Play everyone in your division twice, everyone else once. 34 games. 12 team playoff, conference winners and the next top 4 teams in the table. Top 4 table teams get first round by. Southeastern: 1. Atlanta United, 2. Charlotte, 3. Orlando City, 4. Inter Miami, Southwestern: 1. Phoenix 2. Austin FC, 3. FC Dallas, 4. Houston Dynamo Atlantic: 1. New York Red Bulls, 2. New York City FC, 3. New England Revolution, 4. DC United, Northern: 1. Montreal Impact, 2. Toronto FC, 3. Philadelphia Union, 4. Detroit Western: 1. Los Angeles FC, 2. LA Galaxy, 3. San Jose Earthquakes, 4. Sacramento Republic, Continental: 1. Seattle Sounders, 2. Portland Timbers, 3. Vancouver Whitecaps, 4. Real Salt Lake, Central: 1. Chicago Fire, 2. Columbus Crew, 3. FC Cincinnati, 4. Nashville, Midwestern: 1. Minnesota United, 2. Saint Louis, 3. Sporting Kansas City, 4. Colorado Rapids
Honestly, what’s likely to happen... 20 teams West, 20 teams East... teams just meet in the playoffs East 1. Atlanta United 2. Nashville SC 3. Orlando City SC 4. Inter Miami CF 5. DC United 6. Philadelphia Union 7. New York Red Bulls 8. New York City FC 9. New England Revolution 10. Montreal Impact 11. Toronto FC 12. FC Cincinnati 13. Columbus Crew 14. Chicago Fire 15. Charlotte* (Carolinas) 16. Indy Eleven* 17. Detroit* 18. Louisville City FC* 19. Milwaukee* 20. Tampa Bay Rowdies* Alternates/USLC: Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Providence, Raleigh, Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Puerto Rico, Greensboro, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Charleston, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale West 1. LA Galaxy 2. Los Angeles FC 3. Portland Timbers 4. Seattle Sounders 5. Vancouver Whitecaps 6. Colorado Rapids 7. Real Salt Lake 8. Houston Dynamo 9. FC Dallas 10. Austin FC 11. Sporting Kansas City 12. San Jose Earthquakes 13. Minnesota United 14. Saint Louis FC 15. Sacramento Republic* 16. Las Vegas Lights* 17. Phoenix Rising* 18. New Mexico United* 19. San Antonio FC* 20. Oklahoma City Energy FC Alternates/USLC: Omaha, San Francisco, Riverside, El Paso, Reno, Colorado Springs, Rio Grande Valley, Tulsa, Fresno
All I hope for is that, if teams really never cross the E/W divide in the regular season, that the playoffs are intermixed, e.g. E1vW8, E7vW2, E3v,W6, etc.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but that's actually the least likely thing to happen. If you think the league is going to keep its biggest markets and teams apart from eachother until they maybe get to play eachother in the playoffs, you've got another thing coming. The prospect of LAG or LAFC not playing a NY team or Atlanta or Miami or whatever is exactly what a league looking to build its TV ratings is not going to do.
I think at 40 we would see a setup like the AFC & NFC of the NFL. A team could play its division rivals twice (8 games), everyone else in its conference (15 games), rotate through its geographic counterpart in the other conference (5 games). The last six games would be based on your previous year's finish - i.e., a team that finished third in the American West gets a game against the teams that finished third in the North, South, and East divisions from both conferences. ASC West LA Galaxy, San Jose, Portland, Las Vegas, Colorado NSC West LAFC, Sacramento, Seattle, Vancouver, Salt Lake ASC South Dallas, Austin, Orlando, Atlanta, Phoenix NSC South Houston, Nashville, Miami, Tampa Bay, New Mexico ASC North Saint Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Detroit NSC North Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Louisville ASC East Pittsburgh, NYCFC, Toronto, New England, Charlotte NSC East Philadelphia, NY Red Bulls, Montreal, DC United, Raleigh
I don’t know... NY vs LA is not a really big sale in MLS. Whereas the regional rivalries have a lot more to offer
LA Galaxy and NYRB are the best performers in terms of ratings, alongside Atlanta, for the past 2 years. There's a reason why the bigger markets get more games on TV. And looking to the future, like all the other leagues, MLS will hope that its major markets drive ratings and revenues. Of all the leagues to avoid east/west teams playing against eachother, MLS is the one that can least afford it. We can all dream about what we'd like the league to look like, but I'm 100% certain there will never be a time when all teams don't play eachother.
Regional rivalries are great for the local fans, but the broadcast money is what the league is looking for. The NFL generates they money they do because of their league structure. Two nationwide conferences, allows 2 or more broadcast partners to reach the entire nation, (and bid against each other). Most of the other leagues have a single (or primarily one) broadcast partner, and reap considerably less broadcast revenue. An east/west split causes problems for 2 or more broadcasters. Why would ESPN want the eastern conference package, knowing they won't draw great west coast ratings for CIN v. ORL at 9 am west coast time. Same for west coast package airing a weeknight LV v. PHO on the east coast at 10pm start time?
What I foresee... We’ve got a lot of new teams about to come into the league. Depending on the success of those teams will influence future expansion. Of the new markets, Miami and Saint Louis are potentially the ones mostly to measure for success... sorry, Nashville and Austin fans, but I don’t see them being any greater than FC Cincinnati, Orlando City, or Minnesota United. This doesn’t make them bad teams, but they’re not going to create demand for future expansion. Whereas, Miami has the potential to be another Atlanta and Saint Louis could be another cult hit due to its soccer history. Between Miami and Saint Louis, my money is on Miami being a hit and Saint Louis being on the level of Sporting Kansas City. Add in likely contenders between Charlotte and Sacramento... which, Sacramento gets the publicity now, but Charlotte has the greater potential to be another Atlanta, as well. Note that Charlotte’s entrance will knock out Raleigh. if these expansion teams are successful, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and Detroit are going to push hard in the next phase. Of those, both Phoenix and Las Vegas could be hits. I’m less enthusiastic about Indianapolis and Detroit, although they could potentially meet the Cincinnati line. After them, Albuquerque, El Paso, San Antonio, San Francisco, Oklahoma City, San Diego, Omaha, Cleveland, Louisville, New Orleans, Birmingham, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Hartford, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Raleigh. And there are still 20 potential candidates that could contend for a spot. Like the first group, it’ll be determined based on the demand for expansion. Of these, I’d say Albuquerque, Tampa Bay, San Diego, San Antonio, Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Birmingham are going to be the main contenders to round out 40. Remote chances include Lansing, Colorado Springs, Tulsa, Statesboro, Madison, Greenville, Charleston, Chattanooga, Tucson, Harrisburg, Fresno, Tacoma, Providence, Buffalo, Greensboro, Virginia Beach, Des Moines, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Bethlehem, Orange County, Riverside, Memphis, Reno, Grand Rapids, Dayton, Richmond, and others... Thus, if I were a betting man.... I’d say the league makes it to 36-40 teams in the next 10-15 years. I’d say, most likely the league will just split in west/east. Or possibly, just play each team once, alternating home/away each season. Now, once those teams 36-40, have been in the league, and stable, for 5-10+years. I believe promotion/relegation is going to become a very real discussion. But it’ll be a different form of promotion/relegation unlike any other league.
How do you see promotion relegation happening in the context of MLS?? (Once the league were to reach36 40 teams?)
Something is going to have to happen... because the league is going to expand past 30 teams. There are still way too many markets eager to get into the league that are not going to be shut out. Mostly, I believe the league will just split into East/West because the league doesn’t need LA and NY to play each other to survive. Rather, the league has put their eggs in creating regional rivalries basket to be their big money makers. That said, I do foresee in the DISTANT future once the league hits 36 teams and those teams are all stable that the owners begin to grumble about promotion/relegation. It’ll be years after that, when all the original owners die off, but I can see it happening if the league and the owners believe it’s more valuable to have the best teams play against each other. For clarification, when would that happen? Not in 10 years. Probably not in 20 years. But it could be a possibility in 25-30 years IF the league continues to grow at its current rate. Furthermore, it’s not my ideal system. But MLS is gravitating more towards copying Europe rather than inventing new solutions.
As I said in my most recent post, it’ll be years after the league reaches 36-40 teams. Simply, MLS is not going to push promotion/relegation until its weakest team in D2 could thrive in MLS and survive any period in the second division. On this point, soccer would have to continue to grow at its current rate; which I believe it’s a safe bet to do so. So, I’m not saying that MLS should have promotion/relegation. But, I believe it will in the DISTANT future.... considering the trend for MLS to be more like Europe instead of less like it. And I’m talking at least another 20-30 years before the league could even try it. Likewise, a number of other league structures will take place before promotion/relegation. Mainly, I still see the league trying regional conferences as the way we will see the league grow in the near future. For instance, I could see this at 30 teams... MLS West: North: Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes, Sacramento Republic Central: Saint Louis, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake, Chicago Fire South: LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Austin FC MLS East North: DC United, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, New England Revolution Central: Minnesota United, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Toronto, Montreal South: Atlanta United, Orlando City, Inter Miami, Nashville, Charlotte Note: switched Minnesota and Chicago because there was no other way to keep the more natural rivalries together. Note: teams play home/away in their regional conference of their division. (8 games) and then play 25 games, alternating home/away each season. For a total of 33 league games a season.
Every year or so, I nerd out and mull over the future conference/division layout of MLS. The St. Louis announcement yesterday sparked my dive into this again. I know that the scheduling logistics are a big factor, but I’m focusing mainly on what looks to me to be a fairly simple, logical geographic projection starting with the known franchises coming in. Scheduling can be figured out later to get a 34-game schedule (or thereabouts) for whatever arrangement develops of conferences/divisions. Something reasonable can be jiggered. I favor keeping it pretty simple, even if MLS goes over 30 teams. I’d prefer not to see more than 3 regional groupings until the club count hits 36. Which it might...and if so, I think that should be the absolute max for our top tier. With USL gaining some steam and traction, smaller markets look to be well-served going forward, anyway. ESPN+ currently rocks in getting the USL a wider audience. I have more access to North American soccer than I can currently watch and stay married and employed. It’s a great problem to have. MLS conference configuration predictions: 2020: Miami and Nashville enter the East, pushing Chicago into the West (for just one season) to maintain a balance of two 13-team conferences. 7 teams from each conference make the playoffs (54%). But I wouldn’t be surprised to see 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs (nearly 62%). 2019 is at 58%, for comparison. 2021: Austin enters the West. Chicago returns to the East and their closer rivalries. West = 13, East = 14. 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs (59%). 2022: St. Louis enters the West. Conference balance is restored. West = 14, East = 14. 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs (57%). MLS conference configuration projections post-2022: 2023-2026: Sacramento and Vegas/Phoenix enter the West. If not done in the same year, we will see West = 15, East = 14 for a time, but I expect to see at least two more teams enter MLS by 2026, conservatively. I would prefer that #29 & #30 are firmly in the West, because then we can end up with what I think is a spatially-coherent three conference system (West, Central, East). If a franchise east of the Rockies gets one of those two slots, then my wonderful plans go awry. Man, I hope Garber sees this. Then the 3 conferences of 10 clubs would look like this... WEST: LAFC, Portland, Seattle, LA Galaxy, San Jose, Real Salt Lake, Vancouver, Colorado, Sacramento, Vegas/Phoenix. CENTRAL: Minnesota, Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, Austin, St. Louis, Cincinnati. EAST: Atlanta, NYCFC, Toronto, Philadelphia, NY Red Bulls, New England, Montreal, DC United, Orlando, Miami. 6 teams from each conference make the playoffs, so 18 out of 30 total (60%). This configuration would keep most current regional rivalries intact (I’m a native Ohioan, but sorry, Trillium Cup). I thinks it’s more important to keep Columbus-Cincy in the same conference than have Columbus go East. Yes, I know Atlanta is a hair longitudinally further west than Columbus. East would basically be “Appalachians east+Toronto.” Finally, St. Louis and Chicago could get it on with 2 games a season, as could Minnesota-Chicago, etc. Of course this layout would cut down on average travel times, particularly helping the “center spine” clubs from Minnesota to the deep heart of Texas. And whereas the West currently covers 3 time zones, no conference would be in more than two. After 30 clubs...or “but, it goes to 11!” Well, this is further out and real crystal ball stuff, but I would hope to add 1 club to each conference, to get to 33 eventually and maintain a balanced 3 conference system, at least for awhile. San Diego or Vegas/Phoenix (whichever already didn’t join MLS) would be the 11th in the West. East is pretty easy to get to 11, if you add Raleigh or Charlotte -- either of which would space things out nicely on the east coast. I favor Raleigh as there is likely a stronger, underlying demographic in that area for soccer fandom, I think. Central is pretty tough to add an 11th, especially if we want to try to expand MLS’ footprint in the deep south. New Orleans and even Mississippi currently have minor league clubs, so there is some interest, but I have trouble seeing either getting to MLS level. Moving north, there is some logic and interest in Louisville going up a tier, but it is so close to the Cincy market. Milwaukee? Haven’t heard much going on there, and it is close to Chicago, but it could make a nice Minnesota-Wisconsin-Chicago trio, kind of like the Cascadia Cup rivalry. That pretty much leaves Detroit as the most viable option, which apparently had a decent bid until they locked in on using Ford Field. But Detroit ain’t New York, so they don’t get a pass from the MLS head office on their stadium plans. But there are lower-tier clubs in Lansing and Flint, and Michigan has some real soccer history. Maybe a “Detroit” or “Michigan” franchise could go in a bit northwest of Detroit eventually. At 33 clubs, still 6 from each conference make the playoffs (nearly 55% of MLS). Thoughts? I think a 3 conference system is more likely and make more sense before we see 4 (or more) divisions, but I could be wrong.
This might wind up being just for 2022, but here's a 29-team alignment: Western - VAN, SEA, POR, SAC, SJ, LAG, LAFC, RSL, COLO Central - AUS, DAL, HOU, SKC, MN, STL, CHI, CLB, CIN, NSH Eastern - MIA, ORL, ATL, DC, PHI, NYRB, NYC, NE, TOR, MTL Western teams play each other twice (16 games, and 9 games against each of the other two divisions (18 games). Central and East teams play their division mates twice (18 games), 8 games against the Western division (except for one team in the Central and one in the East who play 9 games against the West), and then 8 games against the other division (except the two teams with a ninth game against the West, who only play 7 games). This would get much simpler at 36 games. The West plays everyone outside the division once (20 games plus the 16 in their division). The Central and East play 9 games against each other (skipping one opponent), 9 against the West, and then their 18 division games for a 36 game alignment.
WEST CONFERENCE MLS {Champion, Playoffs/home, Leagues Cup} 1. Los Angeles FC {Playoffs/home, Leagues Cup} 2. LA Galaxy 3. FC Dallas [*relocate to downtown Dallas*] 4. Seattle Sounders {Playoffs/away, Leagues Cup} 5. Portland Timbers 6. Houston Dynamo 7. San Jose Earthquakes {No playoffs, Leagues Cup} 8. Saint Louis 9. Sporting Kansas City 10. Real Salt Lake {Cellar} 11. Minnesota United 12. Colorado Rapids 13. Vancouver Whitecaps 14. Austin FC {Expansion} 15. Sacramento Republic 16. Phoenix Rising 17. Las Vegas Lights 18. Oklahoma City Energy FC USL 1 WEST {Independently Operated Clubs} 1. San Antonio FC 2. San Diego 3. New Mexico United 4. El Paso Locomotive 5. Fresno FC 6. Omaha {Expansion Independently Operated Clubs} 7. Milwaukee, WI 8. Riverside/Inland Empire, CA {Affiliate/MLS Reserve Clubs} 9. Reno 1868 FC (Las Vegas Lights) 10. Tacoma Defiance (Seattle Sounders) 11. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (Houston Dynamo) 12. Oakland East Bay (San Jose Earthquakes) 13. Portland Timbers 2 (Portland Timbers) [*relocate to Eugene, OR*] 14. Orange County SC (Los Angeles FC) {Relegation} 15. LA Galaxy 2 (LA Galaxy) [*relocate to San Fernando Valley, CA*] 16. Colorado Springs Switchbacks (Colorado Rapids) USL 2 WEST {Promotion Zone} 1. Real Monarchs (Real Salt Lake) [*relocate to Provo, UT*] 2. North Texas SC (FC Dallas) [*continue to play in Frisco*] {Not Promoted} 3. FC Tucson (Phoenix Rising) 4. Forward Madison FC (Minnesota United) 5. Swope Park Rangers (Sporting Kansas City) [*Relocate to Topeka, KS*] 6. Tulsa Roughnecks (Oklahoma City Energy FC) {Expansion Affiliate/MLS Reserve expansion} 7. Columbia, MO (Saint Louis) 8. Stockton, CA (Sacramento Republic) 9. Waco, TX (Austin FC) [*Replace Austin Bold FC*] {Expansion Independently Operated Clubs} 10. Des Moines, IA 11. New Orleans, LA 12. Little Rock, AR 13. Corpus Christi, TX 14. Boise, ID 15. Ventura County, CA 16. Fort Worth, TX Alternates: Bakersfield (CA), Santa Barbara (CA), San Francisco (CA), Baton Rouge (LA), Shreveport (LA), College Station (TX), Tyler (TX), Midland-Odessa (TX), Lubbock (TX), Laredo (TX), Amarillo (TX), Brownsville (TX), Killeen (TX), Beaumont (TX), Wichita (KS), Sioux Falls (SD), Fargo (ND), Cheyenne (WY), Billings (MT), Spokane (WA), Ogden (UT), Vancouver (WA), Salem (OR), Fort Collins (CO) EAST CONFERENCE MLS EAST {Champion, Playoffs/home, Leagues Cup} 1. Atlanta United {Playoffs/home, Leagues Cup} 2. New York Red Bulls 3. Inter Miami CF 4. New York City FC {Playoffs/away, Leagues Cup} 5. Philadelphia Union 6. Toronto FC 7. DC United {No playoffs, Leagues Cup} 8. Orlando City SC 9. FC Cincinnati 10. Chicago Fire {Cellar} 11. Columbus Crew 12. New England Revolution [*relocate to Boston, MA*] 13. Nashville SC 14. Montreal Impact {Expansion} 15. Charlotte 16. Indy Eleven 17. Detroit 18. Tampa Bay Rowdies USL 1 EAST {Independently Operated Clubs} 1. Birmingham Legion FC 2. Charleston Battery 3. Memphis 901 FC 4. Louisville City FC 5. Raleigh FC [*Rename from North Carolina FC*] 6. Pittsburgh Riverhounds 7. Hartford Athletic {Expansion Independently Operated Clubs} 8. Baltimore, MD 9. Cleveland, OH 10. Jacksonville, FL {Affiliate/MLS Reserve Teams} 11. Atlanta United 2 (Atlanta United) [*continue to play in Kennesaw, GA*] 12. Orlando City B (Orlando City SC) [*relocate to Lakeland, FL*] 13. New York Red Bulls 2 (New York Red Bulls) [*continue to play in Montclair, NJ*] 14. Bethlehem Steel FC (Philadelphia Union) {Relegation} 15. Loudon United FC (DC United) 16. Greenville Triumph (Charlotte) Cut: Ottawa Fury to Canadian League. USL 2 EAST {Promotion} 1. South Georgia Tormenta 2. Richmond Kickers {Not Promoted} 3. Harrisburg FC [*Rename from Penn FC*] 4. Toronto FC II (Toronto FC) 5. Lansing Ignite (Detroit) 6. Chattanooga Red Wolves (Nashville SC) {Expansion Affiliate/MLS Reserve Clubs} 7. Fort Lauderdale, FL (Inter Miami CF) 8. Chicago, IL (Chicago Fire) [*play at Bridgeview, IL*] 9. Lexington, KY (FC Cincinnati) 10. Dayton, OH (Columbus Crew) 11. Providence, RI (New England Revolution) 12. Long Island, NY (New York City FC) 13. Fort Wayne, IN (Indy Eleven) 14. Bradenton-Sarasota (Tampa Bay Rowdies) {Expansion Independently Operated Clubs} 15. Hampton Roads, VA 16. Rochester, NY Alternates: Greensboro (NC), Asheville (NC), Winston-Salem (NC), Fayetteville (NC), Wilmington (NC), Columbia (SC), Savannah (GA), Augusta (GA), Athens (GA), Knoxville (TN), Huntsville (AL), Montgomery (AL), Mobile (AL), Jackson (MS), Cape Coral-Fort Myers (FL), West Palm Beach (FL), Gainesville (FL), Bradenton-Sarasota (FL), Melbourne (FL), Daytona (FL), Pensacola (FL), Port St. Lucie (FL), Tallahassee (FL), Naples (FL), Destin (FL), Ocala (FL), San Juan (PR), Grand Rapids (MI), Buffalo (NY), Albany (NY), Syracuse (NY), Poughkeepsie (NY), Staten Island (NY), Brooklyn (NY), Bronx (NY), Queens (NY), Worcester (MA), Springfield (MA), Bridgeport (CT), New Haven (CT), Scranton (PA), Lancaster (PA), Portland (ME), Burlington (VT), Manchester (NH), Roanoke (VA), Charleston (WV), Annapolis (MD), Wilmington (DL), Trenton (NJ), Toledo (OH), Akron (OH), South Bend (IN), Evansville (IN), Peoria (IL) RULES +Play-offs are the current format. +Teams play inside conference home/away for a total of 34 games. +Top 10 teams in each conference qualify for Leagues Cup. LEAGUES CUP +Top 10 teams in the West and Top 10 teams in the East qualify for Leagues Cup. Liga MX only has 19 teams. So, USL1 Champion gets extra slot. +Random selection. Although “Commissioner Picks” the best match ups. Note: This would be the answer for getting rival cross-conference games. (i.e. NY-LA) Group A: Atlanta United (MLS) Inter Miami CF (MLS) Orlando City SC (MLS) Club America (Liga MX) Atlas (Liga MX) Group B: FC Dallas (MLS) Houston Dynamo (MLS) Atletico San Luis (Liga MX) FC Juarez (Liga MX) Monterrey (Liga MX) Group C: LA Galaxy (MLS) New York Red Bulls (MLS) Chivas Guadalajara (Liga MX) Club Tijuana (Liga MX) Pumas UNAM (Liga MX) Group D: Saint Louis (MLS) Sporting Kansas City (MLS) Chicago Fire (MLS) Queretaro (Liga MX) Pachuca (Liga MX) Group E: Los Angeles FC (MLS) New York City FC (MLS) Cruz Azul (Liga MX) Monarcas (Liga MX) Tigres UANL (Liga MX) Group F: Seattle Sounders (MLS) Portland Timbers (MLS) FC Cincinnati (MLS) Necaxa (Liga MX) Toluca (Liga MX) Group G: Philadelphia Union (MLS) DC United (MLS) Santos Laguna (Liga MX) Puebla (Liga MX) Veracruz (Liga MX) Group H: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Real Salt Lake (MLS) Toronto FC (MLS) Leon (Liga MX) San Antonio FC (USL)
What's the division for??? Western Conference / Eastern Conference. That's it. 14/14 16/16 18/18 20/20 Balanced schedule in the conference for Conference Winner, then inter-conference Playoffs for MLS Cup.
LEAGUES CUP +Top 10 teams in the West and Top 10 teams in the East qualify for Leagues Cup. Liga MX only has 19 teams. So, USL1 Champion gets extra slot. +Random selection. Although “Commissioner Picks” the best match ups. Note: This would be the answer for getting rival cross-conference games. (i.e. NY-LA) Group A: Atlanta United (MLS) Inter Miami CF (MLS) Orlando City SC (MLS) Club America (Liga MX) Atlas (Liga MX) Group B: FC Dallas (MLS) Houston Dynamo (MLS) Atletico San Luis (Liga MX) FC Juarez (Liga MX) Monterrey (Liga MX) Group C: LA Galaxy (MLS) New York Red Bulls (MLS) Chivas Guadalajara (Liga MX) Club Tijuana (Liga MX) Pumas UNAM (Liga MX) Group D: Saint Louis (MLS) Sporting Kansas City (MLS) Chicago Fire (MLS) Queretaro (Liga MX) Pachuca (Liga MX) Group E: Los Angeles FC (MLS) New York City FC (MLS) Cruz Azul (Liga MX) Monarcas (Liga MX) Tigres UANL (Liga MX) Group F: Seattle Sounders (MLS) Portland Timbers (MLS) FC Cincinnati (MLS) Necaxa (Liga MX) Toluca (Liga MX) Group G: Philadelphia Union (MLS) DC United (MLS) Santos Laguna (Liga MX) Puebla (Liga MX) Veracruz (Liga MX) Group H: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Real Salt Lake (MLS) Toronto FC (MLS) Leon (Liga MX) San Antonio FC (USL)[/QUOTE] We don't need the dumb league cup. We have CCL for that.
We don't need the dumb league cup. We have CCL for that.[/QUOTE] Which would you rather watch? It’s only a matter of time before the CCL is extinct.
Which would you rather watch? It’s only a matter of time before the CCL is extinct.[/QUOTE] That's what people said when they created the dumb SuperLiga. That is extinct. I would rather watch real competition. MLS should seek entry into Copa Libertadores after doing well in CCL. Creating fake competitions gets you nowhere. FYI Mexicans are already in Copa Lib. They are careless about the fake competition.
That's what people said when they created the dumb SuperLiga. That is extinct. I would rather watch real competition. MLS should seek entry into Copa Libertadores after doing well in CCL. Creating fake competitions gets you nowhere. FYI Mexicans are already in Copa Lib. They are careless about the fake competition.[/QUOTE] meanwhile, it’s the Mexican commissioner who wants to form a league between MLS and Liga MX.
meanwhile, it’s the Mexican commissioner who wants to form a league between MLS and Liga MX.[/QUOTE] Correction: meanwhile, it’s the Mexican commissioner and US commissioner who want to form meaningless friendlies between MLS and Liga MX to rip off mostly clueless Americans.
meanwhile, it’s the Mexican commissioner who wants to form a league between MLS and Liga MX.[/QUOTE] I'm just totally lost. Other than the first round, CCL is basically a league between top MLS teams and top Mexican team. Why would you want to create additional fake competition??? I mean look at this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_CONCACAF_Champions_League#Bracket We have perfectly fine real US-Mex league.
Guantawhodawhatta? the CCL is formatted to play a bunch of nobodies until finally reaching a knockout round.