Post-match: Give 'Em Hell (Is Real), Lads - Crew @ Cincinnati - '25 MLS Playoffs: Round 1, Game 3 - 11/8 6:00 PM

Let's hope Hagglund is out.

Any updates on Farsi?

 

Farsi and wes are out per Nancy in his presser today

Actually he said same status as last game, which might have listed farsi as questionable

 

----------------Schulte------------
--Moreira--Zawadzki--Amundsen--
Herrera--Chambost--Nagbe--Arfsten
----Picard----Rossi---Habroune-----

Bench: Bush; Cheberko, Camacho, Ruvalcaba; Sejdic; Lappalainen; Gazdag, Aliyu; JRR

Out: Ali, Farsi

Not dressed: Hagen, Romero, Lapkes; Jones, Mrowka; Brown

 

Does +3 mean "over three" or does it mean "3 or more"?

ah, screw it, prop bet it is!

 

Abou Ali update, his fracture healed faster than expected. He’s running in the boot without pain. He could potentially be training the week before the semifinals. Lots of ifs in this scenario, but it’s looking encouraging for him being available for part of the Miami/Nashville match. Now we just need to advance…

 

Someone just asked me why MLS isnt using an aggregate system in the playoffs. I honestly couldnt give him a decent answer.

He observer that aggregate works very well in Europe and that the league seems to be trying to ape them all the time so this just seems odd.

 

All owners wanted a home game in the playoffs. Apple wanted more games for the TV package. Teams wanted a better advantage for having a better record, which aggregate narrowly favored the lower seed historically in MLS. Single elimination was only a narrow advantage for the better team. They also wanted no ties. Hence 3 games series were born.

 

Do any leagues in Europe run a post-regular season - but still the same calendar season - intra-league playoffs? I always associate the two match aggregate goals set-up with competitions like Champions League, etc. that brings together teams from numerous leagues, or those that include different levels of a national pyramid, like cup competitions. In the former, those teams qualify for those competitions the previous season. Regardless, in those competitions, two-leg ties seem pretty logical. How else would you do it? You can't realistically seed a club from the Bundesliga with one from La Liga. Especially when those clubs qualified for those competitons a year ago with different rosters.

MLS's post-regular season conference playoffs could be run via two-leg ties, but I don't see why that's an obvious best choice. I understand that MLS schedules are imbalanced. Still, there's considerable overlap in our schedule and that of FCC. They did finish 2nd to our 7th in the Eastern Conference. Meaning that it's reasonable to conclude that they're the better team on paper and could and should benefit from a home field advantage of some sort in the playoffs. They earned it. Could be best of three, could be single-elimination. Two-leg ties in MLS playoffs always seemed like an odd choice to me. Superficially traditional, but illogical when you scratch the surface and think about it seriously.

 

Decently-priced tickets still available:
https://seatgeek.com/fc-cincinnati-tickets/mls/2025-11-08-6-pm/17742162
You need to get your butt down to Cincinnati. It's only game 3 of a Hell Is Real playoff series. Get as much yellow in that stadium as possible!

(Anywhere from section 222-227 and you'll have a bunch of other Crew fans in your section.)

 

Rossi has been training off to the side. Maybe this is like NFL where theyll hold guys out of practice until friday https://bsky.app/profile/brimackay15.bsky.social/post/3m4xxs2cgj223

 

I guess in the English leagues there are the promotion playoff games? Semi final over two legs and the one and done final at a neutral ground. Not intra league so I guess that disqualifies it?

 

I liked first to 5 points better back in the early days. And I like the guaranteed PO home game. I'd kill the PKs save for game 3 after aet, but keep the rest.

The regular has to mean something substantial.

 

I am in. Again.

 

Not precautionary, we’re hoping that Rossi can play though. His hamstring is tight, but not injured. It’s not an ideal situation and everyone is stressed out about it.

 

Yeah. Many have some type of relegation/promotion playoff. Does the Scotting league split top/bottom at a certain point.

I thought there was some sort of PO system in Belgium or Netherlands, but not for the title. For Euro/Conf league spots or some such?

The news on Ali is encouraging. Rossi still dicey. Hopefully just being super extra cautious.

 

Doooooooommmmm

 

First to five points was confusing simply because people didn't pay attention. If you surveyed 100 random fans back then, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them had the question of "What happens when the third game is tied after 90 minutes?" Remember that all games tied after 90 minutes automatically went to 10 extra minutes of golden goal.

3 points for a win (whether in 90 or 100 minutes)
1 point for a tie
0 for a loss

For the playoffs, the first team to five points (three games) won the series. If any game was tied after 90 minutes, then the extra 10 applied. If the third game ended tied after 90, then...here comes the "confusing" part:

They'd do the extra 10 minutes automatically.
If the series was still tied on points, then they'd do an extra 30 "mini-game" with golden goal.

If the series was still tied on points with no team achieving five points, then PKs.

Using this method:
New England plays DC. Game 1 ends in a 0-0 tie after 100 minutes. Both teams get one point.

New England wins 3-2 in extra time of the second game. NE leads 4-1 on points.

New England and DC tie the third game 1-1 after 90. New England does total bunker ball for 10 more minutes. If it finished 1-1 after 100 minutes, the series is over...but if DC scored, then it'd be an extra 30, as the series would be tied on points at 4 each. Golden goal would apply.

 

Lies and rubbish.

 

I love home and away. Give the higher seed the option to play at home first or second. However, I also like golden goal and despise the concept of PKs. Play the game until someone scores.

 

Problem is player safety , that can take forever

i like golden goal in a final setting but otherwise it affects the next game with the wear n tear on players and 5 subs is much better but it’s still a issue of subs in a really long game and player safety