I was listening to World Soccer Weekly on Monday night and the host had a brilliant idea for a new playoff format. We all bitch and complain about the regular season meaning absolutely nothing right? His suggestion was to do this: #1 in regular season gets automatic berth into MLS Cup #2-5 in regular season play home-home series against each other to determine the other participant in the MLS Cup. The Cup will be hosted by the #1 regular season team. It's similar to the English 1st division playoff format and I personally think it's brilliant. No more neutral site finals with fans who don't care. The regular season means much, much more now as well. What do you think? www.lariotsquad.net
Seems like the #1 seed would have a three-week layoff between the end of the regular season and the MLS Cup game. I don't think that'd fly... My 2-cents: Use a double elimination playoff with a single game finals (no if-game). All games played at home of higher seed. If we want a neutral site final, so be it. Otherwise, the team advancing from the winners bracket hosts the final.
The one thing that I'd go along with is having MLS Cup played at the home of the finalist with the best record. The interest isn't there yet to have neutral sites for the game.
I don't think giving the #1 seed the automatic berth in the finals would go over very well. It would seem un-American. You want to make the regular season meaningful. Have the top 6 teams in the playoffs. The #3 takes on the #6 and the #4 vs. #5 in a 2 leg playoff. The winner of the 3-6 plays the 2 seed and the winner of the 4-5 against the #1. Another 2 leg playoff with the winner of those series playing in a single game final. There is few games. Dates are set for venues needed with no possible 3rd game. And a week to hype up the championship.
I like it, but it won't fly with the majority of American sports fans or with the league. What's I'd like to see are the top four teams play one another in a playoff format (home and home like it is now.) Seed one plays seed four, and two and three play one another (no East v. West thing.) What this would do is give more incentive to play harder during the regular season, and make teams fight to the very end. The question is: How could you make it more desirable for the number one seed? That is answered by the model you proposed Scoshee. However, as I stated, I just don't think it'll go over well with the public. Perhaps the number one seed could still get the final at home with a certain number of seats reserved for away fans. Either way, less teams in the playoffs means a more competitive season and hopefully, it would also give the Supporter's Shield more legitimacy.
Oh good, another thread on this topic. What I have noticed is that five people before me responded, and we got, basically, five different ideas of a playoff format for MLS. Let's see how the new playoff system works before we change it again. And when expansion rolls along, the regular season will be more and more meaningful. I fully anticipate that with expansion, the league will not add more teams to the playoffs. With 12 teams, the league kept 8 in the playoffs. If there were 16 teams and only 8 made the playoffs (50%)--would that make the regular season meaningful enough?
I doubt very much that the prospect of more playoff-game revenue will be possible for MLS to resist. With 16 teams, I'd bet 12 make the playoffs, depending on the league/conference structure.
Do teams even make money on the playoffs? I mean, attendance is pathetic during playoff time (since it's cold and people can't plan to attend a particular match with their family/local soccer club/etc. months in advance).
Why don't we just have all the teams participate in the playoffs....8 of the 10 already make it...it sems ridiculous.
The Answer: Six teams make the playoffs. The winners of each division get byes. 2 v 3 in each division play home-and-home aggregate-goals series. If the series is tied after two legs, the team with the better regular-season record advances. The division champs then play the winner of each series under the same rules as above. MLS Cup is played like it always has been. This system would work. * No possibility of PKs until the final. * Greater reward for good regular-season record. Division races would have more significance with the division winners getting a big advantage. * Possibility of dramatic playoff finishes: when a higher seeded team scores in stoppage time to even a two-legged series, they've suddenly transformed a loss into a win. * Fewer teams make the playoffs, but not so many fewer teams that most bottom-feeders will be playing out the string, which I suspect would be a problem if four or two teams made the playoffs.