SKC is the second best team in MLS since 2012 (their first full year in their stadium), 10 points behind RBNY.
And 2016 dramatically skews that number upward from the 'norm' for that period. The K-Mart/Sears of MLS.
Gee, I can't figure out why I am now lamenting New Zealand's loss to Peru last November when I originally wanted Peru to win that series back then. I'm suddenly so bummed that NZ didn't advance to the WC. I just can't put a finger on it. Hmmmm....
Perhaps the league has moved on, but we haven't. Would Gary Smith's style work in today's league? Actually, it might. I don't know.
Stupidly climb it despite utter zero experience in my younger days. Love Garmisch, my favorite place in Germany my 7 years there.
I've never climbed it, the gondola is more my speed! I lived here for three years back in the oughts ... I like Bavaria but am more partial to the Rhineland: Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt.
To add to that........... the best thing that happened to SKC was being sold by the Hunt family to OnGoal. Sigh..... if the Rapids could be so lucky to get out from under the KSE wing. They hold the club back. They are what keeps the Rapids a MLS 1.0 level. There is ZERO reason - other than KSE - we can't have the culture, fan base, and luxuries as SKC or dare I say it -- RSL. That pains me. Shoot me! MLS 3.0 owners are motivated, excited,and go-getters. Of course, that's directly related to huge expansion costs and having to put their money where their mouth is. As a result, MLS 3.0 fans are also motivated, excited and go-getters because they have willing owners that they hold accountable. i dream of a new owner coming in and flipping the Rapids, the supporters, and the soccer culture in Denver positively on its head
Though all KSE would need to do is care enough to hire competent leadership in the FO. They’re putting enough money in to be competitive, but it’s spent unwisely.
Yes, they are spending money, and spending it unwisely. That's totally on the owners - I think that KSE, in all their sports endeavours, are more focused on the business / make money aspects of the teams rather than winning. Let's be clear - teams must be profitable to survive - at the same time, they have to be focused on winning - whatever their sport. Coke wants to sell the best products, leading to profits. Apple wants to sell the best products, leading to profits. KSE wants to be profitable and find a lucky penny once in a while.
Just for "fun" I added 2011 in. Since the moment we won MLS Cup we've been the worst team in MLS. 3 points worse than Toronto, 5 points worse than DC, 7 points worse than Philly.
So, gee, could this possibly mean that Hinchey's "One Club" and the current RFO's "Rapids Way" are just hollow platitudes that mean nothing in the end and don't help the bottomline results? How shocking! What I find most amusing is that new KSE RFO's swoop into town every few years and repeatedly talk about establishing "a new culture" at the club (in mindset, in attractive & attacking football, and in results) almost as if they didn't take into account the cultural slogan hot air that the previous administration touted. They must each feel that *THEIR* cultural shift idea will be different, unique, and will take root. As part of the "One Club" movement, remember Hinchey/Bravo's proposed cultural shift to "sexy, Latin-style, football" rooted in attack and possession (because Gary Smith's style didn't cut it to them)? Yea, that worked. Now we hear similar with "Rapids Way" in culture and offensive attack. And look at where we are thus far. Visiting opponents score five times as many goals as us at home. In a few years, the next RFO will ride into town, do a Google search on "soccer slogans", and just feed all of us the same BS with likely similar results... until a club relocation puts us out of our misery or until KSE is out of the picture. Hey Anthony, I'm still waiting for that sexy, attacking soccer. Please note, endless, fruitless crosses aren't too sexy.
Interesting parallel. I was brought in to a company to revamp their delivery model. This has been done a number of times in the past to no success, basically everyone always said "we will deliver more efficiently and have a better customer experience". Lots of great marketing and no results. (Sound familiar?) I came in and actually created stuff *before* marketing it around the company. By the time it was marketed, we already had actually done stuff. Knowing that everyone would view marketing without proof as just "hot air", I chose the results before marketing. Perhaps a few results before the hype would help the Rapids. Seems like a basic MBA business case, but what do I know? rod.
Strangely enough, unlike some years where the team did virtually nothing to improve other than to bring in a few low cost journeymen, I think they actually tried to improve this year. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure the FO is sick about the results after giving a lot of time and energy. If true, I conclude we're talking about incompetence this season rather than inattention.
Agree. Valid points. When looking at [continually failing] results, it's easy to make the mistake of assuming the same results stemmed from the same causation. But yes, we may now have a case of incompetence instead of the inattention of the past... a.k.a., that pesky Peter Principle. Hudson certainly appears to have risen up to meet his level of incompetence. MLS teams figured his genius out and squashed him in a matter of 5 weeks. Perhaps by hiring Hudson (and/or some ineffectual players), Padraig may have arrived at his level as well. The fact that Hudson already failed miserably, in a similar fashion, at a similar club management level in 2011 (Newport County in Wales), perhaps Hudson's level of incompetence was already apparent and documented. And if Padraig missed this observation in the hiring process, perhaps it's proof he indeed is fulfilling his Peter Principle as well. Time will tell for both. But even if the losing continues, the RFO and/or Hudson will never admit failure for self-preservation reasons and because Hudson's locked into his damn 3-year contract. [Sidenote: I swear I made this exact f**king statement a few years ago under different RFO and coach]. So, we'll continue to get the "It takes time to jell" excuses... even though the other 7 new coaching assignments in the MLS this year (and their new systems, players, etc.) have all fared better in less time... and in most cases, fared MUCH better! Then again, surely jelling takes much longer at altitude.
I feel like the Rapids spent the offseason collecting players with limited upside but with enough ability to bring the team back to moderate respectability; which, given the horrible shape the roster was in and the Rapids current inability to scout talent, actually seems like a decent short term plan. So I don't place as much blame on Padraig as I do Hudson. Hudson seems completely out of his depth. His player selections are often baffling and his dogmatic devotion to the 3-5-2 despite a roster that has demonstrated that it is a poor fit is beyond troubling. An average MLS coach has this team at least flirting with the playoffs instead of being out of the running in June.
I think that's fair from the start of the season. But with the hole we've dug not even Peter Vermes or Greg Vanney (both ex-Rapids BTW) could get this team in the playoff picture in 2018 at this point.
Good point. It seems like coach was the one place where Padraig decided to swing for the fences. I think it's fair to say he struck out.