News: MLS schedule, format changes next season

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by Stan Collins, Nov 20, 2018.

  1. El Naranja

    El Naranja Member+

    Sep 5, 2006
    Alief
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It helps if you're the one winning a title for the first time in a decade.

    Pretty cool being the best team in American soccer.
     
  2. AeroNaught

    AeroNaught Member+

    Atlanta United
    Feb 14, 2007
    Birmingham, AL
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Any leaks for the full schedule yet? Looks like they released it on January 4th last year...was wanting to see if I could plan a road trip or two this year to see some of the new stadiums that have opened up recently.
     
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  3. NashSC

    NashSC Member+

    Nashville SC
    United States
    Jan 3, 2018
    I am also awaiting the schedule. We are planning our first trip to mouse land and am hoping to see an Orlando City game. We are holding off on setting dates in concrete until the schedule is released.
     
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  4. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Red Bulls hosted Sporting Kansas City last year. Does that mean the Red Bulls will go to Sporting Kansas City by alternating, or are the seasons independent?

    I don't want all MLS club to enter in the USOC Round of 64. The Coppa Italia has 12 Serie A clubs enter in the Round of 64 and 8 enter in the Round of 16. I prefer a difference of one round. I think that if there is a round with some MLS clubs but not the top ones, that round should not have any MLS vs. MLS games. I could see the Round of 32 always having a game between one of the top 16 MLS clubs and the winner of a previous round. For example, if there were 24 American MLS clubs, let 16 start in the Round of 32. The round before that would have 32 clubs, with 8 games having one MLS club and 8 games without an MLS club. The next question is if all lower level clubs start earlier than the bottom MLS clubs or if the top USL clubs and the bottom MLS clubs enter in the same round.
     
  5. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Generally, yes. The NYRB will probably go to Kansas City this year. The league tries to rotate the home and away games between teams in the different conferences from year to year but it doesn't exactly always work out like that.
     
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  6. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Teams have generally entered the U.S. Open Cup sequentially by division for the last several years.

    Last year, for example:
    Play-In Round: The collapse of the NASL meant that some surviving teams did not have a route to the Open Cup. The USSF had those 3 teams play off against 3 other Open Division teams to get into the tournament proper.
    1st Round: All of the Open Division (amateur) teams entered the tournament. That was 52 teams.
    2nd Round: the 26 winners were joined by 22 USL (D2) teams.
    3rd Round: the 24 winners played off
    4th Round: the 12 winners faced 21 MLS (D1) teams in the Round of 32.

    The tournament has run like that for the last few years. Sometimes there would be a mixture of a few Open Division and some D2 or D3 teams entering at the same time.

    Back in 2007 through 2011 they had some MLS teams qualify directly and some play in qualifying rounds to get into the tournament but that was strictly MLS v. MLS games. The MLS teams still all entered the tournament proper at the same time which was later than the other divisions.

    Prior to that a variety of systems were used.
     
  7. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Because of the addition of Cinci to the East, somebody in the West will likely have their schedule changed to balance out everyone getting the right amount of home and away games. Just as long as Colorado still gets to host New England for Jameson Night.
     
  8. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Yeah, there are always some exceptions. The changing numbers of teams has to have some impact. The Dynamo have played at DC United the last two years. There are probably other examples.
     
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  9. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I want the schedule!!!

    That is all.
     
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  10. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know. I was making a plan for when there will be enough MLS clubs that there wouldn't be many spots in the Round of 32 for lower clubs. Rather than make all MLS clubs start in the Round of 64, I'm wondering if fans of the worse MLS clubs would object to starting in the same round as the better USL clubs. In other countries, clubs start cups in earlier rounds if they get relegated. The bottom MLS clubs starting the USOC in the same round as the top USL clubs would be a tiny punishment compared to relegation (which I'm not advocating for).
     
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  11. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If you took 16 MLS teams and had them enter at the round of 32 vs the 16 previous round winners, that would avoid an extra Open Cup game, which I'm sure MLS Clubs would like to, at all cost. Since there are 21 US teams (for now) they could take the newbies (Cincinnati) plus the 4 teams with the lowest average point total for the previous 2 seasons and have them start at the round of 64. Presumably, even (some of) the bad MLS teams would advance, but most of the R32 games would not be MLS vs. MLS.

    They also should have the lower team host. No one in an MLS market wants to see the Mid-Michigan Bucks, but for people in Kalamazoo (or wherever they play), hosting an MLS club would likely be the biggest event (and crowd) of the year.
     
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  12. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    MLS schedule will drop at 3:30 ET today.
     
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  13. Daniel from Montréal

    Aug 4, 2000
    Montréal
    Club:
    Montreal Impact
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Montreal will begin the season with 6 straight and 8 of 9 away from home. Ugh. Because the club no longer wanted to play at the Big O, and playing in March/April outdoors is super tenuous.
     
  14. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Are they getting a new stadium??
     
  15. GunnerJacket

    GunnerJacket Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 18, 2003
    Gainesville, GA
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    No, they simply used Olympic Stadium (The O) for a couple early cold weather dates in the past. Guess they didn't want to go that route in '19.
     
  16. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Why is that? Is the O indoors? I guess I can look up it up myself. I didn't realize that though.
     
  17. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    I don't think they had a choice. The roof of Olympic Stadium is in such bad shape that they can't have events in there if there is more than an inch of snow forecast. They are going to replace the roof but that hasn't happened yet.
     
  18. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Impact's 2015 opener was postponed because snow was forecast which would have made the roof subject to collapse.

    The city is spending between $500M and $750M on a retractable roof for the 2026 World Cup.
     
  19. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They could build a new stadium for that amount.
     
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  20. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Only if they want to decrease the stadium's capacity. If they want to keep the 60k+ capacity, those stadiums are generally well over a billion US$..
     
  21. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They considered demolishing it but it would have cost more than replacing the roof.
     
  22. Stan Collins

    Stan Collins Member+

    Feb 26, 1999
    Silver Spring, MD
    I hope that they also modernize some other elements of the stadium before playing the World Cup in it.
     
  23. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    #273 AlbertCamus, Jan 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
    I don't care if stadiums are modern or not, in fact I kind of prefer old ones. Wouldn't like a roof to fall on my head though!
     
  24. GunnerJacket

    GunnerJacket Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 18, 2003
    Gainesville, GA
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    As my grandfather would say, if it falls down its not a roof but a floor!
     
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  25. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]
     
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