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Open Cup Semifinals!
Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 06:43 PM by Dan Loney
Hey party people. Josh, naturally, has the US Open Cup liveblog tonight. In about fifteen minutes, actually. Whoops.
I stupidly picked both road teams to win, so the least I can do is defend that point of view.
So, why did I pick against the defending champs at home. Why, why, why.
Well, a stupid intangible reason, which is why I'm not putting money up on this game - ten years ago, Rochester also marched to the Finals. And this year's road is much easier than it was then, so it's not like they've left it all on the field.
Rochester reporter Jeff DiVeronica isn't terribly optimistic, referring to DC United as "loaded with world-class players."
Well, no, they're not. This is something like the eighth or ninth best team in DC United history. They have plenty of players with a lot of upside - the nation is slowly falling in love with Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. But the attack is inconsistent, something new signing Szetela does absolutely NOTHING to ameliorate. And I'm not sure Rochester doesn't have the advantage in goal.
Besides, DC United is...look, if you had said before the season that by the All-Star Game DC would be a point out of first, what would you have said? They're good by 2009 MLS standards, which is middle-of-the-pack. For point of comparison, they have an identical record with Columbus and Los Angeles, and both of the latter went something like twelve years without winning. I'm excited about their playoff chances, I'm even willing to be ambivalent about them sneaking to MLS Cup - I just don't know whether they can avoid being ambushed by a fired-up USL-1 side.
Seattle's the other USL favorite to - oh, wait, I keep forgetting.
I picked Houston for a number of reasons. Because right now these teams are on top of the West, I'm not getting the sense that either team wants to get into the habit of losing to the other. I think Dominic Kinnear learned a valuable lesson last year when the Red Bulls upset them. I think Houston wants to finally win more than one trophy in a year. And frankly, I think that top to bottom, Houston is a better team than Seattle.
In other words, I completely forgot that Ching and Holden would be at the Gold Cup. Can I change my pick?
I stupidly picked both road teams to win, so the least I can do is defend that point of view.
So, why did I pick against the defending champs at home. Why, why, why.
Well, a stupid intangible reason, which is why I'm not putting money up on this game - ten years ago, Rochester also marched to the Finals. And this year's road is much easier than it was then, so it's not like they've left it all on the field.
Rochester reporter Jeff DiVeronica isn't terribly optimistic, referring to DC United as "loaded with world-class players."
Well, no, they're not. This is something like the eighth or ninth best team in DC United history. They have plenty of players with a lot of upside - the nation is slowly falling in love with Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. But the attack is inconsistent, something new signing Szetela does absolutely NOTHING to ameliorate. And I'm not sure Rochester doesn't have the advantage in goal.
Besides, DC United is...look, if you had said before the season that by the All-Star Game DC would be a point out of first, what would you have said? They're good by 2009 MLS standards, which is middle-of-the-pack. For point of comparison, they have an identical record with Columbus and Los Angeles, and both of the latter went something like twelve years without winning. I'm excited about their playoff chances, I'm even willing to be ambivalent about them sneaking to MLS Cup - I just don't know whether they can avoid being ambushed by a fired-up USL-1 side.
Seattle's the other USL favorite to - oh, wait, I keep forgetting.
I picked Houston for a number of reasons. Because right now these teams are on top of the West, I'm not getting the sense that either team wants to get into the habit of losing to the other. I think Dominic Kinnear learned a valuable lesson last year when the Red Bulls upset them. I think Houston wants to finally win more than one trophy in a year. And frankly, I think that top to bottom, Houston is a better team than Seattle.
In other words, I completely forgot that Ching and Holden would be at the Gold Cup. Can I change my pick?
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isnt this the same team DC beat last year 2-0, with a lineup that was 2nd worst in dc history?Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 07:10 PM by DC-USA118 
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Well, Rochester kinda sucked last year, and they've got a pretty good road record this year. They've been stinking in the league recently, but I tend to think that's because they were preparing for tonight.Quote:Originally Posted by DC-USA118
isnt this the same team DC beat last year 2-0, with a lineup that was 2nd worst in dc history?Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 07:24 PM by Dan Loney 
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Missed the EPIC Michael McDonald reference.Quote:Seattle's the other USL favorite to - oh, wait, I keep forgetting.
Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 09:29 PM by Stan Collins
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Yeesh. Just got home from the DC-Chester match. Not the best game ever played. Rochester practiced their long ball all night. DC was OK, but a very makeshift lineup. Chester was indeed fired up; DC, not so much.Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 10:51 PM by The Cold Sea
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I just returned from the game, it wasn't a good one to be honest; Rochester did the best they could - which is not much unfortunately for them - while DCU played a sleepy game (except for Kuhmalo) trying to get the maximum result with the minimum effort - which they did. I hope the final is going to be another story. I don't agree when it's said that DCU is not a good team this year, I think it may not be an outstanding team, but certainly a good one yes. Only 3 defeats, none at home, the USOC final reached for the second year in a row; second spot in the East Conf. together with the last MLS champs. I get happy with it. I think it's a very levelled championship, quite a few good teams, none of them really far superior to the others (Chivas had their moment, now it's Houston and Chicago, tomorrow who knows) and a couple of really bad teams. I like this MLS year! Last but not least, honor to those ~50some Rochester fans who were at the stadium tonight, it must not be a fun drive back home for some ~8~10 hours bus ride after a game like this... Very good number for a group of away fans on a Tuesday night, especially if they come from this far.Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 11:00 PM by Theopisa
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So... How many consecutive home games in the USOC will the final be for DC? Seriously.
Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 11:22 PM by AndyMead
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10 or 8, depending on whether you count the qualifying rounds.Quote:Originally Posted by AndyMead
So... How many consecutive home games in the USOC will the final be for DC? Seriously.
Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 11:27 PM by ThreeApples
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USOC Final already shaping up to be a preview of the MLS cup final.Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 01:13 AM by wheezl
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Good point. The guys on the UnitedMania podcast, admitted homers, have mentioned how the bidding process where DC gets to host every game draws into question the fairness of the tournament.Quote:Originally Posted by AndyMead
So... How many consecutive home games in the USOC will the final be for DC? Seriously.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 07:42 AM by Publius
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Meh. Same shit others have done. Galaxy and Fire come to mind. Sour grapes. If USSF fixes he system then it'll be fixed. Until then, it is what it is.Quote:Originally Posted by AndyMead
So... How many consecutive home games in the USOC will the final be for DC? Seriously.
Posted 22 Jul 2009 at 07:55 AM by The Cold Sea
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