Alberto7 Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I realize that we are only at the halfway point of the season, but I think we have a very good idea which teams will make the playoffs in the A-league. In the west it is pretty certain that Vancouver, Portland, Seattle and Minnesota will advance. Milwaukee, Calgary and Edmonton just haven't been consistent enough. In the east, the very surprising Atlanta Silverbacks should advance as with Rochester, Montreal and Richmond. I can't see Toronto(14 points out of 4th), Puerto Rico(16 points behind only 8 games left) or Charleston(17 points behind) doing anything to make a difference in the playoff race. Only Syracuse and Virginia Beach (both 9 points out of 4th place) can make some noise. Comments?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I think Milwaukee may be able to pull ahead of Seattle for a couple of reasons. One is that Seattle picked up quite a few injuries against Vancouver last weekend. Seattle also has 2 games remaining against both Vancouver and Portland, two teams which Seattle can't beat this season. They also have two games to play against Minnesota as well, so their schedule isn't that easy. Add to it that they will learn at the press conference tommorow the fate of their team, most likely finished after this season with all of them losing their jobs, that will likely have a negative effect on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto7 Posted July 13, 2004 Author Share Posted July 13, 2004 You are right. You can't underestimate the psychological effect of the team (probably) folding at the end of the season. If Milwaukee does make the playoffs, it will be quite something as they had a dreadful start. I'm sure you agree that Calgary and Edmonton are not going to make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Yes, Calgary and Edmonton will not make it. You also have to remember that the league scheduled Milwaukees first game far later in the season than the other teams due to the fact that they play indoors in the winter, and even then their first game got rained out. I believe Puerto Rico had played 8 games before Milwaukee had played their first. That contributed a lot to Milwaukees slow start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Kind of disappointing to see that there is not much drama this year as far playoff races. Yet we are still only in mid july and barely past the half way point. The discrepancy in attendance number is the hidden storm cloud on the horizon IMO. With all the options that canadian players have ( eg>; Europe, or US colleges) and the smaller population base in canada in relation to the US, The revenue gaps from gate sources must be getting larger and larger. Hence how will those teams with smaller fan bases be able to compete with other clubs for the smaller canadian-talent pool availble when some rivals can draw up to 4 or 5 times more fans. And, by extension, improve enough to compete for future playoff spots. I found it odd that the Lynx couldn't use a guy like Adrian Caan. Obvigiously he got scooped up by a rival who was able to make a more attractive offer. Same might be said for the loss of someone like titus. Some cnd clubs risk getting into that vicious circle. Its different for US teams, since they have a larger pool of talent available from MLS, college etc. Look at how quickly Atlanta turned things around. As far as playoffs, North American soccer leagues at the pro level have historically produced results in the playoff that are not reflective of regular season performance. This would apply to the NASL and even in the CSL. I seem to recall the Hamilton Steelers winning a couple of CSA titles despite being very ordinary in the regular season. I am still undecided as to whether or not a playoff is the best way to crown a champion in soccer. I know its the norm in North america and that is probably the main reason why I am not against it per se. Montreal clubs in many leagues have often been very good regular season teams but have often cashed and burned in the playoffs and not lived up to expectations, except for 1994. Its unpredictable, Didn't Milwaukee win an a-league title a few years ago despite looking average amongst the other teams going into the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto7 Posted July 13, 2004 Author Share Posted July 13, 2004 quote: North American soccer leagues at the pro level have historically produced results in the playoff that are not reflective of regular season performance. This would apply to the NASL and even in the CSL. I seem to recall the Hamilton Steelers winning a couple of CSA titles despite being very ordinary in the regular season. I am still undecided as to whether or not a playoff is the best way to crown a champion in soccer. I know its the norm in North america and that is probably the main reason why I am not against it per se. Sandro Grande said it best last week after the Impact beat Rochester to move into a first place tie: He said that if he was still playing in Italy he would get excited to be in first place. Playing in North America, he knows that teams have to go through the playoffs and being in first place doesn't mean as much. As you say, the Montreal Impact were consistently finishing in first place in the late 90s but crashing out during the playoffs. Maybe the first place team in each division could get a bye into the next round and let the other teams play that extra game or two. This way you reward finishing at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Well we have to have playoffs. The season schedule is unbalanced with teams not even playing other clubs during the regular season, there is no other fair way to determine a champion. Having the number one team in the division getting a bye actually punishes that team. First off that removes a home playoff date and in Montreal that would be a guarantted crowd of 5,000+. Secondly as was proven in past A-League seasons where the home team received a bye, the team with the bye came into the second round too relaxed and often lost. Sandro Grande can say all he wants, he should be happy he's got somewhere to play instead of crapping on the North American system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 quote: I think Milwaukee may be able to pull ahead of Seattle for a couple of reasons. With this weekends results it looks like I was right. Milwaukee has pulled within 1 point of Seattle and they have 3 games in hand. Sorry for tooting my own horn, but usually people are always telling me how wrong I am, just want to prove not so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bxl Boy Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 Having seen Syracuse play twice against Montreal, I wonder why this team is so far of the 4 first ranks. They have done very weel during those two games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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