Will there even be a playoff race this year? Maybe Kansas City will press Seattle a little. Toronto has seriously slumped and I have expected Chicago to make a run for months now and they never did and now don't look like they ever will.
So... who should I root for watching Flounders vs. the Mormons tomorrow? Ordinarily I'd root against both of them, but that makes it boring to watch.
We won't be catching RSL, and we are tied on points with the Sounders, so the best result for us is RSL over the Sounders. I hate to advocate rooting for Salt Lick, but it's the best result for us.
It isn't really much of a tie because the Quakes have two more games to play than they do. And a Sounder win won't hurt the Quake's playoff chances because San Jose and the Sounders are already in. All it would help decide is who the Quakes will play in the playoffs - the Crew, the Galaxy, or the Real. And you don't know which one it will help the Quakes play because those three are changing positions as well. I'll root against Seattle because I want them out of the playoffs and the Wizards in. I like how the Wizards play.
Not true at all. A Sounder win does hurt the Quakes playoff chances...barely, but it does. San Jose and Seattle have not mathematically clinched a spot in the playoffs.
San Jose Earthquakes Playoff Chances As a result of last night's Chicago-TFC draw: Whoo hooo! As for tonight's Seattle-RSL game: Go RSL!
Good points, though I think the difference between 7th place and 8th place are also a consideration. The 7th place team will likely get the Red Bull and the 8th place team will likely get the Crew. I like our chances against a Red Bull team that is still learning to play together better than an established team like the Crew. The Sounders may be below us on the table, and we may have a two games in hand, but they are still the biggest possibility for a team leap-frogging us.
The only way it hurts the Quakes is if either the Fire or the Wizards or Toronto catch up and pass the Quakes - then it means that Seattle is not bad enough to miss the playoffs and allow the Quakes to go in anyway. But I don't think that is a likely scenario. Those teams would need 3 or 4 more wins than the Quakes in the remaining games to do that. I think they will figure it out in the remaining 7 games. We've already seen that the Red Bulls now are very different than the Red Bulls pre-World Cup. And it isn't like the Quakes simply have a choice of 7th or 8th places - they could very easily pass Colorado for 6th as well. I really don't think any of the top 4 teams is really that much worse than the others, unless the Galaxy keep losing. The Quakes should just keep playing like they are playing and not spend time worrying what other teams are doing until the last few games of the season. The Quakes have the postseason in their own hands and have a significant safety margin.
SportsClubStats rates a Seattle win as the worst possible single result for the Quakes in the next week, outside of their own games. I think this is because Seattle staying behind the Quakes provides a buffer against any one of the chasing teams getting hot and rising in the standings. The Quakes survive that as long as it's only one team and they can stay ahead of Seattle.
I guess I have to say I'm less interested (and concerned) right now with how everybody else does than how WE do over the course of the next month. Basically, our destiny is in our own hands, and if we don't get into the playoffs, we'll have only ourselves to blame.
Well we certainly haven't gotten any help from RSL and Findley in the first half. Findley missed a pk.
A tie is good for the Quakes, I guess, but I'm really starting to get tired of the incredibly low number of goals scored this year.
The Seattle-RSL game last night was frustrating to watch. It was like neither team could string together more than 3 consecutive passes before it was given away or taken by the other side. Probably has a little to do with the crappy fake turf they play on. But regardless, I really wanted to see some goals. It sucks for the league when we get nationally televised MLS games on ESPN and it's a boring, scoreless draw. Not really going to get the casual American sports fan to gain interest in the league or in the sport with displays like the one last night.
Chivas lite over the Revs was a decent result from a Quakes perspective. Chivas USA have now played two game more and are seven points below. A win for the Revs could have moved them into miracle range, but now they are one point below Chivas USA.
Awesome results so far today.. Colorado lost. TFC lost. Chicago lost. Things are definitely going our way, let's see if we can capitalize and make some ground with a win tonight!!
T'woulds't be sweet. And here I sit getting my packing done. This is the first time I have missed a Quakes game when I have been in the area. Hope they do very well and bring in that win tonight.
Beckham returned tonight. If anything, good for the league's exposure. Will he help LA being that much older and possibly "gimpier"? We'll see
FC Dallas - 41pts (7 games left) Colorado Rapids - 34pts (7 games left) San Jose Earthquakes - 33pts (8 games left) Seattle Sounders - 33pts (6 games left) ----- Toronto FC - 28pts (6 games left) Kansas City Wizards - 27pts (8 games left) Chicago Fire - 26pts (8 games left) The Quakes still have a game against each of the Eastern wanna-bes, so San Jose can pretty easily keep them from challenging their playoff position. San Jose also has an easy remaining schedule outside a game in Columbus - Colorado has away games at Dallas, LA, and RSL and a home game against RSL still to come. Seattle's remaining schedule is very similar to the Quake's, but they have 2 less games to keep KC and the rest at bay. It's a very positive outlook overall.