DC United Next Coach Cup: Semifinals

The quarterfinals are in the books. Twenty-eight candidates have been eliminated, leaving us with just four survivors to compete for the prestigious DC United Next Coach Cup. Let's not pull an FO dithering and hemming-and-hawing extravaganza, shall we? To the polls!


Semifinal #1

The Enigmatic Foreign Coaching Genius (EFCOG!) was finally taken out, appropriately, by the ABMOD. Williams piled up an impressive two-thirds of the vote as he cruised into the penultimate round, where he'll face off with the Bearded Bombardier. Olsen fell behind early to Chest Rockwell (of internet commenting fame) before staging a typically furious comeback. Chest did mount a late rally, but couldn't overcome Olsen's momentum.

poll by twiigs.com

Semifinal #2

Preki has been taking no prisoners on his march through the cup, winning by obscene margins, the latest by a nearly 50% margin over Curt Onalfo. His cause may get a further boost now that it looks like Chivas will be moving in another direction. His opponent had to be decided in Twitter "extra time" (what, you don't follow me on Twitter?!?), as Marco Etcheverry and John Spencer ended regulation voting-time with nothing between them. Even the runoff election looked headed for a stalemate, but in the end Etcheverry advanced by the most slender of margins. One vote. Dramatic stuff!

poll by twiigs.com

Hang on a Second!

Anybody else read Loney's description of Preki...

"But he can't run an offense, can't start the right forwards, can't put in the right forwards, can't find the right forwards, can't keep a roster consistent, can't keep his players healthy, and only provides emotional leadership in a negative way."

...and think, "Hang on a second! That sounds awfully familiar..."

(as I glance down and see Preki's commanding 82% share of the vote in his United Next Coach Cup Quarterfinal matchup)

Hmmm.

DC United Next Coach Cup: Quarterfinals

The Round of 16 is in the books, and more highly-regarded names have fallen by the wayside. I'll weave in the recap of the last round as we set the stage for the next. Voting for the quarterfinal round ends Wednesday night, so get your votes in now, and don't be afraid to tell a friend. Democracy FTW!

Quarterfinal #1
In the Master vs. Apprentice matchup, Richie Williams stomped all over his former boss, beating Bruce Arena by nearly 30%. That has to make him one of the favorites to reach the final. But to do so, he'll have to survive the wily EFCOG, who delivered a significant beatdown of his (her? their? its?!?) own in disposing of John Harkes.

poll by twiigs.com

Quarterfinal #2
Surely the shock of the round has to be Soccer Insider commenter extraordinaire, Chest Rockwell, nipping actual professional coach, Dave Sarachan, by a single vote at the death. But he'll face more tenacious opposition, if not another actual coach, in the next round as Ben Olsen hobbles onto the field. Olsen's 72% of the vote in his pairing was the second most impressive outing in the previous round.

poll by twiigs.com

Quarterfinal #3
Olsen's 72% may look impressive, but Predrag Radosavljević (Preki, to you and me) posted the single most lopsided result of the round, amassing an imposing 83% of the vote in his pairing. His road to the semifinals may look assured, but Curt Onalfo pulled a surprisingly strong upset in the previous round, more than doubling up the higher seed, Earnie Stewart.

poll by twiigs.com

Quarterfinal #4
The final match will be a battle of "highlanders." Wee Scotsman John Spencer had a surprisingly easy time of it in his battle with Sasho Cirovski, who some considered a contender for the final. Spencer will face off with Bolivian and United legend Marco Etcheverry, who encountered strong opposition from Jurgen Klinsmann in the previous round. Klinsmann was gnawing away at El Diablo's early lead, but couldn't quite catch him before the final whistle.

poll by twiigs.com

Vote away! And let's hear some more smack-talk in the comments this time, people!