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We Don't Need no Stinking Scoring
Right about now is probably a good time to start yet another serious discussion of finding a better way to determine a winner in a soccer match of enormous magnitude besides the dreaded PK shootout.
Someplace else.
Not that I'm a fan of the thing - far from it. It's just that the gut punch delivered to the Fire and their fans last night after 120 minutes of emotion, drama and desire seems worthy of something more than just another tedious discussion of the rules of the game.
For now, well, this stuff is why we hold playoffs: Have a great season but hit a dry patch at the wrong time and you go home with the Shield and some "What ifs". Limp through the season like the Little Sisters of the Poor but catch fire at the right time, and end up playing for the Cup.
If this stuff didn't happen - and happen pretty regularly - there'd be no point in holding playoffs. When yours is the team that ended the season with the better record it all seems so unfair. When yours is the team that just snuck into the field and suddenly remembers how to play, it's a heck of a fun ride.
Just one thing:
When the opposing keeper has a reputation for PK killing, and has already blocked two shots sent to his left, perhaps sending your attempt to the same place is, um, well...not the smartest of plans:
A couple weeks back, in this very space, I drew some corollaries between the Red Bulls in 2008 and the Salt Lakers in 2009.
Last year the East was a beast, a dominance which culminated in the fifth place (eighth overall) Bulls - the last team to squeak into the playoffs - winning the Western Conference Championship and playing in MLS Cup against the team that finished the regular season on top of the Eastern Division.
The team NY beat in that final was, of course, Real Salt Lake.
I noted it only in passing, as sort of a nice pat on the head to those cute dreamers from RSL who were surely being led to the slaughter at the hands of one or another of the top teams in the east.
So of course the exact same thing happens in reverse: the fifth place Royals, the last-day-of-the-season playoffs wire stretchers, are now the Eastern Conference Champions and will play the top team in their own (ie. Western) Conference for the Cup next Sunday.
Two years in a row, the team coming in with the worst record in the playoffs will compete for the Cup. Some people will claim this is a bug.
They're wrong: it's a feature.
Just saying.
(By the way, would somebody ask Christopher Sullivan how Will Johnson (supposedly) felt about playing the Fire? Did Sully think Johnson had any, like, personal motivations last night? Any particular animus towards the opponents? I didn't quite catch it the first 8,012 times that he talked about it.
Good God, the man is like a parrot. Or a six year old.)
Athletes and fans tend to be a superstitious lot particularly, as many people have noted, in soccer.
Of course we all know intellectually that not changing ones' socks or eating the exact same breakfast on game day or walking through doorways backwards or whatever else you can dream up doesn't really have a damn thing to do with the outcome of a soccer match, particularly when you're only sitting in the stands or watching on TV 1000 miles away.
Still, there's a world of difference between knowing deep down that it's all a bunch of horse pucky and spitting in the eye of the soccer gods.*
WHICH IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THINGS LIKE THIS.
Just saying.
The only thing sports fans love better than a good superstition is an arcane statistical fact, so here's one to chew on:
In the 11 years that Brian McBride has been on an MLS side, his teams have made it to the Eastern Conference finals 6 times.
Which would be a pretty strong endorsement except that as of this morning his record in those games is a perfect 0-6.
Just saying.
*Examples of Soccer Gods into whose eye one dare not spit:
Someplace else.
Not that I'm a fan of the thing - far from it. It's just that the gut punch delivered to the Fire and their fans last night after 120 minutes of emotion, drama and desire seems worthy of something more than just another tedious discussion of the rules of the game.
For now, well, this stuff is why we hold playoffs: Have a great season but hit a dry patch at the wrong time and you go home with the Shield and some "What ifs". Limp through the season like the Little Sisters of the Poor but catch fire at the right time, and end up playing for the Cup.
If this stuff didn't happen - and happen pretty regularly - there'd be no point in holding playoffs. When yours is the team that ended the season with the better record it all seems so unfair. When yours is the team that just snuck into the field and suddenly remembers how to play, it's a heck of a fun ride.
Just one thing:
When the opposing keeper has a reputation for PK killing, and has already blocked two shots sent to his left, perhaps sending your attempt to the same place is, um, well...not the smartest of plans:
A couple weeks back, in this very space, I drew some corollaries between the Red Bulls in 2008 and the Salt Lakers in 2009.
Last year the East was a beast, a dominance which culminated in the fifth place (eighth overall) Bulls - the last team to squeak into the playoffs - winning the Western Conference Championship and playing in MLS Cup against the team that finished the regular season on top of the Eastern Division.
The team NY beat in that final was, of course, Real Salt Lake.
I noted it only in passing, as sort of a nice pat on the head to those cute dreamers from RSL who were surely being led to the slaughter at the hands of one or another of the top teams in the east.
So of course the exact same thing happens in reverse: the fifth place Royals, the last-day-of-the-season playoffs wire stretchers, are now the Eastern Conference Champions and will play the top team in their own (ie. Western) Conference for the Cup next Sunday.
Two years in a row, the team coming in with the worst record in the playoffs will compete for the Cup. Some people will claim this is a bug.
They're wrong: it's a feature.
Just saying.
(By the way, would somebody ask Christopher Sullivan how Will Johnson (supposedly) felt about playing the Fire? Did Sully think Johnson had any, like, personal motivations last night? Any particular animus towards the opponents? I didn't quite catch it the first 8,012 times that he talked about it.
Good God, the man is like a parrot. Or a six year old.)
Athletes and fans tend to be a superstitious lot particularly, as many people have noted, in soccer.
Of course we all know intellectually that not changing ones' socks or eating the exact same breakfast on game day or walking through doorways backwards or whatever else you can dream up doesn't really have a damn thing to do with the outcome of a soccer match, particularly when you're only sitting in the stands or watching on TV 1000 miles away.
Still, there's a world of difference between knowing deep down that it's all a bunch of horse pucky and spitting in the eye of the soccer gods.*
WHICH IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THINGS LIKE THIS.
Just saying.
The only thing sports fans love better than a good superstition is an arcane statistical fact, so here's one to chew on:
In the 11 years that Brian McBride has been on an MLS side, his teams have made it to the Eastern Conference finals 6 times.
Which would be a pretty strong endorsement except that as of this morning his record in those games is a perfect 0-6.
Just saying.
*Examples of Soccer Gods into whose eye one dare not spit:
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Total Comments 57
Comments
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PK's suck. I hate that it had to go there.
My best idea is to allow 1 extra sub after extra time, and play golden goal 'til a winner is decided.
Replays would be great if the teams were geographically nearer and neutral sites could be used.
Anyone with DVR get good angles on the cross that Busch caught and stepped back into the net with? I thought it might have crossed the line completely.Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 11:25 AM by SaltLakeKiddy 
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Bring back the shootout. Not joking.
On the other hand, anything that knocks Chicago out of the playoffs is fine by me.Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 11:29 AM by Q*bert Jones III
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I love PKs, nothing wrong with them.Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 11:40 AM by CLEATS
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Great game last night. Both teams played positive soccer, and congrats to Salt Lake.
I love the playoffs. What I've disliked in the past was the ease with which a team could make the playoffs (which reached its nadir in the "8 out of 10" days.) 8 out of 15 is better, but not great. I'll be happier with 8 out of 18 in two years.
I'm totally fine with PKs, too. Both teams know there's a risk of the game ending that way. It's like every extra time is a mini game theory exercise. If a team is that concerned about PKs, throw more guys forward in OT.Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 11:46 AM by cpwilson80
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lhZCVWzO9U0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lhZCVWzO9U0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:02 PM by Bklyn Royals Fan
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Oops meant to copy this, the NASL alternative to PK'sPosted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:03 PM by Bklyn Royals Fan
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I don't hate PKs. What I hate is teams putting 11 guys behind ball and playing for them. And I don't think either team did that.
Comparing RSL to the Red Bulls of last year the difference to me is that RSL has played far more aggressive soccer than the Red Bulls did. The Stormin' Mormons gave up two straight goals on the road in Columbus and managed to ring three straight in response. Last year I don't think the Red Bulls could do that.Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:27 PM by NeilB
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I know this may sound a little silly, but I'd like to see corner kicks used to decide games like this. There would need to be details worked out, most importantly when does the attempt end after a clearance, but I think it would be a lot more satisfying. Corner kicks are a part of regular play, PKs aren't (at least not in the way they're done in the shootout, with everyone having to kick).
Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:40 PM by LordRobin
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Stop saying "just saying," please. I love ya Bill but that inane aside is worse than original sin.;
Whatever
(Sorry - couldn't resist. I'll try to do better)Posted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:45 PM by HouseHead78
Updated 15 Nov 2009 at 02:30 PM by Bill Archer -
I like the idea of away goals having more weight. If you're still deadlocked after that you need to go to PKs. But IMO adding that wrinkle would eliminate alot of the PKs in the playoffs and give the road team a reason to be more agressive adn open things up instead of sitting back in game one adn wiating for game 2
Parrots are smarter than SullivanPosted 15 Nov 2009 at 12:49 PM by Going Mobile 
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