MLS announces 34 game schedule

One step away from single table I think. About time.

 

This can't continue once Montreal (and whoever #20 is) joins, can it?

On the other hand, would they ever go back to 30 games, once they have to unbalance things, or are we at 34 or greater permanently?

You could have a 24-team league with 34 games pretty easily. Two conferences of 12, where you play each team in your conference home and away and you play each team in the other conference once.

I guess talking about 24 teams is a bit premature, though.

 

This news, along with the season ticket prices news, is rather interesting.
This means next year we are guranateed 17 MLS regular season home games. In the season ticket package they said we would get 20... So the other 3 would be (fingers crossed) CCL/Superliga (if that continues).

That would mean that any potential friendlies would have to be bought by season ticket holders (though I am sure their will be a discount/early purchase thingy) and the playoffs (getting way ahead of ourselves) would not be free either...

Of course, if we fail to qualify for CCL or Superliga (if it continues) then they have 3 tickets that could easily be made into Open Cup (ha ha) friendlies (maybe...) and playoffs (we better get there)

 

and don't forget potential elimination stage CCL in early spring.... wonder how they would divy up those games. If we qualify again, and assuming at least 1 elimination CCL game, we get up to 21 or 22 games without any exhibitions.

 

Rumor has it that due to the expanded schedule, the roster size will be increased to 30 players.

 

Will the salary cap be adjusted then, too?
If so, great news
If not, then thats retarded

 

The speculation I've seen (in MLS N&A) is that the "senior" roster will remain unchanged at 20, and the additional 10 players will be homegrown/gen addidas/something else that are cap-exempt.

 

The problem with not raising the cap, is that those cap-exempt players are highly unlikely to be real contributors to aid in winning CCL or similar tourneys. They'll basically be warm bodies to roll out on less meaningful competitions when the schedule gets packed and injuries start to mount. To really help in international competition, we need teams with 20 players who average around $175k against the cap and the other 10 to average about $60k, with some of those not affecting the salary cap. That's about $4million, and we stand at about $2.5million right now?

I think the cap is linked to the CBA agreement with the players, so unless both sides are willing to come back to the table and amend this (which could be potentially explosive amongst players AND owners with not-so-deep pockets) this may be the only possible solution.

On the upside, this would force competitive teams to develop young domestic talent, even if US/Canadian soccer continues its drought of meaningful international and inter-league trophies.

 

Aren't y'all assuming that the number of games in the regular season is not part of the CBA? More than likely, it is. More than likely changes in number of games automatically changes the cap. I know I'm speculating, but no more than y'all are.

 

WELL...... Seeing that the number of games has been tinkered with most seasons during the last decade as new teams have been added, I would actually think it precisely is NOT contractually limited in the CBA.

The cap, on the other hand, is usually not tinkered with all that often, because LA and RBNY have different spending potentials as compared to, say, RSL and NE. It would make sense that more financially strained franchises would rigidly codify their capital risk. Those teams will also fight harder than hell not to play home games during the week.

I think my conjecture is much more plausible. I would highly contest your use of "more than likely." "Possibly" would have been more appropriate. As far as speculating, you just seemed to react by pulling that out of your ass instead of reasoning through it and doing some modest research.

 

I pulled nothing out of my butt more or less than anyone else did. Everyone acts like they know all kinds of details about the CBA and the cap when both are rather opaque to all but the management of the league and player's union.

Cite a source and I'll be willing to to concede my speculation to the evidence.

 

I don't have to prove anything to you. RSL is a fun thing I do. I'm not going to write you a research paper. But when you come in here acting all "holier-than-thou" passing around your preachy moral lessons, I take offense. If you want stats, go to the News and Analysis page.

I'm trying to create a discussion, and all you do is point out the frivolity of it. Well, this whole BS thing is pure frivolity, and your self-presumed paternal role in it is even more absurd.

Don't come shit-talking my points and saying I'm stupid UNLESS YOU PROVE ME WRONG with your fancy stats. Then I will accept, graciously, the error of my ways and continue a more enlightened discussion. You are adding nothing to the conversation than just being a Cliff Claven blow-hard.

An easier way to approach the whole thing in the future would be to suggest that the amount of games might be tied to the CBA, WITHOUT DERIDING ANOTHER PERSON. It's pretty easy not to be an asshole. All you have to do is step off your soapbox.
[/Rant]

 

Agreed.

 

Seriously, there is an evidence problem here. You say that I called you stupid. There is absolutely nothing in my posts that in any way remotely implied anything about your intelligence.

Of course, maybe I missed it in looking back over my posts to make sure. If I missed it, please show me.

 

From the old CBA of 2004 to 2010 which can be found at mlsplayers.org:

Article 5 Management Rights:
...
Except as such subjects are addressed elsewhere by this CBA, and without determining whether such subjects are mandatory or permissive subjects of bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act, during the term of this CBA, the Union expressly waives its right to bargain over:

• Provisions of the Player Handbook;

• Competition Guidelines provisions (except as otherwise provided in this CBA), including but not limited to establishment, termination, and definitions of and amendments to player classifications and categories;

• possible sources of MLS players and rules, regulations and procedures governing their assignment to MLS Teams;

• roster size;

• roster composition, including but not limited to the number of players within any classification or category, whether domestic or international, on a Team’s roster;

• competition calendar dates (including but not limited to the roster freeze date, roster compliance date, waiver dates, draft dates and discovery dates);

• player and team salary budgets (including but not limited to the setting, administration and effect of minimum and maximum Team budgets and budgets attributable to individual players);

• player trade rules, regulations and procedures;

• player registration, transfer and loan rules, regulations and procedures;
  [\LIST]
  • off-season training, competitions and tours;
  • rules, regulations and procedures concerning MLS Player drafts (including but not limited to entry, waiver, supplemental and expansion and contraction drafts);
  • player lottery system;
  • other provisions in the Competition Guidelines Manual, which MLS may amend from 11 time to time in its absolute discretion, except to the extent that a subject of the Competition Guidelines is explicitly addressed in this CBA;
  • Game format and playing rules;
  • Play-off format, including but not limited to the number of games, the number and identity of participating teams, eligibility for playoff participation, playoff competition rules, All-Star game format, if any, and rosters;
  • Player statistics maintained or deleted (except as to those statistics required to be maintained whether expressly or impliedly by a valid, unexpired SPA);
  • Expansion or contraction of MLS, including any related draft rules, regulations or procedures (except as provided in Article 14, herein);
  • Location of play or practice facilities;
  • On-Field equipment and uniforms and regulations relating thereto;
  • Stadium facilities for players (for play and practice), including but not limited to the field surfaces and other aspects of the facilities and access thereto.
  The provisions of this Article shall apply equally to any reserve league, Reserve Team or Development Squad of MLS, and any references in this Article to “Team” shall be deemed to include a Reserve Team or Development Squad.
  
  
  Section 17.3 Number of Games:
  From the beginning of the MLS regular season through December 31, each Team may not play more than forty-eight (48) exhibition (not including scrimmage games for which tickets are not sold), regular season and playoff games, and MLS will not schedule players for four (4) games in any seven-day period unless such schedule is reasonably unavoidable. No MLS Team (not including Reserve Teams) may play a game within thirty-six (36) hours after the end of a prior game unless such schedule is reasonably unavoidable, in which case no Player shall play in both such games. Games for which tickets are sold where players have the opportunity (through guaranteed payments or performance bonuses) to earn at least $500, and U.S Open Cup games and other compulsory tournaments (e.g., any CONCACAF championships) shall not count toward the 48-game limit. For avoidance of doubt, National Team duty (including the senior and youth national teams or Olympic teams of any nation) shall not count toward the 48-game limit. Notwithstanding Section 17.2 above, during the off-season (i.e., the time between a Team’s elimination from MLS competition or victory in the MLS Cup, and the Pre-Season Training Camp Start Date), Players may be required to play in matches or to participate in training as long as such matches and training do not violate the vacation and time-off provisions of Article 13 herein, or the provisions of this Article 17.
  
  It seems that 30 was a number chosen, but can be changed arbitrarily.
  
  This article says:
  
  It seems that there is a separate entity that makes the salary cap decisions.
  
  Anyone know what the competition committee is?

 

Interesting stuff! (good find on the CBA.) Too bad it isn't the current CBA. There is another intriguing passage that may apply (assuming all of this stays as it was in this previous CBA). It appears to read that if the league grows that the minimum compensations grow proportionately. It also appears to show that if the team roster limits grow the same thing happens. But, I'm not a lawyer and it is definitely legalese.

 

Just in intertesting tid-bit.

RSL is on track to break the record for least goals scored against in a season (current record held by Houston at 23). With the increased number of games, and the possibility that it might not go back down (it could even go up) they have the chance of possibly sealing their names in the record books for a veeeery long time.

 

I asked about the history of the amount of league games on N&A:

 

More specifically:

Add the caveat of 2001 being modified due to the most tragic foreign attack on US soil to disrupt the season, and there is the most complete data.

Note that the 2005-2010 CBA allowed for a change in games. According to the Wikipedia Designated Player Rule page: (worth it to click on the link BTW, a must read)

If the cap is $2.55mil this year, then that would make it about:
2011 $2.68mil ~$130k difference
2012 $2.81mil ~$130k difference
2013 $2.95mil ~$140k difference
2014 $3.10mil ~$150k difference

These are quite modest when compared to the previous hikes of $200k, the 2007 jump being 10.5%.



I know I said I wasn't going to write a research paper and yet did it anyway, but I think I have an apology heading my way.... What I took to be offensive was that you were suggesting that I was just speculating, despite the fact that I have been involved in conversations about this very issue the last 6 months, yet didn't have any readily available "evidence" because the new CBA hasn't been publicly released in full yet. But how would you know that, or personally know me well enough to know that I generally don't make those sorts of claims without lots of qualifying statements to clearly indicate what I do or do not know?

 

Single table pretty much exists right now. The top 8 teams in MLS will all make the playoffs, despite the guaranteed 2 per conference. I don't foresee any realistic possibility that there wouldn't be at least 2 teams from each conference being among the top 8 unless the salary cap were removed.

The only lame thing it does is potentially put the top 4 teams, if they happened to all be in the same conference, in one bracket and the bottom four in the other, so that it would guarantee a team that placed lower than the top 4 to be in the MLS Cup. In a year like this one, it at least increases the chances of the lower 4 teams to advance further into the post season.

And now back to the thread topic...........

 

Awesome research and interesting. Sorry that we got to playing cyber chest puffing over this. Online makes many of us, me included, say things that we certainly would not say in person.

No real offense taken, none intended.

I speculate that the CBA 5% per year increase on cap is mostly an issue of making sure that there is never less than that much increase. We've seen the increase be greater and there is no reason to think it might not be greater increase in any given year of the current CBA.

One thing is for sure, there will be more money out there for players, more jobs, more reason to be a professional soccer player. The sport is growing, regardless of the naysayers. And, it is doing it in a time of economic recession (at least through June 2009) and current economic concern. That is awesome and bodes well for the sport for when the economy upticks more seriously.