Month: February 2019

His answers to my Dallas questions are below, and you can go to Big D Soccer to check out what I had to say about our Rapids. Let's go!

BW: They're turning around from it now, but I was expecting 2013 FC Dallas to be more like they were in the first half of the season than they have been in the second half. What was the biggest reason for the slight slide that knocked them out of the top spot and into the playoff scrap with the Rapids?

BDS: You're being too kind by calling it a "slight" slide. It was an abject disaster.

The biggest reason was a perfect storm of injuries, poor management, and everyone slumping at the same time. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. The thing that drives most FCD fans crazy is that the damage could have been minimized with some better coaching adjustments. Players playing at less than 100% because of injuries should have rested, ineffective players should have been benched, ineffective formations should have been dispensed with.

The adjustments have finally begun to happen, but by now the damage has been done. Now it's time for Dallas to try and fix things.

BW: That Acosta kid seems like a pretty legit player. Any other youngsters we should watch out for on Saturday?

BW: Hyndman has come under some scrutiny and quite a few fans seem to think his time has come, from what I've seen. What is the bare minimum that this team needs to accomplish to convince the fanbase he should stay another year, MLS Cup? A turnaround back into the playoffs? Just a decent finish?

BDS: The real shame here is that before, FCD looked to be a top 3 contender, if not an outright shield contender. While slumps and injuries can't be pegged on him, his refusal to adjust until it was too late has really damaged his reputation. Convincing people he should stay another year is a real tough sell.

A deep playoff run might cool fans' tempers. That's about the only thing I can see swaying opinions drastically, and even that might not be enough given the luck that factors into the playoffs. He would need to show real shrewd management skills from here out. I don't think the Hunts will fire him, but supporters are more or less done waiting for him to show his true ability.

Thanks again to Alfredo, head over to Big D Soccer for more on the Hoops.

It's worth noting though, the I-70 exit to Quebec is still pretty screwed up, so you may want to find an alternate route to the stadium or leave a few dozen hours early if you're going to the game.

So, good news all around!

Helping matters out exactly zero percent is the fact that the Eastbound ramp off Quebec on I-70 is destroyed. You might know, that's the main vein to DSGP.

I'm currently in Florida, so I can only imagine what the hell is going on out there. Stay safe, everyone.

Helping matters out exactly zero percent is the fact that the Eastbound ramp off Quebec on I-70 is destroyed. You might know, that's the main vein to DSGP.

I'm currently in Florida, so I can only imagine what the hell is going on out there. Stay safe, everyone.

Let's not forget what he's capable of when he's got the ball at his feet, however. Against Honduras in the Hexagonal round (Dos A Cero, by the way) he scored both goals in what ended up being a 2-2 draw. Both goals were nice, and his first was good enough to make it onto SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that evening.

Take a look:

I think we can all enjoy watching that, especially since the goal didn't actually affect the USA's standing in the Hex. Now, we'll see if he can take a dash of that magic and bring it to Dick's on Saturday.

Let's not forget what he's capable of when he's got the ball at his feet, however. Against Honduras in the Hexagonal round (Dos A Cero, by the way) he scored both goals in what ended up being a 2-2 draw. Both goals were nice, and his first was good enough to make it onto SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that evening.

Take a look:

I think we can all enjoy watching that, especially since the goal didn't actually affect the USA's standing in the Hex. Now, we'll see if he can take a dash of that magic and bring it to Dick's on Saturday.

Clint has been a very solid keeper for the Rapids this season, but his rise to fame has been helped a bit by Colorado's defense being much better this season than it was last.

This is in no way discounting some of the amazing saves he's made on the season, of course. Still, it's fairly easy to notice the disparity in the amount of shots on goal that the team has allowed when you compare this season to, oh, let's pick a season out of a hat here, last season.

Compare that to this season thus far, discounting the game that Ceus played and the game that Pickens both started and finished in. Irwin has made 75 saves so far with six games to go, while the team has allowed in only 26 goals. (The team has allowed 29 as a whole, but lolCeus and that awful performance against Philadelphia by Pickens accounted for three of those.) Math it out and we've only got 101 shots allowed.

Remember why Pickens was the team MVP last year? Because considering the number of shots the defense was letting him see, it was a miracle he gave up fewer than 50. With far fewer shots making it through to the goalie, it's much easier to predict a win and, with a good enough keeper like Irwin between the pipes, a good number of shutouts.

This could certainly change with six games to go, but they would need to allow nine shots (9.1 shots, ya damn nerds) on goal every single game in order to catch up to last year's number. It's worth noting that three of those games are at home, where the Rapids have been very tight defensively. This bodes pretty well for the homestretch.

Win all your games at home, and do what you can on the road. Win all your games at home, and do what you can on the road. Win all your games at home, and do what you can on the road.

That would be the end of the scoring, with Colorado earning their 10th clean sheet of the season thanks to some spirited late defending to keep the Galaxy out. It's a huge three points on the road, especially with plenty of other results coming in the Western Conference.

By the way, guess what happened the last time that the Rapids got a win in Los Angeles during a tight playoff race?

What happened in that game again? Ah, yes:

Costa Rica, to their credit, have put the snowy conditions of that game behind them and worked on their hahahaha I'm lying they're still as whiny as ever about it.

How have they responded? They've dragged the United States through a torrent of angry fans at the airport, and allowed the team bus to get egged. (If a scattered 'No fair play USA' is the best chant they can come up with, I'm not too worried about how their atmosphere will be.) They refused to provide them with training balls and several training grounds refused them. They even made up shit, saying that people in the crowd were 'pelting them with snowballs' in the original game just so they could pretend to be a victim even more than before. Fabulous.

Some people have tried to call this trolling. This is not, however, trolling. This is simply a dash of pure, unadulterated butthurt from a team that would have been absolutely fine with the result had they managed to get the snowy assgoal 16 minutes into the match.

Tonight's game is supposedly going to take place in a somewhat warm rainstorm. Hopefully the game isn't a COMPLETE FARCE because the pitch is a little wet. Only three points could make this any more delicious.

Though the Rapids only lost a single game in the month of August — it being the game against the Eastern Conference team made it a little easier to swallow, as well — they're still nowhere near guaranteed to be in the playoff positions once the season is dead and gone. September is the second-to-last month of the season, and it may end up being the biggest one when we're all said and done.

We'll only be seeing three games this month as teams continue to pile on the games in hand, but all three of those games are potential 'six-pointers'. I'll make a bold claim here: If Colorado loses all three games this month, they won't make the playoffs. If they do win all three, they will. That's how important these three games will be, especially considering two of them are on the road.

Let's see what's on tap:

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