MLS: we need away goals in the playoffs to count

Several posters on the playoffs pbp thread have already refuted the argument for the away goals rule. The current setup gives an advantage for the higher seeded team - just like it is supposed to.

 

I bet you Columbus can tell you the incentive to get a goal after going down in the last 5 minutes yesterday.

 

I don't see why the away goal rule doesn't just move the turtling from the away team to the home team. Right now it's to the away's team advantage to play defensively in the first leg. With away goals it's to the home team's advantage to play defensively in the first leg. Then there's the matter of destroying what little home field advantage there is. So maybe you kill this home and home format altogether, but as it is, I'm not a fan of the away goal rule, regardless of what other associations do.

Or maybe the better question is, why don't more MLS teams play attacking soccer (like Sea and Hou)? But if I recall that too is a thread that never dies too.

 

How many times have we heard criticism of the teams from the UK simply playing "anti-football" in the first leg of the cup ties when they have to go on the road? Just so they can go back to their place simply needing a win and not having to worry about goal differential or anything. The "away goals" system simply leads to mind-numbing first legs.

Just as someone else said, this system gives the advantage to the home team, the way it is supposed to. But also, its more likely to allow for better flowing soccer.

 

There will never be a perfect playoff system in MLS. It isn't like the NHL, who I believe is the most fair (every series is best of 7, every game must have a winner, no matter how many OT's) The NHL playoff is simply not practical in soccer. I was never a huge fan or oppenent of away goals rule, away goals is simply how I was brought up. But, was it fair what happend to Chelsea last year in the Champions League? Is the point of a home and home, to see who can score the most away goals, or the most goals total. It can be argued either way. The bottom line is, teams in league, will do, whatever it takes, to win. The way it should be.

 

Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea though, all though I would like that away goal rule to be in place, to make it more exciting, I feel as if Colombus was to score in the Real game 2 to 0 then the next game would be virtually impossible to win, or maybe Colombus would play more defensive football instead of attacking football...


Ok..Wait... maybe it is a good idea, the teams would obviously be more attacking in the away games, which should go for a more attacking style game. The away team wants to score while the home team wants to win at home..So yes!! i think it would be a great idea, as to the boring 0-0 game results... And every team trying to play defensive... I say add the rule for play-offs!!

 

Bingo.

 

The Perfesser also seems to imply that MLS tiebreakers are not used anywhere else, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

The best of three series format used in the early history of MLS (1) gave the higher seed a clear advantage, (2) did not encourage "turtling" and (3) ensured that every team that made the playoffs got a home game.

Discuss.

 

Soooo
An exciting hard fought 0-0 tie in Seattle.
1-0 win for RSL at Rio Tinto.
2-1 win for NE at home over Chicago.
2-2 tie for the Galaxy and Chivas in leg 1.

Did these games really warrant the outrage people were having?

 

Of course they did. DUH.

 

I think it was a great play-off weekend, i mean what did people expect?? explosions??

The ties were not bad, the seattle game was good there were some shots at the post and then the fight that amost broke out if you asked me the only thing missing was the rivalry feeling of people getting mad at one another, teams are suppose to hate the other...

Chivas L.a game was good 4 goals, even though some were defensive errors they will learn frm this..

And the tie game will bring out a true playoffs match next weekend...

 

Which does not work in the event all 3 games are tied at the end of 90 minutes, then what do you do, a shootout from 35 yards?

Discuss.

 

No game would end in tie. Either OT plus pk's would break the tie, or straight PK's.

All this "turtling" business people are talking about comes from the score of one game carrying into another.

Fortunately (as has been mentioned) with the possible exception of the RSL and Columbus game, most of the teams this week seem to have just gotten on with it rather than just try to kill off the first game. Nevertheless, anyone who has watched enough aggregate format soccer has seen plenty of teams simply try to kill off the first game.

 

Re: No no no no no no no

I agree.

In short:

1) Away goals rule is great for unseeded competitions like Champions League where the objective of the format should be to minimize home field advantage.

2) The away goals rule is a bad idea for a seeded competitions like MLS where one team should receive a home field advantage.

All that said, an aggregate format makes little sense to me in a seeded competition like MLS. If we must have an aggregate format, I prefer either what we got now or a format where if the aggregate score is tied the higher seed advances. These two formats both give the higher seed more of an advantage than would an away-goals aggregate format.

 

Not true, in Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertodores with the away goals rule, they don't try to kill off the first leg...

If you guys watch the play-offs in these competitions, you'll see how important and excitement it brings to a play-off series:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KclTZEh0SuI&feature=related"]YouTube - Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona gol de la clasificacion de voz del perro Bermudez[/ame]

Video is good but gets annoying after a while..lol

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK-6PQWSOu4&feature=related"]YouTube - Gol de Iniesta al Chelsea (Narració RAC1)[/ame]

had to put two of them so you can see the emotion and the excitement a game can bring with away goal rules implimented...

I still get goose bumps when I watch this....

I think this will solve the tie games in MLS play-offs, note in the second video the guy was grying because his team made it to the final...lol, I would too if it was my team

 

Horrible horrible example. You simply tried to mold a classic goal to fit your argument. First you talk about South American competitions then put clips of a UEFA Champions League match? Barcelona got to celebrate their massive match at Stamford Bridge, not at the Nou Camp.

If they drew the first match AT Chelsea and then Barcelona scored the winning goal at home in the second leg, you would have seen the same type of emotion simply because the Champions League is so prestigious in Europe. Except, they would have been going crazy in front of their own fans instead of in London.

 

Not practical. The season needs to end before Thanksgiving.

Current system is fine.

I don't understand the bitching here. These second legs are all going to be wonderful barn-burners, set up by the first leg. It is going to be the best games, and most compelling soccer of the year.

Knockout tournaments are tense, defensive affairs. I don't think that fact can be changed.

 

What you say here may very well be true, so I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just curious as to why MLS used to be able to accommodate a best of three playoff schedule (or that first to 5 format), but can no longer do so?

Several months ago the higher ups in MLS discussed the playoff format again, so there is still a feeling not only on BigSoccer, but apparently within the league as well that the current format does not give quite enough advantage to the higher seed.

I agree!

 

Unless you're a #2 playing a #3, then you've won nine out of the twelve series in the current format. Columbus played conservatively and it might cost them. Houston and Los Angeles did not and are in better shape, and even Chicago (who also didn't play that conservatively) are no worse off than the Crew...