The Final Stretch

By: Dave Martinez | August 29th, 2007

Though I am not much one for statistics and projections, we have to start looking at our schedule and wondering “Where will we be?!”

As observed in the Conway entry below, our loses match the worst teams in the league. Are we that far off from total implosion?

Here is a look at our final 8 games . . . .

September
09/01 - Saturday Chicago Fire 7:30 p.m.
09/09 - Sunday @ Chivas USA 8:00 p.m.
09/15 - Saturday @ Chicago Fire 8:30 p.m.
09/22 - Saturday New England Revolution
09/29 - Saturday Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m.
October
10/04 - Thursday @ Toronto FC 7:00 p.m.
10/13 - Saturday Kansas City Wizards 7:30 p.m.
10/18 - Thursday @ Los Angeles Galaxy 11:00 p.m.

8 GAMES REMAINING
4 IN DIVISION
4 OUT OF DIVISION
2 GAMES AGAINST A RESURGING CHICAGO
3 GAMES AGAINST WEAK TEAMS (LOS ANGELES AWAY, TFC AWAY, REAL SALT LAKE HOME)
3 TOP RANKED TEAMS (CHIVAS, KANSAS CITY, NEW ENGLAND)

Hardly an easy road to the playoffs, that is for sure . . .

New England is the perrenial headache.
Chicago has STACKED UP with Blanco, and Wanchope. Dont forget that returing Mapp and Rolfe will be part of the attack again.
We play Los Angeles AWAY for the seasons FINAL game (always a danger)
We play TFC @ BMO, never an easy place to visit
Chivas and KC are the two steadiest teams in the league, with two of its best goalkeepers.

Besides RSL @ home, I am quaking in my boots. This can be a true disaster if we do not get our game together immediately.

Will we be able to stave off Chicago in the thick of their playoff run? I am sure this guy has other ideas . . . .

How about KC and Chivas? Hartman and Guzan? We have to beat the two best keepers in the league in 20% of our remaining games.

New England. Dont get me started . . . .

That is already 60-80% of our season. These being the facts, we can not afford to lose to weak teams AT ALL if we want a respectable position in the post season - RSL, LA or TFC, with 2 away games in very contentious atmosphere.

This won’t be easy folks.

BUT . . . .

Metro fans have always been optimistic in the face of peril. And like any RBNY fan, I think we can pull our stuff together and do this.

We need a solid Waterreus or Conway.

We need a healthy Dema.

We need Mendes and Parke playing the Center D.

We need Reyna to come back to Captain America form.

And we need service to our strikers (Alti, Angel and YES, Mathis)

Not impossible. And whatever anyone thinks, we do have a World Class coach to guide the ship - A World Class Coach who knows he MUST produce in order to be part of our future.

The future looks daunting, scary. But nothing is set in stone.

All I have to say, from here on out . . . .

IN BRUCE WE TRUST
. . . . or else . . . .