On every sports program today, pundits make plentiful picks. But, no one ever goes back to see how close those so-called experts came to correctly calling the outcomes of games. Well, here at STO, we like to hold ourselves accountable. Thus, I will now compare my preseason predictions with the real results. And – yes – it is very ugly.
In my defense, I was right about some things. But, I also missed the mark badly when it came to several clubs, specifically the New York Red Bulls and the Seattle Sounders. NYRB looked nothing like they did at the end of 2008. In fact, they didn’t even appear to be a real soccer team at times. They looked more like a band of hobo vagrants.
As for Seattle, no MLS expansion team (save the 1998 Fire) had ever had success in their first year. Plus, the last few new additions (RSL, TFC, SJE) had been tremendously terrible. But, Sigi got the Sounders to the postseason, and in doing so he revealed that I know little about how important coaching and chemistry can be for a soccer squad.
Here is how I had them prior to the season:
East:
- Columbus
- Chicago
- New York
- Kansas City
- New England
- Toronto
- D.C.
West:
And here is how they actually finished:
East:
- Columbus
- Chicago
- New England
- D.C.
- Toronto
- Kansas City
- New York
West:
- Los Angeles
- Houston
- Seattle
- Chivas USA
- Salt Lake
- Colorado
- Dallas
- San Jose
So, I’m not Doc Brown, Nostradamus or Ms. Cleo, but I did decently by all respects. Most folks had put LA in the cellar, so at least give me some credit. After all, even a soothsayer couldn’t have seen their rise to the top of the West. Plus, I did correctly predict CMB would win the Shield, and my MLS Cup pick (Chicago) is still in it. So, I still may be able to reveal my glorious crystal balls to you all.
Um, yeah, that didn’t come out right.
