MLS Pick ‘Em 2015: Playoffs – Round 1
That was one hell of a ride. The regular season is finally over, and the playoffs are here! Somehow, I was able to sneak into the top spot and earned a bye for the first round. The remaining experts have all been paired up to go head to head by round until we have a winner. Before we begin, here are the rules:
Each writer must pick the winner of every game during each round. For each correct pick, the writer will receive 1 point. In addition to those picks, the writer will also submit a score for the game their matchup is assigned to act as a tie breaker for the round. The writers with the most points move and the matchups are decided by remaining seeds.
The play-in round has some sweet matchups. LA must travel to Seattle and overcome their road woes against a Sounders team that is undefeated in their last 8. DC must find answers quickly as the equally slumping Revolution come to down. Montreal and Toronto replay their Decision Day match. Lastly, the suddenly red hot Portland timbers take on an SKC team that has struggled on the road against Western opposition all year.
| Expert |
DC v. NE |
SEA v. LA |
MTL v. TOR |
POR v. SKC |
Comments |
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Russ McKenzie |
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NE (3-1) Benny’s DC Boingers roll into their play-in game not roaring like most pundits said, but with a whimper after the savegry on display at Mapfire. To be honest, that might be all the Revs need to hit the ignition after being absolutely atrocious themselves. I sense a Davies brace. |
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Michael Norton |
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NE (3-1) Some thoughts. 1- The winner of SEA-LA will represent the West at MLS Cup. Write it down. 2- Russell and I are Last Word SC’s elder statesmen. If there’s any matchup to watch, this is the one. 3- Russ has a deep hatred of Tim Cahill. His FIFA 13 promo poster (his avatar fully clad in a Red Bulls kit) has been my laptop wallpaper for two years now. 4- When they’re on, New England are an attacking force. They won’t unleash Crew style on DC, but it’ll be bad enough for the Black and Red to make big roster examinations (outside of Boswell, Birnbaum, and Kitchen) this offseason. |
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Alec Rivera |
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SKC (3-2). SKC made LA look more like an expansion side than the defending champions on #DecisionDay, with Vermes’s mind games with Feilhaber reaping their rewards. I think that ultimately, SKC turned it around just in time to mount a playoff run, while Portland is still too inconsistent to be counted on to he a lock, even at home against a lower seed. Since I’m still reeling over that absolute slaughter of DCU in Columbus, I’ll choose to ignore it as a fluke |
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Eric Walcott |
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POR (1-0) Portland and SKC have played 3 times this year and there’s been a total of one goal. The last time they met, Portland was undone by poor finishing and one terrible defensive play. Since that loss on 10/3, the Timbers have won 3 straight, scoring 10 goals. Benny Feilhaber had a bit of a dip in late season form, while Darlington Nagbe has peaked at just the right time for a Portland win. |
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Jeff Krause |
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MTL (2-1) TFC has done well in 2015, and they will be a team to watch for seasons to come, thanks to big moves on and off the field. Unfortunately for them, they face Montreal a team that’s done some fine-tuning of their own, and looks even more dangerous with Drogba than the side that battled their way to a CCL Final earlier this season. |
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Ned Joyce |
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TOR (3-2) Toronto wins 3-2 in a classic playoff match. Giovinco vs drogba with Bradley being the game changer. Down goes Krause. |
