With 28-32 teams MLS will be fine with the current system of two conferences. (+ the option of splitting them into divisions) Furthermore they will keep the 34 games schedule. Reducing the number of games doesn't make sense and increasing the number is difficult, because the schedule is already overloaded. 34 regular season games + up to 6 playoff games + up to 5 USOC games + up to 8 CCL games + 5 weekends with official and friendly NT-matches (mls should start to respect them one day) + NT-tournaments almost every summer The only potential change I see is to switch to a 'fall to spring' schedule. This means: - starting the season between mid-july and august 1 - 8-10 weeks of winter break - MLS-Cup final in the last week of may or the first week of june - 6-8 weeks of summer break/off-season - playoffs in may instead of november - only mid-season games in bad weather conditions (could be avoided with road-trips before and after the winter break) - no NT-games during the playoffs - easier transition for new signings from overseas If MLS decides to expand to 36 teams (or more), I would prefer a split into a two-level system. This means 4 divisions of 9 teams: - western A-division (tier 1) - western B-division (tier 2) - eastern A-division (tier 1) - eastern B-division (tier 2) - pro/rel between the A and B divisions - they can keep the current 12 team playoff-system - both B-division champions are winning playoff-spots into the knockout round and are getting promoted to the A-division - A-division 1st and 2nd placed teams directly into conference semifinals; 3rd, 4th and 5th placed teams into the knockout round - relagation for the last 2 teams from the A-divisions - the second to fifth placed teams from each B-division are playing promotion-playoffs(single elimination or Best of 2/3) to determine the other 2 promoted teams - 20 out of 36 teams in postseason (12 at MLS-Cup-Playoffs and 8 at Promotion-Playoffs) schedule option 1: - home and away inside the own division --> 16 games - single games against the division from the other conference and the same level --> 9 games - single games against the division from the same conference and the other level --> 9 games = 34 games schedule option 2: everyone plays against the other 17 teams from the same level twice --> 34 games (schedule option 3) - very unlikely everyone plays against the other 17 teams from the same conference twice --> 34 games
Just playing around in the off-season, and thought of the following League structure and game format - NBA Style. EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division NER NYCFC NYRB Philadephia DCU Central Division Montreal TFC Detroit Chicago Columbus/Cincinnati Southeast Division Miami/Tampa Orlando Atlanta Nashville Charlotte/Raleigh WESTERN CONFERENCE Northwest Division Vancouver Seattle Portland RSL Colorado Pacific Division Sacramento San Jose LAG/San Diego LAFC Phoenix Southwest Division MinnU SKC Dallas Houston Austin/San Antonio Regular Season Format 34 Games, 8 Home and away games in-division, one game against every other club in the league (25) plus 1 extra game played against team from another sister division in-conference. EXCEPTION: Vancouver would alternate between Toronto or Montreal every other year to keep Canadian rivalries hopping. Season would be slightly compressed to start last weekend in February and would be completed just prior to the October International Date Window. The 30 clubs would cover the major geographic/TV market holes that MLS is still missing without diluting the revenue pie too much and still allow for some relocation of clubs if required. Playoff Format As per Grant Wahl's suggested playoff format that would be completed just prior to the November International Date Window. Top 2 clubs in each conference get byes and next top 4 clubs with points would have a one-game play-in round. Play-in winners progress to the two Conference Group Stages - a 3-match round robin hosted by the higher seeded teams. Each Group Stage winner would play in a single-game MLS Cup at the field of the club with the best record. 5 Game dates total.
MLS National 16 teams MLS East 16 teams; MLS West 16 Teams MLS Northeast 16 teams, MLS Southeast 16 teams, MLS Northwest 16 teams, MLS Southwest 16 teams NASL 2 teams
Now with MLS having announced teams 25 and 26 being Nashville and Cincinnati, attention turns to the final two teams 27 and 28. However, I believe ultimately the league grows to 30 clubs by the end of the next decade. Currently the short list has Sacramento, San Diego, Detroit and Phoenix. Of these locations I think the final two will be Phoenix and San Diego (provided Soccer City passes in November, which should be a no-brainier). With this in mine I foresee the following Alignment: Two Conferences with two divisions. (The division names follow the NFL pre-merger with the AFL). EASTERN CONFERENCE Capitol Division DC United Montreal Impact New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Philadelphia Union Toronto FC Central Division Atlanta United FC Chicago Fire FC Cincinnati Miami Freedom FC Minnesota United FC Nashville FC Orlando City SC WESTERN CONFERENCE Coastal Division LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC Portland Timbers San Diego FC San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC Continental Division Austin FC Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Phoenix Rising FC Real Salt Lake Sporting Kansas City I just see the MLS picking San Diego over Sacramento for the 4th California club. Also Phoenix edges out Detroit due to their new Stadium in Phoenix ready to go which is preferred over Ford Field in Detroit. In addition the Columbus Crew are headed to their new home in Austin.
Why exactly? I prefer 4 conferences with no divisions within them once the league gets to 28 teams. I just don't see any advantage to three conferences.
With 27 teams, each conference would have 9 teams. Each team would play conference rivals twice (16 matches) and non-conference rivals once (18 matches), for a total 34 matches.
But that only works with 27 teams. Which means at least one team has a bye every single weekend. Basing a league structure on an odd number of teams seems like a bad idea. MLS already set 28 as at least a short-term goal. How do make that work with 3 conferences? And how do you handle the playoffs?
I am still standing by my prediction that teams 27 & 28 will be San Diego and Phoenix. But if the league wanted to ultimately grow to 30 clubs, I could envision going to 3 Conferences (2 conferences with 9 clubs & 1 conference with 10 for now), till they could grow to 30 clubs. I believe 30 clubs to be the end game to expansion. I still see the league playing an unbalanced 34 game schedule, with each club playing 18 games within their conference (regardless if the league has 28 or 30 clubs). Then playing four clubs from each of the other two conferences (8 clubs total) both home & away for 16 games. They would then rotate the outer conference opponents year after year. This alignment would look like this with 28 clubs: EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta United FC DC United Miami Freedom FC Montreal Impact New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Orlando City SC Philadelphia Union CENTRAL CONFERENCE Austin Athletic* Chicago Fire FC Cincinnati FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Minnesota United FC Nashville FC Sporting Kansas City Toronto FC WESTERN CONFERENCE Colorado Rapids LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC Phoenix Rising FC Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake San Diego FC San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC *Sorry, Columbus but I still see the Crew moving to Austin. Under a three conference alignment I foresee the Supporter's Shield going away and with the Conference Champions being awarded for winning the regular season title within the conference, rather than being crowned as a result of the playoffs (as it is done today). For the playoffs, top 4 clubs in each conference (12 clubs total) qualify, with Conference Champions plus one to receive a first round bye. The remanding 8 clubs are ranked 1 thru 8 and play a "knockout" round, reducing the playoffs teams from 12 to 8. The remanding clubs would then be re-ranked to play a 2 game (home & home) total goals series. Then followed by the remanding 4 clubs then being re-ranked again for the next round to play a another 2 game (home & home) total goals series. The remanding 2 clubs would play a one game MLS Cup, with the club with the best record hosting.
I think if they go to 30 teams, they stay with the 2 conference format, but move from 4 divisions of 7 teams each to 6 Divisions of 5 teams each.
If you think about it, it doesn't make much sense to have 6 divisions if you're going to let about half of the teams into the playoffs. I think that the NHL got it right when they consolidated their league into two conferences composed of just 2 divisions. If you want to let half the league into the playoffs, do it the way the NHL does it with the 4th place teams playing the division winner and the second and third place teams playing each other in the wild card game. But, unlike the NHL, I suggest re-seeding after the wildcard round so that the two best teams in the conference don't wind up playing each other in the conference semi-finals.
I don't understand the obsession with divisions. Divisions are pointless in every sport but football. Football doesn't have enough games to play every team in their conference and some in the opposing conference. Soccer, basketball, baseball and hockey all have enough games to have to play everybody several times. No divisions needed.
MLS doesn't have enough games to play every team home and away. Hence, the obsession about divisions. Without divisions, teams within each conference will play unbalanced schedules and that impacts their opportunity to make the playoffs. For that matter, conferences and playoffs aren't normal in European soccer either.
MLS plays 34 games, DC United can play home and away for every team in their conference, 20 games. They can then play one game against every team in the opposite conference, that's currently 12 games. 6 home and 6 away and switch it every year. As for the league being unbalanced, MLS had gotten better with keeping it even; ORL and NYC, ATL and MinnU, if I remember correctly LA was suppose to come in with Miami. Once it was clear Miami wasn't going to happen and no one else was close enough to being ready they had to bite the bullet. Cincy will come in next year to rebalance and next up Nashville is suppose to come in with Miami or maybe Austin. Back to my original point though, it's not DC's fault if they play one less conference team in route to the playoffs. "You can only play who is on your schedule" is a bastardization of a quote from either the NFL or college football. (I might have made that up in my head but I swear I've heard that before.)
Next year, we'll have 12 teams in the Eastern Conference and two or three more years, we'll have 14 teams in the Eastern Conference. Let's see, by 2021 we'll be playing 26 games against conference foes, by your reasoning, but will only play 8 games against the 14 teams in the Western Conference. If MLS were to subdivide each conference into two divisions of 7 teams each, division rivals could play each other twice for a total of 12 games and every other team in the league for a total of 21 games. The remaining game could be a rivalry game against another team in the other division in your conference. Or, each team could play 26 games against conference rivals, 7 games against teams in one of the divisions in the other conference and 1 game in the other division in the other conference. All I'm saying is that once you expand past the 18 to 22 teams that most football leagues have, division your league into conferences and divisions makes balanced scheduling easier and cuts down on travel time to teams located in other time zones in your league.
I like this idea, it strikes me as the most likely of all solutions for MLS as well. I am also found of 4 balanced geographic divisions but where the top two teams in each division make the playoffs.
I agree but perhaps the hard stop is 28 (As the Soccer Don has been saying). Then possible expansion to 30 (Which the soccer Don has stated in the past that 30 clubs may be too many.) at a later date. This would means the league stays with Eastern and Western Conferences but splitting the conferences into two divisions of seven clubs. The schedule will remain at 34 games, each club playing 20 games within their conference and 14 games against the other conference. The top 3 in each division qualify for the playoffs for a total of 12 clubs. Division champs receive first round byes, with wildcard clubs playing, first round knockout games. The semi-finals and conferences finals are home-home aggregates. The MLS Cup remains winner takes all single game. Austin and St. Louis looking to be clubs #27 & #28. Therefore here is the foreseen alignment: EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division DC United Montreal Impact New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Philadelphia Union Toronto FC Central Division Atlanta United FC Chicago Fire Columbus Crew FC Cincinnati Inter Miami CF Nashville SC Orlando City SC WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Austin FC Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Minnesota United FC St. Louis FC Sporting Kansas City Pacific Division LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC
I had seen and heard it in an interview with the Soccer Don, back when Orlando City was announced to be joining MLS. I also remember him mentioning Austin as a hot prospect in the same interview.
Now that the "Soccer Don" has stated that their maybe expansion after 28. Which I think he is prepping us for 30 clubs not 32. I think they original truly planned at pausing at 28, but with the fiasco with the PSV they were forced into awarding club #27 to Austin and keeping the Crew in Columbus. Therefore, to not short-change the current expansion contenders the number moved to 30, which allows for St. Louis, Sacramento and Phoenix (who have stadium deals shovel ready) to join the league. In addition 30 clubs works out quite nicely for a 3 conference/10 club alignment. So with this in mind here is my prediction for the future alignment: EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta United FC DC United Inter Miami CF Montreal Impact New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Orlando City SC Philadelphia Union Toronto FC CENTRAL CONFERENCE Austin FC Chicago Fire Columbus Crew SC FC Cincinnati FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Minnesota United FC Nashville SC SC Saint Louis Sporting Kansas City WESTERN CONFERENCE Colorado Rapids Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Galaxy Phoenix Rising FC Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake Sacramento Republic FC San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC Season remains 34 games, playing everyone in their conference twice (home & away) for 18 matches and four clubs each from the outer conferences (home & away) for 16 matches. Thus rotating these opponents on a 3 year cycle. Conference champions would be awarded for season final record. The playoffs consists of 13 clubs single elimination tournament, top 3 in each conference automatic with next 4 clubs regardless of conference. Conference champions receive first round byes.
Soccer fans a accustomed to aggregate score. I can't see single elimination being accepted by the fans.
The Soccer Don as already hinted to this for next year. We will know for sure next week after the December owners meeting.
Not in most domestic cups or the World Cup... Even MLS Cup Playoffs already use single-elimination in the knockout rounds, and the conference finals used to be single-elimination too. So it's far from an unacceptable concept.