The Day Before the Finale [updated]
Almost all is well at Pros vs Joes Arena (aka Nuevo Estadio RFK aka Estadio RFK aka RFK Stadium), where Spike TV has completed taping of its sports reality show (I hear NFL running back Smokin' Ricky Williams was a participant). The boxing ring and basketball court are gone, but the markings from the 60-yard football field that scarred the new playing surface remain. Fear not, the rain and some landscaping work should eliminate it by kickoff Saturday night. (Sure it will.)
Okay, on to the important stuff:
*Josh Gros is out for the year...because of his wrist. Already sidelined with his concussion/migraine issues, Gros and the team decided it was the proper time to repair his wrist, which was broken for the 823rd time earlier this year. He had surgery yesterday.
*If United plays Chicago in the first round of the playoffs, the opener will be Thursday on the road. If United plays Kansas City, it is tentatively set for next Saturday night at Arrowhead. If D.C. faces Los Angeles, there is talk that the first leg would be a week from Sunday at Home Depot Center with the return match four days later at RFK. We won't know for sure until the end of this weekend's action.
*Jaime Moreno is back from South America, where he was on the Bolivian squad that got hammered by Uruguay and settled for a home tie against Colombia. Moreno played 58 minutes in the first game and was scheduled to come on in the second half against Colombia, but a Bolivian red card changed their plans. "Terrible" is how Moreno described Bolivia's results. "We are really disappointed with both games. We've got to keep fighting. There is nothing else we can do."
Moreno said that if United advances to MLS Cup, the Bolivian federation has agreed to not call him in for the qualifiers against Argentina and Venezuela in mid-November.
Some comments from Tom Soehn.....
On Emilio being on the verge of winning the Golden Boot: "The awards are still a reflection of the team. We've never addressed winning the conference, a little bit of talk over the Supporters' Shield, but we still have some things to accomplish. The awards are a result of the team doing well, so everybody is still looking at the bigger picture."
On the team's approach to the mostly meaningless finale: "Same as we have all year. I think we want to stay sharp and make sure that when the game comes, you are doing all the things you have done all year and results tend to take care of themselves. But you want to walk away from that game knowing that you continue to do all the things you have been building on throughout the year."
On the 1997 DCU squad and tomorrow's festivities: "It is always important to remember the past and the people who helped put D.C. on the map. We've got to stay focused on the present right now and make sure that we continue to do what they did -- get yourselves into the final and I'm hoping to have the same kind of atmosphere as they had."
On whether he will manage minutes tomorrow, knowing the club might have to play again Thursday: "A little bit. We've been on a three-day schedule [between games] forever and I think the guys have gotten used to it and find it a little difficult now when we have a week to prepare. Our mentality is a little different because we are used to playing. In a way, it might even favor us."
On Gros's wrist: "He needed it done. He's been playing with a broken wrist again for the whole season and it was an opportune time to take care of that. The surgery went great."
By Steve Goff |
October 19, 2007; 12:29 PM ET
D.C. United
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Posted by: diego r. | October 19, 2007 12:53 PM
The FBF did something right? I'm stunned...
Posted by: Chico | October 19, 2007 12:58 PM
I'd actually like to see the Gals make it in. Becks is a major draw, not just locally or nationally, but worldwide. Some attention for our league would be cool.
And I'd like to see him show well. Not well enough to beat out DC of course ...
Posted by: Matte | October 19, 2007 1:01 PM
Gros and the team decided it was the proper time to repair his wrist, which was broken for the 823rd time earlier this year.
You may think that's hyperbole...
Posted by: B.A. | October 19, 2007 1:08 PM
Interesting, but not surprising that DC-Chi gets them on ESPN Thurs, while DC-LA gets them on ESPN Sun and ESPN Thurs the following week. And DC-KC? The dowdy and unwatched (but so much better announced, not that that's saying much) confines of FSC/CSN.
Posted by: iammrben | October 19, 2007 1:10 PM
I was at the Bolivia game the other day, quite unfortunate for Jaime and Bolivia. Jaime was literally putting on the #9 shirt when the red card was handed out. The other subs that were warming up had just sat down. Then a midfielder was called off the bench and Jaime took a seat. As soon as that midfielder stepped on the pitch - there was a chorus of boos (and some unfriendly words yelled at DT Sanchez, his second questionable sub of the afternoon in my opinion). A terrible sub for Bolivia (I think Jaime could have made something happen at that point the game, Colombia looked worn down), but maybe good for DCU he didn't play thoguh.
Posted by: NW FC | October 19, 2007 1:14 PM
Any idea what the attendance figures look like for United? They've drawn 25,000 the last two.
Posted by: bristol | October 19, 2007 1:41 PM
Around 20,000 tomorrow, maybe a bit more
Posted by: Goff | October 19, 2007 1:46 PM
bristol - the attendance for all past games is listed on the schedule pages of mlsnet
Posted by: emanon | October 19, 2007 1:57 PM
I think attendance will be better than 20K. Right now there are only single seats available in the lower bowl.
Posted by: CMJ | October 19, 2007 2:29 PM
I really don't care who makes the playoffs, but I would like for LA to actually have a shot at the playoffs by the time they take the field on Sunday. It's pretty cool that the end of the season has so many important games. Granted, the game I'm going to is meaningless, but between Kansas City/Dallas, Colorado/Salt Lake, and Chicago/Los Angeles, there's a lot left to be decided.
So, what combination of wins/losses need to occur for a team to win its final game, only to be knocked out of the playoffs by the Chicago/Los Angeles result? That would be kind of cool too.
Posted by: TCompton | October 19, 2007 2:37 PM
I know the insider posted that the 1st round home playoff match will be Thursday 11/1...but is that confirmed? It's on United's schedule page, but was never announced with much fanfare, was it?
Posted by: chuckles | October 19, 2007 2:39 PM
Robinho's dribble, step by step:
Posted by: JP | October 19, 2007 2:53 PM
Thursday, Nov. 1, 7:30 ESPN2
Posted by: Goff | October 19, 2007 3:03 PM
is it just me, or do any of you all think it is unfair playing the 1st leg on the road? maybe unfair is the wrong word, but I think playing the 1st game at home would be an advantage.
Posted by: steve-o | October 19, 2007 3:04 PM
No, first leg away is not an advantage. Just like how in college football OT you always play defense first. That way you know what you need to do in the second half/leg/possession to win.
You can argue which has an advantage either way though...
Posted by: Rob | October 19, 2007 3:11 PM
What's the first tiebreak for the playoffs? Is it away goals like in Sudamericana ?
Posted by: emanon | October 19, 2007 3:13 PM
(to be more specific - the tie break for the first round of the playoffs not for getting into the playoffs)
Posted by: emanon | October 19, 2007 3:18 PM
No, first leg away is not an advantage.
Posted by: Rob | October 19, 2007 03:11 PM
It can be an advantage if away goals are in effect, which I don't believe they are in the MLS playoffs.
About the attendance, there will still be Beckham package holders like myself there (or not there) adding to the numbers. So maybe close to 25k.
And re: Jaime - why, why, why is the MLS Cup Final on an international fixture weekend. That's absolutely insane!
Posted by: Kev | October 19, 2007 3:40 PM
"And re: Jaime - why, why, why is the MLS Cup Final on an international fixture weekend. That's absolutely insane!"
===
Agreed, although I dunno what it would take to get MLS to switch its schedule around to coincide with Europe and South America's? Maybe enough parents will read the article in Men's Journal and get their athletically gifted sons to play futbol instead of football...
http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/M162/M162_CasualtiesoftheNFL.html
Posted by: Juan-John | October 19, 2007 4:24 PM
The reason that the team with the better record gets the second game is that if the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. So if you have the better record you have the home field advantage for overtime and potentially pks.
Posted by: John | October 19, 2007 6:24 PM
If it's tied they go to OT. . . which is why it's good to have the second leg, so the OT will be at your place.
Posted by: Stan | October 20, 2007 11:18 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
here's what I'm hoping for this weekend: a KC win, a Colorado win, and an LA win. This would mean DC faces KC in the first round of the playoffs and the Galaxy circus misses the playoffs again.
Josh, take time to heal and come back strong next year!