Alert: Pick your ten for the playoffs

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by bnjamin10, Feb 14, 2012.

  1. nlsanand

    nlsanand Member+

    May 31, 2007
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    West:

    RSL
    LA (Beckham cannot be counted on for a repeat of last year)
    Portland
    Seattle
    Chivas (bit of a limb, but I'm gonna go with it)


    East:

    Red Bulls
    KC
    Toronto
    Philly
    DC United (I am a DeRo fan, so my bias is showing)
     
  2. UPinSLC

    UPinSLC Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    SL,UT
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    last year RSL missed more player games to injuries in the single season than ALL of their previous seasons COMBINED. even if you dont include all the games morales missed (basically the whole season except the first month and last couple weeks), the team still would have far exceeded the next closest season in terms of player games missed due to injury. that doesnt even include the huge number of games missed because of international callups; beckerman, alvaro saborio, will johnson as well as arturo alvarez and jean alexandre (both of which played a huge number of minutes due to all the injuries) missed many games because of those callups. plus RSL had an inordinate amount of suspensions.

    the fact that they managed to finish 3rd after all the crap they went through is a testament to the amount of depth they had last year. it wasnt at all a "fading" away, it was just a twilight zone type of season.

    they still have one of the best starting XI's in the league and if they stay healthy they will definitely be one of the top 3 teams in the league. the XI of Rimando, Wingert, Borchers, Olave, Beltran, Johnson, Beckerman, Morales, Grabavoy, Espindola and Sabo is tough to match outside of LA. Borchers (30), Morales (32), Olave (30) and Rimando (32) are the only players that are 30 years or older as well so its not like the roster is retirement home age either. i think they can definitely put up at least as many points as last season (especially with fewer CCL games to worry about), but LA is far and away the favorite for SS and I dont think anyone will come close to them.
     
  3. patilluky

    patilluky Member

    Oct 2, 2011
    Getafe spain
    Club:
    Getafe CF
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    My favorites in the east are:

    Sporting Kansas City,New York Red Bull,Houston Dynamo,Dc United,Chicago Fire.

    My favorites in the west are:

    Seattle Sounders,Portland Timbers,LA Galaxy,Fc Dallas,Real Salt Lake.
     
  4. Earthshaker

    Earthshaker BigSoccer Supporter

    Sep 12, 2005
    The hills above town
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    Lost Bobby Burling to the expansion draft and traded Bobby Convey to SKC. Not exactly a huge dump of talent. Burling was an adequate defender, but, would not have seen as much action in 2011if Ike Opara had not gone down to injury. Opara is apparently back healthy, and we also added Honduran Intl. centerback Victor Bernadez. So, huge upgrade at CB for the Quakes.
    Convey had one good season out of three, and managed just 3 goals and about a dozen? assists in that time. Added to our midfield are the speedy Marvin Chavez from FC Dallas, Colombian playmaker Tressor Moreno, and some muscle in Jean Alexandre from RSL. Also re-signed Simon Dawkins from Spurs. Dawkins had his 2011 season interrupted by surgery last year, but, finished the year strong. Simon should hit the ground running in 2012.
    Up front the Quakes have the top scorer the last two seasons in Wondo, and hopefully with a healthy, focused Lenhart along side him, a good striker tandem.
    Goalie position is solid with Busch and future Nats. goalie David Bingham.
    Nice talent haul by the Quakes in the off-season, the question is whether Yallop can get it all working together by the start of the season. If so the Quakes will definitely be in the hunt.
     
  5. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas


    There's so much parity in the league, that we can make a case for every team being "in the hunt" as far as the playoffs go.

    It is true that the top 5 teams in the West in 2010 were the top 5 teams in the West in 2011. Would I be surprised if the top 5 teams in the West in 2012 were again LA, RSL, Seattle, Dallas, and Colorado? Not really, but that's boring. A lot of people have a team like Portland jumping Colorado. But let's not forget that Colorado should start out with a healthy combo or Cummings and Casey up top. That's pretty darn good. They've brought in some interesting midfielders, and have some good defenders. Plus I'm a big Pareja fan. I think Colorado may be the team in the West flying most under the radar.

    When it comes to San Jose a lot of us need to see it to believe it.
     
  6. AmeriSnob

    AmeriSnob Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Queens
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Western Conference
    1 Dallas
    2 Los Angeles
    3 Salt Lake
    4 Seattle
    5 Portland
    -------------
    6 Vancouver
    7 Colorado
    8 San Jose
    9 Chivas USA

    Eastern Conference
    1 New York
    2 Toronto
    3 Kansas City
    4 Houston
    5 Columbus
    ------------
    6 Chicago
    7 Philadelphia
    8 DC United
    9 Montreal
    10 New England
     
  7. AmeriSnob

    AmeriSnob Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Queens
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whoops...double post.
     
  8. T.M. Anthony

    T.M. Anthony Member+

    Jun 13, 2010
    Hudson Valley
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    EAST

    1. SKC
    2/3. RBNY
    2/3. CHI (depends on who's offense is hotter this year, but I think they'll wind up against one another in the playoffs anyhow)
    4. HOU
    5. DCU

    6. CLB
    7. PHI
    8. TFC
    9. MTL
    10. NER

    WEST

    1. LAG
    2. RSL
    3. SSFC
    4. FCD
    5. POR

    6. COL
    7. SJ
    8. VAN
    9. CHV
     
  9. Jewelz510

    Jewelz510 Member+

    Feb 19, 2011
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    EASTERN CONF.
    Sporting Kansas City
    New York Red Bulls
    DC United
    Houston Dynamo
    Toronto FC
    --------
    Chicago Fire
    Philadelphia Union
    Columbus Crew
    Montreal Impact
    New England Revolution

    WESTERN CONF.
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Real Salt Lake
    Seattle Sounders
    FC Dallas
    Portland Timbers
    --------
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Colorado Rapids
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Chivas USA
     
  10. Big Chil in Denver

    Sep 10, 2009
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    LAG
    SEA
    RSL
    COL
    FCD
    ---
    POR

    The West is going to be a race, as always, especially for the last two spots. Posters here are definitely underestimating Colorado. FCD/Portland for the last spot is going to be brutal. Excellent additions of Boyd & Songo'o for Portland.

    SKC
    CHI
    NYRB
    DCU
    CLB
    ---
    HOU

    The East is also tough to call, as a number of teams could claim spots 2-5. SKC looks to repeat their success, and Chicago finished hot and will climb the table this year. NYRB, talented, brittle, and poorly managed, but should still make it. DCU poised to make a run at the East playoffs.
     
  11. Whitecaps10

    Whitecaps10 Member

    Jul 11, 2010
    Long Island,NY
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    my picks

    eastern conference

    1 New York
    2 Kansas City
    3 Houston
    4 Toronto
    5 DC

    western conference

    1 LA
    2 Seattle
    3 Dallas
    4 Salt Lake
    5 Portland
     
  12. TheBiff

    TheBiff Member+

    Apr 8, 2011
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    Ecuador
    WEST
    1 - Los Angeles
    2 - Seattle
    3 - Dallas
    4 - Real Salt Lake
    5 - Portland
    -------------
    Here is where I'm not sure.
    6 - Colorado
    7 - Vancouver
    8 - Chivas USA
    9 - San Jose

    EAST
    1 - Kansas City
    2 - Houston
    3 - Philadelphia
    4 - New York
    5 - Columbus
    ------------
    Again, not sure at all.
    6 - Chicago
    7 - DC
    8 - Toronto
    9 - Montreal
    10 - New England
     
  13. bluestate

    bluestate Member

    Apr 1, 2011
    Bethlehem, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    East
    1. New York
    2. Kansas City
    3. Houston
    4. DC United
    5. Philadelphia

    West
    1. LA
    2. RSL
    3. Seattle
    4. FC Dallas
    5. Portland
     
  14. buckeyes1130

    buckeyes1130 New Member

    May 28, 2008
    Columbus, OH
    EAST

    1. New York Red Bulls
    2. Philadelphia Union
    3. Columbus Crew
    4. Houston Dynamo
    5. Chicago Fire
    -------- --------
    6. Sporting Kansas City
    7. Toronto FC
    8. DC United
    9. Montreal Impact
    10. New England Revolution

    WEST

    1. Los Angeles Galaxy
    2. Seattle Sounders
    3. Real Salt Lake
    4. Portland Timbers
    5. FC Dallas
    ----------
    6. Vancouver Whitecaps
    7. San Jose Earthquakes
    8. Chivas USA
    9. Colorado Rapids
     
  15. jason1551

    jason1551 Member+

    Apr 9, 2003
    Columbus, GA
    Club:
    DC United
    West
    1. LA - Best team in MLS
    2. FCD - No CCL distractions, plus return of Ferreira. Loss of John could move them down, though
    3. Seattle - Too solid to drop farther, but still have several new players that will need to step up right away
    4. RSL - Talented team, but have lost a lot of depth over the offseason
    5. San Jose - My dark horse for the West. Solid additions could pay immediate dividends.
    6. Colorado - Always adequate, but Pareja will have to put his stamp on the team to get them higher in the standings
    7. Portland - Some good signings, but defense/gk is still suspect, and Boyd will have to carry the team with Valencia out
    8. Vancover - Like a lot of their pick-ups, but still lacking at GK and midfield. A few injuries would doom this team
    9. CUSA - Didn't do enough this offseason to improve and traded/waived some promising players for little in return

    East
    1. SKC - Talented everywhere, but could see a dropoff during Olympics/WC Qualifiers when their offense is called up
    2. DC - Building off a solid group of young talent, they've added depth everywhere on the field and look to be a contender if they can stay healthy
    3. Chicago - Good offseason, but putting everything together could take time. Could move up if everything gels, but don't let last year's finish fool you. They still have a lot to work on
    4. Philadelphia - Loss of Le Toux hurts, but losing Mondragon is bigger. Will have to rely on youth to carry the team, and that could be a disaster if they don't produce results
    5. Columbus - Decent team that could move up if offense clicks or one of the above teams falter
    6. NY - No starting goalkeeper and reliant on an aging backline means that Henry & Co. will have to outscore whoever they're playing. Lack of depth could be a big struggle as well
    7. Toronto - They've gotten better on defense, but still have a lot to prove if they want to rise in the standings.
    8. Houston - Still a solid team, but they will only be as good as their forwards and that's not very promising
    9. Montreal - Expansion side looks decent on paper, but lacks a quality starting XI as of right now
    10. NE - Outcome looks bleak for the second year in a row. No noticeable improvements anywhere will make for a long season
     
  16. AmeriSnob

    AmeriSnob Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Queens
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've taken the average of the predictions so far using the posts which rank all 19 teams. Teams are followed by their average position in parentheses, then the number of 1st place votes and last place votes:

    Western Conference
    1. LA (1.2, 11 first place votes)
    2. SEA (2.571, 1 first place vote)
    3. RSL (2.857, 1 first place vote)
    4. FCD (4.0, 1 first place vote)
    5. POR (5.0)
    --------------------
    6. VAN (6.429)
    7. COL (7.071, 2 last place votes)
    8. SJ (7.643, 4 last place votes)
    9. CHV (8.214, 8 last place votes)

    Eastern Conference
    1. SKC (1.87, 8 first place votes)
    2. NY (2.86, 4 first place votes)
    3. PHI (4.64, 2 first place votes, 1 last place vote)
    4. HOU (4.857)
    5. CHI (5.21)
    --------------------
    6. TOR (5.357)
    7. DC (5.86)
    8. CLB (6.00)
    9. MON (8.786, 1 last place vote)
    10. NE (9.57, 12 last place votes)

    Some quick notes
    - All 14 predictions had LA going either 1 or 2.
    - 9 out of 14 predictions had MON-NE going 9-10, with 2 more having MON 8th and NE 10th.
    - The top 2 and bottom 2 in the East seem to be locks, with the rest being a crap shoot.
    - The average position shows a boring playoff run in the West, with a clear hierarchy of teams. But who knows in MLS?
     
    1 person likes this.
  17. AmeriSnob

    AmeriSnob Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Queens
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The West is clearly the more predictable conference, with an average standard deviation of 1.08 compared to the East's 1.80

    Finishes Within 1 Standard Deviation
    LA 1-2 (the most predictable team)
    RSL/SEA 2-4
    FCD 2-6
    POR 4-6
    VAN 5-8
    COL 6-8
    SJ 6-9
    CHV 7-9

    SKC 1-3
    NY 1-5
    PHI 2-8 (the least predictable team)
    CHI/HOU/TOR 3-7
    CLB/DC 4-8
    MON/NE 8-10
     
    1 person likes this.
  18. Mucky

    Mucky Member+

    Mar 30, 2009
    Manchester England
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    West

    LA
    SEATTLE
    RSL
    Portland
    Vancouver
    ----------------
    Dal
    Col
    Chv
    SJ

    I think Vancouver may sneak in ahead of Dallas this year.

    East


    Kansas city
    New York
    Houston
    Chicago
    Toronto (finally)
    ----------------
    Phi
    Mon
    DCU
    Clb
    NER

    LA or Seattle are a lock for the final.
     
  19. CTS26

    CTS26 Member

    LAFC
    United States
    May 26, 2008
    Kannapolis
    Club:
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Show's how little you know about Chivas USA, we've made some moves during the offseason and I can assure you that we will be ready come first kick, and to add to that we will make the playoffs this year.

    We miss the playoffs 2 seasons in a row and all of a sudden we are team that can't even sniff the playoffs? That's alright though, by the way we did some shopping down in south america picked up some nice talent. Don't worry you will find out soon enough what upgrades we have made once the season kicks off, one thing is clear this season will be different from last season.
     
  20. Boloni86

    Boloni86 Member+

    Jun 7, 2000
    Baltimore
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Gibraltar
    Chivas has also lost quite a few players that got minutes last year. Valentin and Braun especially since they were young with promise. Nagamura and Boyens were also pretty established MLS regulars. And several fringe players like Mondaini, Umana, Elliott and Trujillo all gone.

    With the guys they brought in they'll probably just about break even. Best case scenario they could go from being a bad team to an average team. Unfortunately average doesn't get you far in the Western conference.
     
    1 person likes this.
  21. CTS26

    CTS26 Member

    LAFC
    United States
    May 26, 2008
    Kannapolis
    Club:
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I find it funny that all of a sudden we are a bad team, go ahead and keep underestimating us it's alright we are use to it by now.
     
  22. jason1551

    jason1551 Member+

    Apr 9, 2003
    Columbus, GA
    Club:
    DC United
    Your team finished second to last in your conference last year, so it's not as if CUSA being considered a bad team is anything new.
     
  23. Bubba1971

    Bubba1971 Member+

    Nov 12, 2010
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm trying not to let the Galaxy in me take over, but Chivas haven't gotten better while Vancouver and Portland have improved substantially. That on top of the Big 4 in the West all holding on to key players and adding depth.

    Can Chivas make the playoffs? Sure, but they need a couple of teams to falter.
     
  24. UPinSLC

    UPinSLC Member+

    Jul 11, 2004
    SL,UT
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    what improvements have you made to your team that finished second to last?
     
  25. LongDuckDong

    LongDuckDong Member+

    Jan 26, 2011
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This. Hell, the Revs made 5, maybe 6 changes to their projected starting lineup and they're still expected to come in dead last. When you're really bad one year, teams will expect you to be really bad the next year unless you make drastic changes.
     

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