I'm so used to us being hopelessly shit I don't remember the last time I even checked to see how many points we had at any point. Better chances of me seeing a headless child tap dancing down the sidewalk on my way to work.
Let this be the year.
I'm so used to us being hopelessly shit I don't remember the last time I even checked to see how many points we had at any point. Better chances of me seeing a headless child tap dancing down the sidewalk on my way to work.
Let this be the year.
East is going to be tight, nearly everyone in the mix until the end. TFC gets 48 pts, 3 way tie for 5th slot, get through on tiebreaker
Reminder of the Standings Tiebreakers:
1. Most Wins
2. Goals For (See column labeled GF on www.MLSsoccer.com/standings page)
3. Goal Differential (GD)
4. Fewest Disciplinary Points
5. Road Goals
6. Road Goal Differential
7. Home Goals
8. Home Goal Differential
9. Coin Toss (2 teams) or Drawing of Lots (3 or more)
You might have to wait another year, Brooker. The weighted average of RPB collective voting is 48 Points. I think MLS teams will need at least 51 points to get into the playoffs.
Last edited by Initial B; 03-03-2014 at 10:40 AM.
48 seems pretty reasonable to me. That's 6 more wins from last year. I think this team should be capable of that. I tend to think we won't make it to 50. That's a pretty big jump in one year. 48 will be close to playoffs depending on what else happens, but borderline. I can see 5th or 6th.Originally Posted by Detroit_TFC
Lol at everyone being so cautious. 10 out of 19 teams make the playoffs. If we don't make the playoffs, it would be TFC's worst season to date. We are the best team on paper. The best team on paper doesn't always win it all but they always make the playoffs.
^ Have you been around this team for the past seven years? Don't think we're the best on paper either, although I do think we are a top team on paper.
Agreed. Let's remember we haven't seen everything come together as of yet either. We might get 10-15 games in a realize we have a lot of talent but the team is lacking in certain departments. The best MLS teams are talented, but also very balanced.
For the record I voted for between 46-50 pts. I expect a strong second half of the season and a meddling first half.
I voted extremely low for 2 reasons: Sloppy pre-season and player depth. I know many combinations were used to give the coach a good look at everyone but their play was very sloppy from an organization perspective. With big name signings comes thin replacements and with the world cup and the risk of injury to our older players I'm concerned that we could go from "best team on paper" to mega bust easily and it scares the hell out of me.
Please prove me paranoid and wrong TFC.
Poll results are interesting, particularly during the offseason.
With 12% expecting 56 points or more and 9% expecting a flat or declining point total, more people expect TFC to post the single largest season over season turnaround in MLS history and challenge the league record for most points than those that are expecting them to falter.
And over half the fan base here is expecting TFC to post between 17 and 26 point improvement which would likely give Nelsen MLS Coach of the Year honours for being amongst the largest single season turn arounds in MLS history.
That's something to be said for optimism, isn't it?
San Jose improved by about 30 points two seasons ago. That was the most I could find at the time, looking a few years back. Improving in the neighbourhood of 20 points is a fairly regular occurrence in MLS. I think we could pull that off. Above that though, I doubt it. It'll be tough to get that last playoff spot I think.
This is also the first time we've had a playoff-calibre team. It seems like a lot of people on this board have heard of players like Defoe, Cesar and Bradley but haven't actually seen them play. They are miles ahead of any past TFC player(Besides Frings). These guys are ELITE in a league like the MLS. This year's team is obviously a complete turnover from last year so a slow start is definitely possible because they'll need some time to gel but they won't miss the playoffs. Too much quality.
This is just me being an optimist but, it's not that far fetched to do this.
We lost 12 games by 1 goal last season and tied 17 games overall
We just beefed up our offensive prowess - therefore we should be scoring more goals.
1 extra goal in even half of those games and we've made up approximately 21pts (based on 5 more ties = 5pts; 8 more wins = 16pts)
That would have brought our season record to 14 - 11 - 9
Good enough for middle of the pack status (51pts)
personally I don't think we'll get past 45 - but hey - it is possible
The RYRBs were on a 30 point improvement too. I was using that coach of the year thing based on Porter and the Timbers improving by 24 points. That would be what Nelsen would be in store for if he can do it.
When did New York do it?
assuming 2010
went from like 21 pts in 2009 to 51 in 2010
Aside from a new manager - we've replicated the overhaul that they made
New DP striker and DP Central Midfielder, upgraded attacking mid
DCU did +17 2011 over 2010, then +19 2012 over 2011 (then -42 2013 over 2012, let's not think about that).
We have absolutely no depth - that's one thing that could be gleaned from the preseason, if anything. Yes, the likes of Defoe, Bradley, and Julio Cesar are among the very best in the world at their respective positions, and are better than anything we've had. But heaven forbid, if one of them goes down for whatever reason, we are screwed. Not to mention 2 or 3 players do not a team make. A team is only as good as its weakest player. And we've still got quite a few players that wouldn't make most other MLS benches that we are counting on for depth. That is why people are being cautious.
Last edited by tfcleeds; 03-03-2014 at 03:24 PM.
If we don't make the playoffs, it will have to be considered the most epic failure in the history of the franchise, and perhaps the league as a whole.
I don't care if we squeak in by 1 point on the last day of the season, but it's playoffs or bust. It has to be.
Hmmm..
Goal - Bendik
RB- Bloom
CD - Agboss, Haggaland, Richter
LB - Morgan
Wing - Lambe, Aparicio, DeRo(?)
Midfield - Bekker, Hall, DeRo (?)
Forwards - DeRo (?), Wiedeman
Of those, I'd say Aparicio, Hall, Lambe, Richter, Bekker, and Agboss are not good enough for most MLS teams as backups.
Leaving us with Bendik, Bloom, Haggland, Morgan, DeRo and Wiedeman as decent enough back ups.
****
Mind you, this time last season, who the heck thought Osorio would be a consistent starter?
Last edited by OgtheDim; 03-03-2014 at 02:19 PM.
Our offense is great. Our defense is still pretty poor (one of the worst in MLS, I'd say). I gave 41-45 points expecting significant improvement later in the year, we may not see the playoffs, or we may just get in.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
That's what I originally thought as well, but then I watched the preseason games and the absolute mess that was our backline. We let in goals in all but one of the games and we still had problems scoring, even with Gilberto on the field. I don't think Defoe will be as good as everyone says, at least in his first season in MLS. Sure TFC has a little more quality, but the same issues that bit us last year are still there in this iteration.
A bold statement to make about people's knowledge of players. None the less.
Nobody is questioning the quality of these players, we are questioning the quality of the players surrounding them - including the players that will be filling in for them when the above players miss several games for the World Cup. We are also questioning the depth of the team should injuries strike these big name players, and whether or not an inexperienced manager in Nelsen can pull the strings in a way that will make these individuals perform like a team.
Adding a few top players doesn't win you things in the MLS. Building a solid MLS caliber team from back to front wins you things.
I still think we are going suffer with getting service up front to the forwards.
This is another reason I temper expectations. Henry scored 2 goals in 11 appearances in his first half season, and 14 in 26 apps in his second season. Di Vaio scored 5 in in 17 appearances in his first year before lighting it up with 20 goals in 31 last season. On the other hand - you have Robbie Keane who hit the ground running (but he was added into a very, very good team which may have played a role). Dempsey has yet to light the league up.
Basic point is - there is certainly a precedent set for top quality players not lighting up the MLS when moving over right away - but taking time to find their feet. There is also the precedent for the other side (with Keane). Point is - just because a player is a top player in a quality league, it doesn't mean they will just start banging them in the MLS.
In the few preseason games I saw from other teams, I saw defences in shambles as well. I'm not sure we can take that as what we should expect of this team. If it is, we aren't the only one in trouble there.
What you'll find is, that people on this board have seen quality players of this nature come to MLS before. 1) they often take time to adjust. Be that to a new country, the travel, the nature of having worse teammates than they are used to or whatever. 2) it's still a team sport and you can't hide behind a couple of names.
this seems logical to me and as of right now I am not overly confident of our core regulars....it is again a start . Does Bradley carry the whole team ? I don't see how that works . And I think stikers are overrated . I'd rather have control of the game through the middle . If Gilberto or Dafoe can't get service , will they be involved ?
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I predict we get.... ALL THE POINTS.
- Scott
“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.” ~Christopher Hitchens
^Let's be reasonable here...i was thinking 99 pts....but 102 is a bit of a stretch don't ya think?
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