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Mike_E said 04/05, 07:21 PM
Taking the easy pick. I like that style, but it is not going to happen.

The team that has the best shot at the Cup this year is going to be Chicago. Now I absolutely hate Blanco, but the guy knows how to play. And he actually has a supporting cast who is good enough to make it happen.

At the back, Busch is going to have a great season. He has been injured the past few years, so he is off people's radar, but remember in his last full season as a starter, he took the crew (the CREW!!) to a supporters shield.

On the back line, Guiterez is a solid, veteran defender. Other defenders to watch out for are Segares, Conde, Prideux, and Brown. Great back line.

In the midfield, joining Blanco are Justin Mapp and Chris Rolfe, both National Team members, and perhaps the best wing combo in the league. And Pause and Armas are both going to be solid as DMs this year.

Up front, the Fire picked up Frankowski, who is capable of posting 15+ goals this year as he is a big target forward that Mapp and Rolfe should be able to play balls into very easily. The 3 other forward spots are filled by committee with Nyarko, Carr, and Herron filling in nicely.

Mike_E said 04/05, 10:30 PM
I agree a team by committee doesn't work, but this is not your normal committee. These are all forwards that could be starting at many of the different teams in MLS. And we are only talking about one position. It is a good thing to have players fightining for the staritign spot. Competition for positions yields success. The only reason I say DC was the easy pick is because they are the popular team this year by the media. But american media generally doesn't know squat about soccer. DC is picked to win the cup almost every preseason by the media.

Last year Chicago was one game away from the MLS cup. They lost to NE on an amazing goal by Twellman. But they outplayed NE the whole game and should have made it to the cup.

Last year was too little, too late for Chicago. They really started playing well too late. It took until midseason for them to really peak. With a full season to work together, expect Chicago to be really good this year.

Not having a player be awarded player of the week doesn't mean much either. This game is not about the player, but the team. DC does not have the bench that Chicago does. DC is not deep enough to make it through their long season.

Mike_E said 04/05, 11:40 PM
Nobody is trying to start 4 strikers. I didn't ever say that. I actually indicated that they would have to compete for playing time.

DC is not deep enough to make it through the season. They are good enough to win games in the regular season, but they wear out at the end. You mention the last two season as proof. But in both of those seasons they got eliminated in before even making it to the Cup. Same thing will happen this year.

Have you really watched any games this year. DC does not look good. Even in today's match against TFC they looked bad. I know they won big, but that was against a ten man Toronto side. Their midfiled is not strong enough, and their defense has too many holes on the sides. All it takes is a decent cross to put a ball in the net against DC.

But my post is not to argue against DC, it is to say why Chicago will win it (which is something I didn't catch in your last post). Chicago is a better road team. Everywhere they go, Blanco's fans show up and often cheer louder than the home team's fans. DC has good home support, but the support on the road is not good enough to propel them to victory. And since the final is at the HDC, Chi has the advantage.