Quaranta should give Josh Gros a call. Gros seemed to be able to use his "protective cast" as a weapon.

Goffer, any news on Seattle's team name announcement?

So if we qualify to the next round we will have to wait till march of 09 to play the quaterfinals. By then we could have a completly new roster and the way mexican teams turnaround every cup aswell seems like the games are too far apart.

I see Pachuca arrives in town today. I forget, what was the name of the hotel they're staying in, Goff?

This is just Quaranta proving his is part of the team. He knows United is lacking a player running around in a club... I mean cast.

I faintly remember hearing about the changes to the playoff format, but I don't remember an announcement.

It's impressive Goff when you report something before DC United's own blog and they reference you as reporting it first, keep up the good work

The playoff format change has been out there for several days, if not weeks. Several blogs have commented on it and I could swear I saw Garber talk about it on TV.

Maybe Quaranta can use his cast to knockout Pachuca's Goalkeeper! Everytime I see that guy with his head tied up I feel like knocking him out, he looks like Mr Clean kinda!

The Claw! The Claw!

Thank goodness someone is keeping The Claw Hand tradition alive!

I see Pachuca arrives in town today. I forget, what was the name of the hotel they're staying in, Goff?

Posted by: Chief Lanier | April 7, 2008 12:22 PM

I say we give them the Tottenham Hotspur treatment circa 2006.

Seattle is having a press conference today at 3 (12:00PT) which can be watched on their website to announce their "name".

Props to whoever can figure out how this latest MLS rule change benefits the LA Galaxy.

On a more serious note, maybe that is the thinking here. The East looks so much better than the West this year, giving the West three guaranteed spots rather than two increases the odds that Beckham and Donovan will be in the playoffs.

So, we're SURE this is how the playoffs are going to be set up? Or is there an 80% chance of that getting changed in mid-August or early September without any warning?

In RE: to MLS playoff format changes, Now we just need to get them to adopt the away goals rule, and possibly throw the higher seeded teams a bone. DC won the supporters' shield last year and had absolutely nothing to show for it in the playoffs. Chicago finished 10-10-10 and was on equal footing as far as home field advantage, etc.

Away goals are badly needed b/c in the playoffs, MLS teams go into a defensive shell on the road, hoping to win it at home. This means ugly, negative soccer.

so the CCL has matches each week in september but only once every other week in october? that should help out, since united should have a few sunday league games come september, plus the playoffs start right around the last weekend of october, should work well to turn from the group stage to the playoffs, but from october to february no games? this ain't europe, it doesn't need to be that stretched out

The playoff change has been known for a few weeks. Not sure when it was first made public.

We have an even number of teams in two conferences. Why not do 4 and 4? Last year I could understand, but now, if you are not gonna do top 4 from each conference then do it A-League style and have single table + playoffs with the top 8 overall advancing.

Good news, everyone, Tino 2.0 has been upgraded to Tino 2.1, complete with bludgeon!

houston
chivas
dallas
------

I pitty the fool that has New England, heck DC in late Feb early March. Ouchie!!

Tino I hope you're not in that cast for long, but if you are when KC comes to town, please let Conrad's buddies know that a little payback would be due.

Perhaps the lack of a public announcement re. the playoffs means that they are possibly smoothhing it out to make it fair for the top seeds. OR MLS could just be waiting to see where LAG is by mid-season and then make their announcement :)

Seattle is having a press conference today at 3 (12:00PT) which can be watched on their website to announce their "name".

Posted by: DCM | April 7, 2008 12:41 PM

-------------

So, I guess we'll find out if the voting was just a farce or not...I know I "write-in" voted three times for Sounders. Hope everyone else did their part.

I pitty the fool that has New England, heck DC in late Feb early March. Ouchie!!

Posted by: Kosh | April 7, 2008 12:58 PM

If it snows, will the Revs run a snowplow out to the penalty spot?

:)

Goff,

Read all the garbage from some people on your weekend thread about Moose. The internet machine sacrifices "Breaking" for "Expedient and Accurate" far too often.

I'm glad you are the latter and more often than not the former and salute one of the guys who does a good job of working for the home fans as well as the game in general. You should also be commended for being one of the more objective sports journalists around.

Cheers!

Now - go ahead and tell me no because I'm sure that's the answer but have English language rights gotten a boost for SuperLiga or Champions League? On DC's schedule card the group stage games are ESPN2 and FSC. And on that same vein - is there any talk of perhaps putting InterLiga to bed and having SuperLiga decide FMF and MLS's Libertadores entrant?

wow CONCACAF CL will really mess with MLS teams' offseason...

I wasn't impressed with Tino's kowtowing to a certain supporters group(getoveryourselves), but it was good to see he's healthy playing well. As long as he doesn't play TOO well.

Go Caps by the way. I can't believe I'm actually kind of cheering for a local team, but I have always found the Devils a bore, the Isles a joke, and the Rangers to have the most ridiculously self-important hockey fans outside Toronto.

why is there two finals in Chompions League?

Mastodon Juan needs to get a life.

Mastodon, you are the expert at ridiculously self important. I defer to your knowledge...

:)

td, I'm assuming it's a home and away final.

I say we give them the Tottenham Hotspur treatment circa 2006.

Posted by: | April 7, 2008 12:40

Explain . . .

Interesting schedule. MLS clubs should have no excuses in the early rounds as we will be in full season form, while our opponents should all be pre. By the time we get to the late rounds the MLS clubs (who will have knocked out all the central american clubs) will all be enjoying the off season. So the quarters, semis and final should all be tragically awful matches played by out of shape guys just back from Aruba.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4750305.stm

The Tottenham incident in 2006 allegedly involved food poisoning, but that theory was apparently debunked.

Time to update the 2007 salaries on the DC United homepage with 2008.

I suggested the "Seattle Drizzle" but I'm not expecting it to win.

When does the Mexican season end? I know their in full-swing now so why can't the quarter/semi finals be pushed up and condensed a little bit. The group stages are at the very end of our/begining of their season why can't the elimination rounds be at the very end of theirs/begining (not-pre) of our season?

Plus- do the powers that be realize that is f-ing cold in some areas (that have decent teams with shots of making the quarters) in Feb?

So, I guess we'll find out if the voting was just a farce or not...I know I "write-in" voted three times for Sounders. Hope everyone else did their part.

Posted by: DE | April 7, 2008 1:03 PM
---------------------------------------------

What if "my part" didn't want the name to be Sounders? And that's only because I have been told so many times that it "has to" be Sounders that I just decided to be a contrarian and vote a lot for other names.

The three teams per conference guaranteed in the playoffs was announced during the state of the league address in November.

Mexican season is split in to 2 cups, summer and winter. August-December, and Jan-May.

Mastodon Juan needs to get a life.

Posted by: Alexander "MVP" Ovechkin | April 7, 2008 1:16 PM
=========================================

I very much doubt that the real Ovechkin would be so disrespectful toward one of his fans.

Why do some people want CONCACAF to change the Champions leauge format so it is good for MLS teams. The whole world plays their season like mexico and central american teams....roughly between Sept-May. Only MLS follows the April-Nov schedule due to weather and NFL,NBA,NHL seasons. As far as weather goes I see lots of snow games in Europe but I'm sure MLS teams don't want 5,000 people crowds at the "CHAMPIONS LEAGUE" games. CONCACAF is not going to accomadate it schedule for MLS, plain and simple.

I see Pachuca arrives in town today. I forget, what was the name of the hotel they're staying in, Goff?
Posted by: Chief Lanier | April 7, 2008 12:22 PM
=======
I say we give them the Tottenham Hotspur treatment circa 2006.
Posted by: | April 7, 2008 12:40 PM
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4750305.stm
The Tottenham incident in 2006 allegedly involved food poisoning, but that theory was apparently debunked.
Posted by: silentbob | April 7, 2008 1:42 PM
=======
Pachuca soon to be, presumably, our (DCU) partner club that has a lot of speed and skilled players and we will surely be happy to have some of them on our slow motion league. Even though they beat us on the first round we have to respect them.

forgot the name, sorry that was me. TD posting the Pachuca DCU partnership comment.

what about the jersey sponsor?

CONCACAF is not going to accomadate it schedule for MLS, plain and simple.

Well they should- this is a business and 5000 people attendence won't help. I don't see how it hurts the other leagues to move the elimination round up a few weeks.

I mean you could easily say that their accomodating Mexico by waiting for their season to start to begin the group stage.

Sorry- last comment was me.

Still sitting here waiting for the You still called Major League Soccer MMLS.
I never questioned if you watch or follow MLS.
I don't know what you're talking about.">Seattle Sounder FC press conference to begin...

what about the jersey sponsor?

Posted by: impatient | April 7, 2008 2:41 PM

======================
So, you think we got a sponsor last week, but Steve forgot to mention it, until prompted by a loyal reader?

This has been asked every other day for the past 5 months, I'm pretty sure it didn't "slip his mind"....

Only MLS follows the April-Nov schedule due to weather and NFL,NBA,NHL seasons.

Posted by: John R | April 7, 2008 2:30 PM

Wrong. Russia does, too, as well as Norway, and I would bet some other Scandinavian leagues do, as well.

Why do people care about a sponsor?

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC!!!

It's official:

Seattle Sounders FC.

Fans have spoken.

Sorry to disappoint, but the new name is Write-In Vote not Seattle Sounders FC.

Only MLS follows the April-Nov schedule due to weather and NFL,NBA,NHL seasons.

Posted by: John R | April 7, 2008 2:30 PM

Wrong. Russia does, too, as well as Norway, and I would bet some other Scandinavian leagues do, as well.

Posted by: RK | April 7, 2008 3:15 PM

----------------------------------------
Maybe John meant IMPORTANT LEAGUES!!!

If he meant important leagues, we wouldn't be discussing MLS :)

Are you calling MLS unimportant? I'm telling Alexi.

besides the Scandinavians, Japan just started their season as well and it runs through the fall. I would guess Korea has a similar set up.

I thought we had debunked this notion that no other soccer league in the world plays a summer schedule many times before. It makes no sense to play during the winter here. Get used to it.

Firefox was acting really weird and I had to restart after I was typing one of my earlier comments in this thread.
It should have read:

Still sitting here waiting for the Seattle Sounder FC press conference to begin...

I'd rather schedule the group stages in December than February. Either way, the Mexican teams will be in season. In early December, the best teams in MLS should still be in good shape immediately after MLS Cup. February sucks because we're in preseason and it doesn't give us much time to make any player changes for the next season.