See, here in lies the problem. We all want the format that comes up with the best team holding a trophy; we're arguing about what standard would be used to find the best team. When you say something like "find the best team", you're skipping the discussion and just posting a meaningless tautology
Fine. The best four teams from each conference play a home and home playoff. The "winners" of each playoff series, play a home and home playoff for the "Conference title". The winners of each Conference play in MLS Cup. Or, we skip the playoffs all together and the Best of the East plays Best of the West in MLS Cup. One game, winner takes all. Happy now?
This has the same problem: "take the best teams..." You need to define what you mean by best, otherwise we'll spend too many pages of posts arguing about definitions instead of ideas.
Okay, once and for all, the best teams are the teams that have the most points at the end of the season. That is the only possible criterion we can use. I have no interest whatsoever to "spend pages of post arguing" about anything with you, and especially this.
What if we use the criteria of "advancing farthest in an elimination tournament"? Is that not even possible
3 teams from each conference top team from each conference gets bye teams #2 and #3 play home and away. Winner plays team #1 home and away MLS Cup Final at neutral ground
So we play an 8 month grueling season for a 3 week flash in the pan playoffs that only 1/4 of teams play in? Seems crazy to slash the playoffs down when that should be the showpiece event for the league
Yeah, 1/4 of the teams making the post-season sounds about right. I only want the best teams in the post-season.
While I agree with you that the Cup final needs to be the signature event for the league, I tend to look at the MLS Cup Playoffs as a post-season tournament, not part of the season. To me you win the season by having the most points during the regular season. Then a handful of the teams with the highest point totals are invited to a post-season tournament called the MLS Cup. I'm sure others see it differently. But I sleep well at night with this thought in my head. Given that I have no problem with a three-week tournament post-season. I don't fool myself, though. The guys that control the purse strings will want more teams in the playoffs, not less. I can't imagine a scenario where they don't expand the playoffs by the time we get to 24 teams.
I get that. I just think Americans when they hear playoffs they think of a month long event with several teams and participants and lots of twists and turns. A more minimalist approach would be a disappointment to most I would think. I think our playoffs are kind of thin as it is ...
I hope someday the big game can be held at a neutral site (warm weather) Massive stadium Oh and change the name from MLS Cup to the MLS Final and the Cup to the Garber Cup -- he's earned it.
Yeah, I mean that MLS Cup in Toronto was just scorching hot and I realize it used to be neutral site but that's why I said it in a future tense of hoping that someday it will return to neutral sites and be in large warm weather stadiums. I did not know it was called the Anschutz trophy but I do know that's a terrible trophy name and it should be Garber Cup -- the guy has been a billion times more important than Anschutz.
Any rich boob can splash some cash around. Not any commissioner can jump into a league in the situation this league was in in 1999 and turn it all around. Ask the USFL, XFL, NASL, UFL, WHL, ect. ect. ect. commissioners.....
Without that particular rich boob there would be no need for a commissioner because there would be no league
Here's my format for MLS Cup. Round, translucent, narrow at the bottom but widening towards the top. It should have a diamond-pattern engraved in the outside, and there should be handles on both sides so the Champions can drink champagne out of it. You're welcome.
But that's not true. Like I say any rich boob can toss money around -- just ask the NASL. BTW, you can say Apple wouldn't exist if a rich investor didn't find Steve Jobs and his friends in their garage one day. He's the one that showed them the ropes and took them to another level that they'd have never achieved but no one remembers him because any rich person could do that. Only Steve Jobs could make Apple, Apple. Only Don Garber could make MLS what MLS is today and becoming tomorrow. Just look at the old NASL, the new NASL, and MLS before Garber. You sell him short if you say he isn't the single most important figure in MLS history.
If Anschutz hadn't bought (at one point) 6 of the 10 teams the league would have folded. So yeah, its true.
So I guess we can kiss Columbus Day goodbye and say hello to the Monarchs of Spain Day because ya know, without their financing it would never have happened in the first place! I'm right, you're wrong. End of discussion.