RSL noticed the blueprint the LA Galaxy set out in front of them from a year ago when the Galaxy began the season 10-0-2 and held on to that lead for the rest of the season. Sure, LA found themselves fighting for it at the end of the season but it was that hot start that really set the Galaxy apart from the rest of the league last year.

“I think we learned with L.A. getting out to such a great start in the beginning of the season, you can win that Supporters Shield in the first half of the season,” Kyle Beckerman said. “We weren’t able to catch them. We’re now like really concentrating even more to get as many wins in the beginning half of the season just like L.A. did, to see if we can get out to a big lead and maybe you can win it in the first half of the season.”

RSL hopes to do the very same in 2011 and are already off to a club best start of 3-0-0.

With only two more CCL games left on tap for them, RSL won’t have as busy of a summer or fall this year as well. At the very most they’ll have a couple extra US Open Cup games (I wouldn’t sleep on them winning it all this year too by the way), and while their season schedule may get a little trickier down the path, we know this club is very capable of doing very well even with reserves on the pitch for a game or two.

RSL goes into tonight’s Rocky Mountain Cup match against the Colorado Rapids with a slight upper hand. Colorado got hammered in their first true test of the season last week in Dallas and will still be without Pablo Mastroeni and Conor Casey for tonight’s game. RSL hasn’t lost to Colorado in their last four meetings too.

Like the article linked above said, as long as RSL takes care of their business they’ll probably wrap things up just as quickly as LA nearly did a season ago. It is just a shame that as good as RSL is here they are on national TV very little this season. Out of the 21 ESPN broadcasts, the Claret-and-Cobalt will only been seen twice. That is a shame if you ask me. Such a quality team deserves better.

Oh let the debate rage on.

New York Red Bull manager Hans Backe stated over the weekend to the New York Post that his main goal for the season is a Supporter’s Shield trophy, not a MLS Cup.

“My target is to win the Shield. I think we’re good enough to compete with the best teams. Maybe it’s because I’m European, but I would like to win the Shield,’’ said Backe, who considers the MLS Cup more of a crap shoot, while the regular-season is the test of a true champion.

“I’m not sure I care about the MLS Cup, (but) we need to be No. 1 after 34 games; then you’ve proved you’re the best team in the U.S. Then of course you can see with a Cup what you can do. But that, for me, is more like a mini-tournament for five games. Being No. 1 after 34, that’s the target for me and the team.’’

I suppose in a way Backe is going about this in a logical sense. He’s European and where he comes from the season finish is the real winner, not a playoff winner. I get that and in most respects I side with him on this.

It is however, a bold approach from Backe to publicly state that he may not care much about the MLS Cup and of the playoff format (which is set to change).

I get why European folks and those lovely Eurosnobs that follow MLS hate the playoffs. They are, for a lack of better words, a joke. They always have been considering the fact that for the majority of the time that the league has been around more than half of the clubs would get into the playoffs each year. Its only been since the recent expansion that we see less than half of the clubs reach the playoffs, making the regular season a little more meaningful.

But with statements like this I do hope in a small way the league pays attention to it. I’d love nothing more than to see the Supporter’s Shield get a little more love each year. A soccer season is a marathon after all so why not reward the winner with a little more motivation?

For a MLS-loving-American kind of guy that I am I do still love playoffs. I just hope before long they are meaningful and not, as the Post’s article states, a “crap-shoot”.

Backe isn’t saying he doesn’t want to win a MLS Cup though, in fact he expects his club to this season. I for one already believe the Red Bulls are a heavy favorite to win it all this year, Shield included.

But at the end of the day which is more important to you? The Shield or the Cup? Let’s hear it.

In a year with more draws than anything else (70 in total so far and up 27% from last year), it shouldn’t take nearly as many points as it normally does to make the playoffs. In years past the magic number for those final two or sometimes three clubs is to reach the 40 point line. Some are saying that this year it could be as low as 37 or 38 points for those final spots.

So what does your club have to do to make sure they reach that mark and more importantly pass that mark? Right now with all the parity in the league and with the jam packed standings (2 points separate 4th and 10th place) things are wide open here. I figure its a good time to break down those final 11 or 12 games to see what each club has left to do and if they have a realistic shot at hitting that 38 point line, or even that 40 point line.

Feel free to comment on your club’s schedule or which one’s you think are the toughest or the weakest.

Chicago Fire (32 points after 19 games):

Home (6): DC, New York, Dallas, LA, Columbus, New York
Away (5): LA, Houston, Colorado, KC, Toronto

Always good to have more home than away but this is a doable schedule for the Fire indeed. They are easily going to make the playoff at their current pace, and right now are in great contention for the Supporter’s Shield. Road games in Toronto and Houston worry me a bit but with who they play at home they could be seeing a Supporter’s Shield trophy here this year.

Chivas USA (22 pts., after 18 games):

Home (6): LA, San Jose, Toronto, KC, Colorado, Houston
Away (6): Houston, Toronto, New England, Salt Lake, DC, San Jose
CCL (2): Home and away with Tauro FC

Their home games are definitely win-able. Especially the next four. Thing is you throw in a three-game trip in the middle of that with Toronto, NE, and RSL and you could be looking at some tough times again for this injury-plagued bunch. Also, throw in the CONCACAF Champions League games and it could be a very long fall for this club. A big if is their health, because if they can stay healthy through it all they will be in the playoffs. I just wonder if they have the juice in the tank to get it done with that loaded schedule.

Colorado Rapids (21 pts., after 19 games):

Home (5): KC, Chicago, New England, Houston, RSL
Away (6): DC, RSL, Dallas, New York, LA, Chivas

As inconsistent as this club has been I just don’t believe they have enough to get those 16 or 18 points here to make the playoffs. That would be six wins or at least four wins and a couple draws. For a club that has yet to pull together a string of two straight wins in-league play this year, I just don’t see it happening.

Columbus Crew (31 pts., after 19 games):

Home (6): Dallas, RSL, New England, New York, LA, DC
Away (5): Dallas, Toronto, New England, Chicago, New York

You know I like the Crew’s schedule down the stretch. I like it a lot really. The final month could be tough with LA and DC in town and trips to Chicago and New York. But they should have no problems reaching the playoffs with that home schedule and you better believe that it does give them a shot at the Supporter’s Shield trophy still. Those two with Dallas coming up will show a lot though on the Supporter’s Shield area. Two wins and they should be in the hunt, but another stumble will mainly just keep them in the playoff picture and not the SS.

DC United (25 pts., after 18 games):

Home (5): Colorado, New York, Dallas, Chivas, New England
Away (7): Chicago, New England, San Jose, LA, Dallas, Houston, Columbus
CCL (6): Three home and three away
USOC (1): Home with New England (tonight)

That my friends is a loaded schedule. All 19 games for the Black-and-Red between today and Halloween. Let’s worry about league games for now though, more road games than home and that isn’t a good thing with how they’ve played this year. They have a game in hand right now on a lot of clubs so that’s a positive thing with games against Colorado and New York coming up at home. Thing is they have to travel to Chicago and New England before those two home games. Yikes. They need 13 or 15 points here so we are talking at least four wins, and honestly they should have them with some of those home games.

FC Dallas (25 pts., after 19 games):

Home (5): Columbus, Colorado, DC, San Jose, Toronto
Away (6): Columbus, KC, DC, Chicago, RSL, LA

Love the home schedule, hate the road schedule for this club. Needing that 13 to 15 points, they should be able to get that at home and maybe steal a point or two on the road against KC, Chicago, or LA. If SuperCooper continues to score they will make the playoffs but if he cools off it could be tough for this young club. I still think right now they have an excellent shot at making it.

Houston Dynamo (26 pts., after 18 games):

Home (7): RSL, Chivas, Chicago, KC, San Jose, DC, LA
Away (5): New York, San Jose, Toronto, Colorado, Chivas
CCL (6): Three home and three away

Sounds loaded but with 10 of those 18 being in Houston you have to love the Dynamo’s chances right now. They are in excellent position to not only make the playoffs but win the west this season. I would be willing to say that just about every home game is win-able at this point for them and they probably could win at least three out of those five road games. Plus, even with all the extra games they have long periods of games at home compared to those road stretches. Man did they ever luck out on their schedule this season.

Kansas City Wizards (25 pts., after 19 games):

Home (6): Dallas, LA, Toronto, Chicago, New England, San Jose
Away (5): Colorado, San Jose, Houston, Chivas, New England

If there is any club that has a great final month in terms of a schedule it is Kansas City. Three of four are at home to close the year. Sure they may not be cake walks with the likes of Chicago and New England on consecutive weekends but not having to travel those final weeks could really help this young club out. They need at least four wins and out of this 11 games they should be able to find that based on their recent play. It won’t be pretty but they may be able to just do enough to get in at this point.

LA Galaxy (23 pts., after 19 games):

Home (5): Chicago, RSL, DC, Colorado, Dallas
Away (6): Chivas, New England, KC, Chicago, Columbus, Houston

Traditionally not a great road team and with the recent coaching situation I really have my doubts for this club. Then again I had them from the start of the year so it isn’t a huge shocker. I did say back then that I didn’t see them winning more than eight games so I may be eating my words right there since they already have six in the bag. Still they need a lot of wins and points in general to make the playoffs at their current pace. Things just don’t look good for those 15 or 17 points right now.

New England Revolution (33 pts., after 18 games):

Home (6): DC, LA, Chivas, Columbus, RSL, KC
Away (6): San Jose, Toronto, Columbus, Colorado, KC, DC
CCL (2): Home and away with Joe Public FC
USOC (1): Away at DC (tonight)

Sounds a bit loaded but for a club that is in Supporter’s Shield contention, I like this schedule. The home slate isn’t too shabby with clubs coming into town in the coming weeks. Plus those ones at the end of the year aren’t great away from their home venues. Also, their away slate isn’t terrible but the could see some problems at Toronto or Columbus…or DC if they get their act together. Playoffs are a sure bet at this point, and Supporter’s Shield is also within reach.

New York Red Bulls (25 pts., after 19 games):

Home (6): Toronto, Houston, RSL, Colorado, Toronto, Columbus
Away (5): DC, Chicago, Columbus, RSL, Chicago

I honestly love their home schedule. For a club that needs four or five wins to be safe, they can do it with that schedule. The road slate isn’t great but having clubs like Toronto, RSL, and Colorado come into town sure sounds good for their chances. Plus getting Toronto twice at home could end up as a blessing. Its all about consistent play for these Red Bulls. If they can find it they should make the playoffs. Key word is should.

Real Salt Lake (27 pts., after 19 games):

Home (4): Colorado, Chivas, New York, Dallas
Away (7): Houston, Columbus, LA, New York, San Jose, New England, Colorado

Good lord that is just wrong. Two of those home games are in a new stadium too, so be watchful of that to see how this club responds to a new field that isn’t crappy turf. But seven of those last 11 on the road is just brutal for a club that doesn’t win away from Salt Lake City. I think the playoffs are in reach but stumbling on the road could do some major damage to their playoff position. They need four wins to probably be safe at this point so they cannot afford to drop any more points at home and hope to at least pick up what they can on the road. In other words, they have to figure out how to win on the road or else.

San Jose Earthquakes (18 pts., after 19 games):

Home (7): New England, KC, DC, Houston, RSL, Chivas, Toronto
Away (4): Chivas, Houston, Dallas, KC

For a club that is making a serious push, this schedule surely helps out down the stretch. Thing is they have to win as much as possible here and that won’t be easy when they play clubs that will be looking to secure a playoff birth themselves right now. To be safe they need 22 points, or about seven wins and change. Not going to be easy for a club with only four wins total on the year. Draws help but before long they have to be wins in order to remain in the hunt. For now they are but in a month I just don’t see it happening. But they will make it interesting.

Toronto FC (25 pts., after 19 games):

Home (5): New England, Chivas, Columbus, Houston, Chicago
Away (6): New York, Chivas, KC, New York, Dallas, San Jose

It’s apparent this club has to win nearly all five games at home to be really safe. They could pick up points on the road in places like New York, KC, San Jose or against Chivas. I’m not saying wins but at least some points. I believe they have the trickiest of schedules though, its as tough at home as it is on the road. If they find some offense I will be able to feel better about their chances but for now I just don’t know if their schedule will work out for them in the end.

Onionsack brings the point:

Since MLS started in 1996 there has NEVER been a season in which one of Chicago, DC, or LA has NOT won a major domestic trophy.

1996 – DC (MLS Cup, US Open Cup)
1997 – DC (MLS Cup)
1998 – Chicago (MLS Cup, US Open Cup) LA – (SS)
1999 – DC (MLS Cup, SS)
2000 – Chicago (US Open Cup)
2001 – LA (US Open Cup)
2002 – LA (MLS Cup, SS)
2003 – Chicago (US Open Cup)
2004 – DC (MLS Cup)
2005 – LA (MLS Cup, US Open Cup)
2006 – DC (SS), Chicago (US Open Cup)
2007 – DC (SS)

2008- ?

Of course it helps that all three have been in MLS Cups for the most part of the league’s history and that the Fire have been a pretty dominate side in the US Open Cup since their first season back in 1998.

Is this the year it ends though? DC moved on last night to keep the US Open Cup bid alive, all are somewhat still in the mix for both the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup at this point.

I always find points and stats like these to be very interesting. I am going to try to spend part of the day if I can coming up with some other stats to throw out your way, particularly how clubs have ended up each year at the midway point and put it into context for this year’s season.

Surprised by these stats? Its not saying these are the league’s ‘super clubs’ or anything like that but they certainly have the biggest trophy cases of any clubs in the league!