Hurray! We get some actual cross conference play this year! Teams will play 8 opponents in the other conference. That makes a total of 112 inter-conference games this year. Past results: The Western Conference has won 15 times to the East's 10 and 1 for the Central. Yearly winners (W-T-L): 2021: WEST 11-8-9 2020: WEST 16-14-13 2019: WEST 61-28-55 2018: EAST 56-25-51 2017: EAST 51-32-39 2016: WEST 38-30-32 2015: WEST 45-20-35 2014: WEST 36-26-28 2013: WEST 41-22-27 2012: EAST 35-23-32 2011: WEST 57-58-47 2010: WEST 60-33-35 2009: WEST 42-28-37 2008: EAST 42-20-36 2007: EAST 30-26-28 2006: EAST 26-21-25 2005: EAST 37-16-19 2004: WEST 27-19-24 2003: EAST 29-21-20 2002: WEST 33-8-19 2001: WEST 26-14-23 2000: CENTRAL 31-13-30 1999: WEST 35-18-19 1998: WEST 36-9-27 1997: EAST 30-22-28 1996: EAST 33-16-31 The 2021 thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/mls-east-v-west-2021.2114372/#post-39409753
Inter-conference games by week, 2022: Week 1: 8 games (East hosts 3, West hosts 5) Week 2: 6 (2,4) Week 3: 4 (4,0) Week 4: 2 (1,1) Week 5: 1 (0,1) Week 6: 4 (4,0) Week 7: 2 (0,2) Week 8: 6 (5,1) Week 9: 4 (1,3) Week 10: 2 (1,1) Week 11: 6 (3,3) Week 12: 0 Week 13: 7 (3,4) Week 14: 4 (2,2) Week 15: 0 Week 16: 0 Week 17: 4 (4,0) Week 18: 6 (2,4) Week 19: 8 (2,6) Week 20: 4 (4,0) Week 21: 6 (3,3) Week 22: 4 (1,3) Week 23: 2 (2,0) Week 24: 2 (1,1) Week 25: 4 (1,3) Week 26: 2 (0,2) Week 27: 2 (2,0) Week 28: 4 (3,1) Week 29: 2 (1,1) Week 30: 4 (1,3) Week 31: 0 Week 32: 0 NOTE: I consider a "Week" to be any period Tuesday through Monday that has at least one league game in it. Not matter what the League calls a "Week".
Week 1 schedule: Home team first. PHI v. MIN CLB v. VAN FCD v. TOR SJE v. NYR AUS v. CIN POR v. NER ATL v. SKC LAG v. NYC
Week 1 results: PHI 1-1 MIN CLB 4-0 VAN FCD 1-1 TOR SJE 1-3 NYR AUS 5-0 CIN POR 2-2 NER ATL 3-1 SKC LAG 1-0 NYC The East wins the first week with 3 wins and 3 ties against 2 losses. We usually do the standings from the perspective of the defending champ so the West is 2-3-3 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST ATL 1-0-0 CLB 1-0-0 NYR 1-0-0 NER 0-1-0 PHI 0-1-0 TOR 0-1-0 CHI 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-0 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 ORL 0-0-0 MIA 0-0-0 CIN 0-0-1 NYC 0-0-1 WEST AUS 1-0-0 LAG 1-0-0 FCD 0-1-0 MIN 0-1-0 POR 0-1-0 COR 0-0-0 HOU 0-0-0 LAX 0-0-0 NSH 0-0-0 RSL 0-0-0 SEA 0-0-0 SJE 0-0-1 SKC 0-0-1 VAN 0-0-1 Week 2 fixtures: NER v. FCD SJE v. CLB VAN v. NYC COR v. ATL CLT v. LAG AUS v. MIA
The table below is a result of using R, not Excel, to wrangle and present the results of the East-West conflict competition. I'm not sure if this is the way I'm going to go ten weeks from now, but for now I like it enough to be an improvement over the old Excel-based version. As newtex said, East wins the first week. Crucially, New York Red Bulls getting the away win against San Jose puts the East in a strong position, netting 5/15 away points (as opposed to the West netting 1/9 away points). With only 8 games, not much to state for now I wouldn't expect things to stay the same once, say, Charlotte or Miami get in on the action.
Week 2 results: NER 1-0 FCD SJE 3-3 CLB VAN 0-0 NYC COR 3-0 ATL CLT 0-1 LAG AUS 5-1 MIA The West wins week 2 with 3 wins and 2 ties against 1 loss. The West is now 5-5-4 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CLB 1-1-0 NER 1-1-0 NYR 1-0-0 ATL 1-0-1 PHI 0-1-0 TOR 0-1-0 NYC 0-1-1 CHI 0-0-0 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 ORL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-0 COR 1-0-0 POR 0-1-0 MIN 0-1-0 FCD 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-1 VAN 0-1-1 HOU 0-0-0 LAX 0-0-0 NSH 0-0-0 RSL 0-0-0 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-1 Week 3 fixtures: MIA v. LAX PHI v. SJE NER v. RSL NYR v. MIN
I can't get the "Total" header to stay still. I'll keep at it! West comes roaring back but it's not all roses for them. At home, East PPG is 2.0, while West home PPG is 1.78. Away, East PPG is 0.78 and West is 0.8. Small samples yet but big wins by Austin, LA Galaxy, and Colorado this week have things fairly level.
Week 3 results: MIA 0-2 LAX PHI 2-0 SJE NER 2-3 RSL NYR 0-1 MIN The West wins the week with 3 wins and just 1 loss. The West is now 8-5-5 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CLB 1-1-0 PHI 1-1-0 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-0-1 ATL 1-0-1 TOR 0-1-0 NYC 0-1-1 CHI 0-0-0 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 ORL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-2 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-0 MIN 1-1-0 COR 1-0-0 LAX 1-0-0 RSL 1-0-0 POR 0-1-0 FCD 0-1-1 VAN 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-2 HOU 0-0-0 NSH 0-0-0 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-1 Week 4 fixtures: LAG v. ORL CHI v. SKC
This week was brutal for the East. Four home matches, three losses. This means that the West has a commanding lead for the time being, 9 points ahead, 7 goals ahead. EDIT: My PPG is screwed up. Imma fix it.
Week 4 results: LAG 0-1 ORL CHI 3-1 SKC The East wins the week with 2 wins. The West is now 8-5-7 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CLB 1-1-0 PHI 1-1-0 NER 1-1-1 CHI 1-0-0 ORL 1-0-0 NYR 1-0-1 ATL 1-0-1 TOR 0-1-0 NYC 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-2 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-1 MIN 1-1-0 COR 1-0-0 LAX 1-0-0 RSL 1-0-0 POR 0-1-0 FCD 0-1-1 VAN 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-2 HOU 0-0-0 NSH 0-0-0 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-2 Week 5 fixtures: POR v. ORL
I've fixed my graphic of errors, attached below. Reminder that to expand the graphic and look at it in full size, simply click. If you removed Austin and its 2-0-0, 10-1 start, this is a very different table. With only 20 matches played we are still in early days, but that's got to be the fastest interconference start to 10 goals scored.
Week 5 results: POR 1-1 ORL The week is split. The West is now 8-6-7 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CLB 1-1-0 PHI 1-1-0 ORL 1-1-0 NER 1-1-1 CHI 1-0-0 NYR 1-0-1 ATL 1-0-1 TOR 0-1-0 NYC 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-2 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-1 MIN 1-1-0 COR 1-0-0 LAX 1-0-0 RSL 1-0-0 POR 0-2-0 FCD 0-1-1 VAN 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-2 HOU 0-0-0 NSH 0-0-0 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-2 Week 6 fixtures: CHI v. FCD CLB v. NSH ORL v. LAX MIA v. HOU
The East got absolutely eviscerated by the West this week. 0-1-3 at HOME; 11 dropped points. The East's home record of 5-2-7 means they have 1.21PPG at home, while the West has 1.55 home PPG. The East's home goal differential is a measly +1, which after 17 games is a bonus of 0.06 GD/G. By contrast, the West has a goal differential per game of 0.91. The West's away PPG is 1.35, which is better than anything the East has (away PPG = 1.00). With so many games left to play, it feels like I shouldn't call it for the West, but it's increasingly looking like I am gonna call it for the West early. Maybe in May.
Week 6 results: CHI 0-0 FCD CLB 0-1 NSH ORL 2-4 LAX MIA 1-3 HOU The West gets 3 wins and a draw to win the week. The West is now 11-7-7 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CHI 1-1-0 PHI 1-1-0 CLB 1-1-1 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-0-1 ATL 1-0-1 TOR 0-1-0 NYC 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-3 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAX 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-1 MIN 1-1-0 COR 1-0-0 RSL 1-0-0 HOU 1-0-0 NSH 1-0-0 POR 0-2-0 FCD 0-2-1 VAN 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-2 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-2 Week 7 fixtures: RSL v. TOR
Week 7 results: RSL 2-2 TOR The week is split with the single draw. The West is now 11-8-7 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CHI 1-1-0 PHI 1-1-0 CLB 1-1-1 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-0-1 ATL 1-0-1 TOR 0-2-0 NYC 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-0 MTL 0-0-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 MIA 0-0-3 WEST AUS 2-0-0 LAX 2-0-0 LAG 2-0-1 MIN 1-1-0 RSL 1-1-0 COR 1-0-0 HOU 1-0-0 NSH 1-0-0 POR 0-2-0 FCD 0-2-1 VAN 0-1-1 SJE 0-1-2 SEA 0-0-0 SKC 0-0-2 Week 8 fixtures: MTL v. VAN NYR v. FCD DCU v. AUS CHI v. LAG SEA v. MIA NYC v. RSL
Week 8 results: MTL 2-1 VAN NYR 0-0 FCD DCU 2-3 AUS CHI 0-0 LAG SEA 0-1 MIA NYC 6-0 RSL The East wins the week with 3 wins and 2 draws against 1 loss. The West is now 12-10-10 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CHI 1-2-0 PHI 1-1-0 CLB 1-1-1 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-1-1 NYC 1-1-1 MTL 1-0-0 ATL 1-0-1 MIA 1-0-3 TOR 0-2-0 CLT 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-1 DCU 0-0-1 WEST AUS 3-0-0 LAG 2-1-1 LAX 2-0-0 MIN 1-1-0 RSL 1-1-1 COR 1-0-0 HOU 1-0-0 NSH 1-0-0 FCD 0-3-1 POR 0-2-0 VAN 0-1-2 SJE 0-1-2 SEA 0-0-1 SKC 0-0-2 Week 9 fixtures: MIN v. CHI SKC v. CLB COR v. CLT CIN v. LAX
Apologies for the miss last week and delay this week -- traveling with family for Easter. The East's "catch-up" this week is mostly a mirage drawn from a pair of home victories and a road win. From 19 home games, the East has scratched out 1.32 PPG, while the West has 1.38 PPG fro 13 games. Away, the East has 0.92 PPG while the West has 1.47 PPG. That's right, we are eight weeks in and the best bet is still for a Western team to win while away at an Eastern opponent. In the tiebreaker count, the Austin and NYC wins have canceled each other out and the East is only two goals behind on goal differential. Due to the 6 home-game lead, I don't expect this to remain so close.
Week 9 results: MIN 3-0 CHI SKC 0-0 CLB COR 0-0 CLT CIN 1-2 LAX The West wins the week with two wins and two draws. The West is now 14-12-10 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST CHI 1-2-1 CLB 1-2-1 PHI 1-1-0 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-1-1 NYC 1-1-1 MTL 1-0-0 ATL 1-0-1 MIA 1-0-3 TOR 0-2-0 CLT 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-2 WEST AUS 3-0-0 LAX 3-0-0 MIN 2-1-0 LAG 2-1-1 COR 1-1-0 RSL 1-1-1 HOU 1-0-0 NSH 1-0-0 FCD 0-3-1 POR 0-2-0 VAN 0-1-2 SJE 0-1-2 SKC 0-1-2 SEA 0-0-1 Week 10 fixtures: NYC v. SJE NSH v. PHI
The West went 1-2-0 at home and 1-0-0 away this week, so they built on their advantages. As an aside, one of the things I am confused about this year -- most years, really -- is the distribution of East v West games. With a handful of exceptions (Minnesota, Colorado, Salt Lake), Western teams have pretty nice March/April weather. By contrast, only a few Eastern teams have decent March/April weather (Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando). So we'd expect the East to have fewer home games than the West by now, and for the teams in parentheses to have more/fewer games than their conference compatriots, on average. But not so! Just a small bit of the world I do not understand. Anyone want to enlighten me?
Week 10 results: NYC 3-0 SJE NSH 1-1 PHI The East wins the week with a win and a draw. The West is now 14-13-11 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST NYC 2-1-1 PHI 1-2-0 CHI 1-2-1 CLB 1-2-1 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 NYR 1-1-1 MTL 1-0-0 ATL 1-0-1 MIA 1-0-3 TOR 0-2-0 CLT 0-1-1 DCU 0-0-1 CIN 0-0-2 WEST AUS 3-0-0 LAX 3-0-0 MIN 2-1-0 LAG 2-1-1 COR 1-1-0 NSH 1-1-0 RSL 1-1-1 HOU 1-0-0 FCD 0-3-1 POR 0-2-0 VAN 0-1-2 SKC 0-1-2 SJE 0-1-3 SEA 0-0-1 Week 11 fixtures: NYR v. POR NYC v. SKC DCU v. HOU MIN v. CIN LAX v. PHI VAN v. TOR
East gets 3 of 3 at home, 1 of 3 on the road, still not enough. 38 matches in and the West has a sizeable advantage.
Week 11 results: NYR 1-1 POR NYC 0-0 SKC DCU 2-0 HOU MIN 0-1 CIN LAX 2-2 PHI VAN 1-0 TOR The East wins the week with 2 wins and 3 draws against 1 loss. The West is now 15-16-13 overall. Standings are W-T-L. Teams are ranked by Points Earned. EAST NYC 2-2-1 PHI 1-3-0 CHI 1-2-1 CLB 1-2-1 NYR 1-2-1 ORL 1-1-1 NER 1-1-1 MTL 1-0-0 ATL 1-0-1 DCU 1-0-1 CIN 1-0-2 MIA 1-0-3 TOR 0-2-1 CLT 0-1-1 WEST LAX 3-1-0 AUS 3-0-0 MIN 2-1-1 LAG 2-1-1 COR 1-1-0 NSH 1-1-0 RSL 1-1-1 VAN 1-1-2 HOU 1-0-1 FCD 0-3-1 POR 0-3-0 SKC 0-2-2 SJE 0-1-3 SEA 0-0-1 Week 12 fixtures: No games. Week 13 fixtures: NSH v. MTL CLB v. LAX NSH v. ATL MTL v. RSL CLT v. VAN AUS v. ORL POR v. PHI