I hate the best 3rd idea. I really like the new system. 8 groups of 4 would be nice, but we do not have enough good teams for that. Maybe in 10 – 15 years.
I don't like the choosing of the dates by the team with the most points, purely from a scheduling perspective. As a fan I want to see the hosts of each game know when their home game is going to be so that they can sell tickets and ensure the fullest possible crowd. You want the dates to all be set in stone so that the front office can put their marketing plan in place immediately without any downtime.
I do believe their choice is between playing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with in the same pre-determined week.
Scheduling is certainly a bit of a b-tch. Between July 20 and Aug. 6, TFC is playing six matches including the Tues Aug 2 away match in Esteli, Nicaragua to which they will be flying directly from Portland (a 6.5 hour flight). They'll also have to deal with a minimum two hour bus drive from Managua to Esteli. But hey, whatcha gonna do. Part of me is chuckling thinking of Koevermans and Frings (not to mention Richard Eckersley) and what they must be thinking having found out that they are going to be playing a match in Nicaragua. That is something they never would have dreamt of. I'm not denigrating Nicaragua btw.