They could put more emphasis and/or importance in the Concacaf Champions League and make that tournament more attractive so clubs should aim to and qualify for. Other American sports leagues don't have such competitions so we can not really compare other sports across the continents just because "the playoffs" is big part of the American sports landscape. Its not like NBA plays a Mexican basketball teams for a trophy or CFL plays NFL teams in a World Bowl and that would never happen either. I'm not saying relegation promotion, (although it would be great to see) but something needs to change.
Thanks! May 20, BTW. :--) Robert Jonas, 10/14/2013: And while the 2012 season was marked by Goonies-inspired comebacks on a near weekly basis, this year has been a long-form story of never-say-die. JazzyJ, 5/20/2013: I think of it as sort of a "meta-goonies" thing. Instead of coming back in one game, the Quakes need to come back and make a goonie run in this season by going on a hot streak in the 2nd part of the season. I predict, Robert reports it :--).
Some people might still watch the playoffs. I can't find a reason but perhaps some people can find one. I don't even care enough to hope LA will lose.
Not me. I hope NY keeps their losing streak of signing MAJOR LEAGUE STARS without winning MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER trophies intact !
What??? I've never heard of a worse suggestion. Why play a regular season at all if EVERYONE makes the playoffs? This is the kind of AYSO mentality that will ultimately stifle MLS. While we should be talking about the bottom-dwelling teams being kicked out of the league with no certainty to ever return, people are suggesting we do the polar opposite and just include everyone in everything always.
We already have an all-inclusive tournament. It's called the US Open Cup, and it's most recent champion has the worst record in MLS this year.
3 wins 23 losses. Yet we found a way to lose to them back in the day. A win in that game and we could waltz to the playoffs now. We'd even have an outside shot at winning the division.
If you're gonna play the what-if game while humoring trolls from Colorado, "what if" the tiebreaker were head-to-head competition? The Quakes beat the Rapids twice, and got a draw in the third game. There's a decent chance the two teams will end up even on 51 points. You won't convince me in that event that the better team qualified.
To be fair, the typical tie-breaker is goal differential, where we still suck from the first half of the season. That said, we would crush Rapids skulls like grapefruits if we played them home and home now.
Yea, I personally have always liked head to head competition as the first tiebreaker (after wins) between two teams. What better measure of who is better than who wins when they play each other?
How many points would Dawkins have been worth? He didn't even get much playing time in England. Waste of a year in his career. Wish we could have bought him
With 1 home game left and 99.9999% certain of elimination, S.J. will now minimally tie the record of "FEWEST HOME LOSSES for a team missing playoffs". Should they win their last home game, they will become "the team with FEWEST HOME LOSSES in a season, yet missed the playoffs". What's more, if they score 8 goals or more in the process, S.J. will set another benchmark as "the team missing playoffs with the BEST HOME RECORD of that season". Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
For the ultimate support at home stadium, as well as ... the ban on traveling support (hence reflect in the road record).
This is interesting. NYRB will win the Supporters Shield, right? Unless Chicago beats them? Which Chicago has to do in order to stay in the playoffs, right? And doesn't mike Magee still have a chance at the golden boot? With EJ sent home, I think Seattle will fade out in the playoffs quickly. I predict The 2 teams most likely to make the final will be Portland and NYRB.
It's done, with the 2-1 win over FCD in their final (home) game of 2013, S.J. has set several new records: Missed the playoffs with the FEWEST HOME LOSSES all-time - bettered Colorado's 2 losses in 2009. Missed the playoffs with the (joint-) FEWEST HOME LOSSES in a season - a first in league history. Missed the playoffs with the (joint-) BEST HOME RECORDS in a season - another first in league history too.