Playoffs force a team to prove they can win in pressure situations as well as over the long haul (not that anyone on SJ has a problem stepping up in big games...). Playoffs force a coach to manage personnel to try to minimize injuries/exhaustion at the end of the season (see late 1980's Boston Celtics). Playoffs compensate for a couple of teams to be absolutely awful, allowing other teams to beat up on them and look better than they really are.
Yeah genius, learn to use context to determine what someone is talking about, it will make you look a little less dumb. He was talking about 2002, so don't you think that the 2002 table should be used? http://www.mlsnet.com/statistics/archive/2002_league.html
I should be glad about the home and home series since the fire won 2-0 on the road in dc but as far as la-sj series goes, La didn't deserve a home game against the conference leader who had to do it all season. I know why MLS has it but it still cheapens the regular season by having home and home series. I don't like playoff games where basically it is not do or die. You are basically making it a 180 minute game with the first game the first half.
Re: Re: LA: possible league "champions" LA finished ahead of Dallas. Hell, if Dallas really sucked and go no points at all, LA would have qualified for the playoff simply by getting their first tie. Oh yeah, and don't forget that last time NE played in a final out here.
My point was that the league shifts from year to year... You don't see me dismissing western conference teams and saying that the Western Conference is the crap conference this year. Furthermore, if you're going to cast aside revs for being at the top of the "crap conference" in 2002, what does that say about the Galaxy for being at the low end of the low conference this year?
Re: Re: Re: LA: possible league "champions" After a months layoff? In front of a crowd of about 492 Angelenos? What are you getting at?
When I was much younger and not quite the refined and cosmopolitan gent I am today, I fancied a bit of pointy ball. Oh, how I adored the Raiders of my youth—John Matuzak, Kenny Stabler and Jim Plunkett, Cliff Branch and Freddie Biletnikoff. In 1981, this ragtag bunch of ragamuffins defied the odds and became the first wildcard team to win the Super Bowl (!). “Outrage,” cried the purists. “Balderdash,” whinnied the pundits. Ahhh, but America LOVES the underdog. It’s our tradition. Our heritage. It’s the whole-taxation-without-representation, kick-the-crap-outta-the-Lobsterbacks thing all over again. And that, my friends, is how the Raiders became America’s team. So you see, when the LA Galaxy hoist the MLS Cup in their beautiful, state-of-the-art, national jewel of a home stadium — fully enjoying all the benefits of home field advantage — and rightfully reclaim their title as league champions — because they ARE league champions as we speak — they will actually be the underdogs. And when they win, they will be fulfilling America’s dreams of the underdog prevailing. They, too, will be America’s team. Uniting — not dividing — the nation in this time of need. Oh dear BigSoccer colleagues, won’t you join us? Won’t you, too, root for America’s team? We can all be the Bela Karolyi to Pescadito’s dream. Say it with me: “You can DO eeet!”
Re: Re: Re: Re: LA: possible league "champions" Scoreboard. A months layoff is no excuse. Nothing was stopping the team from setting up a friendly or two to keep them ready. Besides, is it LA's fault they didn't make the playoffs that year? A small turn out should have made it that less difficult for NE to get a result.
LA will become America's team about the same time Kimberly Kreis stops fellatiating the visiting forward tandems at halftime on each trip to Big D.
If you want to look at it in purely business terms... "MLS is just another ENTERTAINMENT product. That's all it's being tweaked to be. If you think otherwise, go back to your Playstation." Indeed. And when a business, even an entertainment one, has a large percentage of its most loyal customers saying "the structure of the product needs to be different" then it's something to consider. Now I know that a few guys on Big Soccer doesn't constitute an accurate cross-section of all MLS fans. But your most loyal, rabid supporters (customers) tend to be found here. If you're pissing off your natural fan (customer) base, how does that bode for attracting the casual fan (customer)? If you have trouble retaining the loyalty of those who WANT to be loyal... I'd venture to say that the historical average attendance figure at MLS playoff games (MLS Cup finals excluded) is much lower than the average attendance at regular season games. When your highest quality (or most attractive, anyway) product, playoff soccer in this case, gets lower customer response, then maybe it's time to look at the business model.
Where the fvck does an a$$hole like you get off talking about a players wife like this? You need to go back to class Sparky and find some. Better yet, come to LA for the Cup final and I'm sure we could teach you some manners, but wait, daddy's college fund probably doesn't stretch that far, what with porn sites and Vaseline cutting into your beer money.
I think the point of this thread was that it looks pretty bad when the team that is crowned the champion of our league finished with the second worst record and never won an away game. I don't think it was meant to bash the Galaxy (although that's always a welcome addition to any thread).
I think that is a really simplistic viewpoint. It negates the fact that the Galaxy, as reigning champs, is actually a decent squad that is clobbering the Western Conference Champions. What's implied is that SJ deserves to go onto the next round, and that a "better" team "deserves" to win the Cup. This is absurd. Whereas in an ideal playoff world, the playoffs would only have 4 teams, whereas in an ideal world I wouldn't have to sleep on the wet spot, we live in the REAL world. In order to get the job done, ppl need to come through in the end. so I sleep on the wet spot, and the Galaxy does what it takes to make it to the plaoffs. It's not the Galaxy's fault that Dallas sucks. And it sure as hell isn't their fault that SJ didn't care about the Supporter's Shield nor in personal pride, so they coasted to the playoffs. That's their moronic mistake. I hope that Chicago and the Galaxy make it to the final, and that the Galaxy wins. it would be hysterical that all the BS posters would have a fit b/c LA doesn't "deserve" the title. But I repeat what I said earlier: the team that wins the title, deserves to win the title.
Well I say that when it's all said and done I will realize that the Galaxy were the 9th best team in the league and couldn't get it done anywhere but home. It would be great to see them win the "Cup" as it would probably turn out to be a great atmosphere at the HDC, but as far as I'm concerned they coasted through the season and if I was a Galaxy supporter I would be pretty pissed that they slacked off half of the season. The league needs to do something to reward teams that play better in the regular season.
If LA wins it all then all the Chi and SJ fans can contact Sacramento Kings fans to ask them where they got their "The Real NBA champs" t-shirts.
Uh oh. I've made someone mad. I'm definitely going to be there. Regardless of whether we make the final or not. I've already purchased my plane and match tickets. Of course, you wouldn't know or care about that, would you? Not that I give two shits about some honky Galaxy fan. Two more things, One, you're an El Lay fan. What the heck do you care what I have to say about Dallas? Two, I've been bashing The Kreis Child since time began...well, since 98 at least. Where have you been? You just be happy I haven't decided to sic Segroves on you.
The San Antonio Spurs had an excellent regular season. They even won a number of road games!! Chill out. My post wasn't intended to bash LA. Just to ridicule the idea that the system could produce a champion that didn't win away from home game all season. I challenge to you find the last time that happened in any professional league in any sport in any country. If that happens, they will be the official champions. No one will dispute that. No doubt some will say they are undeserving. That's their prerogative. Just as it's yours to say "Who cares?" I won't be bitter if LA beats San Jose. Actually, it would make me look prescient since I picked LA to win the west before the playoffs started. Though I'd prefer it if they beat KC/Colorado in the semis. Besides, I'd love it for New England (who were almost official, if undeserving, champs last year) to beat LA in their barn like they beat us in ours.
I'm surprised it took this long for you to get heat for that one! Some people just take sh!t too seriously.
its all cool, didn't think you were bashing its the whiners I was getting at they all seem to be crying unfair, but when it comes down to it they SHOULD be able to beat LA, and when they don't then what do they say? it must be the system, because teams don't choke in the playoffs do they?
For all your youthful learning it appears that you missed one of lifes most painful lessons. That being the constrain required to not count those eggs before they're hatched. But I think you did learn one lesson tonight. That even group choking is possible.