... to have 8 teams in the playoffs? seriously, there are 10 teams in the league, and only 2 don't make the playoffs. So you can be a sub-par team, play poorly for most of the season, finish at 35 points, and then play a home/away series with the Quakes who will have no advantage what so ever? does that make any sense? no wonder no one gives a crap about the playoffs, no wonder interest drops throughout the season. In all honesty, they should allow a total of 4 teams to make the playoffs. Play a one game playoff at the team that won the conference and then move onto the MLS Cup. This way, every game before the the playoffs counts! KC would be battling Colorado for a spot, and Metro would be playing a 2 game series with NE just to get in the playoffs, instead of playing 4 games straight against each other. Honestly, knowing that a team has an 80% chance of making the playoffs doesn't stand well for the credibility of the league, and it takes a lot out of the importance of the regular season. anyone agree?
First off, this discussion has happened 1000 times, but obviously since it comes up every week, its not going to go away. 8 teams sucks right now. I think we can all agree with that. The West has been boring for a month now because its set. All thats to be decided is 2nd place, woohoo. The East is exciting and going into the last weekend, thats pretty cool. But right now overall, its kinda boring in MLS. My point being by saying now is that MLS is planning ahead. They are tweeking the playoff format a bit here and there trying to find the format that will best suit the league for MANY years to come. And the plan is to have MANY more teams in MANY more years. So say 10 years from now MLS has 16 teams. Half making the playoffs doesnt sound all that bad. And there will still be times at the end of the season where games don't matter. Just hopefully not as many as years like this one. Point being, MLS is trying to find a format that won't change as the league adds teams. I'm sure they're fully aware that still to this day people that follow MLS pretty closely don't realize the format has changed. Heck a thread starts up every week as well by someone shocked that the format has changed because it was the first time they'd heard about it. MLS doesnt need that, they need the fans to know what their formats are and not be surprised all the time.
There was a time when 16 out of 21 teams made the playoffs in the NHL. There was also a time where 16 out of 23 teams made the playoffs in the NBA. Since they added on teams since then, the ratio is more favorable. The MLS is trying to do the same. Hopefully, this one sticks. Personally, they should just have one game in playoffs, like football has it. That's just my opinion.
What I can't believe is that 17 out of 20 teams in the EPL survive relegation. What a joke. What the hell is the point of the season if you're only gonna bounce 3 teams in a 20 team league.
Yeah, cause missing the playoffs is equivalent with being relegated and missing out on millions of $$$$. Yeah......that's a great analogy. My only problem with the current format is that it basically makes the Open Cup a joke. Aren't the playoffs basically the same thing as the Cup tournament? Oh yeah....A League teams are allowed to hang out for a while, but lets not kid ourselves....it's all MLS when it matters most. I'm still hoping that in the end they go to a two table system of 8-10 teams each and only the top two (maybe three) of each table go to a round robin playoff. I think that would be interesting and different from other US sports.
When they dropped two teams to go to a 10 team league they probably should have gone to a 6 teams in the playoffs. I don't think finishing first and having to play a home and home series, even if you get the second game, is enough of a home field advantage. With 6 teams you could give the first place teams byes in the first round.The fourth place team does not deserve a home playoff game.
The whole MLS playoffs thing is a real joke. It's so obvious that there should not be any more than 6 teams tops in there, yet they do it differently anyways. In the NFL people are all worried because they switched to four divisions per conference with four teams in each. People, I being one of them, shake their heads at the chance that an 8-8 team or even a (gasp!) 7-9 team could be in the playoffs by virtue of a crappy division. Then there's MLS where everybody gets in, including my sisters under six ladybugs squad. (Galaxy) Why even have a regular season? Why not just have a big tournament, like a triple elimination thing or something. Might as well. Hopefully expansion will come soon enough to make the playoffs worthwhile.
I am not sure that skipping a week of action (for the division winners) is actually a reward and not a penalty.
How do you have 2000 posts and bring this up as a topic. Im really tired of people screaming about 'the credibility of the league!' 'the credibility of the legue.'
Re: Re: anyone else think its pointless... to be honest i'm just venting. to me it just seems that towards the end of the season the excitement of MLS dies out because there is truly nothing to play for until the playoffs. and i'm sure this topic has been brought up day after day, so i appologize to everyone who had spent an extra 30 seconds out of their lives on reading my post.
Re: Re: Re: anyone else think its pointless... well obviously the playoff set up is not idealic, but i do buy into the whole. it's our version of the promotion/relegation. i just don't think that people should get so worked up about it. The NBA is 82 games long and you have virtually every .500 or close to .500 team make it into the playoffs. MLB plays 162 games, teams can win over 100 of them and then be knocked out in the first round in a best of 5 series. Is it the best, no. But not everything can be the exclusiveness and competativeness of the Worlf Cup finals or NCAA basketball tournament. ps. sorry for the spelling mistakes. i need a nap.
8 teams in a playoff makes sense. 8 teams out of 10 is painful... but they should be the best 8 teams in the league.
No need to apologize for being right. This argument can't take place enough. The only clubs with superior records are Chicago and San Jose. By rights, they should be squaring off for the title. They shouldn't have to prove themselves yet again against the .500 and sub-.500 clubs.