v SAT, AUG 19 5:30 PM MT Impact have won 3 games in a row, including last night's drubbing of Chicago in Montreal. Salt Lake heads into Montreal with a recent road win against DC United. Montreal is currently just outside of playoff contention in 7th place in the East with 33 points. Salt Lake sits in 8th place in the West with 29 points, poised to leapfrog Vancouver and San Jose should they lose on Saturday.
So did the last 3 road games though. I mean, we played crap teams at the right time... but this team has had success on the road lately due to teams not parking the bus in front of goal as much. Montreal is too good to sit back all game against us, so our attack will have opportunities... though so will theirs. This could be a pretty entertaining game to watch honestly. We likely still lose... but who saw a 6 game unbeaten streak put together by this team before July started?
Montreal isn't LA (shitty at home) DC (shitty period) or Portland (missing over half their lineup when we played them) This team is really really in form, actually. Any sort of point here would be massively impressive. I don't care if Montreal is playing on short rest. They played at home. RSL has to make the trek out there on a regular flight. We typically suck ass in Montreal. I expect a multi goal loss
3-0 RSL. Yura with the hat trick that silences all the doubters. Each goal is more spectacular than the last, while each celebration is steeped in humility. Yura surprises Petke in the post-game interview with a new printer. The first print is just one page, two words: "I'm sorry". A tearful Petke asks Trey to put it in his precious memories drawer. After the game Cassar is announced as the new coach for the Rapids.
Did I just stumble into a Lifetime move? In all seriousness, I trust us to get points in this game more than I do when we're at home.
But what about a twist ending, Yura wakes up from the dream and he still is riding the pine and his bald spot is still present as the plugs or paint did not take.
My first thought was 0-0 yawn fest, but then I remembered I'm likely to miss most of it since I'll be driving home from Moab. Therefore, it'll be the most entertaining game of the year.
Anyone know of any watch parties? I'm always game for Buffalo Wild Wings, but was curious if anyone knew of any RSL-focused events.
I will venture a guess, 4-2 either loss or win. I was going to say 7-1 but sarcasm is hard to present in text. I am curious how line ups are made being a 3 game week.
So... what you want to do is allow Barrett's tagline to last about as long as his season did. I can dig that.
Every game is a must win now obviously. I'm hoping for a win for sure but I really don't know what to think about this one. Is this Petke team a mirage? It's definitely better than what they had with Cassar but then again that's not much of a ringing endorsement. Virtually anything would be an improvement over what JC left us with. Looking at it pragmatically it's hard to see RSL making the playoffs even though their only 3 points under the line at the moment. As a fan i'ts hard to not still see the playoffs as a possibility with RSL only 3 points under the line at the moment. I'm a fan first, pragmatist second. That means until it's actually impossible for RSL to not make the playoffs I'll live in LaLa land. Just for fun. A loss here and I become a little more pragmatic. A win and I'm looking for more Kool-aid.
No idea on lineup. Especially with the 3 games in 8 days setup as mentioned before. I would be we see rotation against SJ more than these two. But at the same time, if Petke really still thinks playoffs are the goal that SJ one is a must-win. You can't let a team you're competing with hold you at 0 and move up 3. Nicky Tony Glad MSilva Wingert* KB Sunny Sava Rusnak Plata LSilva Bench: Lalo, Horst, Acosta, Luke, Bofo, Lennon, Yura *Not my ********ing idea
Which makes it all the more frustrating that we didn't hire Petke in the offseason. Could you imagine what we could've looked like had we had him for a full preseason, including the personnel changes he may have made? Even with the team as-is, I think we'd at least be in a playoff spot currently. Crazy how close we are to a spot, despite the horrible start to the season. Still think we won't make it, but he's slowly making me think we just might.
Too few games remaining, and it would take too many points to catch up to two of the three teams ahead of RSL--making up that ground is unlikely. But especially with those first five games of the season, it's reasonable to think Petke could've managed more than two points, and even after that it took time for him to mold the team.
I saw something that Plata did not make the trip for rotation for the three game week, so I guess Lennon starts?
/drunk rant on: Devils advocate: We're still only 3 points out, regardless of games remaining. Vancouver is more primed to move up since they have 3 games in hand, but this weekend they're playing Houston, who is top of the west. We've seen how games in hand don't always translate to points in the past, so they're the ones to look after. SJ has only one game in hand, so they're the ones we're more likely to catch. When you look at the overall schedules, we still have the easiest of the three. I'd say SJ probably has the next easiest, but its closer to 50/50 on team in/out of the playoffs. Vancouver has more games in hand, but they will have more congestion. I also feel like they have a slightly harder schedule than SJ, so they could very well drop some points. The big thing is that RSL has a game VS both these teams, which could be huge when it comes to standings. You're also discounting the fact that he had no preseason, and probably couldn't bring in the players he wanted. I think that realistically he would've brought in different people. If he kept the same team as Cassar, I honestly believe we would've been playing better a lot sooner. He would've had a full preseason to implement his vision, and even with a slower start, we would've been more likely to reap the rewards we're seeing sooner. That alone has to be worth at least ~3 or so points, which puts us in the playoff picture. And honestly the realist in me still says we don't make the playoffs. However, how we've been playing as of late, makes me believe a little that there's still a chance. It's still minor, and will honestly change in the next 2-3 weeks, but we're at least within a shout of it. And given our form over Petke, it might not be enough for a cup, but I could see us getting through 1-2 rounds if we were to make the playoffs in our current form. The biggest problem right now is the forward position. Yura is bad, and as much as Silva involves himself, he's not a forward. After that would be outside backs, IMO. Beltran is solid on defense, but horrible on offense. Acosta should be starting over Wingert. At least he offers some upside, and does get into the attack better. If we had a real forward, and played Acosta + better offensive outside back, I'd really fancy our chances. In the end though, we likely barely miss the playoffs. Not really due to the overall play of the team in the full context of the season, but because we lack a true forward, and a more offensive minded outside back.. And honestly, I feel like had we ditched Cassar in the offseason like we should've, then we'd easily be at least 6 points higher than we are now. Partly because we'd likely have different personnel, and mostly because we would've had a full preseason under Petke, which would've turned our season around much sooner. I mean hell, even playing Wingert who shouldn't be seeing so many minutes, and Silva, who isn't an actual forward, we've actually been exciting to watch over the last couple months. And who knows, with a real preseason under Petke, maybe Yura would've been on board, or we would've identified him as a weakness sooner, giving us time to get either a forward in preseason, or one early in the summer window to help us push for the playoffs. /drunk rant off.