Does anyone else feel like this could have been our championship? RLS qualified on the last day of the season whereas FCD lost to Seattle...I, possibly irrationally, feel like FCD could have had the same post-season.
9-3 aggregate for FCD in the last month or so of the season over these two teams. Plenty of reasons to be optimistic for next season.
We were beaten by a stadium, (ironically the one in which the final was played), but we were not beaten by any team in our desperate final run. Hell yeah I feel that we could have been RSL. Getting hot at the end is what we had been talking about since the start of the season. Was happy for JK9, but in no one do I believe that they are the best team in the league.
Agreed, but then again, that's what the supporters shield is for! It was nice to see JK9 get some hardware, and Donavon sky it from the spot!
And neither does RSL, most likely. In most American leagues, there is a serious re-imagining of the connection between the words "champion" and "best." Next year's Supporters Shield winner, however, is going to have an unprecedented claim to "best"ness.* *-assuming my half-recollection of a balanced schedule for next year is correct
Yes, we SHOULD have been there. I've been doing a lot of thought about this, and the reason we weren't in the playoffs is Santino Quaranta. Remember the game against DC United, where Dallas was winning 2-1 until Quaranta dived in the box, getting a pk which was converted to give DC the tie. In case you forgot, just look back at this video of the clear dive: http://www.3rddegree.net/2009/09/08/one-more-angle/ If that call wasn't made - then Dallas would have won the game. And if they had played out the season the same, then we would have had more points than Salt Lake, and would have taken their place in the playoffs. F*ck you Santino Quaranta.
Agreed across the board. Maybe not as much our championship as 2005-2007, when we would have had home field throughout.....but pretty damn close. The good news is that I'm very excited about March.
What about the game in late July in Salt Lake? Up 2-0 at half, only to lose. Had we held on for even a tie, we get the #8 spot instead of RSL, the outcome of the playoffs would have been very different, and the course of MLS history would have been completely changed. Also, how about this: We beat both MLS cup finalists in the last month of the season by three goals. 6x3 @ LAG and 3x0 vs RSL @ PHP. Of course, we can talk about should-of's and would-of's 'till we're blue in the face, but there is no doubt we can enter next season with a lot of optimism.
We also lost a game to RBNY the worst team in the league 3-2 on August 23. When you miss out by so little every game where points were lost, every mistake that led to a goal for the other team or didn't result in one for FCD is painful. The lesson is that while getting hot at the end of the year like RSL is something to strive for it only matters if the team accrues enough points to let that matter.
Put it this way, Hyndman didn't pull his head out of his ass until half way through the season. Look back at the defense we started with. And how long did we keep and start Saragosa? How long did Cunningham ride the pine while Hyndman tried to concoct a formation with Ferriera as a withdrawn forward? 2009 started with too many last minute losses and ties. Hyndman constantly subbed during the half time break and trotted out an uninspired team. Give me back that start of the season when we were bleeding points and Hyndman seemed to blame everyone but himself for the mess. The 2009 season was a tale of two halves. We could have been much better from the start. Oh, and Tino IS a diving **********.
What I DO like about RSLs win, in addition to it not being LA, or Houston, or Chicago, is the fact that a team limped into the playoffs and ended up taking it all. I've never been a believer in 'let's just make it to the playoffs and anything can happen' for FCD. I've always believed that when a team is strong all season (Columbus) they are pre destined to win the Cup. RSL proved that to be wrong, and more power to them. Oh, and Tino is still a diving **********.
Well, I haven't been a fan as long as you guys, but I have mentioned I have been a long fan of the USMNT and Donovan is one of my favorite players. So I favor the Galaxy more than RSL because that, and they also have Omar Gonzalez. So I lied, I do have a particular reason, LOL
I've been a Dallas fan almost as long as you have and I was rooting for LA. I didn't like that RSL had a below .500 record, and let's face it: Beckham and Donovan raising the cup makes ESPN more often than Kyle Beckerman and Robbie Findley.
So we're having a balanced schedule next year? I guess that's tolerable. But I'd prefer to see us play 3 or 4 games vs. the teams in our conference, and play each Eastern Conference team only once a year. BTW, has MLS indicated how they'll be structuring the league in a couple of years when Portland and Vancouver have joined? Since those two teams are obvious candidates for the Western Conference, it would seem that either FCD or Houston could be bumped over into the Eastern Conference (at least temporarily). Or perhaps they'll partition each conference into 2 divisions, so the groups wouldn't look quite so imbalanced.