Playoff Pulse – Up Against the Wall Edition

By: Ian | October 2nd, 2008

I can’t help but use an old sports cliche today: it all comes down to this. For all intents and purposes, we are already in the playoffs. This is an absolute must-win game. One way or another, we will know by the end of tonight whether our playoff dreams are over or whether we will still be in the fight. Make no mistake, a draw will not be enough, especially not after last week’s meltdown against Salt Lake.

In a blog a couple of weeks ago, I tried to predict which Western team might go on a run, little did I know that all of them would! We definitely need some help this weekend. Here’s your supporter’s guide to this weekend’s games:

L.A. – Columbus: Worst versus first. Give ‘em hell Crew!

Chivas – D.C. United: Some might hope for a draw to hedge our bets on either a western berth or wildcard. I say go for a D.C. win, because we are playing Chivas soon and need to maximize the impact of that game.

Toronto – New York: With Toronto posing no threat, back them to beat the Bulls.

RSL – New England: Surely RSL can’t pull off a big road win two weeks in a row. We need the Revs to sink this ship.

Houston – Colorado: With Houston safe in the first spot and no threat to our playoff chances, let’s hope they can pick up a road win against the Rapids.

Chicago – Kansas City: Chicago looks safe in that third spot while K.C. is fighting for a wildcard berth. Let’s go Fire!

Here’s what the standings would look like if all the results went our way:

Houston 43

Chivas 36

Colorado 34

RSL 34

Dallas 33

Quakes 32

L.A. 29

Which leaves us only two points out of the third spot with a game in hand. At this point, destiny is still in our hands, but only if we can win at least three or four out of the last five games.

What are the keys to winning tonight’s game? Be physical! It seems like teams have found the Quakes’ weakness: we lack physicality and can get pushed and roughed out of a game (see Houston and Salt Lake). We also have a lack of height, which together with the lack of physicality means that we are best when we keep the ball on the ground. The problem right now is that having Corrales in the middle would help us weather what’s thrown at us in the midfield, while Grabavoy tends to get lost and dominated way too easily. I would like to see Johnson, who is one of our most physical players, get the start or at least a hefty amount of minutes. Keep the ball on the ground, but play with real drive, direction, and pace, because the Dallas players are not going to allow a lot of time on the ball. Finally, defensive shape and concentration is key. It’s obvious that our backline doesn’t have enough pace to catch up to long balls over the top when they’re out of position. We need Garcia and Hernandez in the center, who as a pair seem to be better organized and composed.

This reminds me of another late season game in Dallas for a playoff spot (except on that occasion it was the last game of the season), anyone remember that one?

Let’s go Quakes!