The MLS Cup Final few people outside of Colorado and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area could have seen coming has arrived, and while we can spend time dwelling on the fact that some teams expected to be there aren't, it's time to focus on the two teams who did what they needed to do to reach the final.
FC Dallas and Colorado met twice this season, tying both matches. Their most recent meeting, on Oct. 9th, finished a 2-2 tie at Pizza Hut Park. Jeff Larentowicz scored both for Colorado while Milton Rodriguez and David Ferreira netted for Dallas.
Here is our question for you. Who do you see winning Sunday's MLS Cup Final? Cast your vote here:
Who is my pick? I'll save that for later in the week. For now, tell us who you picked and why. Think FC Dallas' speedy attack will be too much for the Rapids? See Omar Cummings going wild on the Dallas back-line?
Share your thoughts below.
So no MLS fans can think this game is going to be boring. Right.
I’ve been die hard since day 1. Why am I defending my fanhood to some random guy on the internet again? See ya.
I agree with much of what you said, and thanks for saying it.
That said, I think you’re among those who could benefit from a review of the attendance situation of the Rapids. Dallas is dead last and the only team not to hit 10K average per game in the entire league, and is 13% down from last year. So fire away, in their case,
But Colorado on the other hand tied for 3rd (with Chicago) in terms of percentage _increase_ from last year (with Chicago) at +8%, or 1,000 more per game, on average, despite the fact that they didn’t make the playoffs the last 3 years running and (as you point out) have no big name DPs or the like. And the top 2 in this category are Seattle (who makes everybody else look like crap in attendance, as a matter of course) and NYRB (who spent all the money on such players and of course unveiled their spanking new stadium this year, to boot). Indeed, if you do the math, Colorado was at 80% of the league average in attendance this season, and 85% of the non-Seattle average.
The numbers just don’t back up the many disparaging claims people are making here about their attendance, this year.
I am a huge soccer fan, have been for most of my 47 years on this earth, and i must admit I am disappointed that NY and LA are not in the final. Yes it’s two great squads – but if i want to see that, I can always check out local college ball – what i long to see in America is WORLD CLASS PLAYERS playing the beautiful game – give me DP’s that can occasionally stop your heart with moments of brilliance. Being a fan, I am sure I will tune in on Sunday, but not many others will
FCD for 2 reasons: 1. much quicker than the Rapids, 2. the best counterattacking team in MLS.
“Yaaaaaawn… this final is going to be boooring.”
sandwiched around the significantly undercut claim,
“I’m an MLS fan and all that, but…”
You try again. 🙂
There’s nothing contradictory about being an MLS fan and thinking that this will be a boring game. Try again.
I’m sure that’s not at all a biased statement, right? 😉
Bah!
1. FCD isn’t crap. They set an MLS record for an undefeated streak. They were in the SS race until the last week or so. That’s not a “crap” team.
2. Colorado finished well in a very tough West.
Folks, let’s face it–anyone that managed to win .400 had a good chance to make the payoffs in the past. As the league gets bigger and the level of play increases, making the playoffs becomes a lot tougher. It used to be you could be crap and get hot at the right time. That’s a heckuva lot harder these days. Colorado isn’t a crap team. Now, I wouldn’t nominate them for having one of the 3 best seasons in MLS. But they’re not crap. And FCD has probably been the most consistently good team in MLS all year.
I think what’s going on here is that both teams draw poor attendance (boo on them both–that’s a mark of shame), neither team gets a lot of focus by other fans, neither team has DPs or many real marquee players (Mastroeni? Ferreira?) and so they get labeled as “crap” teams. Unlike the LAG champions with Herculez Gomez that truly got hot at the right time or the MLS Cup finalist NYRB that were badly outplayed in the Western Final by RSL, Colorado and FCD have played well both in the regular season and the playoffs. Both deserved to make the playoffs–I can’t believe anyone would argue that (unlike some years where teams made the playoffs b/c you had to fill 8 spots). And they’ve advanced fair and square–no gimmicks, no lucky breaks, not being badly outplayed or relying solely on a hot GK while the rest of the team stares at the grass. The Eurosnobs won’t like this matchup. The casual fans who can name maybe 5-7 MLS players in total won’t like this matchup. But it might help attendance for the team that wins. It gives MLS a new champion (and that’s a good thing–boo on leagues like the Premiership or La Liga or Serie-A where you pretty much know who the two top teams in the league are likely to be).
If you don’t like the fact that these two teams made the final, turn down the sound, adjust the color (to make the uniforms red or green or black or whatever color) and try not to stare at the badges. You’ll see two teams playing good, complete soccer that are well-coached that create matchup issues for other teams. These are not just two sides that got “hot” (unless of course you want to say that FCD was hot all season) or lucky.
Well said. Good lord, what’s the world coming to when I’m agreeing with a Crew fan.
Yeah the Galaxy looked like the best team last night when they got stomped 3-0 at home
I’m sorry but all this talk about the Supporters shield being more important is ridiculous…its not like they spring the playoffs on everyone after the regular season ends; teams go into the season knowing that the ultimate goal is to get to the playoffs and win in the finals, not just to get the first seed.
I think Dallas is unstoppable right now.
Forecast I’m seeing doesn’t show Sunday yet, but says high of 7C (44F) and partly sunny for Saturday.
As to why the match is in Toronto this year, you’d have to take that up with the league office…
a better question than who wins is who the heck is going to this game? I live in Toronto and I don’t want to be outside this weekend (1degree/rain) let alone someone from Texas. Not to mention this matchup is an absolute marketing NIGHTMARE… TFC season ticket holders were forced to take tickets to this game with next years package – let’s see how many show up to potentially see Jeff Cunningham (the most hated player in the league here) win a cup
*your (damn that autocorrect and lack of edit feature!)
Yes, you’re self-contradictory comments really help clarify that you’re such a big MLS fan “and all that”.
Have you watched FCD play? There’s not a team that plays more attractive football in the MLS. They believe in attacking, believe in short passes, ball control, etc. Everything most teams in the US normally lack.
It may be boring because of the thumping we’re about to place on Colorado though.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Why, Ives!? WHYYYYYYYY?
Do you want to prevent FCD from winning the cup that badly!?
Yaaaaaawn. I’m an MLS fan and all that, but this final is going to be boooring.
You digress? Uh, no you don’t
I opt for Colorado because they’re a decent side and will have an advantage in arctic Toronto. I’m rooting for Dallas though even though they’ve held onto the Brimstone Cup for far too long.
Where’s Tino Palace? Didn’t he adopt them as his favorite team and, by proxy, had to hate the Fire?
hahhahahha everyone get way mad about it! i completely agree that colorado and dallas are the best teams in the mls, RIGHT NOW. obviously they are in the final and fully deserve to be. but in single table, as it should be, galaxy are at the top. which kinda means you were the best overall. i dont support galaxy, i’m just stating the facts. the supporters shield: the real championship.
mls final: just another tournament for bragging rights.
oh and sorry, i forgot that REAL men dont watch harry potter….hahahhhah
The bigger side points to the greater than, the little side points to the less than.
John>Ream>Gonzo is John is greater than Ream who in turn is greater than Gonzo.
lol FC Dallas is quality. Its not the teams fault, they don’t gather fan’s like they should. As MLS fans, theres nothing wrong with rivalry within MLS but, as supporters of our league, we should be clamoring and demanding why the F*CK Dallas isn’t getting the attendence they should for a team and organization of their quality.
Drew Moor is a solid option next to a great CB.
He’s solid and can fill in at either Center or Half backs spots. But the reason we traded him was because Schelles preferred a more athletic CB and someone he’d worked with before (at SMU)
Dallas is completely solid at every position.
Colorado stars Well’s Thompson on the wing. You can’t deny they don’t have quality there. lets see if Smith can come back.
join the bandwagon haters.
75%? join the bandwagon you haters.
I know you guys hate because of attendance, but you can’t deny our quality, determination and the MVP of the league and MLS’s best GLK of the season
LONG LIVE THE HOOPS!
I always forget this… is the little alligator mouth eating the greater one or the lesser one?
Wait, maybe he’s that guy that owns the Clippers. No, even that guy doesn’t care about the Clippers.
I get your point. I was personally hoping to see LA vs SJ because it is a good rivalry. On the positive the current playoff structure allows lower seeded teams to actually have a good shot at making the finals… On the negative it does not really reward higher seeded teams for thier work during the regular season. I still think some tweaks are necesary to make it better for all fans.
I really hope MLS finally goes single table next year also.
It either has to go single table or move Houston to the Eastern Conference which would be ridiculous.
But if it stays in conferences, the conference championship should really be home and away.
That’s what the Supporter’s Shield is for. MLS just overhypes the MLS Cup because that’s what they can get on network TV. The Supporter’s Shield should be valued more and probably will in the future.
3-0
I guess if my team choked I’d make some dumb comments too.
+1
Amazing that the points you run down there are not rather painfully obvious to more people, evidently.
Your comments show true quality! Thanks.
I love all these whiners complaining about it not being the two best teams, a boring game, blah blah blah. Get over yourself. This is a CUP COMPETITION. Good teams get knocked out, especially in single elimination games. The hottest teams usually end up in the Final. If you want the best team over the course of the season, well that’s the Supporter’s Shield.
I’m enthusiastically looking forward to a fantastic Final between two quality sides. And I think it’s great that two teams without Designated Players made it. Even though my Dynamo sucked, this has been an excellent year in MLS.
Why no love? This is a big moment for both teams. It is lame that people won’t watch the final because a team with a lot of money isn’t in it. The beauty of the game in small markets is that moments like this are more unique and genuine. Fans get to be a part of it. You don’t get that at bigger clubs. The soccer fans in both cities love their teams, and now they get to see their team at the top of the league. A lot of supporters all over the country have suffered for a long time so that there can be a league. It is time to spread the wealth. It happened last year with RSL and it is going to happen again this year. So chillax, enjoy the game, and be happy for whoever wins.
Hope the Rapids kill it and send Dallas home with a big loss :p
Boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John>Ream>Gonzo
Most people would agree that this was the strongest 8 we’ve had coming into the playoffs in sometime, maybe ever. Points wise, they were not all that far apart in the standings- really, any of the 8 had a legitimate shot to make it to Toronto. All the cries about ‘crap teams’ making the final are without merit. The playoffs have been great, and the final should be as well.
I am a Rapids fan and will be rooting hard for them to win, but I give Dallas the edge in momentum and overall quality.
I think they are the best teams in MLS. Colorado has developed the best striker tandem ever in MLS, and Dallas is solid and creative up and down the field. Early in the season they were not the best teams — so they were not in the running for Supporters Shield. Right now, they are the best teams.
FCD has John
I call BS on this! Nobody cares about the Clippers.
It really turns on Dallas’ ability to put some balls in the net. If they struggle to score,the Rapids can easily steal this game. Casey and Cummings are tough to deny down the stretch when both teams are looking for a goal.
I think Dallas will get that breakout lead, but if they don’t, then the Rapids will steal this one.
Obviously, you’re wrong.
If you want to decide which team was the best in the Spring and Summer, it was LA. They had the best season, overall and won the Supporters Shield.
However, if you want to know which are the two best teams now…which teams were the best over the last 2 months… I think Dallas and Colorado were the two best teams. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see them in the final. Right now, they are the best teams in MLS.
Congrats to Colorado and Dallas, but I have to say I’m in the group that thinks this final leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not so much this final but that every year at least one or two crap teams make the MLS Cup. Upsets are fun, but when it becomes the norm, it’s not so great. I just think it’s disappointing that a team can be average all season, win 3 matches and be crowned league champion. This is something that needs to be looked into in my opinion.
+1
Just realized that the two teams FC Dallas has beaten in the playoffs were 2 of the 3 teams they lost to in the regular season. I’m all of a sudden very disappointed New York isn’t the East champion
The playoffs are not to decide which is the best team in MLS, that was decided in season but that does not negate the fact that the MLS Cup winner is the best team in the playoffs so suck it LA. I hope Dallas get the win here, they have looked good all year and expecially in the playoffs.