2024 Prediction Review (aka I Take My Medicine)

Ok, getting the 2024 prediction review in just under the wire.  I originally made these predictions back in February.  Usually I'm too optimistic about the team but this year I' pretty sure I was too negative.

• The Rapids either don't participate in the USOC (due to the ongoing negotiations between the USSF and MLS) or if they do they get knocked out in their first two rounds to another MLS team.

Ok, got that one correct (Rapids 2 doesn't count)

• They also don't get out of their Leagues Cup group, but give Portland a scare in Portland.  Leon is too much for them at home in Colorado though.

I'm sure I could have missed this worse but I'm not sure how 

• And to finish out the competitions, they finish 10th overall and miss the playoffs.  They're eliminated in the next-to-last week.

That should have been "10th in the West" not overall, but either way I missed it

• All that said, the team is improved and plays entertaining soccer at times.  It won't be the pointless soccer we saw last season.

I'd say we were entertaining!  At least until the last 5-6 games.

• The rapids don't buy Diack or Navarro at their current price this summer.  Navarro doesn't show enough to be worth $4.5M and Diack gets renegotiated to a lower number before we complete the transfer.

If I'm generous I could give myself .25 here?  Nah, whiffed on this.

• Needing a striker to replace Navarro Colorado makes a big trade within MLS for a striker in the summer window.

Which of course made this a miss

• Mihailovic is the Golden Boot and Player of the Year.  He gets back into the National Team picture by the end of the season.

Not the Golden Boot but he did have the best offensive season in team history.  And got on the Olympic Team and is in the picture for the January camp.  I'm counting this as correct.

• Steffen gets a look by the Nats for either the Gold Cup or the Copa, and becomes part of the regular Nats rotation.

Going to count this as .5 as he did get a look but isn't yet in the rotation

• Vines is Defensive Player of the Year but doesn't get a Nats look.

LOL, no

• With trips to Portland, Salt Lake, Seattle, and LAFC in the first 6 weeks the Rapids will be looking up the table all season after getting no more than 2 points out of those 4 games.

LAFC was actually a home game, but we got 5 points in the 3 road games, including an unexpected win in Sandy.  So that's a miss.

• Because of that, and the fact that we have to go back to Sandy in May before FSL comes to Colorado, we once again fail to win the Rocky Mountain Cup.

Here's a prediction I'm happy to be wrong about.

3.5 out of 11.  Ouch!  Still that's slightly better than my 4 of 14 from last year so I've stopped my 3 year slide!  Nowhere to go but up, right?