2014 DC United Supporter's Shield Watch & Discussion

If those 2 games are tied, it would mean 4 dropped points each for both teams (currently 4 & 2 pts ahead of DCU, with a game in hand).

There may still be slight chances for DCU to sneak in for the SS...

 

Huge grinding out moment on Wednesday. If Estrada has to start because EJ can't play, it's gonna be nigh near impossible to put the Red Bulls back on their heels, which means it's gonna be a shooting gallery. If DCU can squeak out a point, the team will be pretty well set up, assuming Pontius is ready to go in Chicago. Even without Rolfe, I could imagine them running the table after that -- getting a result in Chicago, beating Philly, SKC and the Fire at home, even a point in Houston, and then a win in Montreal. 14-17 more points would definitely put the Supporters' Shield in reach.

 

hahahahahaha ... yeah right ... and I'm banging Jennifer Lawrence later that night too on my yacht ...

 

Considering we should have had one the last time we played them, I'd bring protection for your motor boat ride.

 

Actually we should have had a point a few times over the years, but then again

 

"Projected Finishes of 2014 Regular Season, base on the Most Recent Meetings", through the games on 2014-09-07:

D.C. United will now top the East, and qualify for CCL in 2015-16!!

 

There's a mistake in your chart in the other thread. Check out SKC and DCU.
W-L-T records suggest SKC finishes ahead of DCU.

 

Ah good catch...

SKC's projection should be 15W-11L-8T (53 pts), while DC's still correct at 16W-11L-7T (55 pts).

To be fixed in subsequent updates.

 

Through Sep-14, DCU still projected to hold on to 1st place ahead of SKC...

 

My hate for this thread will not go away any time soon.

 

Sad to say, but pretty much any team in the East could theoretically 'win out' the remaining ~5 games. Not kidding. Or something like 4 wins 1 draw even, forgetting about the West having 3 shield contenders as well.

 

Sorry, what's "sad" about that? DC's chances at the shield are about 1%. Maybe less. First place in the East is a much better goal, and attainable. Finishing ahead of as many West Coast teams as possible so we have a better chance to host MLS Cup would be nice too.
For the Shield its a two team race that could potentially be a 3 team race since RSL has an easier schedule.

 

Pretty much. I think it's possible we even finish third this year at this point.

 

Disagree. We've looked piss poor on the road numerous times this year, this board turns into doom and gloom, and then we come back to Fortress RFK and take care of business again.

 

United never had a reasonable shot at winning the Shield and that's fine. Furthermore they don't have a reasonable shot at winning MLS Cup and that's fine. And further furthermore, Seattle already has the US Open Cup. So if United is going to play in CONCACAF next year they need to win the Eastern Conference, which amazingly they do have a reasonable shot at.

Having said that, I am very far from convinced that playing in CONCACAF is anywhere near worth the cost in terms of fatigue, fixture congestion and confidence.

 

It is however, a great way to maintain higher-than-usual allocation funds that assist in rebuilding your core for the future. Especially if you're in a rapid-rebuilding phase.

I think it's more valuable for what MLS does for you than the actual "competition" itself. But even that, at worst, gives you a chance to test your reserves and try different tactical things against a wide array of opponents.

 

There's def some good stuff about being in CONCACAF.

OTOH, if we're going to play a 'C' team in front of 5,000 fans, fatigue players and risk injury, all for the chance to lose to some rich Mexican team in the first week of pre-season, is it really worth it?

 

Its good experience for B/C team players.
5k fans... its practice for playing Chivas.
As to losing to a Mexican team in preseason, it doesn't have to be that way. If we win out this Fall (or get at least 9-10 points), we'll be playing a team that isn't as good, whether its Montreal, Herediano, or some other Mexican team that hasn't done well in the group stage.
And if they are in the CCL X2 in 2015, we will get more allocation (I assume).
I wish we knew how much. If its $400k or something it seems worth it. If its $100k, probably not from an overall team roster standpoint. MLS could still do better about managing fixture congestion. Make teams in the CCL more congested outside of the Aug-Oct timeframe. Seems like they did just about the opposite for DC this year.

 

Anything that gets DC United (and to some extent MLS) noticed outside of the USA and Canada is a good thing. CONCACAF is only North America & Central America and the Caribbean - BUT - Its still international and the more we're in it and the better we do, the better for DC United and MLS

Do we want more of the better Central American and Caribbean players? YouTube highlights aren't going to do it. Publicizing DC United in this region via the CCL tournament is the best way to carry our brand and team and attract better players.

Realistically, MLS teams are unlikely to win in the Spring but I'm OK with participating in the Fall and trying to do so EVERY season.

 

…………...…….PtsNow…..GmRem…….MaxPts……MagNbr

DCUnited…...…..48…………5………...…….63

SportingKC….…..45……..…5…………..…..60……..…….13

NERevolution…. 42………..5………….……57……..……10

NYRedBulls………41….…….5…….…….…..56…..……….9

ColumbusCrew….40………..5……...………55……..…….8

 

"Projected Finishes of 2014 Regular Season, base on the Most Recent Meetings", through the games on 2014-09-21:

D.C. United will still top the East, and qualify for CCL in 2015-16.

 

Sporting KC just dropped 3 points to NE Revs, and are now even with them with a Magic Nbr of 10. If we get 3 points Saturday, then our Magic Nbr for both teams drops to 7. A must win on Saturday.