Besler always goes forward for them, but does anyone remember the last time he actually scored a goal from a corner? It's always been Ike and Collin that were the dangerous ones.
Read all of what I said. First off, MLS Cup is, was and should be more prestigious than US Open Cup in my eyes (and in just about every other American soccer sports fan's eyes) too. Without any question. I only said the relative perception gap between the (rightfully) superior prestige MLS Cup and the (rightfully) lesser prestige US Open Cup is far wider than it should be and could be. Your comments actually support my arguments: Teams giving it all have a chicken-egg effect on how prestigious a tournament is. If every MLS team gave their all for US Open Cup (like SKC), it would raise the prestige of US Open Cup. Now, even if teams gave their all in both tournaments, US Open Cup would (and should) still be below MLS Cup in everyone's eyes, but the gap in prestige would be smaller. And having another thing of prestige in US Soccer is good (and differentiates this sport we love from other traditional top tier sports in America) That is my point. See, we agree on this point Here is where we diverge and respectfully disagree. I applaud, support, and encourage teams like SKC and Seattle trying to change that perception. You are throwing in the towel.
The friendlies with Premier League teams in prior seasons had me thinking the way you do. And I'm very thankful they quit doing those. But I like/want more competitive soccer games with meaning. That means US Open Cup and CCL are good things (to me). And if this influences us to build a deeper team (and iirc, MLS rules do allow some additional allocation for teams in CCL), this is better for the overall quality of soccer at our beloved club.
I'm 100% with you on this one re: CCL. I want this so much for SKC. I'm also realistic in that I will likely never see this - but you have to dream big and aim high I would additionally value SKC going to Club World Cup and playing against the Euro champion in a competitive match more (if we were the first MLS team to do it) than an MLS Cup. In my opinion this would be the highest and rarest level of club soccer we could aspire to. I remember Rob H's quote to Vermes on the field almost immediately after winning MLS Cup (this is a story related by Vermes). "Now let's go win CCL and get to Club World Cup". And Vermes was like "Please, let me enjoy this moment first". LOL
i did read all of what you said. i said that i agreed with perception issues, but you made some ridiculous comparisons that don't hold water at all. i have no issue with this. until those teams do, though, we shouldn't place more prestige on it than it deserves, which at this point, is quite low... and frankly, is barely more than a means to an end, which is to get into the ccl. see, this is grossly inaccurate of my position. i'm not throwing in the towel. i have no issue with skc or seattle or whomever taking the tourney more seriously. even though it's farther down my list of priorities, i want to win the thing too. i just view the front office touting the wins as being a huge achievement to be a bit over the top. it falls in line with the way this front office does business, all the way up to the top (although neal patterson passing away may change some of that, though i doubt it). i'll also admit, that some of it may just be my account rep. she regularly uses words like "epic," and it sets me off.
It's a mistake on my part to say never again, and this may be the result of being really tired. If we take an honest look at MLS today and going forward, SKC is going to have an increasingly difficult time winning MLS Cup or the S Shield. It's simple math, we're now 16th in the league in salary and the trajectory doesn't look to favor us catching up. That doesn't mean we can't and won't win those again. But the teams spending 3x as much are spending it with the aim of MLSC and SS. When we prioritize the Open Cup, we're playing the odds. it is our best shot at silverware each year when the side we build is very solid throughout, but lacks an a list goal scorer, where most money is spent. Our scouting, fitness and tactics will always leave us "thereabouts" and we could grab something else, but the odds are more against us now than they were even in 2013. The league is added a ton of talent, we're not in a position to pull the trigger the way others are, so we take a different approach and it works. But it works best for us in winning open cups.
Salary used to not be a huge factor, really. I mean, what DP dominated their way to Cups? Pretty much only Robbie Keane, as far as my memory is going. It's only recently with some insane signings like Giovinco or Villa (yes, neither of whom has won a real Cup, I know) that the door seems to be opening for a big step up in class and quality and, most importantly, players in their prime. Building a solid team and buying a serious attacker/creator player who is relentless and driven seems to be the way to truly do damage these days. Used to be with the cap structure that you either fielded a squad of solid B players (like SKC) or tried for something fancy and mixed a team of C players with a couple As. But more teams are looking like three or four As backed up by not just a field of Bs but some on the bench, too.
I remember when SKC began, Robb was big on saying that the plan was every year to bring in a new best two or three players. That worked for a while, then got a bit expensive, so we were instead filling in around a core of our top players with other player at about the same level. But others seem to have taken that to heart. the league is so much better than it was 10 years ago. We are still a very good club, but i share your concerns about what's to come
Final of #USOC2017 will be broadcast LIVE on @ESPN (2) & @ESPN Deportes at 9 p.m. ET/8 CT on Sept. 20
This is good news for me, since unfortunately I will be out of town that evening, rather than at Children's Mercy Park. However, it will be a late night on the East Coast for the inevitable ET and PKs.
Positives: We have a tendency to play to the level of our opponent, and if we had been playing Cincinnati, the entire country would be have rooting against us. Silver lining I guess. Our defense needs to figure some things out before we play BWP.
. I watched the entire game last night and thought FCC did a commendable job of staying in the game with a first string NYRB team until the very end. SKC has seen the Red Bulls before and I believe they can handle BWP just fine. What I worry about is the SKC offense producing goals.
referee crew announced: http://proreferees.com/2017/08/28/2017-lamar-hunt-u-s-open-cup-final-crew-announced/
Jeffrey Muschik! We got Jeffrey Muschik as the 5th? Sheesh. I actually have no idea who this is, i just thought it was funny that they listed the fifth.
NY rested a fair few starters this weekend. Both teams really want this. Let's see if Vermes has figured out how to win in regulation yet. Probably not. I'm betting off skc win, it's after another long, painful shootout.
MLS whatever it's called, their site, is predicting Medranda retains the spot ahead of espinoza. SKC goes with the same 11 from saturday. I'd be surprised, a bit, by that, and I do believe RE is an important part of what makes us work, but Medranda offers some positives, as well, and I wouldn't be bothered by the same 11.