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I'm....uhhh....probably going to spend the rest of the day hiding under the covers. Back in true Spursy form, I suppose. Last few months must have been a fluke...
 
Another MLS weekend down, another Portland tie. A few thoughts on the weekend.

1. NYCFC Has a Tiny Field!
Seriously small field for NYCFC in Yankee Stadium, you need to really be accurate with your passes. The longball is pretty powerful here, if you can put it in accurately, as Tierney showed. Of course, the longball is nothing if you can't do anything with it, and right now New England can't seem to put it in the back of the net; at least six really, really good chances that should have been goals by my count in the first half, if even half of those get converted New England win. I felt that send off was a little harsh, but the momentum had been with NYCFC for most of the second half at that point, so I don't think it was the deciding factor. New England needs to find their scoring boots, and soon.

2. Philly Got Robbed
Not much else to say here, no way that was a penalty, Philly should have walked away with a road win there.

3. Portland Keeps Drawing
At a certain point, someone in Portland's HQ is going to get tired of the Timbers getting draws and fire Caleb Porter, I'm not quite sure what the problem in Portland is, but unless those draws are also accompanied by some wins you won't get into the playoffs in the west with nothing but draws.

4. The Evans Experiment is a Failure
I get it Sounders, Evans is a really talented guy and it's a shame that he might have to be on the bench; but he's simply not going to work as a Center Back. One goal in Saturday's defeat was directly due to an Evans' screw up and he contributed to another. In the previous game only the bad luck that has been haunting New England prevented that match from being much closer, often on screw ups by Evans. Either have Zach Scott come back in at center back and have Evans be a "super sub" and your all around midfield back up, or trade him for a dedicated center back. There's a lot of teams in the league with spare center backs that could use a midfield talent like Evans, I'm sure the Sounders could get a good deal for him.

5. Toronto's Supporting Cast is Their Biggest Flaw
Toronto has some big names, Altidore, Bradley and Giovinco, and that's great, but the rest of the team really does need some work. Whatever you thought of the refereeing for the match, that straight red was legitimate and the result of a pretty horrible break down in the back. Toronto is the shining example that big designated players aren't enough to win you games in MLS.
 
Talgrath said:
Another MLS weekend down, another Portland tie. A few thoughts on the weekend.

1. NYCFC Has a Tiny Field!
Seriously small field for NYCFC in Yankee Stadium, you need to really be accurate with your passes. The longball is pretty powerful here, if you can put it in accurately, as Tierney showed. Of course, the longball is nothing if you can't do anything with it, and right now New England can't seem to put it in the back of the net; at least six really, really good chances that should have been goals by my count in the first half, if even half of those get converted New England win. I felt that send off was a little harsh, but the momentum had been with NYCFC for most of the second half at that point, so I don't think it was the deciding factor. New England needs to find their scoring boots, and soon.

2. Philly Got Robbed
Not much else to say here, no way that was a penalty, Philly should have walked away with a road win there.

3. Portland Keeps Drawing
At a certain point, someone in Portland's HQ is going to get tired of the Timbers getting draws and fire Caleb Porter, I'm not quite sure what the problem in Portland is, but unless those draws are also accompanied by some wins you won't get into the playoffs in the west with nothing but draws.

4. The Evans Experiment is a Failure
I get it Sounders, Evans is a really talented guy and it's a shame that he might have to be on the bench; but he's simply not going to work as a Center Back. One goal in Saturday's defeat was directly due to an Evans' screw up and he contributed to another. In the previous game only the bad luck that has been haunting New England prevented that match from being much closer, often on screw ups by Evans. Either have Zach Scott come back in at center back and have Evans be a "super sub" and your all around midfield back up, or trade him for a dedicated center back. There's a lot of teams in the league with spare center backs that could use a midfield talent like Evans, I'm sure the Sounders could get a good deal for him.

5. Toronto's Supporting Cast is Their Biggest Flaw
Toronto has some big names, Altidore, Bradley and Giovinco, and that's great, but the rest of the team really does need some work. Whatever you thought of the refereeing for the match, that straight red was legitimate and the result of a pretty horrible break down in the back. Toronto is the shining example that big designated players aren't enough to win you games in MLS.
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A) I'm super glad Portland drew :D Seriously, that was an emotional game!

B) NYCFC has a small field but it's not as ridiculously tiny as it seems. The camera angle is low (for some reason, think "Buckshaw") which lends it to look even smaller. But it's 110x70yds, which is believe is the size Portland entered the league with.
 
I'm usually a low-grade Portland fan, but I'm hoping they lose this weekend. Lord knows, we need the three points in KC. Despite the drubbing in Dallas, we actually played pretty well last weekend. The first goal was a rookie mistake, the second was a blown call by theAR, and the third was a counterattack when we were chasing the game.
 
Talgrath said:
Another MLS weekend down, another Portland tie. A few thoughts on the weekend.

1. NYCFC Has a Tiny Field!
Seriously small field for NYCFC in Yankee Stadium, you need to really be accurate with your passes. The longball is pretty powerful here, if you can put it in accurately, as Tierney showed. Of course, the longball is nothing if you can't do anything with it, and right now New England can't seem to put it in the back of the net; at least six really, really good chances that should have been goals by my count in the first half, if even half of those get converted New England win. I felt that send off was a little harsh, but the momentum had been with NYCFC for most of the second half at that point, so I don't think it was the deciding factor. New England needs to find their scoring boots, and soon.

5. Toronto's Supporting Cast is Their Biggest Flaw
Toronto has some big names, Altidore, Bradley and Giovinco, and that's great, but the rest of the team really does need some work. Whatever you thought of the refereeing for the match, that straight red was legitimate and the result of a pretty horrible break down in the back. Toronto is the shining example that big designated players aren't enough to win you games in MLS.
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I only wanted to contest your last point, but wanted to keep what you said in the first point highlighted.

The red was not deserved in the TFC game, he won the ball cleanly, and it wasn't an excessive use of force. It was a bad call to call that a foul. The foul in NE was an example of a Red being called correctly. He fouled someone and denied them an obvious goal scoring opportunity. It was a pretty soft foul but he extended his arms and played the player not the ball.

When you win the ball non-recklessly a foul should never be called. It was called because of incompetent reffing. In a better position he doesn't call that a foul and doesn't have to give a red.
 
hoppyhoppyhippo said:
I only wanted to contest your last point, but wanted to keep what you said in the first point highlighted.

The red was not deserved in the TFC game, he won the ball cleanly, and it wasn't an excessive use of force. It was a bad call to call that a foul. The foul in NE was an example of a Red being called correctly. He fouled someone and denied them an obvious goal scoring opportunity. It was a pretty soft foul but he extended his arms and played the player not the ball.

When you win the ball non-recklessly a foul should never be called. It was called because of incompetent reffing. In a better position he doesn't call that a foul and doesn't have to give a red.
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Rewatch that in slow motion, Morrow absolutely plays the player and not the ball, in any other situation that's not a card and is merely a professional foul, but he's the last defender; by the rules of the game that's a straight red. It's not just about "recklessness", it's also about whether or not you primarily played the ball; Morrow barely even gets a piece of the ball but gets all of the other player. What's more, any defender knows that if you screw that up you're going off. That said, even if you think it wasn't a foul, it's very very hard to call that one in real time; viewed from behind, it would look like Morrow got incidental contact with the ball and all of Findley.
 
Talgrath said:
Rewatch that in slow motion, Morrow absolutely plays the player and not the ball, in any other situation that's not a card and is merely a professional foul, but he's the last defender; by the rules of the game that's a straight red. It's not just about "recklessness", it's also about whether or not you primarily played the ball; Morrow barely even gets a piece of the ball but gets all of the other player. What's more, any defender knows that if you screw that up you're going off. That said, even if you think it wasn't a foul, it's very very hard to call that one in real time; viewed from behind, it would look like Morrow got incidental contact with the ball and all of Findley.
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I have rewatched it. He got the ball. You're right he got Findley too after getting the ball. It was a severely questionable foul. Much more questionable of a red than the one to Goncalvez.
 
hoppyhoppyhippo said:
I have rewatched it. He got the ball. You're right he got Findley too after getting the ball. It was a severely questionable foul. Much more questionable of a red than the one to Goncalvez.
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Here's the thing that I constantly have to explain, it isn't just "did he get the ball" it's did he get the ball fairly? His slide tackle number one, appears to get Findley first (always a foul) and he got much more of the man than the ball. Either way, like I said, that's a very tough call to make as a ref in real time; even though I think the ref got it right (and I'm not alone with that). Horrible referee work for the other portions of the game, but he got this particular call right.

The NYCFC foul, by contrast, while Goncalves had an obvious hand reach on the replay, it appears that the NYCFC player is already going down before the hand comes around (had it not, he may very well have been booked for diving). In real time it looked shoulder to shoulder to me, only when I looked at a replay did I note the arm. It's a foul and yes, for the same reason it's a red card, but it's a much softer foul.
 
Unimas carries the Friday games, most people don't have Unimas; I've heard you can stream it from the Univision site but I've been unable to find out how to do that (Note: tonight's game was moved to Saturday due to snow). Saturday games are generally "local only", so unless you paid for MLS Live or Direct Kick you won't be seeing those games except for your local team. Sunday games are on ESPN/ESPN 2 and Fox Sports 1; the earlier game is usually on at 5 pm Eastern and is on ESPN 2, the second game is usually on at 7 pm Eastern and is on Fox Sports 1.
 
My thoughts on this weekend of MLS...

1. Holy Crap New England Can't Score
Up a man, at home, for about half an hour against a banged up and generally weak overall Montreal Impact, New England could. not. score. What more can you say other than New England needs to fix their offense somehow.

2. FC Dallas Remains Perfect
Dallas has had a very strong start to the season, three wins in three. Last season Dallas started strong too, but could this be their year? With head coach Oscar Pareja the future is bright.

3. Chicago Fire Remain Perfect...ly Bad
While they did look like the better team after giving up 2 relatively early goals, the Chicago Fire have lost all three games so far. Frank Yallop needs to turn this around and fast, or his ass is going out the door.

4. New York Red Bulls Have An Attendance Problem
In their home opener against their biggest rivals, NYRB had almost no one in the stands. NYRB have always had attendance issues, but this is Chivas USA bad. If the ownership is going to turn this around, they need to start soon with a PR blitz.

5. Catching Some Z's
Lots of 0-0 draws this weekend, and virtually all of them were snoozers. Taylor Twellman blames the 12 of 20 getting into the playoffs this season...but maybe it was just an off weekend. That said, we've had 6 scoreless draws this season, there were 18 all of last season.
 
Talgrath said:
My thoughts on this weekend of MLS...

1. Holy Crap New England Can't Score
Up a man, at home, for about half an hour against a banged up and generally weak overall Montreal Impact, New England could. not. score. What more can you say other than New England needs to fix their offense somehow.

2. FC Dallas Remains Perfect
Dallas has had a very strong start to the season, three wins in three. Last season Dallas started strong too, but could this be their year? With head coach Oscar Pareja the future is bright.

5. Catching Some Z's
Lots of 0-0 draws this weekend, and virtually all of them were snoozers. Taylor Twellman blames the 12 of 20 getting into the playoffs this season...but maybe it was just an off weekend. That said, we've had 6 scoreless draws this season, there were 18 all of last season.
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I think New England will get better as they get healthier. Dallas is scary good, with the advantage of having a lot of consistency from last year to this year.

At least for the scoreless draw I attended (SKCvPOR), you had two teams still very much trying to figure their attack out. Sporting has too many new pieces to put it together right away, and the Timbers have too many injuries. Both teams are pretty much building from the defense forward right now, and it showed. I didn't find the match boring at all, but then I was in the stadium, which always helps.
 
Tute said:
I think New England will get better as they get healthier. Dallas is scary good, with the advantage of having a lot of consistency from last year to this year.

At least for the scoreless draw I attended (SKCvPOR), you had two teams still very much trying to figure their attack out. Sporting has too many new pieces to put it together right away, and the Timbers have too many injuries. Both teams are pretty much building from the defense forward right now, and it showed. I didn't find the match boring at all, but then I was in the stadium, which always helps.
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The Portland vs KC match was probably the best of the scoreless draws this weekend, but even then I found long stretches of the game to be downright boring. That said, I don't think it's necessarily due to the playoff system...last year was an extraordinarily offensive year for MLS, I think this is more a return to the mean and has very little to do with the playoff schedule. Hopefully next week is more exciting.
 
Sounders FC v, FC Dallas

So FC Dallas just had a red card, missed the player, radio only here, last week Sounder couldn't do $4!7 with a man up. Could be a bad look for Dallas but with Sounders out a couple on injury and not doing much with a man up last time its possible to hold up.

SOUNDERS!
 
International call up weekends are always weird in MLS.

1. Seattle vs Dallas Illustrated Key Problems
Bad refereeing aside (even as a Sounders fan, I don't think that high kick was a straight red), the ghastly 0 shots on target game showcases two key issues with MLS. First, scheduling through international dates is a huge issue, thanks to injuries and international call ups the Sounders were missing five of their starters and Dallas was missing three of their starters; if nothing else this would have been a more exciting game with the likes of Marco Pappa or Blais Perez on the pitch. The second issue, related to the first, is that MLS really needs to raise and continue to raise the minimum wages and average wages of players; the replacement players that came in for both sides were not anywhere close to being as skilled. Neither team will be happy with the result here, the Sounders because they were up a man for nearly 70 minutes and Dallas because a silly red card turned what looked like a sure win into an ugly draw.

2. Toronto's Supporting Cast Still Isn't Good Enough
First, let's get this out of the way, that foul call on Toronto's called off goal was bull, purely and simply a bad call at any angle, even in real time. That said, I think if Toronto had their full compliment, including Bradley and Altidore, they would have won that game. There were numerous times throughout the game where I thought "Altidore would have put that on frame" or "Bradley would have shut that down". Both teams were missing players, but I think Toronto was missing more on the balance. Someone needs to make some trades or signings besides designated players to get the DPs some help.

3. Philly Gets Screwed Again
I don't think Fred deserved that red card and I don't think that was a deliberate face slap. How many times can the Union get into these bizarre situations? That said, credit to the Fire, they took the lead and kept it...but they might not be able to do it against stiffer competition that doesn't get bizarre red cards.

4. The Red Bulls Top the East?
The Red Bulls, surprisingly, are top of the east right now. I personally thought the Red Bulls would be a disaster, but so far they are proving me wrong; even if their fanbase is dwindling their point total is strong.

5. Vancouver Gets First Blood in the Cascadia Cup
Vancouver beat Portland (in Vancouver) to get the first points in the Cascadia Cup, they've also quietly snuck in to second place in the west, Vancouver could be set to actually make a run to the playoffs this year if they continue at this pace.
 
You're spot on, Talgrath, especially about the international call ups. There was some god-awful soccer played by second and third stringers over the weekend. I'm a fan, so I watched--but it was painful at times.

Also, that soccer field in Yankee Stadium is truly terrible. NYCvSKC was never going to be attractive to watch, what with the absences (both due to call ups and injuries) and the nasty weather, but that bowling alley of a pitch is terrible. I'm sympathetic to how hard it is to play in a baseball stadium (we had to use a minor league stadium here in KC), but the game really suffers on the narrow field. At least the skinny field of play got my team the lone goal on the afternoon.
 
Tute said:
You're spot on, Talgrath, especially about the international call ups. There was some god-awful soccer played by second and third stringers over the weekend. I'm a fan, so I watched--but it was painful at times.

Also, that soccer field in Yankee Stadium is truly terrible. NYCvSKC was never going to be attractive to watch, what with the absences (both due to call ups and injuries) and the nasty weather, but that bowling alley of a pitch is terrible. I'm sympathetic to how hard it is to play in a baseball stadium (we had to use a minor league stadium here in KC), but the game really suffers on the narrow field. At least the skinny field of play got my team the lone goal on the afternoon.
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It's a perspective trick. The camera in Yankee stadium is sooo much lower than in other stadia. And the pitch is actually the same size as two other current pitches in the league, and up until a couple years ago I think there were even more that were about the same size.
 
Another crazy MLS week.

1. Philly vs KC Was The Best Game of the Week
If you told me before the game that Philly vs KC would be the most exciting game of the year so far, I would tell you that you're crazy. Philly was a wounded beast this week, missing multiple players from injuries and suspensions, while KC was mostly healthy and at home. Philly managed to snag two early set piece goals while KC pulled one back; but surprisingly Philly looked like the more dangerous team for long stretches and held the lead for most of the game. Sporting piled on the pressure at the end though and managed to snag two late goals for the win, Philly will walk away ruing their failures to score again and hold of KC to the end.

2. The Fire Won?
I've said that the Fire are probably the worst team in the east and maybe all of MLS, but maybe I'm wrong. Against a mostly healthy roster with a much larger salary the Fire pulled off a win by abandoning (for the most part) defense and just going at it. That same idea might not work against teams with stronger defense though.

3. Tissuegate!
Portland managed to turn in a truly excellent performance at home against the top team in the west, FC Dallas. When Dallas evened things up after Portland scored, I thought the Timbers were gonna keep being themselves and tie, but then they managed to break down Dallas and score two more (one off a lung-busting run from Diego Chara, who rarely scores). Of course, the main thing everyone is talking about is the tissue that Oscar Pareja offered to Caleb Porter, who tossed it back in his face. Porter is known for being a sore loser and a poor winner amongst the coaches (and many fans) so it's very possible Porter rubbed Pareja the wrong way. Neither coach acted particularly classy here, but I've often thought the polite handshake is sort of bull**** anyway so hey, keep it going!

4. The Sounders Win With 10 Men, Because That Makes Sense
The Sounders lost and tied when they had long stretches of game with a man advantage, so of course they win when they get reduced to 10 men. I thought the foul last week that got the red for Dallas was a bad call and I think this one was two, both should have been yellow cards. Nonetheless, without their second defensive mid the Sounders did remarkably well. On the other side of the ball, Houston will be disappointed, so far their attempts to get more offensive haven't gotten them more chances and seems to have resulted in more defensive failures. Houston rarely makes any decision quickly, but could Owen Coyle be in trouble here?

5. Is Colorado the New Chivas?
In previous years the western division was usually the stronger division, with a single Achilles heel, Chivas USA was everyone's punching bag. Once again the western division looks much stronger and competitive, but with no Chivas USA it seems the Rapids have stepped up to that role. The Rapids haven't scored a goal in six months and they currently have the fourth longest scoring drought (in minutes) in MLS history, if they don't get a quick goal next game they'll get up to third. Colorado is currently tied for the longest winless streak with RSL, 18 games. The parallels don't stop there either. It's largely assumed that bad management chased away highly regarded coach Oscar Pareja, much like Chivas USA chased away players and coaches with insane managerial decisions. Players on the team seem to regress by and large, much like Chivas USA. Young players Dillon Powers and Shane O'Neill were candidates for big awards in 2013 and helped to get the Rapids back to the playoffs under Pareja, but Pablo Mastroeni's tenure has been marked by regression. Until they show us otherwise, the Rapids are MLS new punching bag and sure three points.
 
Talgrath said:
Another crazy MLS week.

1. Philly vs KC Was The Best Game of the Week
If you told me before the game that Philly vs KC would be the most exciting game of the year so far, I would tell you that you're crazy. Philly was a wounded beast this week, missing multiple players from injuries and suspensions, while KC was mostly healthy and at home. Philly managed to snag two early set piece goals while KC pulled one back; but surprisingly Philly looked like the more dangerous team for long stretches and held the lead for most of the game. Sporting piled on the pressure at the end though and managed to snag two late goals for the win, Philly will walk away ruing their failures to score again and hold of KC to the end.
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That game was insanity... and really hurt my Fantasy team. KC WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOCK FOR A SHUTOUT, DAMNIT! Plus I had just traded away Wenger and Aristaguieta for lack of production.

But I was shocked at how many people filed out of Sporting Park by the 90th minute. This match was a perfect example of why you don't leave before the final whistle!

2. The Fire Won?
I've said that the Fire are probably the worst team in the east and maybe all of MLS, but maybe I'm wrong. Against a mostly healthy roster with a much larger salary the Fire pulled off a win by abandoning (for the most part) defense and just going at it. That same idea might not work against teams with stronger defense though.
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Ya know, at the start of that game the roommate and I had a discussion about Chicago and that they should be a good team but that quality just wasn't translating to the field. I guess they figured something out this week.

3. Tissuegate!
Portland managed to turn in a truly excellent performance at home against the top team in the west, FC Dallas. When Dallas evened things up after Portland scored, I thought the Timbers were gonna keep being themselves and tie, but then they managed to break down Dallas and score two more (one off a lung-busting run from Diego Chara, who rarely scores). Of course, the main thing everyone is talking about is the tissue that Oscar Pareja offered to Caleb Porter, who tossed it back in his face. Porter is known for being a sore loser and a poor winner amongst the coaches (and many fans) so it's very possible Porter rubbed Pareja the wrong way. Neither coach acted particularly classy here, but I've often thought the polite handshake is sort of bull**** anyway so hey, keep it going!
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Pareja was the ****** in this situation but I think most people "in the know" will realize Pareja's *****iness was justified. You are correct in that sources say Caleb Porter is an instigator, a whiner, and kind of irritating to other managers... that's his MO. Either way though, I have a feeling that the energy of that game wiped the "Good PR Face" off each of them.

I don't mind the drama. There's not enough of it in MLS yet since we don't have decades upon decades of history and drama to build off of.

Is it odd and slightly childish? Yup. Will it/has it given our league attention? Yup. Is it fun to watch, speculate on, and write about? Oh yeah. Was Dallas losing the biggest hit to my Fantasy? You betcha!

4. The Sounders Win With 10 Men, Because That Makes Sense
The Sounders lost and tied when they had long stretches of game with a man advantage, so of course they win when they get reduced to 10 men. I thought the foul last week that got the red for Dallas was a bad call and I think this one was two, both should have been yellow cards. Nonetheless, without their second defensive mid the Sounders did remarkably well. On the other side of the ball, Houston will be disappointed, so far their attempts to get more offensive haven't gotten them more chances and seems to have resulted in more defensive failures. Houston rarely makes any decision quickly, but could Owen Coyle be in trouble here?
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Eeeeeh I dunno. Both times the aggressor had his boot perpendicular to the other player, studs up, directly into the gut/chest... and in wide-open space of the middle-third of the field. There's no reason for that kind of challenge and even if you don't think it endangers the safety, it most certainly is reckless and (quite frankly) lazy. Clear reds in my book. YMMV

But mad kudos to Seattle for earning six points even though they played 107 out of 180 minutes a man-down.

5. Is Colorado the New Chivas?
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Yes. And I'm going to miss Mastroeni's mustache after he's ****canned
 
Talgrath said:
Another crazy MLS week.

5. Is Colorado the New Chivas?
In previous years the western division was usually the stronger division, with a single Achilles heel, Chivas USA was everyone's punching bag. Once again the western division looks much stronger and competitive, but with no Chivas USA it seems the Rapids have stepped up to that role. The Rapids haven't scored a goal in six months and they currently have the fourth longest scoring drought (in minutes) in MLS history, if they don't get a quick goal next game they'll get up to third. Colorado is currently tied for the longest winless streak with RSL, 18 games. The parallels don't stop there either. It's largely assumed that bad management chased away highly regarded coach Oscar Pareja, much like Chivas USA chased away players and coaches with insane managerial decisions. Players on the team seem to regress by and large, much like Chivas USA. Young players Dillon Powers and Shane O'Neill were candidates for big awards in 2013 and helped to get the Rapids back to the playoffs under Pareja, but Pablo Mastroeni's tenure has been marked by regression. Until they show us otherwise, the Rapids are MLS new punching bag and sure three points.
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The second half of last year was a nightmare for the Rapids and really shouldn't be in the discussion with this year. Although the results certainly aren't what I would have liked them to have been, we only have this one loss and the opposing goalkeeper against them has won the 'save of the week' award for the last three games. So, 'punching bag' is a bit of an overstatement.

Even if Pareja was 'chased off', it wouldn't be the first time that Rapids mgmt. had done such a thing, it's not like we were happy with Pareja's performance. We only squeaked into the playoffs on a tie-breaker and lost in the first round in 2013; not exactly stellar. Pareja has done much better since going back to Dallas.

We were 2-1-1 at this point last year. We wouldn't be having this conversation if they had that record to start this season.

That said, someone needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net...and soon!

Reno_eNVy said:
Yes. And I'm going to miss Mastroeni's mustache after he's ****canned
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As goofy as his mustache is, I will also miss it. Maybe watching him leave the first time will make the second time easier. I am thinking that he probably has until the All-star break.
 
botigol said:
The second half of last year was a nightmare for the Rapids and really shouldn't be in the discussion with this year. Although the results certainly aren't what I would have liked them to have been, we only have this one loss and the opposing goalkeeper against them has won the 'save of the week' award for the last three games. So, 'punching bag' is a bit of an overstatement.

Even if Pareja was 'chased off', it wouldn't be the first time that Rapids mgmt. had done such a thing, it's not like we were happy with Pareja's performance. We only squeaked into the playoffs on a tie-breaker and lost in the first round in 2013; not exactly stellar. Pareja has done much better since going back to Dallas.

We were 2-1-1 at this point last year. We wouldn't be having this conversation if they had that record to start this season.

That said, someone needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net...and soon!



As goofy as his mustache is, I will also miss it. Maybe watching him leave the first time will make the second time easier. I am thinking that he probably has until the All-star break.
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I'd point out that Colorado has a lot of momentum at the end of 2013 and a lot of it, I think, came down to Pareja, the momentum continued, even without him, into the start of 2014 but eventually they slid into one of the worst seasons since 2001. Pareja has done better in Dallas, but Dallas also has a bigger budget (albeit only just) than the Rapids. If you're going to be a small market team in MLS you need a very good coach with a very good GM, I just don't think the Rapids have that right now.
 
What momentum did we have? They finished 2-3-0 in the last five regular season games of 2013 and then lost in the first round. Maybe you're referring to personnel. I'll give full credit to Pareja for bringing in Vicente Sanchez, a bargain even at $200k per year in my mind (too bad he isn't just a couple of years younger), and drafting Brown and Powers, having the top two rookies in any year is a big deal. However, he also brought in a number of busts; our first and now former DP being the top of my, and a bunch of other people's, list. Back to 2014, we lost both of our starting center backs for almost half of the season and had heavy rotation through the outside backs due to poor performances and more injuries.

Do we have some issues that may not be overcome in time? Sure. Are we in a better place overall than last year? You bet'cha. Due to travel and lost desire, I missed a few games at the end of last year and really didn't care that I wasn't at the stadium. Despite Saturday's loss, I don't feel that anything is that wrong with the team and am looking forward to our next game.
 
botigol said:
What momentum did we have? They finished 2-3-0 in the last five regular season games of 2013 and then lost in the first round. Maybe you're referring to personnel. I'll give full credit to Pareja for bringing in Vicente Sanchez, a bargain even at $200k per year in my mind (too bad he isn't just a couple of years younger), and drafting Brown and Powers, having the top two rookies in any year is a big deal. However, he also brought in a number of busts; our first and now former DP being the top of my, and a bunch of other people's, list. Back to 2014, we lost both of our starting center backs for almost half of the season and had heavy rotation through the outside backs due to poor performances and more injuries.

Do we have some issues that may not be overcome in time? Sure. Are we in a better place overall than last year? You bet'cha. Due to travel and lost desire, I missed a few games at the end of last year and really didn't care that I wasn't at the stadium. Despite Saturday's loss, I don't feel that anything is that wrong with the team and am looking forward to our next game.
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