Bruce Arena's thoughts for MLS....

Forget about California, England's barely larger than New England. And FIFA doesn't place any maximum limit on the size of a league. The English First Division has 24 teams, Brazil's top flight has 24 teams, and we have a population of 300 million. Not now, but in the years to come, we're going to have to have more than twenty teams to have a significant national profile. Or get any kind of money in television rights. My two options:

MLS I - 30 teams in one league aligned similarly to an American sports league; four divisions in two conferences/ top six teams in each conference qualify for playoffs, division champions receive byes to conference semifinals, remaining teams play single elimination matches, semifinals and finals being either two-leg or best-of-three (NFL model, with the NBA's current alignment)

MLS II - two 16-team leagues aligned East-West, each playing a balanced schedule/ top four teams in each league qualify for playoffs, league champions meet in MLS Championship (baseball model, without the divisions)

With a country the size of ours that spans four time zones, a single table would never be a fair way of determining the championship. It would place an unfair burden on teams in the west.

And a league in MLS's condition isn't in any position to turn away paying customers. The practice of sticking to the international standard, rather than changing in order to attract new fans, never got the ASL anywhere.

 

Just a quick note most likely better suited for a different thread but I don't forsee 30-32 teams being sucessfull in the US for 40 years to come. That is how long it has taken the "Big 4" sports to get beteewn 28-32 teams, they didn't have the challenges that MLS has as far as payroll and national recognition go. I would much rather see a viable 16 team league than an overblown 32 team system. Personally think MLB and NHL would be better served with less teams.

 

First to 5 remains the only solution.

MLS isn't hockey or football or basketball or single table compatable. The roots are different, etc. The only parallel to draw would be the even playing field of the NFL is basicly the model for MLS.

People need to get over 8 teams - it's the way it is. It's fine now and it will be better as the league grows. MLS should have adopted a similar attitude about First-to-5.

One-offs are for physically destructive sports and for competitions limited on time availability. Playoff series (properly of a 3+ game length) are for right-minded leagues willing to allow teams the time to find their own natural separation on the field.

Two game series are for competitions that shouldn't really have a home field advantage. Sure there is an implied negliable one. Whatver you stance, weather in November in the US is varied enough to invalidate this type of playoff on its own without any further help from reasonable arguements like lack of advantage, invitation of flukes, or two games isn't a series.

Soccer needs ties to exist as a result. First-to-5 meets this and all other requirements quite nicely. You say the problem was Wednesday games. OK. I say the problem was playing Game 2 on a Wednesday and playing it in the cold. Start the season earlier, expand the rosters a couple of guys, play on a warm Wed during June, and Games 1 and 2 are on Sat. Game 3, if needed, is played on the Wed following Game 2. Playoffs last exactly two weeks longer. You say the problem was noone understands Ft5. I say it's remarkable how so many media honks and Euroites understood it well enough to complain about it with perfect clarity.

 

Re: First to 5 remains the only solution.

Everything you point out can be handled in a two game series.

Follow the MFL's lead. The lower seed must win the two game aggregate outright. Gives a significant advantage to the higher seed. Eliminates the if necessary game. All games played on the weekend (when scheduling allows). It's perfect.

 

Couldn't agree more.

The Supporter's Shield is pretty much irrelevant, and just because some supporters on this board get excited over it doesn't make it any more important. It's very simple people...

One championship per competition, not two or three. Otherwise we might as well hand out trophies to everybody like in the youth leagues.

 

I agree with merging the tables, but I was looking for a way to keep 8 teams in. Obviously MLS seems to think it's necessary to keep fans of teams at the bottom interested as long as possible so I conceeded this point.

With merged tables you could have two seperate ladders of 4. ie 8 plays at 5 for the right to play at 4 for the right to play at 1. 7 plays at 6 for the right to play at 3 for the right to play at 2.

(PS I Agree with Khansingh, the USA population distribution demands a league of size roughly 30, and that's what we will end up with down the road. It's all about economics.)

 

Proposal:

Single table home-home balanced schedule, and 1st place wins the Supporter's Shield.

In addition, teams are divided into 4 regional groups. So all the playoff junkies can still have their divisional races. Group winners qualify for the playoffs with homefield advantage, and the next 4 teams in the single-table qualify as visitors in the first round. All playoff games are single elimination.

At the end of the season, you will have the Supporter's Shield race, the 4 divisional races (one of which may double as the Supporter's Shield race if the top 2 teams are in the same group), and the race for the last spots in the playoffs. That sounds pretty exciting to me.

You get your single table, you get your divisions, you get your playoffs, and you get your incentives for competitive games throughout the season.

This format would work best for 16 teams. 20 teams could work, but you'd have to squeeze in some mid-week games because the season would be 41 games long.

- Paul

 

Exactly.

The regular season is one competition. The US Open Cup is another competition. And the MLS Cup Playoffs is a third competition. Now, in the US, for a variety of reasons, post-season play-off results take on more importance than they do elsewhere, and for that reason it's going to be that way in MLS, too, but it's silly to downplay the other competitions that are part of the sport. Especially the "regular season."

Or maybe just different trophies for different competitions. Like they do in most countries on the planet.

 

It is utterly pointless to to have a regular season champ if we keep the playoff system. I mean imagine a team finishes first in the reg. season, gets knocked out one week later, to consider that team champion of anything just seems absurd.

That's why we have playoffs. It's exciting drama to know that a team that can finish up top after 30 games can blow it all in a two game series. And I am of the opinion that if they manage to blow such a big game, they really don't deserve any recognition anyway.

For those who are desperate for some kind of consolation prize, well that's what the US Open Cup is for, totally seperate from the league.

 

I don't really see Stuttgart soil their pants in excitement just because they won the winter championship in the Bundesliga. The reason? The competition is only half-way done...

Whether you like it or not, the regular season and the playoffs are both part of the same competition (the MLS season) - just ask Don Garber.

Here is the best analogy I can think of: Let's assume Germany will win Euro 2004, do you think anyone will give a rat's behind that France won their Uefa qualifying group with the most points? Didn't think so...

 

that's the greatest idea in the history of sports. I don't know if I like it so much for MLS as for other American sports, as the drafts and #1 picks mean so much more in basketball and football. Screw the NBA draft lottery - here's a real way to make sure no team tanks it for the #1 pick! You want LeBron? win him!

 

I disagree Fah Que. I believe that system works in Europe or elsewhere. However I doubt it will work here. Playoffs are like culture in North American Sports(including Mexico). The exitement is more appropriate in my honest opionion for realistic reasons. Just because you win the league competition does not necesarily mean you are the best team.

Lets take baseball's last championship league/playoff comparision. I believe the best league record may have been Atlanta or the New York Yankees. Its a significant achievement(don't forget MLS does have the Supporter's Shield for the team with the best league record), but I still believe the playoff championship is more indicative of the best team. Don't you think many of those teams with the best records were sorta "given" games. as many of those wins were against poorer teams with little incentive to win by August and September. On the other hand, trust me, the Marlins/Phillies or Cubs weren't given ANY games in August or September while chasing the wildcard/NL central penant with 4-5 other teams and even the lesser teams trying to play spoiler.

So the playoff system gives you a real champion playing against strictly the best teams in the league when it means everything.

After seeing the baseball playoffs can anyone truely say that the best team in baseball's Major Leagues is either Atlanta or the Yankees. Sorry, the Florida Marlins are the best TEAM in Baseball, period. Not only did they have the leagues best record since May 22nd, but they beat some of baseball's best teams/hitters&pitchers, when it counted most, including the Giants/Bobby Bonds, Chicago/Sosa-Aleu-Pryor-Wood, and the Yankees a team full of star batters and pitchers(several future hall of famers) all with a massive playoff experiece not to mention 3X the payroll, yet they beat them 4 games to 2... and 2 of those wins including the final in the confines of the mystique of baseball's most prestigeous stadium and its fans, Yankee stadium.

Sorry Fah Que but the playoff system strictly among a leagues best teams is more indicative of a true champ. The problem with this league is that more than half of its teams qualify for its playoffs...an absolute farce. Thank goodness San Jose won the SJ/LA series. However, keep in mind that 5 unanswered goals could probably only occur where a team with the leagues' top 1st or 2nd(SJ) league record plays against the second WORST(LA) team and its defense. It was a bit scarry for the league and San Jose but it provided fans with amazing drama and a lovely futbol.