Should we have a two part final for MLS

Considering you're the one who said, "However, if the "Lamar Cup" is truly given its due, then MLS teams will stop sending their bench to play in those games, and will actually try to win it," I don't think Noah has to respond to anything. I think you do.

After you get back to work, of course.

 

I can speak from experience that home playoff games are extremely fun.

After they're eliminated, they don't play any more games, so don't have to worry about selling tickets to meaningless games.

 

Tongue-in-cheek, mon ami, tongue-in-cheek.

 

I was referring to the notion that teams are playing hard for that home advantege. I'm certain some do.

Hey, that's a good point!


What, no die hard movie fans want to identify my earlier quote? Everybody already has too much positive reputation? (I fully expect mine to plummet faster than MLS's current season attendance after this discussion, by the way. **Joking, aleaguer, joking!**)

 

I'm not going to neg-rep you just because I disagree with you. You make your points respectfully, don't foam at the mouth, and we agree to disagree. Most neg rep is saved for the criminally stupid or people just trying to give the stinkeye to the rest of the herd at the watering hole.

 

Cool! So, how 'bout some positive rep, then?

 

Don't get cocky.

 

the 2 legged final sounds good to me

but the biggest thing the MLS needs to do is drop the conference system, and put all the teams in the top flight in the same table. Perhaps they should wait until there are 16-18 teams in the top flight. the team with the best record is the MLS champion

then you have the OPEN CUP, which will be our Pokal/FA

 

Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

umm, lets see, because it ruins the ability to sell the event months in advance, causes a risk of a final round match in Colorado or KC, reduces the "big event" weeklong setup for the corporate stuff, and runs the risk of a blowout in the first game with a bunkerfest in the second... there. we can close the thread now

and no one in MLS cares about the open cup. It's like winning the NIT.

 

Ok this is my biggest pet peeve on these boards.

There are 2 parts to MLS. The operations part nad the logistics part. So often fans make operations suggestions without ever anaylizing the effects on the logistical part.

A home and away MLS cup final? Thats an operations change (changes to the game, product, ect). Logistically speaking what happens by making this change? MLS Cup is MLS's signiture event. They establish the site in advance to maximize their corporate pony show, book events, have their major meetings, etc. The only benefit of a 2 legged final is to give each team a home game. However the sites can't be determined until 1 week before the game takes place. MLS cannot market, and organize the event they way they want to on that short time frame. Logistically the proposed change causes massive logistical problems to MLS's goals for the Cup. I could go on but you get the idea.

Now i am not saying we shouldn't explore operational changes or brainstorm but we should at least think our suggestions through and ask all the questions..if i change X what effect will that have on Y instead of just saying i like X.

 

Or you can just watch European soccer, where it makes sense to do thing like that because of their history. I like having the 1-game final. I do NOT want to see our champion determined by who's at the top of the table. Boring. Mexico seems to be doing great w/out it, and we are turning into a better and better league as well.

I have no problem w/ the single table, but I do have a problem w/ people assuming the US should automatically do things like they do in the familiar European countries w/out respect for the American fan and the way the game has developed over here so far.

The thing I think we need the most is to have more MLS matches with good clubs from all over the place. This summer is a pretty good one for that--except for Dallas, as usual.

 

The media has to be encouraged to cover MLS games already. Getting TV crews and reporters to show up to two games with locations not decided until a week before would be difficult.

 

How is that boring? With a system like that, the most consistent team throughout the season (making them the BEST TEAM) is the league champion. If anything it INCREASES the value of every match played.

Trust me, im not a huge fan of Europe, but the way that have their football set up over there is pretty damn good. You're right, we shuoldnt AUTOMATICALLY do it the way europe does, and we havent, we've taken 10 years to work with different ideas. I'm just saying the next progression should be an experiment with their system

 

What is everybody's animosity toward the Open Cup?! I love the tournament. Screw the money and the dates of the games. MLS players should want to play the tournament to prove to America that they are, in fact, the best league in the United States. The Open Cup is where upsets happen and dreams come true. The LHUSOC has been around since 1911, I think, and should be treated as the top domestic cup in soccer since everybody has a chance to win it.

And by the way, who has more domestic cups? The MetroStars or the Rochester Raging Rhinos?

 

I totally agree with this, the final, for various reasons, should be a single event, though I'd really like to see the conference finals be two-legged just like the semifinals. (Even in the Champions League, the final is a single event in a pre-determined location that isn't necessarily the home stadium or even country of teams that have made it that far. It rotates to give everyone a chance to experience it, and it's mainly a big TV event.)

Now this I disagree with. While I agree that MLS wants to get the American mainstream to become fans, they're also learning that it really only works by educating people about the sport as it is and presenting it at its best, in a fairly traditional manner that true soccer fans recognize. And while there is nothing in the FIFA laws that says elimination tournaments need to be a home-and-away, aggregate goals format, it is a very common arrangement that makes a lot of sense, for MLS as it does elsewhere. It's not really true that all American sports have the same format, they each have their quirks that people get used to as they learn about them, as they will learn and get used to soccer's quirks.

 

I see your point on this, but I think it's also the least important part of my arguement. If any time is good for a two game knockout, it;s the second round rather than the first. The first round give absolutely no home field advantage. The single game gives teams late in the season a good push for the home field. I bring up the DC/Metros game from last year as an example.

 

Nice points. I just kind of wish either that the conference finals were double legged or the conference semifinals were single legged (either way is fine by me, they both have advantages and disadvantages). I can see why the MLS Cup final game is a single event, but I'm not sure why there's a change between quarterfinals and semifinals.

 

Best-of-seven series across two weeks to determine the championship.

There can be no argument against this idea.

 

MLS should have a split season too. Winner of 1st half playoffs gets to play winner of 2nd half playoffs for league Championship

 

Actually I'm kind of changing my mind on this: I don't really care one way or another whether the conference semis or finals are one or two legged. I just don't quite understand why the change occurs at that point. (I see why the MLS Cup final is a single game, though.) So I'd be just as happy to see all the playoff stages be single games, but I would kind of like to see the conference semis and conference finals played the same way, whichever it is.

 

final should be one game and one game only.

 

double agree. Why would anyone besides the most die hard fans want to watch the first game? Have it one game, winner take all.