Just saw a video on twitter where Holden said MLS needs to go to single elimination. I have to agree. The better seed should have home field advantage. The 2 leg system with road goal differential is meant to keep it neutral.
Agreed, I saw the video as well. However one single game elimination makes the play-offs to short. why not do it how SI and Brian S. proposed. I also had this idea since I watch Liga Aguila (colombian League) they used to do play-offs with this format, however it was double round-robin home and away. I like this version tho, where the higher seed gets the homes games while the others, well just click the link. https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/31/mls-playoff-format-fix-solution It makes for longer play offs, and the better team along with the fans would get rewarded with home games. Let me know your thoughts
I don't think it makes the playoffs too short. A group phase is basically just more rounds of regular season play. I wouldn't mind the league going back to 3 game series and using the first to 4, or first to 5 system that they used. In the end the higher seed needs to have more home games no matter what system is used.
Denmark has a really fun "postseason" and relegation setup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017–18_Danish_Superliga
What I've heard from the soccer people is that it devalues the season if you just have to play/win 3 games to be champion. Current setup means 5-6 games before you lift the cup, which is a more reasonable tournament.
Absolutely lol. I really like that everyone is playing for something at the end of the year. There's the obvious title but the middle table teams are trying to sneak into the Europa League as well. And bottom feeders are just trying to stay up. I've never really liked how difficult it is to win the league yet playoffs just washes it all away by putting everyone on (basically) even ground. So this is a middle ground of a quasi-playoff atmosphere while still leaning heavily on the regular season. It's a bit hectic but does a great job of incentivizing teams.
All rounds should be single-elimination, played at the home of the higher seed. This would make the regular season more meaningful by giving each finishing place a unique value. As it stands now, there is no difference between finishing no. 5 and no. 6, or between no. 3 and no. 4, or between no. 1 and no. 2. Also, it would provide a clear advantage in the playoffs to the higher-seeded team, whereas the playing of two-legged ties all but eliminates this advantage. Finally, playing all rounds as single matches would allow the playoffs to end a few weeks earlier and not drag into December, where the risk of bad weather is much greater. The concrete advantages of a playoff system consisting only of single-elimination matches are many. One could cite the disadvantage of there being a greater possibility of a chance event deciding a single match than a two-legged tie. But if a single match is acceptable for the MLS Cup Final, despite the theoretical possibility of a fluke goal deciding matters, then surely it is acceptable for the conference finals and conference semifinals. Of course, the real reason that the MLS playoffs contain two rounds of two-legged ties has nothing to do with the competition. The reason is to give more teams home games. Up until the latest revision of the playoffs a few years ago, the stated intent was to give a home game to every playoff team. The league has abandoned that absolutist approach, as right now seeds no. 5 and 6 are not guaranteed a home game. Having taken that step, the league should drop two-legged ties altogether.
I think the best system would be 4 teams from each conference playing 3 game series first to 4 points. That is basically a 2 leg series with the series being decided on another night instead of a 30 minute OT in the event of a tie. Plus that eliminates aggregates which suck because of 3-0 first leg wins that pretty much seal up the series.
You mean like this? https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/31/mls-playoff-format-fix-solution Sample Below:
No I mean like it used to be during the shootout/first to 5 points era. No groups needed. If not that then single elimination would be great. Don't believe me? Look at the NCAA basketball tournament, NFL playoffs, and playoff phase of the FIFA World Cup. Those are very exciting events.
Round robin makes no sense considering they just played an entire season of round robin to get into the playoffs. Round robins only make sense in tournaments not immediately preceded by a SEASON. Single elimination all the way. Shorten the playoffs by 2 game days. That will help with this stupid international break in the middle of the playoffs. If the break came between conference finals and league final it would make more sense. If the Cup final could be moved into November it would be really nice. Weather and allow teams a little longer off season.
======================================== While I would love to do away with the MLS Cup altogether and more effort put in the USOC , I think single elimination is the best way if we "are America and we have to have playoffs" and with the league going to 26-28 teams, I see no problem with moving the playoffs up to top 8 in each conference and have have a 4 round playoff. Short and sweet and no midweek games ! !
I don't like straight single elimination. We already have a competition with that format -- the Open Cup. I don't like the idea that we play an eight-month regular season, but we play the playoffs like we're trying not to miss a flight.
I don't like the idea of playing an 8 month season and playing the playoffs like we are trying to repeat it. Also the open cup being single elimination has nothing to do with anything.
Agreed! Plus there is a certain level of intensity and suspense with single elimination that can't be matched by any other format. There is no second chance to win the next 4 games and the series, or score some goals and win the aggregate.
Yeah, it does. Since we already have one single elimination tournament, I prefer (just my opinion; it doesn’t have to be yours) having something different here. Of course, we CAN have multiple tournaments that are the same format, but we don’t need to. I also lean towards more high-stakes matches over fewer.
Better than single-elimination would be rounds consisting of best-of-three series. This, like the penalty shootout, is one of the few things that MLS got right at the beginning. There is no other playoff format — not two-legged ties; not first-to-five-points — that is superior to single elimination, because only best-of-three and single-elimination provide a big enough reward to the higher seed. The problem is time. In the early years, the MLS Cup final could sometimes be played in October; but the season was shorter. Playing the final in early December is already a problem; a longer playoff would be disastrous without a shortening of the season.
Single-elimination is too much of an advantage, IMO. I feel like home field advantage is huge in MLS.
If Any changes are to be made, why not eliminate the two divisions(conferences) and go with a single table...Keep the playoffs as they are...Also, maybe use NASL as a Division II league and maybe use a relegation process for thew bottom four teams of MLS and top four of NASL every year...Just a thought...
Because if you’re going to have a single table, you need to be able to make the schedule as balanced as possible. The number of teams makes that a nightmare. 22 opponents in a 34-match schedule? Teams could literally have a different schedule for half of their season, but still be competing for the same seeding. With the conferences, it’s a lot easier to maintain a much closer balance. Not to mention the increased travel and expense for the clubs, players and fans that arise when geographically-based scheduling goes away.
I'm just telling myself you aren't. This would be very difficult considering THE NASL DOESN'T EXIST!!!!
https://www.sounderatheart.com/2018/11/19/18103595/mls-playoff-changes And MLS might actually be going to single elimination and changing the start/end dates of the season to avoid conflict with international dates. This would be great. The more you win, the more home games you get in the playoffs. That would make the regular season more interesting.
Bothers me what happened to Red Bull Sunday. They were #1 Shield Winner, in single elimination, the single game is at their place, now they are buried and will be a miracle to win and rightfully host the MLS Cup Final ----------- Also bugs me the Semi Final legs are this THURSDAY ! ! With the right to go to the final, you play on a THURSDAY ?????