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Post by stokecity4eva on Mar 18, 2009 18:55:53 GMT
its 15 as they still have another home exhibition game to play
i see they have signed a new player today
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 18, 2009 19:04:06 GMT
Still doesn't add up stokecity4eva. 11 team league = 10 home games plus 3 MLS friendlies plus 1 other friendly. Total 14!
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Post by mgrayscale on Mar 18, 2009 19:58:23 GMT
As it stands today (I saw this as there have been a number of matches added recently), we'll have had 5 pre-season matches by the time the league starts on April 18:
New England Revolution (MLS) Houston Dynamo (MLS) Columbus Crew (MLS) Real Salt Lake (MLS) Puerto Rico Islanders (USL1)
We will then play the following USL1 teams, with the number of times in parenthesis:
Minnesota Thunder (3) Vancouver Whitecaps (3) - BTW, this team just announced they're going to the MLS in the 2011 season. Portland Timbers (3) Miami FC (3) Puerto Rico Islanders (3, not including the pre-season exhibition) Carolina Railhawks (3) Rochester Rhinos (3) Montreal Impact (3) Charleston Battery (3) Cleveland City Stars (2)
This doesn't include the playoffs matches. So we play all teams in the USL1 3 times, with the exception of Cleveland City.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 18, 2009 21:51:52 GMT
So against each team (apart from Cleveland) 2 home and 1 away or 2 away and 1 home. Doesn't sound very fair - perhaps it is lucky there is no relegation! ;D
PS - something that does surprise me is the quality of your pre season games. In England pre season usually involves 4 or 5 games against teams from lower leagues (often much lower) and just 1 or 2 games against opposition of the same or higher standard as ourselves.
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Post by knowles on Mar 18, 2009 21:56:59 GMT
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Post by mgrayscale on Mar 18, 2009 22:12:36 GMT
So against each team (apart from Cleveland) 2 home and 1 away or 2 away and 1 home. Doesn't sound very fair - perhaps it is lucky there is no relegation! ;D PS - something that does surprise me is the quality of your pre season games. In England pre season usually involves 4 or 5 games against teams from lower leagues (often much lower) and just 1 or 2 games against opposition of the same or higher standard as ourselves. Yeah, I'm not sure how fair anything is. The schedule for USL1 is actually negotiated the November prior to a season in an owners meeting in Tampa, FL (the home offices for USL), so it's a very diplomatic, albeit convoluted, way to determine schedules. It also explains why it takes so bloody long to get a final schedule (we didn't get our until mid January). From the toughness of the pre-season match oponents, it is strange, but a method that I really like. Invariably, if you play a team of a lower quality, the tendency is to play down to their level. When you play a team that typically does better than you, you would hope you rise to the occasion. Prosecutors evidence would be how well the Potters did against the Reds this year. In the case of the Aztex, I believe it really did help the guys grow very quickly, as evidenced in the improving results from loss, to draw, to win. I would rather see Phil & Co bring in the likes of MLS, Prem, or Mexican Primera Division squads for exhibitions than some lower league team. After all, if the lower team beats you, it's always worse than being beaten by a better team.
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