Are we better or worse now then at the start of the season?

[trane]

It will be an up hill battle to make the playoffs. No doubt. But as critical as I was of the team under Carver, at the begining of this season. I think we are a better team right now.

The team is not much different, but overall Cummins, while far from perfect, has done way better with this squad. Players are playing in position better suited for their tallents. The back line is still a problem, but the two DM system has addressed this problem to a point.

As I have said in other post, I think we were shite at the beggining of the season, and did not hesitate to say so. But now I think we are decent. I think we still have a shot. IF WE KEEP FORM. three losses in a row, or a similar strech and we are likely done. However I just think that our present team and coach, are capable of making the playoffs particullarly if they had a full season.

[rocker]

i don't think it's THAT much of an uphill battle to make the playoffs. we're tied for the final spot... we're 1 measly tie back from DC... 1 measly win behind Colorado... 2 points back of Seattle.

that's not any mountain to climb. just gotta be consistent... get the points we should get. etc.

any losing streak at this point would be catastrophic... but a decent run and we'd be near the top of the league. we've really not had a "run" yet like some teams have.

[jloome]

If you think about it though, the fact that the question can even be asked in sincerity speaks volumes about the lack of progress.

[Shakes McQueen]

If you think about it though, the fact that the question can even be asked in sincerity speaks volumes about the lack of progress.

Not really, because I think Trane asked the question rhetorically, in order to make the point he wanted to make, which is that we ARE better. :D

I think we are undoubtedly a better team now, than at the beginning of the year. We've shed more dead weight off the books, and brought in 2-3 quality players. Beyond that, we've also seen a few of our youngsters emerge as solid starters for now and the future.

The organization in the backline is still shambolic, and I think we may need to look for a new defensive midfielder, and a defensive back or two, but aside from that, I think we are pretty well off.

- Scott

[Beach_Red]

If you think about it though, the fact that the question can even be asked in sincerity speaks volumes about the lack of progress.


Or peple underestimated the progress of other teams. The league isn't static. Right now it looks like this year's playoff teams will be quite different than last year's. LA? In the playoffs? Who would have guessed that? No one's talking about Columbus repeating and NY certainly aren't going to represent the east this year.

The playoffs aren't a given for any team in this league, which is good for the league, but as a TFC supporter it pisses me off that we aren't in first place.

[mastermixer]

The ingredients are there, but no one's been able to bake a pie yet.

[Menelaos]

The ingredients are there, but no one's been able to bake a pie yet.


I agree. We have the players, but the right combo is not always put on the field.

However, I would say that I've seen personal performances improve from the beginning to now. As I have stated before, I've seen a change in Frei that I am excited about.

Keep in mind, this squad has now had time to play together for a while and that alone creates comfort and familiarity that helps during a match.

[olegunnar]

Or peple underestimated the progress of other teams. The league isn't static. Right now it looks like this year's playoff teams will be quite different than last year's. LA? In the playoffs? Who would have guessed that? No one's talking about Columbus repeating and NY certainly aren't going to represent the east this year.

The playoffs aren't a given for any team in this league, which is good for the league, but as a TFC supporter it pisses me off that we aren't in first place.

I agree with you.
Things like the cap, the draft order, and how allocations are given, ensure parity or mediocraty (depends on how you look at it).
It's for that reason I believe it's lazy or purposefully insincere to try and say "hey were a new team we can't expect too much for a few years"

It's not unrealistic to expect a top half finish (top 8 out of 14) right away

[Carts]

The ingredients are there, but no one's been able to bake a pie yet.

That's a great way to sum up our season so far...

Everyone will have their own opinion as to why we have been able to "bake the pie" - but I really think that sums it up well...

Me personally, I don't think the team adjusts, or makes changes quick enough in games (which starts at the coach/manager). I beleive Cummins has done a good job, I just wish he'd 'pull the trigger' faster, espcially when down a goal (ie: bringing in Dichio sooner -before the 82nd minute, or going to an all out attack earlier)...

Its easy for me to say that from my couch - alot harder to do during a game etc, I realise that...

I think if we could just get on a run, success would build more success, and that mometum might just put the ingredients in the bin, and the playoff pie might get in the oven...

Lets stay positive and see if we can win one Saturday, and then go from there!

Carts...

[trane]

Jloome,

As I said I think we are better, but we are not as good as we shuold and could be.


and Carts, I agree with you about Cummins not pulling the trigger, that may be my biggest concern with him.

[Beach_Red]

I agree with you.
Things like the cap, the draft order, and how allocations are given, ensure parity or mediocraty (depends on how you look at it).
It's for that reason I believe it's lazy or purposefully insincere to try and say "hey were a new team we can't expect too much for a few years"

It's not unrealistic to expect a top half finish (top 8 out of 14) right away


Well that depens on how much stock you put into things like team chemistry and experience playing together.

And even with all those things you mentioned, the cap, allocation etc., expansion teams still have to develop. Some will go for instant success and have no young players, trading away the future as soon as they can (this will usually get them into the bottom half of that top eight for a while) and some will take the early hit and develop young players.

This has been the way for all NHL, MLB and NFL expansion teams that I've followed. Remember how fast the Florida Panthers got to the Cup final. Have they been close since? But Anaheim and Tampa have won it. Different philosophies? Or just luck?

[olegunnar]

This has been the way for all NHL, MLB and NFL expansion teams that I've followed. Remember how fast the Florida Panthers got to the Cup final. Have they been close since? But Anaheim and Tampa have won it. Different philosophies? Or just luck?

I posted on this topic in the other thread.

I personally don't think the analogies fit.

The NHL, MLB and NFL are the top leagues in their sports. There are a finite amount of players talented enough to play in those legues which makes assembling a talented roster that much more difficult. Most of the established teams have their claws in the best players already.

MLS is a low end league. We can fill our rosters from rejects from the championship, scandinavia, Korean league, South America, the Caribbean, the A league, NCAA...etc. etc. Players teams in better leagues have no interest in.

As I did in the other thread I compared it to putting a successful expansion basketball team together in a Scandinavian league as opposed to the expansion growth of the Raptors in the NBA.

[Beach_Red]

MLS is a low end league. We can fill our rosters from rejects from the championship, scandinavia, Korean league, South America, the Caribbean, the A league, NCAA...etc. etc. Players teams in better leagues have no interest in.

As I did in the other thread I compared it to putting a successful expansion basketball team together in a Scandinavian league as opposed to the expansion growth of the Raptors in the NBA.

Well, we can fill the international roster spots with those rejects, but the bulk of the roster has to be domestic, so that makes it a pretty finite list.

And there are a lot of leagues competing for those rejects, a lot of leagues players would prefer to play in.

It really seems that success in MLS depends mostly on the quality if your domestic players - that's where any depth you may have will come from.

In that way it is like European basketball or hockey which really limits the number of foreign players allowed. I have no idea how long it would take an expansion team in the Swedish basketball league to become a top team, but if they were required to have a majority of their roster be Swedes and had to scramble to find ones that weren't already signed in their league, it might take them a few years to build through the draft.

[mastermixer]

I'm not a coach, but I do see that the one thing this team is lacking is being able to work as 11 teammates on the field, not 11 individuals. It seems that every game this team plays is like there first game together. The strategies seem to be there but they don't know how to make it work with eachother, and I don't know if its the players that aren't working with the coach or vice versa.