PDA

View Full Version : MLS 2012 Preview: Eastern Conference



Davenport
03-01-2012, 11:34 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/01/mls-2012-season-preview-eastern-conference

Roogsy
03-01-2012, 11:55 AM
Interesting read.

I don't get the order he did it in. It wasn't alphabetical. It wasn't in order of his prediction of where they will wind up in the standings. It wasn't in order of where they wound up in last year's standings.

If someone can detect the pattern, I'd love to know what it is.

Yagbod
03-01-2012, 12:01 PM
Interesting read.

I don't get the order he did it in. It wasn't alphabetical. It wasn't in order of his prediction of where they will wind up in the standings. It wasn't in order of where they wound up in last year's standings.

If someone can detect the pattern, I'd love to know what it is.

They put a "Guardian Prediction" at the bottom of each summary. They have TFC finishing 8th. Which, even as a 'homer', seems a bit rediculous in a 10 team conference. Or maybe not...

Whoop
03-01-2012, 12:03 PM
It's at the bottom.

And he did it in alphabetical order. Unless it was reformatted at some point.

1. Sporting KC
2. Houston
3. New York Red Bulls
4. Chicago
5. Philadelphia
6. Columbus
7. DC United
8. Toronto FC
9. Montreal
10. New England

Yagbod
03-01-2012, 12:11 PM
This might be an interesting read:

Next week: Supporter group previews

If anyone remembers to look it up, please post a link.

Davenport
03-01-2012, 12:17 PM
Montréal Impact

2011: N/A This is the club's first year in MLS
In: D Nelson Rivas (free/Inter Milan, Italy); G Evan Bush (NASL Impact); D Sinisa Ubiparipovic (NASL Impact); M Hassoun Camara (NASL Impact); D Jeb Brovsky (expansion draft); D Bobby Burling (expansion draft); D Josh Gardner (expansion draft); M Justin Mapp (expansion draft); M Sanna Nyassi (expansion draft); D James Riley (expansion draft); D Seth Sinovic (expansion draft); M Collen Warner (expansion draft); D Zarek Valentin (expansion draft); F Justin Braun (trade from Chivas USA); M Gerson Mayen (trade from Chivas USA); D Tyson Wahl (trade from Seattle Sounders); M Bryan Arguez (free/Ft. Lauderdale Strikers); M Davy Arnaud (trade from Sporting KC); G Donovan Ricketts (trade from LA); M Ian Westlake (NASL Impact); M Miguel Montaño (free/Seattle); G Greg Sutton (free/New York); M Patrice Bernier (free/Lyngby); M Felipe Martins (free/FC Lugano); D/F Andrew Wenger; M Calum Mallace ; M Evan James; F Aaron Schoenfeld; F Steven Miller; F Carl Haworth; D Geinier García (trade from Vancouver); D Shavar Thomas (free); F Eddie Johnson (allocation); F Mike Fucito (trade from Seattle); M Lamar Neagle (trade from Seattle); F Eduardo Sebrango (free); entire special teams unit of the 1985 Dallas Cowboys, a family pack of Kardashians and the Season Three cast of Survivor (unconfirmed) http://images.boardhost.com/emoticons/lol.gif (javascript: smiley("(lol)");)

Oldtimer
03-01-2012, 12:27 PM
I'd rather have TFC underestimated everywhere than overestimated.

Some funny lines, though:


So hopefully Toronto will give him the full three years to make the team competitive - after all, they indulged Mo Johnston and his infamous and mysterious "5 year plan" for roughly four years longer than most teams would have. This is year 2 for Winter though, so a higher finish might have to wait.:lol:


... nothing more annoying, though, to see a picture of the Krew at the top of the article. :prrr:

maninb
03-01-2012, 12:51 PM
I think 5th is a realistc goal....

Roogsy
03-01-2012, 01:07 PM
Personally it's kind of funny seeing most reviewers are less optimistic about TFC than I actually am and yet around here I am known as a negative nelly. :lol:

Platts
03-01-2012, 01:27 PM
For me KC is favourite and TFC I think can finish 5th.
if everything clicks 4th would be SUPERB.

ManUtd4ever
03-01-2012, 01:46 PM
I prefer that TFC assumes the role of an underdog going into this season. If our core players stay healthy, I think we can catch many teams by surprise.

JonO
03-01-2012, 01:51 PM
Personally it's kind of funny seeing most reviewers are less optimistic about TFC than I actually am and yet around here I am known as a negative nelly. :lol:
'Cause you are :p

Honestly, though - because of the salary cap and "parity" in this league (and especially this conference), there isn't much of a quality gap between the 3rd place and 8th .

Oldtimer
03-01-2012, 01:51 PM
Personally it's kind of funny seeing most reviewers are less optimistic about TFC than I actually am and yet around here I am known as a negative nelly. :lol:

:lol: ... and I'm thought around here as a excessively optimistic, yet I'm not more optimistic than you are! :lol:

Yohan
03-01-2012, 01:59 PM
I think TFC is more of a 'dark horse' than an underdog. Though with so many unknown to MLS players in this year, it's hard to predict where most teams will end up (and why I'm not going to even try to come up with a prediction this year)

Roogsy
03-01-2012, 02:03 PM
'Cause you are :p

Honestly, though - because of the salary cap and "parity" in this league (and especially this conference), there isn't much of a quality gap between the 3rd place and 8th .

I find parity to be somewhat of broad rationalization in this league. Yes there is parity in that there aren't teams that run away with the title year after year like the European leagues. But there is also a differentiation between perennial contenders and perennial underachievers. Teams like TFC, NYRB and Chivas all fall under this classification. Teams like Columbus, LAG and even in their short time, Seattle have developed a reputation of excellence, despite the parity.

In the case of Toronto, we credit parity when there is a hopeful expectation that Toronto may surprise on the upside but then the same parity gets forgotten when Toronto underperforms and the excuses come out. I'd like to see a day when the parity is used to argue both sides.

__wowza
03-01-2012, 02:12 PM
Personally it's kind of funny seeing most reviewers are less optimistic about TFC than I actually am and yet around here I am known as a negative nelly. :lol:

ahh roogs, we bust your balls but you know we kid! i still enjoy the tag

"welcome to the RPB boards, we've gone ___ days without arguing with roogsy"

JonO
03-01-2012, 02:21 PM
I find parity to be somewhat of broad rationalization in this league... blah, blah, blah...
Obviously, I agree - you find the same thing in the NFL - some teams are better managed than other to provide a level of consistancy. That, however, is not my point. My point is merely that the gap between a 3rd place team and an 8th place team is often a couple of lucky bounces...

Canary10
03-01-2012, 03:19 PM
I'm a little surprised people rate Houston so highly. This is a team that didn't win a game on the road last year until the end of September and that was against Dallas (who were in a tailspin at that point as some like to point out). I don't know how you can be considered a top team if you can't win a road game. And they are the same team this year, having really made no moves. Not that they're bad, just think they're an average team who'll only make the playoffs this year if the East is equally as weak as last year.