Wager A) Earlybird special: Crew outcome for 2008 MLS season

[Grouchy]

Votes cast by participants in the (Un)Official 2008 Crew Wagering Thread will be collected and used in that thread. Votes by non-participants will be ignored. Please make sure you are logged-in with your user ID when voting or your vote will not be used in the wager.

The 2008 MLS regular season runs from Saturday March 29 through Sunday October 26 and ends with MLS Cup on Sunday, November 23.

[west ham sandwich]

before I vote, what's the playoff setup this year?

Top 4 of each conference or is it like last year where the top 2 from each conference make it and then the next best 4?

[Grouchy]

2008 Rules of Competition (http://web.mlsnet.com/about/league.jsp?section=regulations&content=playoffs)

MLS CUP PLAYOFFS FORMAT

Who Qualifies: Eight teams qualify for the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs. Playoff berths will be determined by points in the standings upon the completion of the regular season. All 14 teams will have played 30 games.

The top three teams in each conference qualify and are seeded 1, 2 & 3 in their respective four-team playoff conference brackets. The two MLS teams with the next most points, regardless of conference, receive "wildcard" berths. The two wildcard teams will be seeded according to conference first. If more than four teams qualify from one conference, the team finishing lower than fourth in its conference will shift over to the other conference bracket. A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.

Playoff Format: Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format. The lower seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winners of those four series advance to single-game Conference Championships that will determine the MLS Cup Finalists.

The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-home series advances to the single elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game.

In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary, to determine the winners.

[DGA57]

Putting my vote where my mouth has been (i.e. walking the walk after talking the talk).

[TrueCrew]

We squeak into the playoffs and then go bye-bye at the hands of a more powerful team whose front office is more committed to winning (at least in terms of signings and $$: DC, Chicago, or NYRB).

East:
1. D.C.
2. Chicago
3. New England

West:
1. Houston
2. Chivas
3. Los Angeles

Wildcards:
7. NYRB
8. Columbus

Salt Lake, Toronto, KC, and Colorado will all challenge. I think Dallas and SJ will stink.

[Crewfan Scott]

Is Nonesuch kidding?... seriously.

[CrewDust]

Is Nonesuch kidding?... seriously.

Someone has to be insane.

[Kryptonite]

We squeak into the playoffs and then go bye-bye at the hands of a more powerful team whose front office is more committed to winning (at least in terms of signings and $$: DC, Chicago, or NYRB).

East:
1. D.C.
2. Chicago
3. New England

West:
1. Houston
2. Chivas
3. Los Angeles

Wildcards:
7. NYRB
8. Columbus

Salt Lake, Toronto, KC, and Colorado will all challenge. I think Dallas and SJ will stink.


That sounds fair.

We do have to play Toronto and San Jose a few times. Easy points there.

But the league is getting to the point where you need actual talent (hear that, Lexi?) to win MLS Cup.

[DGA57]

Is Nonesuch kidding?... seriously.

He should win the whole wager competition if he gets this point here. I think that's really 50 points if it becomes reality.