Final Bow On 2025, Reviewing My Predictions

Ok, the last thing we need to do before moving on to the offseason decisions and 2026 is looking back at my predictions for this year.  This...will be painful.

• Its one series and done in the CCC.  Our track record at LAFC is very bad and I don't see that changing this early in the season.

Off to a good start, full points!

• Likewise the new Leagues Cup format puts us at a disadvantage and we don't progress.  In fact our chances are so unlikely that going into our final game against Cruz Azul in LA Armas pulls the rip cord and uses a heavily rotated roster to save legs for the run-in to the playoffs.

Wathuta, Sam Bassett, Alex Harris, Fredrick, and Travis started the Cruz Azul game.  Plus Nico Hansen.  I'm giving myself full credit here. 

• The Rapids do make the playoffs, but they host the wild-card game (8th overall).  They actually win the wild-card game before bowing out in the next round.

Missed the playoffs on the tiebreaker, missed 8th by 3 points.  I'm giving myself 0 for this one, much like the Rapids this year.

• Sadly they end up in the wild-card because the curse of Sandy bites us again and we lose the Rocky Mountain Cup in the next-to-last regular-season match (I'm half tempted to say we retain it after points & goals are tied, but I've seen this story too many times before).

I'm giving myself half a point for my dead-on accurate half temptation.

• At some point, either just before the window closes in May or when the window opens this summer, the Rapids make a move for a short-term backup striker.

Nope, Yapi came good this year and made this (somewhat) unnecessary.  That's going to burn me two ways.

• Mihailovic is once again named Player of the Year and makes a run at Valderrama's record of 16 assists in a season

Ah...no.  He still lead the team in assists with 7 despite being sold during Leagues Cup.  No points.

• Navarro is the Golden Boot but will not get to 16 to tie Rubio and Casey.

Got to 12, 3 more than Mihailovic and 4 more than Yapi.  Full point.

• Steffen, Mihailovic, and Bassett all get call-ups this year

We now know Mihailovic got a call-up in January but had to turn it down due to recovering from his injury.  And Steffen was called up in the summer.  I'm claiming half a point.

• This is the last year Yapi really features for this team.  He may still be on the roster in 2026 but as a deep bench option only.

The exact opposite, for the first time really Yapi showed he can be at least a solid bench option in MLS.  He will be back and will feature as a seconday striker.

• Atencio will be seen as the sneaky-good acquisition of this offseason, justifying the expense.

Nope.  I'm not sure there was a sneaky good acquisition this offseason.  Signing Santos midseason looks like the closest.

4 points out of 10.  That's an all-star batting average but not great for predictions.  Still a step up from 3.5 out of 11 last year, which itself was a slight step up from the year before.

Unless we get some player or coach rumors or news the blog will be fairly quiet for the next couple of weeks.  Once roster decisions are formally announced and we hot the Superdraft there will be something to talk about.