From the highlights, it looks like our defense dropped the ball bigtime, including our main man Borchers. I guess he couldn't be invincible forever. I'm guessing it was mostly due to having a new guy back there with in place of Fraser who had alot to do with the defensive organization. The 1st place monkey is off our back but if we're not careful, we're gonna be seeing 3rd or possibly even 4th. We need to dominate (shutout) SJ next Friday and then do the same thing the two games after for good measure and we can hold on to the confidence we may have lost last night and have a good run through the playoffs. Hell, maybe SJ will lose in the first round and we'll keep homefield advantage in Round 2. I'm disappointed big time that after going down 2 goals and the fighting back to equalize, we managed to let in 2 more.Hope it was a fluke.
I say better to get this loss out of our system, it was due to happen, statistically and mathematically, we could not keep winning forever, no one does. We just need to win 1 more and hope KC loses 1 in the next three, then we clinch 2nd place and home field advantage for the 1st round. We need to use the next 3 games as warm ups to the playoffs, we play SJ and Chicago in the next 2 games, which will be the real test for us....
Considering KC and LA play each other once, and LA's other 2 matches are against SJ, I'd say we're good value for 3rd at worst, but we really did make it tougher with this loss.
i couldn't watch the game on sat. how would someone who saw it grade the players? I might get an idea of how we played..
Question regarding the playoffs, does second or third really matter? This years playoffs are a home and home, aggregate goal conference semifinals (in other words, two games) before a one game conference final. Here's the only advantage to being in second place, playing the second game of the home and home series at home. That does make a difference, if you look at European competition, most teams prefer to be the home team in the second game, but I would not consider it a huge advantage. Either way, you have to outscore the other team through the two matches, or score more away goals, although after reading the format on MLSNET, I'm not sure that they are going to take away goals into account. Here's a snip from the site... "* If a Conference Semifinal series or a Conference Final is tied, then a 30-minute golden-goal overtime and penalty kicks, if necessary, are employed to determine which team advances." Basically, unless the game goes into overtime when the teams are tied on goals after two games, is there any advantage to being the home side? As long as they avoid the fourth spot (and San Jose), does second or third really matter??? Other than as a mental reassurance (Hey, we finished 2nd, they finished 3rd) I can't think that there is a clear advantage for the Rapids to finish 2nd. I hope they do, but it's not the end of the world if they don't. They can still take KC in a two game series (LA too, but I think it's going to be KC.)
I see what you're saying, but I think the real advantage comes from knowing what you're up against in the 2nd match and playing it at home. You're on your home turf and you know exactly what you have to do to make it to the next round, and that first game on their ground is kind of a toss up.