I think Philly could cause Columbus problems- they may not beat them but they will tire them out. Jairo Arrieta and Gonzalo's brother have made Columbus better but they aren't offensive juggerna It's a free for all in the East. I think the only team that is safe is SKC because they've shown the ability to grind it out on the road and have been very, very good at home. This the only team in the East with a positive Road Goal Differential. You can add NYRB to that list if they find a way to come away with points from their next two games @SKC and DC (I feel Mr. Hyde might make an appearance). Thought Houston would keep their home form up- drawing against TFC is not good. They have a Central American roadtrip, then Chicago Away, and host RSL during the international break and then have SKC to deal with right after the break. They could get caught up in the fight for a playoff spot. If they do the door might swing open just a little more for l'Impact.
Ultimately our poor start to the season is what going to doom us at the end not the games in hand the other clubs have on us, absolutely understandable for an expansion club it took more then a dozen games in to the mls season for the pact too finally work as a cohesive unit it's a shame really. But the fat lady hasn't sung yet
Indeed, and skc and NYRB just drew. Which keeps them in the pack with the rest of us. Compete free for all for the top 7 in the east.
Is Columbus for real, is the dopey play by play guy right when he says a new era has begun .. I'm not convinced.. They reached a weak part of the schedule. TFC, NE, PHI. They nearly drew against NE at home but for a last gasp goal, a team that is very dispirited. That's hardly conclusive. So I'm a little confused by them. Of course we'll be playing away, and they have some momentum (assuming Philly doesn't trip them up) .. but it will be their 3rd game in a week, and they haven't played a good team in a bit ..
I dont know what to make of columbus yet either they have become a over night offensive juggernaut or its just the quality of there previous opponents not beeing up to par, i doubt that arrieta and higuain can keep up that scoring pace till the end of the campaign. We shall find out soon enough would it be grand if the impact D can shut down that dynamic duo and shut crew fans up.
It would nice sweet too if Felipe blasts one thru the netting and hits a jumping Crew fan in the groin.
Here's another round of percentage playoff hopes! Starting with the Sports Club Stats chart: http://www.sportsclubstats.com/USA/Impact2.html As you can see the whole pack got tighter, and our margin for error is as thin as ever. 50 points went from 49% to 38% 49 points went from 29% to 19% So honestly right now 52 points has to be the target number. This means a 4-1-1 record going forward(or better ).The idea of winning at home and splitting the road games, aka 4-0-2, really only gets us to 55%. This week we have some really vital out of town games. Wednesday has 2 that we care about: Columbus at Philly: A win by Philly here would be great in cutting down the advantage of those games in hand. Columbus is in the middle of a congested schedule but Philly really sucks sooo.... Hope for the best but don't expect much. NYRB at DC: NY is a pretty hot team while DC has been stumbling a bit. DC is playing a congested schedule, with a 5th game in 15-ish days. They benched DeRo, Pontius and Boskovic in Mtl specifically to have them ready vs NY. Keep an eye out for a win by NY, though a draw wouldn't be too bad for us either. DC has 41 goals (vs our 42) so hopefully they don't get too many since this is the primary tie-breaker. The next weekend has 3: 2 on Saturday plus one on Sunday. On Saturday we got Real Salt Lake vs DC. If they lose both games this week they are ripe for the overtaking . They will have played 5 quick games in a row and are the most tired team in the league at the moment. RSL is not crazy hot right now but they are the better team. Win here for RSL would be great. Montreal vs Columbus, obviously vital. It will be previewed extensively, no point me adding my blather. also keep an eye on Sporting KC vs TFC. It's a super long shot, but if Toronto manages a win here, if really flattens the pack and makes everything uncertain. The more confusion the better Sunday has one game that may or may not matter much in the end, Chicago vs Houston. Houston with 42pts(26gp) Chicago 41pts(25gp) so they are virtually identical. A draw here would be best, but in the end a win by either team means a loss by the other and gives us an opening. Houston is near us in Goals scored however(38 vs our 42) so lots of goals by them would be bad news. As such a win by Chicago seems slightly preferable.
That 2 week lay off between the crew game and the fire match is gonna be killer, the rest might be appreciated and or might kill our momentum granted if we beat columbus.
Dc v nyrb 1-1 56' min Union v crew 1-1 56' min Let's hope it stays that way or both loses would be even better.
Fc v nyrb 2-2 final Union v crew 1-2 crew win it in the 95 min with a man down wow!!! We're gonna have our hands full on Saturday there on a roll right now it helps when u play tfc, revs and union that f#%%^g suck.
26 g Houston 43 26 g dc 41 25 Chicago 41 25 Colombus 39 28 Montreal 39 Its gonna be a dog fight till the end.
If we lose the game on Saturday we will have to rely on 2 teams above us collapsing. It does not make it impossible but it does make it more stressful.
Saturday's game is pivotal a must win any less then 3 points and were pretty much gonna have too run the table. Ohhh and one more thing too add PHILLY SUCKS ASS!!!
Though all else being equal, I don't mind philly losing. Their Draft picks are held by Vancouver, who I like.
It was more important for dc losing then anything else, but with that beeing said hopefully the fatigue factor plays a roll on the crew saturday.
We need to win the rubber match between the crew if at the end if it comes down to head to head and goals for and against, I believe with dc we both won 3-0 and a 1-1 tie.
I remember turning to a friend after the 3-0 loss to Houston and saying that we have 11 games left and each one would be like a final for us. So far, the team has responded going 5-0, during that same time DC has tripped up as has Houston who was contending for the Supporter's Shield but now find themselves only 3 points above 6th/7th place. Unfortunately for us Chicago and Columbus are also winning- although the latter has picked up wins against the three weakest teams in the conference. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the Columbus game is a must-win. A draw might do but then we'd really be holding out hope for RSL to beat DCU. It is a six-pointer in every way, shape, and form. The last time the team played on the road it was pretty ugly but we managed to grind out a win. If we want the three points against Columbus we're going to have to replicate our home form.
Hey all, new to the forums. I'm from St. John's, NL, but have been rooting for Montreal all season. Made the trek to Montreal last weekend to watch them play D.C. United. Great game. At the time, I thought it was the most important game of the season for the Impact. Now though, I think this weekend's game against Columbus is far more important! I'm optimistic about this weekend, and think that we could see a string of results in our favor. The Crew are going to be tired, and they struggled to be both New England and Philly in the past week. Montreal is rested, and looking substantially better than New England and Philly. Hopefully they can pull off the win, and put some distance between themselves and the Crew once again. D.C. United, as you've all pointed out, has a crazy schedule right now. After a tough tie against NY, they go on to play Real Salt Lake. While RSL hasn't been looking that spectacular lately, neither has D.C., and RSL has had more downtime. If the game against Montreal last week was any indication, hopefully D.C. will struggle once again against a well rested and competitive team. Lastly, Chicago vs Houston. This one is a toss-up, but my fingers are crossed for Houston. I wish it was a home game. If that were the case, I'd be very confident in Houston's chances. My fingers are crossed for a draw, or a Houston win. If things go well for us all around, Montreal could make a huge jump to the 4th place spot. It'd only be by a point, but it'd be great to see it. Really, the big thing is increasing the gap between themselves and the Crew. After this game, the team has two weeks off, while other teams will play at least one game. When the Impact return, the games-played gap will decrease, and we'll all have a much better idea of where everyone stands. Fingers crossed this long weekend! It's a big one.
Not the best scenario, but not the worst either. If everybody else picks up 1 point per game and we win, then all is good. Like you all said, Saturday's game is crucial.
Rivas I'd back. I think it really helps our chances. Columbus has one of the hottest offenses of the league right now.
Welcome copes, always nice to meet another fan who made the trip from st johns, I've seen a few games that way, most notably santos laguna in montreal, where I spent 23 hours waiting at the halifax airport to transfer...