http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=23438 The Earthquakes qualify as Supporters Shield runners-up, since LA qualified twice with the Shield and the MLS Cup.
Great news for the Quakes. You know, the way they've set up the spots for the Champions Cup, it heavily favors regular season success. I kinda like this. For example, if the Crew don't win the U.S. Open Cup tomorrow, they don't get the U.S. Open Cup spot even though the Galaxy already have a spot. No, that spot would then go to the MLS regular season third-place team, the Dallas Burn. Likewise, the second-place MLS regular season team gets a spot as long as the first-place finisher (Supporter's Shield) also makes it to the MLS Cup. And if the top two regular season finishers make the MLS Cup, the third-place team is guaranteed a spot as well. I guess Dallas fans will be cheering hard for the Gals tomorrow...
I just hope that Frank takes it more seriously this year! I'm sort of disgusted at the past two US open cup and the last CONCACAF cup results for the quakes and feel this is an opportunity to open the 2003 season on a high note - a couple of victories in the first and second rounds would sit rather nicely against the last four games of 2002!
I think FY put more into the Open Cup and Champions Cup than he did last year. Thing is he doesn't have a deep, healthy roster to really compete well in all three. Look at how badly we finished the season this year. How much morse would it have been if FY put more focus on the Open Cup and Champions Cup?
Here was the lineup from the away leg at Pachuca: Cannon Ibsen Conrad Dayak Barrett Lagos Ekelund Mulrooney Corrales DeRosario Graziani That's basically a first-choice lineup, as Donovan and Agoos were in Ireland for a WC tuneup that day. They just got their butts kicked, and had pretty much no chance coming home down 3 goals against Pachuca's bunker. It was also a first-choice lineup, except for Conway, against LA in the Open Cup.
I thought that Frank took this year's Champions Cup and US Open Cup seriously. Certainly compared to last year, which of course, was his first as head coach, and, understandably, he wanted to concentrate his forces on league games. Didn't the Quakes win both of the CD Olimpia games and only lose the Pachuca away game? The US Open Cup was fought pretty well, with the Fish Flop in OT for the win.
Will they be playing during that proposed one month off (probably June)? If not, I sure would hope that Yallop would start our first teamers. It's really a shame the way in which MLS coaches and players treat the Champions Cup and Open Cup.