I just thought up a new way to go about playoffs in MLS, although it's implementation will obviously not be likely in the next few years. What if... The MLS champion was determined by season finish, and the Superliga replaced both the mexican Apertura Liguilla and the MLS Cup Playoffs. Here are the benefits I can foresee. 1. It will serve to make superliga more of an important tourney. 2. It would do a better job of helping Mexican teams market themselves in the USA than the current form of superliga. 2. It would make the schedule less crowded. 3. It would attract more media attention than the MLS cup, and the superliga. 4. Depending on how many teams each country sends, it could serve to make our regular season more meaningful. I'm pondering 4 or 6 teams from each country, and 8 when MLS expands some more. I'd appreciate it if the debate is centered on the viability of this idea, not the probability of it becoming a reality. I realize it's not likely for the league officials to implement this plan in the next (at least) 10 years.
What meaning would the SuperLiga have then? Remember teams not in the race for first-overall are going to have nothing to play for except a SuperLiga birth, so the tournament better have a lot of meaning.
The superliga would be disbanded so there's not much meaning to be had. , and the new tournament would be played in the november timeframe to replace the playoffs. There would be the same breakdown of things to play for. 8, 6, or 4 for the American, Mexican playoff. 4 teams go to the champions league. The thing I like most about this setup is that it creates an American/National league kind of cooperation between mexico and MLS. It would further soccer in this country by doing a better job of converting FMF fans to MLS and it would make more money for MLS.
If I'm understanding you correctly, there would be a Mexican play-down and USA-playdown to create a FMF club v MLS team final. It's precisely what we have now, except its regarded as 2 separate tournaments and we don't have the FMF v MLS final. But what meaning would this final have anyway? Nah, I don't like it. Let MLS and FMF playoff winners meet in the CONCACAF Champions Cup like it is now and where something is at stake.
Doesn't make sense and there's no point. The MLS and Mexican are separate leagues and the SuperLiga is made as a competition between the two, not a championship of all MLS and Mexican teams. The only change that should be made is for a NFL format with only 6 teams to make it harder to get into the playoffs and give the East and West champions time to rest.