Now that the season and fantasy league is over, MLS has started up their playoff bracket challenge. I created a BS league if anyone would like to join. http://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-cup-playoffs/2016/bracket-challenge League: RSL Big Soccer Password: Embratsu Brackets freeze Wednesday 30 minutes prior to kick-off.
I've got the Red Bulls beating Seattle. I don't think Dallas has what it takes to win the treble. Especially without Mauro. I also think the TFC/Philly matchup is going to be a contest of who can suck less. With TFC at home, it's anybody's guess.
TFC and Philly combine for 17 years without a playoff win. I'm hoping they go to penalties to keep the streak alive.
Looking at this makes me realize how stupid the MLS playoff system really is. If I had my way I'd make the playoffs the top 4 teams of each conference, every team gets 1 week after the end of the season then it's 1v4, 2v3....home and away with away goals rule, winners play home and away series for a spot in MLS Cup which is a one off game in a travel friendly city with a good soccer stadium and field. Instead we have this stupid ********ing system where 60% of the teams in the league make the playoffs, diluting the quality and making the regular season mean less, then we go through all this bullshit with knockout rounds and home/away rounds, etc etc. It's the most contrived and ridiculous setup you can have, even worse than the NFL wildcard crap. We have a relatively well balanced league with great amounts of parity and a decent distribution of teams, why the hell do we throw that all out the window and create a system like this for the playoffs?
I have the Red Bulls winning over Dallas. The playoff system sucks right now, but its setup like this because the league is adding more teams. When have have 12-14 teams in each conference, the top 6 going in makes sense(so long as they don't expand it it) I do wish there was a week break to let teams play all out on the last day of the regular season before starting the playoffs.
my thoughts, as well They finally got the regular season to a spot where separated conference playoffs make sense. So now, please, fix those to be less exhausting. I know it might be better for individual ownership to have more teams in the playoffs than not, but it's diluting the quality of play in the actual playoffs. You'd think they (MLS Staff and owners) would want to avoid the international window, as well. That just makes the playoff setup that much worse. I'd have the top 4 teams from each side go through. One plays four, two plays three. Home and away (that way everyone hosts a playoff game) and then everything after that is one-off games hosted by the top seed. I have no issue with the final being at the home venue of one of the teams. We're not to a place yet in this league that we can have the final in (insert warm city) and expect people to just show up.
I think we should go to a single table for the playoffs. In other words, the top sixteen teams (because MLS is expanding to 24 teams) make the playoffs, no matter what conference they are in. 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, 3 vs 14, etc., single elimination games. This way, you can have a final like the Galaxy-RSL final in 2009 . The way it is now, RSL will never meet any of it's conference rivals in a final. Just think of all the bad blood that would be generated by a Colorado-RSL final at the RioT in a snowstorm.
You could set up a hybrid system, where the first round is a home and away with 1-8, 2-7, etc within each conference, then take the eight winners into a single-table, single-elimination, 1-8, 2-7, etc. with the higher seed hosting. This gives everyone at least one home playoff game, keeps the conference standings relevant (for one round), and gives you the excitement of a single elimination, anyone could face anyone tournament.
Jesus you guys, the point is to keep it simple and there is absolutely zero chance we go to any form of a single table at any point. This is America, people love their east vs west playoff system and the country is too big to generate possible playoff matchups between teams on opposite sides of the country. Simplicity is the name of the game, 1v4 and 2v3 for each conference, home and away until the final, then a one off. Doesn't get any easier than that, no confusing formats, no crazy travel.
Id rather they go to the top 4 of each conference. It's a joke right now that most teams get in. With the current setup, it'd almost just be easier to throw everyone in the playoffs and go from there. With more teams the current setup would make more sense, but we're not there yet.
Single table will make it simple. At one time, the NHL did just that, more or less. Back in the 80's, when the NHL had four divisions and two conferences, the top eight teams in the conference went to the playoffs. They later changed it, but I prefer something like that since we play so many games against the same teams over and over due to the conference system that it would be nice when the playoffs come to throw that in the air and play other teams.
to make single table work they have to lift the charter restrictions. That's a huge chunk of money to suddenly say is available. Very non-MLS like. I'm fine with the conference setup, especially with the schedules setup the way they are. What needs adjusting is the amount of teams and the timing (mostly how much) for the playoffs.
Never. Going. To. Happen. The league won't take the chance of having a Seattle vs Atlanta first round matchup followed by a Seattle vs New England second round matchup followed by a Seattle vs DC matchup. It just won't happen, the US is too ********ing big for that kind of stuff, the travel is too much. And good luck explaining to the casual fans "oh ya, we play in the western conference....what's that? Why are we playing an eastern conference team in the first round of the playoffs? Well, you see, we have this conference setup for the regular season and then we switch to what's called a single tab...." as the casual fan drifts off into outer space.
Maybe it won't happen, but given the possibility that at least one USL or NASL team will upset a MLS side during US Open Cup play, why wouldn't you want to add some spice to the playoffs by forcing the SS winner to play a team from the other conference that just barely snuck into the playoffs with a 8-14-12 record? For a more local example, in 2009, RSL got into the playoffs at the number 8 seed (out of 8) with a losing 11-12-7 record and on the way to the MLS Cup trophy, RSL beat the number 1 seed and the SS winner, Columbus, the number 5 seed, Chicago and the number 2 seed, LA Galaxy. I think having a Seattle-Atlanta first round would be great for the game just for the reason that Seattle doesn't play Atlanta 3 and 4 times a season.
Yes. Click the gear next to your username. I originally went for Cassar'sSaltyTears, but it was too long of a name.