I remember when we were having a tough couple of seasons and we were not even getting to the playoffs. On one season or last or maybe nearly last game of the season was against the revs and we needed a win at home to make it to the playoffs. They had already secured a playoff spot and the game for them would not decide anything further. They played all of their starters and beat us which knocked us out of the playoffs. I was sitting in the club seats and I remember jumping up at the end of the game and yelling at the rev coaches "F'ing F you!" I was really pissed. I felt bad, though as there were kids around and as an adult it was wrong of me to lose control, but what made it worse was knowing that they heard me and were smiling back up at me or towards where they had heard it from. I would like to stick it to them good this season and maybe even get close to their bench so I can yell it again, kids be damned, and let them know that I never forgot and that I hope they suck on it for the entire offseason!
What year was that? I don't remember ever losing a late season game to Revs and them knocking us out of the playoffs (not during the regular season, anyway). Here's our missed playoff seasons: 2000: We missed by 7 points and lost the last 5 on the trot. 2003: Won the next to last game in DC on McBride's heroics in OT (great game) but DC's draw on the last day knocked us out & we pasted the Fire 6-2 the last game. 2005: We were awful and 9 points adrift of the last spot. No October games vs. NE, last loss was to Dallas, we drew NE in September, but there were like 5 games left, and a win wasn't getting us in, as we were bottom. We did lose to them earlier in September, but there were 7 games left at the time. No way that eliminated us (we weren't 22 adrift). 2006: Awful again, 11 points out. There certainly wasn't one game you can point to (or 3 for that matter) and say: if only we'd have beaten NE, we would have been in. We did lose 1-0 @NE the last week of the season, but we were already out at that point. 2007: We finished three points out, but won our last 2 (including a game at New England), FCD was the last loss, and LA before that. Anyway, I don't remember a year where NE knocked us out of the playoffs with a late season win @CCS. I don't doubt you were pissed at NE one time, but they never won a game @CCS to deny us a playoff spot. Now, they did win playoff games here in 2002 (2nd in a best of 3) and draw us in 2004 to knock us out, but that's a totally different situation. Regardless, if the game means nothing to us, we should sit our best players, unless Marshall wants to knock the dust off. I could care less about exacting revenge on the Revs for imagined times when they denied us a playoff spot, or a real one, for that matter. Didn't Gooch getting hurt in a meaningless game (for us, standings wise) against Costa Rica teach you anything? Now, if we need the game, have at them. If not, I want to see Grendi, Elenio, Schoeni, Oughton, Iro, Garey, etc out there.
Well, Truecrew, I will have to do some checking. Regardless, it seems odd that you do not care about the supporter's shield. Doesn't it earn us a spot in the CCL? I realize that the CCL means nothing to a lot of people, but I like seeing our team play after the cup and prior to the start of the next season, let alone taking on some pretty great teams.
Not to mention that in any other league simply winning the SS is being the champion of the league. Winning the regular season is much more impressive, in my opinion, than winning a 4 game playoff series.
No question but I've grown to accept the playoffs. It's promotion/relegation in a single season. Most clubs (managers and owners alike) view missing the playoffs as a huge disappointment, similar to relegation. So it accomplishes what the owners have wanted from Day 1 - competition until the last day. Now, after 12 years, it takes a bit of effort to make it to the postseason as a bit less than half of the teams go through. Next weekend, the very last (!!), still has huge implications for clubs, players and coaches alike. And, that's a good thing. That being said, the playoff system still needs work. I absolutely hate it in its current form. It allows a carpet-dweller like NYRB to make it to the final and gives too little benefit to the clubs which cared to play the whole season. On the flip side, Dynamo *not* being able to finish off NYRB simply shows they weren't good enough.
I'd suggest having the top team get a bye week, but that would probably mean either a knockout round to start things out, or a weekday game at the higher seed, and I don't think anyone wants that. Lamar Hunt was right when he said that all playoff teams should play at least once at home.
The 2004 playoff debacle ended our string of "almost there, but not quite" seasons. Five years later, it's our turn. Let's knock those bastards out of the playoffs and let karma do the rest. I still hate the Revolution. They're a team full of hacks and douche bags. It's time to blow them out of the water, exact revenge for the 2004 playoffs, and take this league by ********ing storm. We're MASSIVE and no one is stopping us but ourselves. Let's rock those bitches.
I like the idea of a bye week, too. One thought, w/ the ever-enlarging league, is at some point to go to 12 teams for the playoffs. Each the east and west champs + top two other teams would get a week off from games; the first round would involve the 4-12 teams playing a Wed-Sat home and home, with the winners of that first round moving on for one-game playoffs (with the conference champs and the other 2 next-highest seeded teams hosting the games, with preferably the champs automatically getting the lowest-seeded teams). It would mean a mid-week playoff game; but making the mid-week games at the lowest seeds' stadia rewards teams that do better in the regular season (ie: again, finishing higher in the regular season has one more advantage: you get to host the weekend game in the first round, so that finishing 6th still has a significant advantage to finishing 11th). It runs the risk of things being a bit like back in the day when not making the playoffs meant you were the bumbling doofus of the league and making it was no big accomplishment, but the bye week for the league champs would make the title a lot more meaningful, and even the advantage of hosting a Sat (vs. a Wed) game would make it that much more important to finish higher up on the table. And if we do get to 20 teams some day, 12 being in is just a little more than top half of the league.
Right on. Plus the SS trophy is awesome. I like trophies that look like you could use them to stab someone with if you get in a pinch.
I think we are in better shape than what I thought. Chivas is the only team that can catch us and the only way that they can do that is to win their last two games and we have to lose or tie to come in second. We can lose or tie if they draw or lose one of their games due to us having a better win/loss record if we ended up with the same number of points. The other interesting thing is that it is possible that we will be the only team from the eastern conference in the entire playoff series! I guess New England is already eliminated. You know they really want to beat us, pride and all that. I do not mind playing reserves in the game if we have already secured the Supporters Shield. The good thing about that is that we will know that before we start our game.
I may be wrong but I believe the top two teams from each conference are automatically in, irrespective of how they compare points-wise to teams from the other conference. My sentiments exactly.
That is a really very interesting way of looking at it. But the two are similar in the ways you speak of and including teams that make the play offs receiving bonuses from the league for having done so and likewise players receiving bonuses from thier respective teams.
I don't understand that - half the teams get one more game at home. Oopdy doo! Big deal. I say - play the system already used by the Super League (rugby football league) in Europe. See it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_League_play-offs (I don't know about choosing your opponent... but I digress). Day 1 (hosting sites are division winners) 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 (loser gets another chance) 5 vs 8, 6 vs 7 (loser goes out) Day 2 (same hosts) 1-4 loser vs 5-8 winner 2-3 loser vs 6-7 winner Final 4 tourney hosted by SS winner (whether or not still playing): Day 3 Semifinals Day 4 grad final There is a similar system used by Australian Rugby Union (double elimination - must lose 2 to go out). This way the higher seeds get to play 2 games before they go out, get to host the tournament and make more money and benefit from their season standing. It's easy to market, easy to plan (just 3 sites) and it's over in 3 weeks (Sat-Wed, Sat, Sat).
FWIW, New England is the only team in the East I don't hate. Obviously I'm not a fan, and I'd prefer they do something with Jay Heaps (hopefully involving an industrial accident, or maybe a wheat thresher), but compared to DC, Chicago, Toronto, NY, or KC, they're not so bad.
just curious, why do you hate KC (besides hartman...) and how can you feel anything but sorry for the sad metrobulls?