Sockers Seeking Playoff Advantage
With four games to go in the regular season, the Sockers appear to be in an uncustomary position--primed to take the home-field advantage into the playoffs.
Or so it seems.
“We haven’t even made the playoffs yet,” defensive runner Wes Wade cautioned. “We still have (four) games left in the season.”
While Wade was doing his General Schwarzkopf impersonation, being coy with the media, other Sockers could find no reason to talk about what’s really going on.
“The regular season is over,” midfielder Waad Hirmez said.
In fact, if the season were to end today, the Sockers (32-16) would hold home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They hold a 3 1/2-game lead over second-place St. Louis (28-19) and are five games better than East-leading Cleveland (27-21).
But, since the season does not end today, first-place remains up for grabs, so to speak.
As Wade said, “We could lose four in a row and St. Louis could win the rest of their games and take first place away from us.”
Not likely. In fact, any combination of Sockers victories and St. Louis losses equaling two will guarantee the Sockers the top seed in the postseason.
And with Cleveland’s recent tear at home--they have scored 10 or more goals in five of their past six games at The Coliseum, all victories--home-field advantage could become a precious commodity.
“This year (home-field advantage) is really important, with four teams being so equal,” Hirmez continued. “It will probably come down to who has the home-field advantage.”
Though the Sockers have won eight championships in the past nine years, they have not had the luxury of home-field advantage since 1986. They have not clinched the title in the Sports Arena since that same year when they defeated the Minnesota Strikers in Game 7.
Now, however, when the Sockers appear to have the home field sewed up, it may be more important what they do elsewhere.
“It (the championship) might come down to the better road record,” said Erich Geyer, Socker assistant coach. “It might come down to what kind of a fight you put up on the road. In such a short series, you’ve got to steal one on the road to make it comfortable.”
If Geyer is right, the Sockers may have a distinct advantage--they have the league’s best road record, 13-11.
