MLS Wildcard Recap: Colorado vs Columbus

by Ryan Gates on Oct 27, 2011 10:48 PM PDT

Quick Recap:

The Colorado Rapids come out looking strong and ready to defend their championship. The Columbus Crew looked like they were running around trying to put chewing gum on a leaky dike. In the end the better team won, Colorado wins 1-0.

First Half:

Colorado came out and really looked like they were the defending champions for the first time in a while. The passed the ball around Columbus and continually put pressure on Columbus' defense. The only thing lacking was something we as Timbers fans are familiar with, a good final ball.

Columbus did have some chances but not nearly enough to even look like they were dangerous. Their forwards were called offsided on numerous occasions and really killed any attacking momentum. Colorado on the other hand continually attacked down the wings and was able to put the ball into the middle of the field in dangerous areas.

Finally Colorado was able to break through with a beautiful through ball off a turnover by Columbus in their own half. Omar Cummings then received the ball around the penalty spot and buried it into the back of the net. It was the goal everyone sensed was coming and Colorado deserved.

Second Half:

The second half was much like the first half as Colorado kept up their attacking momentum. Columbus really didn't get any chance until they started getting desperate with 15 mins to play when they started to throw players forward. Despite the desperation they still lacked any quality in and around the box. Their star players, Robbie Rogers included, were non existent for the whole match.

In the end Colorado was able to salt the game away as Columbus' season came to an end.

Notes:

The fans once again didn't show up, in fact only 7803 showed up and they didn't have the excuse of the World Series

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Comments

To be fair

It was really, really cold. Of course, so was that friendly between the Timbers and UP in front of a full crowd at Merlo Field a few years ago.

Maybe the European soccer pundits are right — maybe the playoffs are kind of a waste of time and money.

When I write, I write for the Timbers. Contributing Editor of Stumptown Footy

by Andrew Wheeler on Oct 28, 2011 8:33 AM PDT reply actions

No "maybe" about it

MLS should pick one. Either go with a points system and say “most points wins” or go with a playoff. Both is silly. I get the whole Americans-love-playoffs thing (and after the Rangers/Cards game last night if you don’t love playoffs there’s something desperately wrong with you), but MLS has a points system and that should be enough.

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 8:49 AM PDT up reply actions

I fail to see what the alternative to a points system is. It is a necessary predicate to holding playoffs.

Jag kom, jag såg, erövrade jag.

by Kejsare on Oct 28, 2011 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions

No it isn't

Baseball doesn’t have points and they manage playoffs just fine. As does the NFL. If you want eight teams in an MLS playoff, take the top four finishers in each conference, and use the same tiebreaker system that is currently in place in case a team finishes with the same record as another.

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions

And the NBA, if it ever exists again

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions

And by "the same tiebreaker" I of course mean slightly different

Without points, it would have to be

1. Head to head record
2. Goal difference
3. Something else (home wins?)

but it’s definitely possible to have a playoff tournament without points.

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions

The reason we have points in soccer

is that draws are possible. Hockey has points too (3 for win, 1 for OT win, 0 for loss) similar to what the MLS used to have when they didn’t allow draws. In all cases, the playoffs are calculated based on wins, losses, and whatever other measures there are. If you want to look at baseball in terms of points, baseball teams get one point for a win and 0 points for a loss. It works exactly the same way.

There’s absolutely no connection whatsoever between having a point system and having playoffs.

When I write, I write for the Timbers. Contributing Editor of Stumptown Footy

by Andrew Wheeler on Oct 28, 2011 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Believe it or not we're saying the same thing

There’s absolutely no connection whatsoever between having a point system and having playoffs

This is the point I’m trying to make.

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Well, we're not quite saying the same thing

I’m saying whether or not a league as a point system has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not it has playoffs.

To put it a different way, if MLS wants to have playoffs they have to have points to determine who makes it, because draws muck up the win/loss math.

But you’re right, in that no league, no matter how they determine the standings, really needs playoffs. We could easily just call the football team with the best record the champion every year. But then people wouldn’t be able to have superbowl parties, and I wouldn’t be able to ski without having to wait in the lift line on one glorious Sunday per year.

So really what MLS needs is MLS Cup Final parties.

When I write, I write for the Timbers. Contributing Editor of Stumptown Footy

by Andrew Wheeler on Oct 28, 2011 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions

I can get behind that idea

by pdb on Oct 28, 2011 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions

The thing about baseball and football

is that because they play uneven schedules (every team does not play each other time the same number of times) playoffs are the only way to crown a winner without getting into some kind of crazy BCS-style calculus. And nobody likes calculus.

Contributing Editor for Stumptown Footy

by William Conwell on Oct 28, 2011 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Famous Last Post

It looks like the “wild card” round bombed. But FC Dallas rarely draws a big crowd and Rapids attendance has always been inconsistent. Credit to those people who did go, but soccer just isn’t unconditionally loved by the many in those places. It’s hard to imagine that changing anytime soon. So I’m all for them finishing dead last from now on so we don’t have to watch playoff games in their half-empty stadiums. I hope that MLS 1.0 never drags us down.

When I'm bored I'm on Twitter. I love the First World.

by yepyou'reright on Oct 28, 2011 10:38 AM PDT reply actions

IMO

As long as the finish in a spot that requires them to travel away from their stadiums I am ok with them making the playoffs.

Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.

by Ryan Gates on Oct 28, 2011 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions

If there's one good thing about the Flounders

it’s that we can at least count on them having a full stadium for a playoff game.

I think the bigger issue is that there are simply too many playoff teams and thus playoff games for the inconsistent attendance that we see at these stadiums.

My favorite playoff idea, if there really has to be one, is to keep the playoff format the way it is for the conference finals, and just have the top two teams in each conference play each other to go the MLS Cup.

by vitaminx on Oct 28, 2011 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions

The only problem with that ...

FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake both had better records than the best Eastern team.

When I write, I write for the Timbers. Contributing Editor of Stumptown Footy

by Andrew Wheeler on Oct 28, 2011 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Plus

Next year the conferences will be unbalanced with 19 teams in the league, so we will need to at least partly base the playoffs on points. The real question is if we should get rid of conferences entirely until the league is balanced out on twenty teams.

Contributing Editor for Stumptown Footy

by William Conwell on Oct 28, 2011 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions