MLS Cup 2008 playoffs

[andrewjackson]

The MLS Cup playoffs get started this week. The first round is home-and-away with the lower seeds hosting the first game. The return leg of the first round will be next week. The team with most total goals in the two games advances.

Eastern Conference
(E2) Chicago Fire @ (E3) New England Revolution, Thursday, Oct. 30, 7:30 pm et on ESPN2
(E1) Columbus Crew @ (WC1) Kansas City Wizards, Saturday, Nov. 1, 8:00 pm et on HDNet

Western Conference
(W1) Houston Dynamo @ (WC2) New York Red Bulls, Saturday, Nov. 1, 4:00 pm et
(W2) Chivas USA @ (W3) Real Salt Lake, Saturday, Nov. 1, 6:00 pm et on Fox Soccer Channel

New York wound up in the Western Conference because the top three in each conference automatically qualify and then there are two wild-cards from either conference. Kansas City and New York both qualified from the East so NY was sent West.

Make your picks and get your brackets filled out before the playoffs start on Thursday! HINT: Houston has won the last two MLS Cups.

I will be traveling to Giants Stadium on Saturday for the Houston-NY game.

[andrewjackson]

Past MLS Cup winners just in case someone tries to trip you up on an obscure soccer question:

1996 - D.C. United
1997 - D.C. United
1998 - Chicago Fire
1999 - D.C. United
2000 - Kansas City Wizards
2001 - San Jose Earthquakes
2002 - Los Angeles Galaxy
2003 - San Jose Earthquakes
2004 - D.C. United
2005 - Los Angeles Galaxy
2006 - Houston Dynamo
2007 - Houston Dynamo

[andrewjackson]

BTW, the LA Galaxy with David Beckham finished in a tie for last in the league with the expansion San Jose Earthquakes.

[silvercamaro]

Make your picks and get your brackets filled out before the playoffs start on Thursday!

Where can I fill out a bracket? For last year's World Cup predictions, I did pretty well with my "bicycle theory" -- at least, for a while. I'd like to try it again.

[andrewjackson]

Make your picks and get your brackets filled out before the playoffs start on Thursday!

Where can I fill out a bracket? For last year's World Cup predictions, I did pretty well with my "bicycle theory" -- at least, for a while. I'd like to try it again.

I was just kidding but I guess we could have a pool here on the Bored if anyone is interested. Just pick the four teams you think will advance from the first round, the two that you think will make it to the Cup, and the Cup winner. And a tie-breaker.

1st round - One point for each correct pick to advance
Conference finals - two points for each correct pick
MLS Cup winner - four points for picking the winner
Tie-Breaker - total goals in the 11 game tournament. This will be closest above or below the actual total.

Sample Picks

1st round - Columbus, Chicago, Houston, Chivas USA
Conference Finals - Columbus, Houston
Cup Winner - Houston
TieBreaker - 30 goals

Spoilerize that in this thread by this Thursday at 7:30 pm EDT. The MLS Cup is on November 23 so the whole thing is done in a few weeks.

I'll post some more info about the teams if that would help.

[moonie]

I cant believe the Red Bulls made the playoffs. Dont they have a suspended goalie and midfielder-and are they still suspended?


The Monroe-Woodbury Galaxy is having a better year than the LA Galaxy.


GO GALAXY!! (mine, that is)

[andrewjackson]

I cant believe the Red Bulls made the playoffs. Dont they have a suspended goalie and midfielder-and are they still suspended?


The Monroe-Woodbury Galaxy is having a better year than the LA Galaxy.


GO GALAXY!! (mine, that is)

Yep, defender Jeff Parke and goalkeeper John Conway were suspended for 10 games for using a banned substance. Their suspensions will go through the playoffs and the beginning of next season.

The Red Bulls definitely backed into the playoffs. They lost their final game at Chicago, 5-2, and would have been eliminated if DC could have won at Columbus on Sunday. But DC despite hitting the posts and crossbar repeatedly couldn't get a goal and wound up losing to Columbus 1-0.

[Snaxx]

I will be traveling to Giants Stadium on Saturday for the Houston-NY game.

I will certainly be there too with my father and probably my sister as well . Maybe we can meet again.

Snaxx

[andrewjackson]

I will be traveling to Giants Stadium on Saturday for the Houston-NY game.

I will certainly be there too with my father and probably my sister as well . Maybe we can meet again.

Snaxx

Sure. We are still finalizing our plans but I'll be flying into Philadelphia (that was the cheapest flight we could find) and driving up for the game on Saturday afternoon.

I'll be in touch as we make more plans.

[Snaxx]

Something for the Dynamo-Red Bulls match

Home "Turf" advantage talked up by Red Bulls' Dane Richards

The @#$% turf may not be so @#$% for us in the first 'leg' of the playoff, as Houston has played poorly on the @#$% stuff. During the NFL season, Giants Stadium surface is FieldTurf, better than the old AstroTurf, but still not real grass. They had real grass put down for international matches during the summer.

BTW, soccer is meant to be played on real grass. Artificial turf produces pinball-like bounces and other weird things.

The second leg and any tiebreaker will happen on November 9th in Houston.

Link to story:
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_i ... ready.html

[Snaxx]

Here is one for AJ- a couple of views of the "visitor's supporter" section, set up when more than a few come. Usually it is with DC United or New England.

Spoiler

Spoiler

And here is one of the Houston supporters @ the regular season game this year. This is in the same corner but the lower deck.

Spoiler

[Appa23]

During the NFL season, Giants Stadium surface is FieldTurf, better than the old AstroTurf, but still not real grass. They had real grass put down for international matches during the summer.

BTW, soccer is meant to be played on real grass. Artificial turf produces pinball-like bounces and other weird things.

I can not speak specifically as to the quality of the turf at the Meadowlands, but "Field Turf" no longer has the same "bounce" issues that older fake turf fields did, in my experience. It does come pretty darn close to replicating grass, or at least the turf at Morrison Stadium does in Omaha. The biggest difference is that the ball does move a bit faster on a "Field Turf" field, which can cause some misplays. I have played on old artificial turf and the new version, and I really liked the new version.

[andrewjackson]

I will be traveling to Giants Stadium on Saturday for the Houston-NY game.

I will certainly be there too with my father and probably my sister as well . Maybe we can meet again.

Snaxx

Sure. We are still finalizing our plans but I'll be flying into Philadelphia (that was the cheapest flight we could find) and driving up for the game on Saturday afternoon.

I'll be in touch as we make more plans.

It looks like the Red Bulls are putting us in that upper Mezzanine section for the game. We should have about 15 Dynamo fans there.

We are supposed to be meeting in Lot 15 or 16, I think, before the game.

[Snaxx]

AJ and I met up again this time on my team's home turf:

Spoiler

The 15-20 people who made the trip got their own section in the mezzanine above most of the fans. I suppose it was because stadium security was concerned about the large crowds that come from Washington for DC United and wanted to avoid any home fans vs visiting fans incidents.

Spoiler

Section 101, the equivalent of Yankee Stadium's Bleacher Creatures

Spoiler

Result:

Spoiler

Houston 1
Red Bull 1

Series goes to Houston and the winner next Sunday advances. If it is a tie, they play overtime in Houston.

[andrewjackson]

Thanks to Snaxx for the pictures.

I had a great time at the game on Saturday. It was good to met up with Snaxx for a few minutes before the game. We had a small group of fans at the game but we sang through both halves.

Results from the first legs:

Eastern Conference
Chicago Fire 0-0 New England Revolution
Columbus Crew 1-1 Kansas City Wizards

Western Conference
Houston Dynamo 1-1 New York Red Bulls
Chivas USA 0-1 Real Salt Lake

RSL gets the win in their first playoff game ever. All three of the other games were ties with two of the equalizing goals coming late in the games.

2nd leg matches:

Eastern Conference
(E3) New England Revolution @ (E2) Chicago Fire, Thursday, Nov. 6, 8:30 pm et on ESPN2
(WC1) Kansas City Wizards @ (E1) Columbus Crew, Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:30 pm et on HDNet

Western Conference
(W3) Real Salt Lake @ (W2) Chivas USA, Saturday, Nov. 8, 10:30 pm et on Fox Soccer Channel
(WC2) New York Red Bulls @ (W1) Houston Dynamo, Sunday, Nov. 9, 3:00 pm et on TeleFutura

[andrewjackson]

The Columbus Crew won the 2008 MLS Cup over New York, 3-1, on Sunday.

This was their first MLS Cup win. Guillermo Barros Schelotto followed up his win of the MLS league MVP by winning the Cup MVP award. He had assists on all three Crew goals.

I had fun at the game as a neutral fan. We stood next to the New York supporters. Orange is very effective at helping you stand out in a crowd.



The game atmosphere was nothing like the last two Cups, IMO, but it was a much better game.

Houston has one more game this year. On Wednesday we play Firpo of El Salvador in the CONCACAF Champions' League. This match was postponed from September due to Hurricane Ike. Houston must win to advance to the quarterfinals next February.

The MLS 2009 season will get underway on March 21. Next season the league will have 15 teams with the Seattle Sounders FC joining.