October 03, 2008
Road to the Cup
The Rapids have had a major turn around from the summer where they fell to last in MLS. Since Gary Smith took over, Mike Petke returned from injury and took over the arm band from Pablo Mastroeni, and Cory Gibbs was signed, the Rapids have gone undefeated in September and are now in control of their destiny.
The safest way to qualify for the playoffs is to finish in the top three in the Western Conference.
Houston and the Western Conference Title is most likely out of reach with Houston having a game in hand. Colorado would need to win this weekend and then most likely win two of their remaining three while Houston would need to drop games.
On the other end of the spectrum, San Jose has probably run out of time needing seven points with four games left, since RSL who they are chasing has games against both Dallas and Colorado who are the other two teams they are chasing.
Another team that seems out of time is Los Angles. They will need six points to qualify and nine if they drop either of their games to Colorado or Dallas. Lose both of those and it’s all over. Unfortunately for LA, their other two games are against Columbus and Houston. This weekend could see LA’s former coach Sigi put the Galaxy’s season to an end. Also to consider is that Beckham is going to miss the Colorado game.
Colorado can certainly catch Chivas, but the key game is the six point swinger on the 19th. The Rapids cannot lose that game if they want to finish second in the West for the first time in franchise history. However, Chivas gets to take on struggling DC United and San Jose. Chivas has found some success on the road recently and their final game is against Houston which will probably be qualified at that point and not looking to risk much going into the playoffs.
Last night, Dallas had a draw on San Jose. This brought Dallas even on points, but Dallas only has three games left now. They have a very favorable schedule with Toronto and Los Angles, but the game that favors the Rapids is their match against RSL which removes two or three points from one or both team’s pursuit of the Rapids. The Rapids are hoping for a draw on that night.
RSL has their next two games against Eastern opponents: New England and New York. Neither will be easy and it will be interesting if the new stadium will bring them an advantage against NY. With two six point games left versus Dallas and Colorado, they need a result against New England or New York to provide them a little cushion.
For Colorado, this weekend’s match against Houston is the least important of the games left. If they can grab seven points in the remaining stretch, we’re going to host the first playoff game in DSG Park history. The Rapids need a win or two ties in their next three games against Houston, LA, and Chivas heading into the finale against RSL where they simply will need a victory if they haven’t gotten the job done.
Gary Smith has instilled confidence back into the players that seemed to have vanished over the summer and shown us that the team can capture points on the road. It’s a thrilling end to the season in MLS and the Rapids have come back from the dead to give us hope of a ticket to the Home Depot Center on November 23rd.