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View Full Version : Did the C Rapids throw a game?



Oldtimer
10-26-2010, 03:18 PM
http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/colorados-capitulation-an-indictment-of-mlss-broken-playoff-sy/


But watching Pickens oafishly set himself up for that long clearance out of the back only to have the effort blocked into his own net, I couldn't help but think to myself:

"Did he do that on purpose?"
Up until their stoppage-time implosion on Saturday, the Rapids were headed toward a spot in the Western Conference playoffs and an opening round series with the top-seeded Los Angeles Galaxy. An upset would have forced the Rapids to visit either Real Salt Lake or FC Dallas, two teams that lost a combined one game MLS game at home all season.

But the two standings points dropped in those final frantic moments against RSL draw bumped Colorado over to the East and a first round date with the stumbling Columbus Crew. A win against Schelotto and Co. would mean a trip to either San Jose or New York – two opponents and venues that are far less intimidating than either RSL or Dallas.

To put it bluntly, Colorado benefited from its Saturday stumble. Big time.

The Rapids' chances of a trip to the MLS Cup Final in Toronto improved tenfold in those final four minutes against Salt Lake.

Now, I'm not saying the Rapids threw the game. Coach Gary Smith is a stand-up guy and I doubt that a single player on the squad would ever "take a dive." But Pickens' clearance was uncharacteristically bad. And if you're Brian Mullan in the 95th minute and you know that another RSL goal means a much easier postseason path for you and your teammates – wouldn't YOU pull Olave down in the penalty area?

Regardless, it shows the flawed playoff system in MLS.

ArmenJBX
10-26-2010, 03:26 PM
It was a...smart move.

Not a good move in terms of fair play, but it was a smart one.

Brooker
10-26-2010, 03:27 PM
I applaud them.

werewolf
10-26-2010, 03:33 PM
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Hitcho
10-26-2010, 04:22 PM
Conspiracy theories are always easy to knock together after the event. but I don't think a professional team full of professional players would orchestrate something like that, and it would be incredibly hard to pull off without it seeming very obvious (this looks suspicious maybe, but not blindingly obvious).

More credible is the idea that they thought they were home and cruising and completely took their foot off the gas, only to be the victims of a late rally. Can be hard to stop that once you've already gone to sleep and the other side have the momentum.

I don't like the suggestion of match fixing in this league. If that's the level the line is drawn at then it's only a matter of time before it gets thrown at us for something or other.

And besides, the post season is a crap shoot where form goes out the window. It's not that uncommon for a last placed team that sneaked into 8th to make the Cup final and beat top ranked seeded teams along the way, so while on paper this may seem like a benefit to them, in reality there's no such guarantee and would you like to head into the post season knowing you just threw a game and feeling down about it? I wouldn't, and cannot see any pro footballer wanting to.

Beach_Red
10-26-2010, 05:01 PM
http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/colorados-capitulation-an-indictment-of-mlss-broken-playoff-sy/



Regardless, it shows the flawed playoff system in MLS.

Is someone really claiming they knew there'd be five minutes of added time and waited till then to take the penalty?

prizby
10-26-2010, 05:19 PM
i don't think so...it'd have to have been a very good acting job on the penalty if it that was not planned...the way that 2 or 3 players went yelling at the ref right after...very emotional, showed that they wanted to win the game

dal524
10-27-2010, 01:59 PM
that was absolutely retarded, why wouldnt he have just side footed it to the dman on his right....

ensco
10-27-2010, 08:19 PM
By crossing over, the Rapids and Quakes can get to the final without playing the top two teams in the league, while Dallas and Seattle, teams that finished ahead of them, don't get that break.

No system is perfect, but this is crazy.