I know we do not know anything about players or a coach, but how do you all think the Union will do during there first year. Unlike the Sounders who have started thier season off so well they had a USL team. Philly is starting from scratch.. So what do you think?
SSFC doesn't really have much at all to do with their USL team...they just made really good signings, including coach.
There were a couple, weren't there? I think Montero and Le Toux, as well as signing the USL head coach as the MLS assistant.
the only assured finish is they will finish... off to a very good start, but players drive performance...
Le Toux, GK Eylander, defenders Graham & Scott, and FW Levesque & Forrest were the only USL players to make the jump. Also their coach became Sigi's top assistant. Sure there was some benefit from being a USL team before, but I think their main advantages teamwise was Sigi (coach) and great "new" players (Keller, Montero). Also the crowd really helps the team at home and I would credit that to ownership (Seahawks) and stadium location (downtown). Also, the Sonics leaving didn't hurt.
Seems like we're regressing. Can't even win at home anymore, the smooth, crisp possession game in the midfield is now suspect.
I thought they looked pretty crisp against RSL, not so much against Colorado. In that game I assumed it was because they had played three matches in seven days and their legs just weren't there. I have no idea how to explain yesterday though. Maybe they thought just showing up was enough to get them a win. They're not nearly good enough to think that - I think maybe only LA is good enough to do that. In any case, I guess there's a certain benefit to finishing as low as possible (i.e., draft pick), but it sure seems like a strong finish would be best. It'd give everybody - fans and team personnel - a reason to believe next year could be a lot better. I fear what a freefall would do to next year's ticket sales - from reading twitter and this board it already seems like a lot of fans are getting disillusioned.
Agreed. At this point it looks like a bad finish could net them the third pick, as opposed to the fourth or fifth. A stronger finish featuring some entertaining, fun, hard-working soccer at PPL will do wonders for everybody's psyches. There are a lot of tough games coming up, but if they can hang tight with some of the better teams and maybe even knock one off, it will be a good thing heading into the offseason.
More's the question - what duz we have to do THIS year to be in the Superliga Next year? (I gave up my playoff hopes last weekend along with my ball-park franks!)
Can you not make the playoffs and still make it the Superliga? If its even still around next year, I don't think you can get in. Unless you are DC "suck" United and some how still in the US Open Cup.
Not necessarily. If the US Open Cup winner makes the playoffs and Toronto makes the playoffs and qualifies for the CCL out of Canada, the ninth place team will get a Superliga spot. Even ninth is a pretty long shot for the Union right now, though.
Actually guys - for the life of me I can't figure out what it takes to make next year's Superliga...It's the top 4 teams that do not qualify for the Concacaf CL...I get that - but what does it take to make Concacaf CL? Sumbody hep me!
CCL slots for the US in the past have gone to the MLS Cup champion, the MLS Cup runner-up, the Supporters' Shield winner, and the US Open Cup champion. If any two spots are the same team (e.g., US Open Cup champion is also the MLS Cup runner-up), the team with the next highest point total in the league who is not already going gets the spot (i.e., the Supporters' Shield runner-up). CCL spots for Canada are decided through a separate Canadian championship. Three of the four US qualifiers must also qualify for the playoffs. If the US Open Cup champion and the Canadian qualifier also make the playoffs, that means that five of the eight playoff teams are qualified for the CCL and ineligible for SuperLiga, which means that at least one non-playoff team will be in SuperLiga.