Welcome inter miami to mls playoff. Enjoy your supporter shield and record in points. And your MVP and coach of the year nomination .
If not for our final game loss to HOU we would now be guaranteed home games for the rest of the playoffs. Here’s hoping it doesn't matter. I can abide any scenario other than our season ending with a loss at LAFC.
Especially given the “best-of 3 with higher seed playing twice at home” format. This format greatly favors the higher seeds to advance to the second round. NEVER expected all three of those teams to be eliminated so quickly!
Good try Vancouver! Great, great job, Atlanta! Go Seattle! Go Galaxy (we still have to beat that pesky Minnesota team. Not a guarantee)
Got to look at it as an opportunity to inflict massive pain on them if we end up playing there for the right to host. A massive opportunity to create a new narrative in the rivalry and we 100% have the team capable of doing it.
After elimination Messi (in part sour grapes, part natural given his experience in Euro leagues) suggested the same playoff format I mentioned as a partial solution to the unbalanced schedule issue: the two conference champions play for the MLS Cup. Whenever the league's best regular season teams flame out early our playoff format (whatever it is that year) gets criticized. With some validity, since there is a lot of luck involved when you are deciding champions based on the results of just a few games. But playoffs have been the American way. Plus they have their own twisted charm and advantages. For example, games still matter to the very end for half the teams in our league. That also makes those late-season games marketable (= $$!). Contrast that to the top Euro leagues where 2/3rds of the teams have no chance from day one and often only one or two teams are still in contention in the final weeks of play. I don't see playoffs going away in MLS.
Agree it is also a chance to inflict maximum pain and dominance. But what does “playing there for right to host” mean?
Yes. Unless the final is Minnesota vs. Orlando, MLS Cup is gonna be hosted by the western conference team.
Yup, and since we play such an unbalanced schedule with the other conference, it's not even really fair to do that. Despite their points record this season, Miami got to skip a lot of really good teams in the west this year. For instance, of the remaining 4 teams in the western conf. playoffs, Miami only played 1 (LA Galaxy) this regular season. Other teams below them in the east had to play all 4 of those teams in their schedule....
But the main issue is that without promotion/relegation and all the other tournaments to play in, we gotta have playoffs so that teams have something to play for late in the season who aren't going to win the Shield....
By the way, why has the first round returned to the best-of-three format? The last I recall of best-of-three series was in the Rose Bowl, I'm surprised it's in use again.
All hypothetical of course but if we manage to beat Minnesota, which I think we will, I’m much less confident in our ability to beat LAFC at their building should we meet in the conference final. If we manage to win that, I think we take MLS cup given the current playoff situation.
This is the second season of this format. The main reason from MLS’ standpoint is creating more matches and ensuring all teams get at least one home game to sell. The format has grown on me.
Yeah, I honestly think the format isn't as much of an issue as having the end of the season and playoffs run through 2 international windows.
Plus it makes the regular season mean more since the higher seed gets the big advantage if two home games. The longer series also reduces the luck factor in the first round, current unexpected results notwithstanding.
I agree, the games were really exciting for the most part. I do have a problem with the automatic penalties after the draw though. I believe teams should play for points over the three games (3 for the win, 1 each for the tie), and if the points are tied after the third game, then you can go straight to the penalty shootout. This ensures the home field advantage, but if you are superior enough to win the first two games in a row, well then that mathematically ends it anyway so no third game necessary. What do you guys think?
I see your argument, you could be right. I watched a bunch of the games, though, and honestly 2 hours is enough, and the PK's were exciting.
Yeah no kidding. For me it's like seeing your dad date your mom's hated rival. It's like no dad. Just,....No!