Rapids Ranked #3

[fhnkeeper03]

heres the article i found!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/powerranking?league=USA.1&season=2006&week=21&cc=5901

[DrGuinness]

heres the article i found!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/powerranking?league=USA.1&season=2006&week=21&cc=5901

Wynalda or DOB mentioned that we were the most underrated team in the MLS during the Rapids/DC United match too...I wonder who's writting their talking points?

http://www.gernworld.com/images/monkey.jpg

That's old news to Rapids supporters.

[Bonji]

If the Rapids beat Chicago this weekend on the road, I'll believe the hype. Until then I'm still worried we're not going to make the playoffs.

[BeTheRed]

If the Rapids beat Chicago this weekend on the road, I'll believe the hype. Until then I'm still worried we're not going to make the playoffs.

I'm with Bonji. Usually just when the Rapids get me starting to believe, they lose 4-1 or something. Any word on Nkong's papers? Our attack sure could use him.

[Jasonma]

If the Rapids beat Chicago this weekend on the road, I'll believe the hype. Until then I'm still worried we're not going to make the playoffs.

What he said

[GoRapids]

Come on everyone - it's the middle of the season streak we ALWAYS have :)

I don't know why it happens year after year - no matter how poor the team - but it happens.

I'll believe it when it looks like we could win the conference final!!! ;)

[prk166]

If the Rapids beat Chicago this weekend on the road, I'll believe the hype. Until then I'm still worried we're not going to make the playoffs.


I don't know about that. Chivas hasn't been playing well. RSL's streak is just as much luck as it is skill (just ask DC and Columbus). LA's been hot (1 loss in their last 9 league games) but any team no matter how good they are has hard time continuing that kind of form. RSL may have the easisest schedule of the 3. But they've also had the worst form at home & are worst in the league at shutouts. http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9391264&postcount=20

My thoughts are the Rapids just need to win 4 more with a couple ties and they're in for sure. 14 points would put us at 46.

[Bonji]

I don't know about that. Chivas hasn't been playing well. RSL's streak is just as much luck as it is skill (just ask DC and Columbus). LA's been hot (1 loss in their last 9 league games) but any team no matter how good they are has hard time continuing that kind of form. RSL may have the easisest schedule of the 3. But they've also had the worst form at home & are worst in the league at shutouts. http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9391264&postcount=20

My thoughts are the Rapids just need to win 4 more with a couple ties and they're in for sure. 14 points would put us at 46.
The Rapids have been terrible on the road and recently lost 4-1 at home. With three home games remaining this season, they actually have to win on the road to make your prediction come true, assuming they win the three home games. They have won once on the road this year.

IMO things are not looking good for the Rapids. The "fortress" at home has been penetrated and the road woes continue. As you know, the western conference is so tight top to bottom, if we slip and miss 5 points, we're in 5th place all of a sudden.

This end of season on the road worries me greatly.

[prk166]

So why do you feel this way this year? Not this this invalidates your points but I seem to remember you being much more confident in the Rapids going into the final stretch last year. And, IIRC, they were in a similar situation were most of their remaining games were on the road ( a bit better; 4 of 9). Was it the Nkong factor? More consistent defense? Kirovski was wearing shorter shorts? ;) I'm just asking you and others this as a question.

[GoRapids]

I feel the same as I do every year! :) Last year was a plesant surprise with the win over FCD!!

But this year feels a bit worse with the loss of Dedi and nobody to step in on the left side. I think it's going to be become a major issue down the stretch as the game start being played a bit more urgently.

[RapidStorm]

I feel the same as I do every year! :) Last year was a plesant surprise with the win over FCD!!

But this year feels a bit worse with the loss of Dedi and nobody to step in on the left side. I think it's going to be become a major issue down the stretch as the game start being played a bit more urgently.
With all due respect, why is everyone so concerned with that? Dedi hardly played a pure left wing for us anyways, he was more of a third forward with the way he drifted in the middle, and I really don't remember him contributing (other than just getting physically back) on defense.

I think Clark, once he has a few more games under his belt, will prove to be a much better option out there. He probably won't score the goals (I always thought Dedi was out of position anyways) but he'll be a mirror of Cooke essentially, and that's what we need more.

[prk166]

If Clark can be 1/2 as good as Cooke, we're going to win the cup. :)

[Bonji]

So why do you feel this way this year? Not this this invalidates your points but I seem to remember you being much more confident in the Rapids going into the final stretch last year. And, IIRC, they were in a similar situation were most of their remaining games were on the road ( a bit better; 4 of 9). Was it the Nkong factor? More consistent defense? Kirovski was wearing shorter shorts? ;) I'm just asking you and others this as a question.
The longer I am a Rapids fan, the more pesimistic I get and more I realize we're bound to be a mid-table club forever. A Newcastle if you will.

[Jasonma]

The longer I am a Rapids fan, the more pesimistic I get and more I realize we're bound to be a mid-table club forever. A Newcastle if you will.

Oh, I sense a Bonji - Greenie rumble coming...

[prk166]

I can deal with being Newcastle as long as RSL are the Clippers.

[Bonji]

Oh, I sense a Bonji - Greenie rumble coming...
Greenie? Greenie who? :)

[nowar99]

Come on everyone - it's the middle of the season streak we ALWAYS have :)

I don't know why it happens year after year - no matter how poor the team - but it happens.

I'll believe it when it looks like we could win the conference final!!! ;)

Yeah, I agree with this....and when the team has the mid-season hot streak, its almost always followed up with some statement from some commentator who has more or less ignored the Rapids all year...something like "The Rapids are the one team nobody wants to play right now..."

Of course! You want to play is in the later rounds of the playoffs! :)

Seriously, I agree...winning in Chicago will go a long way to making me think we will make the playoffs. I will stick with my original prediction though this season that we would not make the playoffs. With the league so tight, its hard to look at many games and say "oh, ok, here is where we get the points we need"...instead, I look and say "crap, we have a lot of road games and we are not a great road team historically"

[BeTheRed]

Okay, so maybe we're more like, um, 8th:

http://community.goal.com/en/blogs/thefourthofficial/archive/2006/08/28/MLS_Power_Ratings.aspx

[RapidStorm]

What are the goal.com ratings based on? They're probably more legitimate than the ESPN ones, but I don't think the Revolution beating the worst team in the league (and one of the worst in league history) and RBNY beating a 10-men RSL team without its starting keeper (both teams at home, mind you) should instantly vault them ahead of us.

For what it's worth, ESPN (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/powerranking?league=USA.1&season=2006&week=22&cc=5901) also shot us down to #9. LA, magically is #4. They might have handled DC, but they've been running up an '04 Crew "unbeaten" streak.

[Bonji]

All those different ratings are bunk.