on January 26 with the 2018 NHL All-Star pregame near the arena. Events included an opportunity to meet NHL mascots, participate in skills challenges in the NHL All-Star Skills Zone, view the NHL's various trophies, including the Stanley Cup, and meet past and present NHL players for autographs. The pregame was a recurring event open all of All-Star Weekend.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities and entertainment
All-Star Friday Night included the Enterprise NHL All-Star Friday Night concert at Curtis Hixon Park headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities and entertainment
The 2018 Gasparilla Pirate Festival and the Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates took place nearby on January 27, prior to the All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena. Former Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier was named the grand marshal for the parade, and regarded as a "perfect choice" by Christopher Lykes, the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, who have hosted the parade annually since 1904. According to Lykes, "Vinny was a force with the Lightning and a force as an NHL All-Star. He has continued his leadership by being an active and positive role model in our community."


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities and entertainment
The All-Star Red Carpet began prior to the All-Star Game at 1:00 pm on January 28, with further opportunities for fans to interact with the players as they enter the arena. Kid Rock performed during the second intermission, prior to the start of the championship game. News of his performance was announced during NBCSN's pregame coverage for the January 16 Flyers-Rangers game. The announcement was received with mixed opinions, due to a combination of factors including the length of time since his last major musical hit and his political stances.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Festivities and entertainment
Lindsay Ell sang the Canadian national anthem while Brett Young sang the American national anthem.


2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Television
The All-Star Game and skills competition were broadcast in the United States by NBC and NBCSN, respectively. This marked the second consecutive season that the All-Star Game was broadcast on American broadcast network television: the year before, it returned to NBC and network television at large for the first time since 2004. In Canada, both the All-Star Game and skills competition were broadcast on both CBC and Sportsnet, and on TVA Sports in French.


2018 National Hurling League
The 2018 National Hurling League was the 87th season of the National Hurling League for county teams.


2018 National Hurling League
Wexford finished top of Division 1B in 2017 and were promoted to Division 1A for 2018. Galway finished second in Division 1B in 2017 and so missed out on promotion, even though they subsequently won the Division 1 league final.


2018 National Hurling League
Cavan re-entered the National Hurling League in Division 3B, having previously withdrawn. Lancashire also entered in Division 3B for the first time.


2018 National Hurling League
Eir Sport and TG4 provided live TV coverage of the league on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons respectively. Highlights programmes – RTÉ2 broadcast League Sunday on Sunday evenings, TG4 broadcast GAA 2018 on Monday evenings.


2018 National Hurling League
Kilkenny were the winners, defeating Tipperary in the final on 8 April by 2–23 to 2-17. It was an 18th League title for Kilkenny.


2018 National Hurling League
As National Hurling League champions Kilkenny played the 2017 All-Ireland champions Galway in Australia on 11 November 2018 for the Wild Geese Trophy as part of the Sydney Irish Festival.


2018 National Hurling League, Format
Thirty five teams compete in the 2018 NHL – six teams in the top five divisions (Divisions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A) and five teams in Division 3B. All thirty-two county teams from Ireland take part. London, Lancashire and Warwickshire complete the lineup.


2018 National Hurling League, Format
Each team plays all the other teams in their division once, either home or away. Two points are awarded for a win, and one for a draw.


2018 National Hurling League, Format
The Division 1 hurling quarter-finals and semi-finals will finish on the day the games are played avoiding the need for replays. If a quarter-final or semi-final is level after the initial seventy minutes, still level after two ten minute periods of extra time played each way, and still level after two further five minute periods of extra time, the outcome will be decided by a free-taking competition. This will prevent games from going to a replay and allow the league finals to be held on the scheduled date.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1A, Division 1 Format
The 12 teams in Division 1 are ranked into two groups - teams ranked one to six in Division 1A and teams ranked seven to twelve in Division 1B. Each team plays all the other teams in its group once. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. The top four teams in both 1A and 1B advance to the league quarter-finals with the top team in 1A playing the fourth team in 1B, the second team in 1A playing the third in 1B, etc. Two semi-finals and a final follow.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1 Knockout, Division 1 Quarter-Finals
The hurling quarter-finals finish on the day the games are played, avoiding the need for replays. If the score is level after the initial seventy minutes, still level after two ten minute periods of extra time played each way, and still level after a further two five minute periods of extra time, a free-taking competition is held. Each team nominates five players to take frees from their chosen position on a sixty five metre line selected by the referee and without defenders. The nominated players from each team take alternate turns. If the teams score an equal number of the five frees, the outcome of the match is decided by sudden death frees using the same nominated players in the same order.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1 Knockout, Division 1 Quarter-Finals
The fixtures are 1st in Division 1A plays 4th in Division 1B, 2nd in Division 1A plays 3rd in Division 1B, etc. Home advantage is decided by whichever team has played fewer home games in their five league games, with a coin toss taking place if this number is the same for both teams.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1 Knockout, Division 1 Semi-Finals
The hurling semi-finals finish on the day the games are played, avoiding the need for replays. If the score is level after the initial seventy minutes, still level after two ten minute periods of extra time played each way, and still level after a further two five minute periods of extra time, a free-taking competition is held. Each team nominates five players to take frees from their chosen position on a sixty five metre line selected by the referee and without defenders. The nominated players from each team take alternate turns. If the teams score an equal number of the five frees, the outcome of the match is decided by sudden death frees using the same nominated players in the same order.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1 Knockout, Division 1A Relegation Play-Off
The losing team is relegated and plays in next year's Division 1B.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 1 Knockout, Division 1B Relegation Play-Off
The losing team is relegated and plays in next year's Division 2A.


2018 National Hurling League, Division 2B, Division 2B Relegation Play-Off
The losing team is relegated and plays in next year's Division 3A.


2018 National Invitation Tournament
The 2018 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I college men's basketball teams that were not selected to participate in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The first three rounds of the annual tournament were played on campus sites (the host team being the higher seeded team). The semifinals and championship game were held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Experimental rules
In February 2018, the NCAA approved a number of experimental rule changes for use in this tournament:


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Participants, Automatic qualifiers
The following  teams were guaranteed berths into the 2018 NIT field by having the best regular season record in their conference but failing to either win their conference tournament or earn an at-large berth in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Participants, Automatic qualifiers
Grambling State won the SWAC regular season title but was banned from the postseason due to low graduation rates and did not participate in the conference tournament. There was thus no automatic qualifier from the SWAC.


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Schedule
The NIT Tournament began on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Due to a conflict at Taco Bell Arena (with the NCAA tournament), Boise State travelled to the University of Washington for their first round match. The first three rounds were played on campus sites. The Semifinals were held on Tuesday, March 27, and the Championship Game was held on Thursday, March 29, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
^ Game played at Washington due to Taco Bell Arena hosting First and Second Round 2018 NCAA Tournament games.


2018 National Invitation Tournament, Media
ESPN, Inc. had exclusive television rights to all of the NIT Games. It was telecast every game across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3. Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the semifinals and the championship.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game
The 2018 National League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 regular season, played between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to determine the champion of the National League's (NL) Central Division. It was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on October 1, 2018.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game
The Brewers won, 3–1, and became the top seed in the NL playoffs. The Cubs hosted the NL West runner-up Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card Game on October 2, with the Rockies winning 1–0 in 13 innings to advance to face the Brewers in the National League Division Series.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game
The Cubs and Brewers ended the 2018 season tied for the division lead and the NL's best win-loss record at 95–67 (.586), thereby guaranteeing that whoever came in second will host the Wild Card Game two days later. The tie-breaker was counted as a regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. October 1 also marked the first time two division tie-breakers had been played in a single season.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Background
Chicago had won two consecutive National League Central division championships, and were expected to win a third-consecutive Division Title. The Milwaukee Brewers finished 2017 six games back of the Cubs, despite leading the 2017 division race by 5.5 games at the All-Star break. Milwaukee's last playoff appearance was its 2011 division title.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Background
To challenge for the 2018 division, the Brewers made several key offseason acquisitions, among them starter Jhoulys Chacin, former Kansas City Royal Lorenzo Cain and then-Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich. The Cubs' high-profile offseason acquisitions, Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow, were lost to injury during the season, and both missed the tie-breaker game.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Background
Milwaukee emerged from a crowded early division race on May 18. Chicago took the division lead from the Brewers on July 14 and maintained sole possession of first place until falling to a third-place St. Louis club at home in the penultimate game of the season. Chicago had surged out of the All-Star break to a five-game lead over the Brewers lead on September 2, but Milwaukee put together a 19–7 September record that included four wins over the Cubs in nine days.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Background
The Brewers ended the season on an 8-game win streak, while the Cubs won their final game 10–5 over the Cards to force the tiebreaker. The Cubs won the right to host the tie-breaker with an 11-8 head-to-head record against the Brewers.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Game summary
José Quintana started for Chicago, and Jhoulys Chacín started for Milwaukee. ESPN broadcast the game, with Karl Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, Tim Kurkjian, and Buster Olney. The game was also broadcast on ESPN Radio, with Jason Benetti and Chris Singleton.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Game summary
Christian Yelich had a run batted in (RBI) single for the Brewers in the third inning. Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs tied the game with a home run in the fifth inning, the first hit the Cubs had off of Chacín. Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun of the Brewers added RBI singles in the eighth inning. Orlando Arcia had his first career four hit game and scored two of Milwaukee's runs.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Aftermath
With the win, the Brewers extended their regular-season win streak to 9 and qualified for home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. Finishing one loss behind the Brewers, the Cubs hosted the 2018 NL Wild Card Game and the NL West runner-up Rockies the following day. Colorado defeated the Cubs in 13 innings. It was Chicago's first opening-round exit since the Dodgers swept the Cubs in the 2008 NLDS.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Aftermath
Milwaukee swept the Rockies in the NLDS, but their win streak ended at 14 in the 2018 NLCS when the Dodgers beat Milwaukee 4–3 on October 13, the Brewers' first loss in 27 days. L.A. would win the NL pennant at Miller Park in seven games.


2018 National League Central tie-breaker game, Aftermath
Yellich won the NL MVP over Baez, who finished in second. Both men won Silver Slugger awards and finished as Gold Glove runners up at their respective positions. Rizzo, Cain, Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw and Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward were also Gold Glove runners up. Brewers manager Craig Counsell would finish second in NL Manager of the Year voting, losing to Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker.


2018 National League Championship Series
The 2018 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the Milwaukee Brewers against the Los Angeles Dodgers, for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2018 World Series against the AL Champions, the Boston Red Sox.


2018 National League Championship Series
The series was the 49th in league history, with Fox airing all games in the United States. This series was the first time two teams that won their division in a tiebreaker game faced each other in a playoff series, as well as the first postseason match-up between the Brewers and Dodgers. For the first time since 2012, the NLCS reached a game seven, with the Dodgers defeating the Brewers and winning back-to-back pennants for the first time since 1977–1978. The Dodgers lost in five games to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.


2018 National League Championship Series
For the second year, Major League Baseball sold presenting sponsorships to all of its postseason series; as with the ALCS, this NLCS was sponsored by Google Assistant and was officially known as the National League Championship Series presented by Google Assistant.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
The Brewers won the National League Central division for the first time since 2011 in a tie-breaker game over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and then swept the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series. Dating back to the regular season, the Brewers had won 11 straight going into the NLCS. By virtue of their regular season record, highest in the league, the Brewers hold home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
This is the Brewers’ third League Championship Series and second in the National League, their prior NL appearance being a 2011 NLCS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. Milwaukee also appeared in and won the 1982 ALCS, occurring during their 29-year stay in the American League.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
Like the Brewers, the Dodgers won the National League West in a tie-breaker game, defeating the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium for their sixth straight division title. The Dodgers then beat the Atlanta Braves in four games in the National League Division Series. This is the Dodgers’ third straight appearance in the NLCS, and their fourth appearance in the past six seasons. Overall, this is their 13th NLCS trip, tying the Cardinals for most appearances by a team.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
This is the first ever playoff matchup between the Brewers and Dodgers. The two cities did meet with the pennant on the line in 1959 when the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Braves (now the Atlanta Braves) in a best-of-three playoff. However, MLB counts the tie-breaker series as regular season games.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
This is also the first ever League Championship Series between two teams that won tiebreakers, and only the third postseason meeting of any sort between two MLB teams involved in tiebreakers. The first ever such meeting was the 2018 National League Wild Card Game in which the Rockies defeated the Cubs and the second was the NLDS in which the Brewers defeated the Rockies. The Dodgers became the first tiebreaker team since the 2007 Colorado Rockies to reach the World Series.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
Los Angeles was 4–3 in their seven games against Milwaukee during this year's regular season.


2018 National League Championship Series, Background
The Brewers and Dodgers were considered the most serious suitors for Manny Machado, the biggest star traded near the 2018 trade deadline. On July 18, 2018, Machado was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Rylan Bannon, Breyvic Valera and Zach Pop. He made his debut as a Dodger on July 20 against the Milwaukee Brewers and had two singles and two walks. Throughout the National League Championship Series, Machado caught the ire of Brewer fans for his controversial play.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Brewers announcer and former MLB player Bob Uecker threw the ceremonial first pitch. Clayton Kershaw started game one for the Dodgers, while Gio González started for the Brewers. The Dodgers scored first, on a homer by Manny Machado in the second inning, which was the only run and hit allowed by González who was replaced after only two innings. His replacement, relief pitcher Brandon Woodruff, homered off Kershaw to tie the game in the third inning. A sacrifice fly by Hernán Pérez scored Lorenzo Cain to put the Brewers up 2–1 after three.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
A two-run pinch-hit single by Domingo Santana in the fourth inning extended the lead to three and a single by Ryan Braun scored Santana to make it 5–1. Kershaw allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in a little over three innings, the shortest post-season outing of his career. Yasmani Grandal of the Dodgers became the first catcher in post-season history to have two errors and two passed balls in the same game. The Brewers added on to their lead when Jesús Aguilar hit a homer off of Julio Urías in the seventh inning.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the eighth inning against Joakim Soria and managed to score three runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Machado and Matt Kemp off of Jeremy Jeffress to narrow the gap to 6–4. Chris Taylor hit an RBI triple in the ninth off Corey Knebel, who managed to retire Justin Turner to save the 6–5 win for the Brewers.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Brandon Woodruff became only the third relief pitcher in major league history to homer in a postseason game, matching the feat of Rosy Ryan (in Game 3 of the 1924 World Series) and Travis Wood (in Game 2 of the 2016 NLDS).


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Former Brewers All-Star player Prince Fielder threw the ceremonial first pitch. Hyun-jin Ryu started the second game for the Dodgers and Wade Miley for the Brewers. The game remained scoreless into the fifth inning, when Orlando Arcia hit a homer to put the Brewers on the board. They scored a second run on an RBI groundout by Ryan Braun. Ryu was lifted after 41⁄3 innings, he allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Miley pitched 52⁄3 shutout innings with no walks and only two hits allowed.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Travis Shaw homered off Alex Wood in the sixth inning to extend the lead to three. An RBI single by Cody Bellinger in the seventh inning off Corbin Burnes gave the Dodgers their first run of the game. A bases loaded walk issued by Jeremy Jeffress scored another run for the Dodgers. The Dodgers took the lead in the top of the eighth when Justin Turner hit a two-run home run off of Jeffress.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
This was Turner's second career go-ahead home run in the seventh inning or later in the postseason, joining Kirk Gibson as the only other Dodger to accomplish this feat multiple times. The Dodgers bullpen kept the Brewers from scoring and they won the game 4–3 to even up the series at one all. Kenley Jansen earned his second save of the postseason. This was the Brewers first loss since September 22.


2018 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Former Dodgers All-Star player Andre Ethier threw the ceremonial first pitch. The Dodgers' starting pitcher was Walker Buehler, while the Brewers started Jhoulys Chacín. The Brewers scored in the top of the first inning, when Christian Yelich walked and Ryan Braun drove him in with a double. The Brewers added a second run in the sixth inning when Travis Shaw tripled and then scored on a wild pitch by Buehler. Chacín pitched 51⁄3 innings, and allowed only three hits and two walks while striking out six batters.