For the entire history of MLS, the regular season schedule has had two basic principles: 1. Every team in the league plays every other team in the league at least twice, once at home and once away. -and- 2. In general, a team plays other teams that are geographically proximate more times than they play teams that are geographically distant. Due to the limited number of teams in MLS, these two features have helped fill the regular season calender with the desired minimum number of matches. However, when MLS gets to 16 teams, and if the league wants to limit the regular season to around 30-32 matches (and there have been indications that the league wants this), one of these two principles will have to be cast aside. With 16 teams, Principle 1 gives you 30 matches (and a balanced league-wide schedule), leaving little if any room for extra regular season games against regional rivals. Likewise, with 16 teams and a desired 30 match regular season, Principle 2 means home-and-away verses every team in the league is not possible. So, the question is, which scheduling principle is most important to you? Which principle should MLS maintain when, eventually, it is forced to make a choice between the two? Note: I recognize that this is already a very popular (and toxic) topic on these boards. I'm not trying to start a new pissing contest on the issue of balanced schedules and/or single tables versus unbalanced schedules and/or conferences. I'd simply like to see the results of this poll. Please resist, as much as possible, the urge to turn this into an I'm-right-and-you're-retard thread. I'm too often guilty of this myself, and I apologize.
The question is finally valid as the the # of teams increases to a decent level. Home and home for all teams would be fine; its traditional. I don't get my knickers in a twist over this, though. As a Quakes fan, I want more Galaxy.
Which is fine, and very understandable, given the North American scheduling tradition. However, by getting more Galaxy, you're likely to get more Colorado, too, and does anyone really want that?
I like the balanced 30 game schedule for the sake of symmetry ... And travel issues are exaggerated. I travel DC - San Diego frequently and I'm always out surfing like 2 hours after I get in. Of course travel can get a bit much if a team plays like 3 games per week for a month or more, but the responsibility lies with MLS HQ to improve the scheduling from here on out. No more lame exhibitions during the season, and definitely no more inbalance where a team plays like 2 games in June and like 7 in August. That is retarded. The next challenge regarding schedule congestion would be if and when Superliga or CCC expand. At that point I'd split up the teams for those competitions. Something like the 4 best teams go to CCC and the next 4 go to Superliga.
Point taken - and I am mildly in favor of a home-home series. But my response about more Colorado is so what? More Colorado or more Columbus? No biggie either way.
One scheduling change I would like to see is to have the national team have the day all to themselves - no MLS matches when the MNT plays.
If we stuck with 30 games, home and home, tournament play would be a bit easier to sustain at higher levels, e.g., capability to play more superliga.