Ya, time as well as weather are the problem. The Premier League does have each team play 38 games a season. 40 games should be a lot in their schedule with all the additional events. As much as I like MLS, sometimes I wish there were more games, but that might not be possible with the playoffs as you said Could MLS add more games into their schedule? or is 34 games too much? I don't like the shrinking to 32 games by the other proposals.
I think you mean "Thermohaline circulation", specifically the Gulf stream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermohaline_circulation#Gulf_Stream
Yeah. Three inches of snow here gets called a "blizzard". I think about eight inches of snow is the most I've seen in my life. Undersoil heating normally takes care of most frost, and good drainage makes waterlogging rare these days, beyond exceptionally heavy showers - the Sunderland v Reading match last year, in August, got rained off. Things are a bit trickier lower down the pyramid. This winter was the coldest, in length rather than temperature, for about 50 years, and it caused havoc in the lower leagues, especially for teams who played a lot of cup games. Guernsey, based on one of the Channel Islands just off the north coast of France, had 27 games postponed either through weather of re-arrangements due to cup ties, and ended up having to play 23 games in the last 43 days of the season. They played 16 games in April alone, http://www.guernseyfc.com/matches-fixtures-and-results
Quoted with slightly more readable formatting... So, in this playoff format, the Winners of each Division shall receive a physical Division Trophy (much like the current East/West Conference Trophies)? In this case, there will be as many as 7 Trophies awarded in total, throughout the course of the playoffs: 4 Division Trophies for Atlantic, Central, Northwest and Southwest (sounds like Airlines by the way, ) 2 Conference Trophies for East and West, as per current set-up The ONE & ultimate MLS Cup! That's a lot of Trophies to be won... We win Trophies!!
Potential List of Airlines to sponsor the Divisional Trophies: Atlantic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Airwaysor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Atlantic Central: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_American_Airways Northwest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_airlineor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Northwest_Airlines Southwest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Southwest_Airlines
By the way, having to meet pretty much the same 5 teams in the same division, repeatedly during playoffs (on top of the many regular season games), can be quite BORING...
Agreed. I'd suggest that if we go to four divisions, have a playoff that works something like this: The four division champions make the playoffs and advance directly to the quarterfinals The eight best non division winners are seeded and play a single game in the first round. The four first round winners and the four division champions are reseeded (division champions would then be guaranteed a bye, but not home field against a better team) and play two game series. The four quarterfinal winners are paired off in two game semifinals, with the winners meeting for the Cup.* *--I would prefer the final be the same two games as the two preceding rounds, but I seem to be in the minority here. My preferences aren't necessary for this system to work, so it is not part of the system.
Good idea, that offers more varieties for the playoff match-ups. However, with this format, it would also mean that there will be no award of Divisional and Conference Playoffs Championships...
Well we could offer some hardware to each of the divisional champions. The divisions and the byes that come with them are first past the post, the "proper way" after all.
More potential sponsors on board... Atlantic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Airwaysor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Atlanticor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_atlantaor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Atlantisor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Southeast_Airlines Central: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_American_Airwaysor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Centralor:https://flycma.com/or:http://www.flylaocentral.com/
More potential sponsors on board... Northwest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_airlineor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Northwest_Airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Northor:http://www.airnorth.com.au/ Southwest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Southwest_Airlinesor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Southwestor:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_South_(Georgia)or:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_South_(South_Carolina)or:http://www.airsouth.com.au/
I like this set up, but not until we have 24 teams. Exactly half the teams would make the playoffs (more is decidedly too much). At that time, with six teams per division, you can have each division team play the each team in its conference home and away (20 games), and each team in the other conference once. In order to keep things "even", you could have each division play all home games with one opposite conference division and all away games with the other opposite conference division (10 games). You would have a total of 30 regular season games which would help with fixture congestion, and is a nice round number. Also, since you wouldn't "overplay" opponents within your own division during the regular season, facing them again in the playoffs would not seem like overkill, and now it would make for some mean rivalries within the division because it would be for all the marbles (which is where real rivalries get made, not in artificial "Cups"). Playoffs Week 1 "Win or Go Home" All-day soccer fest. Four games, one game every three hours (roughly) starting at 1:00 pm (eastern). The first two from an Eastern Conference Division and the second two from a Western Conference Division. Saturday: Division 3's play at 2's home field. Winner advances. Sunday: Division 3's play at 2's home field. Winner advances. Week 2 Division Championship Week -- Starts 7:00 pm (eastern) with Eastern conference division championship game; Western conference division championship game three hours later. Saturday: Division 2's play at 1's home field. Winner is Division Champ. Sunday: Division 2's play at 1's home field. Winner is Division Champ. Week 3 Conference Championship -- Home field to point leader Saturday: Eastern Conference Championship game between division champs. Sunday: Western Conference Championship game between division champs. Week 4 MLS Cup Championship -- Home field to point leader Addenda: If you wanted a home/away tie for the Conference Championship, that would be cool too, but you'd have to add a mid-week game so as not to have five weeks of playoffs, which I think is too long. I really like the home field going to the point leader in each game in a one-off. It gives a lot more impetus to win games during the regular season. "Didn't get a home playoff game? Poor baby. Win more games next time." I also kind of like the idea of neutral location for the MLS cup game, but only if it were not an MLS city and could be used every year (Vegas anyone?).
Tried to locate pics of them lifting the Eastern Conference Trophy in 2002, 2005-2007; though could only find those with the 2007 US Open Cup so far: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Revolution#Achievements To-date, they remain the only MLS team to ever win the defunct SuperLiga... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_SuperLiga#Finals
A good look at the current Eastern Conference Trophy... Looks good! http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...bold-predictions-for-the-new-campaign/page/13 The Trophy used in 2003 was made of... Glass? Since when has the current Metal Trophy been in use? http://www.pbase.com/thefirealarm/image/23331047/original
As for the West, not too bad either: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/mls western conference final Back in 2007, it was actually made of Glass too? Since when has the current Metal Trophy been in use as well? (similar to the East) http://www.pixtus.com/forum/sports/61254-dynamo-mls-western-conference-champs.html
Trophy Case of Houston Dynamo... What are those made of Glass as below? http://www.houstondynamo.com/academy The DOM drinks from the Eastern Conference championship trophy after Houston won the East in 2012. http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...rence-champions-in-eliminating-DC-United.html
Sorry, how does this make 30 games. I'm count 22 within your conference and 12 away. I think you have 34.
I don't think MLS would want to play only 30 games in order to compete against other soccer/football leagues
Yes! Thank you. Good catch. That's actually better -- continuity with what we're already used to, and no one complaining about lost regular season revenue from fewer matches.