Don't look now but with Chicago's win last night, we are only one point ahead of them in the battle for second. If we don't come home with 3 points and continue the slide, we could lose our hold on second place.
Top 3 teams from each conference make the play-offs in their respective division. The next two spots are for the next two highest point-earners. If 5 teams from one conference qualify, that teams goes into the other conference (i.e. 5 teams from the east qualify, the 5th place team in the east is the 4th seed in the west).
We'd have to travel pretty far if we were the 5th seed. Not good. Can we at least agree that if the REVs slide to 8th (5th in their division), that despite making the playoffs, this was a BAD year. But that isn't going to happen. Game preview says they are going with a 3-5-2 with Castro on the Left and Nyassi on the right and with 2 forwards, Mansally and Twellman). If that holds up, at least on paper, we're going for the win. Note: No Badilla in the preview lineup. What happened to King Khano?
Preview roster doesn't always translate to game day roster. We'll see what the plan is around 7:30 tomorrow.
I wouldn't agree although it's still too early to say. Finishing about middle of the pack in the MLS standings, getting to the semi-finals of the Open Cup, and winning SuperLiga isn't a "BAD year" in my mind.
I don't think the semifinal berth has really satisfied many people, considering the way the Revs went out (as defending winners) and then how the extra rest didn't seem to produce any immediate positives; rather three 0-4 drubbings within a month.
Depends. Is it a bad year if we work our way through the western conference and win the MLS Cup? Not the way I'd like to see it play out and very unlikely, but, after all, winning the Cup wouldn't be so bad would it?
There's not an easy road to the Cup on either side. My preference would be to get our act together, win the Shield and have what little advantage the home field brings. My point was that, if we keep our eye on the prize, I'm going to disagree with RKane that a season in which we are the 8th seed and win the Cup is a bad season.
Agree with your point (as a Giants fan in the NFL, I'm pretty darn happy that they squeaked into the playoffs). However, I don't think RKane was assuming an MLS cup win after finishing 8th in his post.
Good luck to your team. They are class of the league although I am rooting for Robbie Rogers and the Crew: http://crewonespot.blogspot.com/2008/09/keys-to-victory-against-nyrb.html. If Crew loses I will blame it on the turf. Neverthless, I am looking for an exciting match because these teams know how to play the game!
Weather forecast. Bring your rain gear! Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog. High near 70. South wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between one and two inches possible. Saturday Night: Showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Patchy fog. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Home field may not have a huge advantage, but unless I'm mistaken, during our run the past few years, we haven't lost a home game.
With the variations in playing surfaces in different MLS Stadia I think "playing on your own familiar turf" is a obvious advantage. There are a lot of factors that go into who wins or loses a match but playing on a surface that your used too has got to be a factor of significant weight.
Possibly. Then again, our record on "our familiar turf" is in the bottom half of the league. (Cue the injuries, schedule, etc excuses).
There's a really interesting dichotomy between our home record in regular season, and playoffs/knockout games. 2-0 this year in the knockout round @home in SL and 3-0 in the past two years (and the streak is longer than that since we didn't lose a knockout game in the playoffs in '05 til the Cup, which was away) in MLS Cup playoffs. I guess the question of why we're better at home in the playoffs is probably the same as the question of why we've been better in general in the playoffs (at least until the final).
That's a topic for elsewhere, but if you look at most of those home games, you'll notice quite a few 1-0 wins (not all of them of course). We've played often to score first and then bunkered heavily (see the Dempsey stop, drop and roll game).
Let me clarify ... your comment didn't imply anything about succeeding in the playoffs, and that's why my response was made. If they finish middle of the pack, lose in the opening round of the playoffs, finished as a USOC semifinalist and won SuperLiga ... this year is a failure.