All pregame talk here... Games at 7:00 pm CST on MetroSports. Also, I assume, on Channle 794 on DirecTV Shootout.
I’m pumped. What will our lineup be? Will Wolff get off his lazy *#*#*#*#*# ass and play or did he stub his toe in training this week?
A good time for KC to go 1 up... Playoffs are usually about how your team performs rather than how the other one does. Aggression wins. Differences are small and accutely magnified. KC comes rollling in on a 5 game tear. Only the normal KC snakepit of a roadie at dc kept the record from being perfect. KC blew out COL 4-2 in the last meeting. KC isn't healthy, but does have a lineup that has worked of late. Preki is Preki. Klein has had a good run of late but will have to deal with Hendu and Chung - not a great matchup for Klein historicly. We know as Klein goes, so go the Wizards generally. Other than Conrad's header to the back post that Stoich cleaned up, defense has been fairly sound. KC will need it as Spencer will find occasional space against Garcia-Guti-Conrad. COl will neeed every bit of Spenny's A-game as their defense has leaked goals left right and central the last month. COL has lost 3 of 4, earned only 3 points in the last 6 league games, and has conceeded no less than 4 goals in their last 3 road contests. As KC is 7-0-1 at home in the playoffs under Gansler, you have to think that even a 1 goal win in Denver might not be enough for the Rapids. That requires COL to go forward. In my mind that is good for KC, good for viewers, and good for the over betters. COL plays more positive than all but NE, so this isn't a surprise or something COL must adjust to. It's what they do. Both teams have similar styles in that they both exploit the wings in order to find space central. Posession is required to set these runs and allow backs forward. Both defenses will attempt trapping pressure to trigger counters. Colorado will be forced to do this more often as KC can do it from the back as well. This is where KC can dictate the series. Posession will command more running from COL. If KC can handle the pressure and score first, this series could be over early. If the Rapids get an early goal or two forcing KC to press, their counter is equally capable of running up a margin. Neither team has been consistent holding leads for any length of time, so an early goal will lead to others. I think shooting accuracy will decide this series as most everything but current form is fairly equal. I see KC with their "shooting boots" taking a 3-1 win back home. Early goal involving Preki gives KC a 1-0 lead at the half. COL evens early in the second. KC gets a choas/garbage type goal in response and a late counter to ice it.
Did you miss the news about Wolff breaking a rib and being out for the rest of the season, or are you making a joke?
Some jerk stole the keg off of my second story balcony while I was in Wichita last weekend. Weird and annoying. So, sorry Spoon, I don't think we're going to manage to have one next week, unless someone else wants to put down the deposit (I still have the bucket and tap, though.)
Watch party anyone? I know it's on MetroSports but would like to sit with some other diehards instead of alone or with the G'friend at home who only goes to games because I bought her a season ticket too so that I could go to every game. "My seat costs double!"
Never mind... Should've looked here: http://kcwizards.com/news/interiornewspage.asp?story_id=7ZYZ5BBEQ3G29K57DCTE69C54I "Catch the Wizards on Metro Sports on Tuesday, November 4th at 8:30 p.m. CT The Kansas City Wizards will host a watch party for the Wizards game on Tuesday, November 4th when the team faces the Colorado Rapids at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, CO in the first game of the 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs. The match will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. The watch party will take place at Coach’s Bar and Grill in South Kansas City, located at 414 W. 103rd St., just off 103rd and Wornall. Remember to wear blue and cheer on your Wizards as they take on the Colorado Rapids. For directions, call Coach’s Bar and Grill at 816-941-2286. "
No I didn’t hear that, damn I’m out of the loop. How bout Simutankov? Sorry about the keg but I had no choice.
The line's out KC 3.25 3.1 2.0 @COL Let's see... One team is winless in 6 with only 1 point in the last 4. The other team in undefeated in 5 with only 1 tie and that in a place where they never win. One team earned a #2 seed and the other rolled over to give it up late. One team has adjusted to injuries to starters and the other has to deal with the loss of the starting central mid, a position for which they had no #2. One team knows they can score in abundance at home, the other must press to score because they have conceeded no less than 4 goals in each of their last 3 games on the road. One team's keper has started every game and the others are in the midst of a fully brewing controversy. Of those 2 keepers, one is getting torched of late. The other hasn't played and/or may not have the full confidence of what might be a divided locker-room. Finally, one team has the ability to score even though they have no forward to speak of; The other has a forward KC hadn't been able to overcome until Klein was allowed to run up top. One team allowed Klein to run up top, the other is still looking for solutions to current problems. It's the "pay-your-tuition/mortgage/condo/car payment" special. Take KC (the one team) at 3.25:1 odds. The over might be a good bet as well.
I was just thinking "That damned Nutter drove all the way to Lawrence to steal and drink a two month old, 1/4 full keg of rancid beer." I will get you Nutter! As God is my witness you're going down!!! *side note, I stole the keg from a buddy anyway, so I guess turnabout is fair play. Said buddy was out of the state though, so I know it wasn't him.
getting to round 2 As excited as I am that the Wizards have managed to pick up 13 of the their last 15 possible points, I can't get much past cautiously optimistic here. We are facing a team that we have gone 1-3-1 against this season, including our USOC loss to them. On the plus side, the aggregate is only 11-10 in Colorado's favor in those 5 games. The first game will be the big challenge for us. If we can get out of Colorado with a draw, I think we can take the aggregate. We are 0-3 @ Colorado this season, so recent history is not on our side here. Still, Colorado is bleeding goals (12 in October, and that includes a shutout of struggling San Jose), and although I suspect we'll probably surrender a couple @ Colorado, if we put the kind of offensive pressure on the Rapids we applied in our last meeting, I think we can get back here with at least a draw. Add that the Wizards are hot and the Rapids aren't, and that increases the optimism for this one...we've got a good opportunity to advance here!
This is probably better suited to the Wagering thread, but what's a good Book site? I know a lot of credit cards are not allowing transactions with a lot of the major Bookies.
I don't know about "good" exactly, but intertops.com was the source of the line. I ceratinly can't reccommend you use your credit card. That's a vig you don't want to pay. If you're looking to get in and get out, the transaction charges can take much of a win away on a small sum. If you have a $100 or so that you can leave in your account and use for bets all season, then I would reccommend intertops.com.
Re: getting to round 2 Actually it may be directly on our side. KC beat COL last time out 4-2. A main catalyst of that win was Gansler allowing Klein more freedom from defense. Klein's ability to get forward led to many chances that day as it has in all the games since. This matters only because the other 4 meetings with Colorado were played under a book of tactics that KC isn't using at the moment and does not figure to use during this series. There are only 3 ways Colorado wins this game. 1) KC plays so poorly that no tactics will matter. 2) COL finds and exploits space for Chung and Spencer. They must do this while also finding a defense absent for over a month, pulling off a quality replacement for their Zavagnin counterpart who is out through injury, and sorting out the whole keeper mess. 3)Intangebles like weather, refs, and the random might happen also. #1 isn't likely with KC being a veteran team with rings on their fingers. #2 is asking quite a bit. Even if COL holds up their end on everything else, replacing a D-mid requires everyone to pick up the slack. That always creates space somewhere. Something will suffer.
You gotta love the fact that Hankinson has made a drastic change to the lineup by benching Garlick. I doubt his comments did much to improve locker room harmony. Looks like the time is right to go in and take the points. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/rapids/article/0,1299,DRMN_51_2400226,00.html
Gotta love playing against a keeper that hasn't sniffed a game speed pitch in almost a year starting in a critical game against us. Can you say high crosses in the box to get him thinking he wants to come off that line more than he should. Apparently Garlick is benched and pretty much gone from CO and I'd like a nice replacement for Bo (although DC may want him bad with Rimando's replacement looking a bit shaky, probably more than a dropoff than they wanted). Garlick is not better than Meola and this is the first year Meola has been around for every game since we've had him I believe. No injuries to knees, abs, and abs again much less call ups. He can't always do that and I'd like a better backup. Or is Talley Goode on his last year as a "development/P40" er other type thing? Anyway, [Triumph the Insult Comic Dog] It is the right time for Colorado.... For me to poop on! [/Triumph the Insult Comic Dog] KC wins 3-1 Z1 Z2 Diego all get yellows Carierri - gets a red for just being his normal calm self