MLS as is could just split into 4 divisions: West 1. Los Angeles FC 2. LA Galaxy 3. San Jose Earthquakes 4. Portland Timbers 5. Seattle Sounders 6. Vancouver Whitecaps 7. Sacramento Republic slot (8. ???Las Vegas, Phoenix or San Diego???) North 1. Colorado Rapids 2. Real Salt Lake 3. Sporting Kansas City 4. St Louis City 5. Minnesota United 6. Chicago Fire 7. Columbus Crew 8. FC Cincinnati South 1. Austin FC 2. FC Dallas 3. Houston Dynamo 4. Atlanta United 5. Charlotte FC 6. Nashville SC 7. Inter Miami 8. Orlando City SC East 1. DC United 2. Philadelphia Union 3. New England Revolution 4. New York City FC 5. New York Red Bulls 6. CF Montreal 7. Toronto FC (8. ???)
Think it would be interesting to try a similar method of promotion/relegation that is used in the National League. As you may know below the PL, Championship, League One, and League Two is the National League. And below that you have National League North and National League South. Each year two teams are promoted from NL North and NL South. In the US it may look something like this: MLS (2 or 4 teams relegated) MLS/USL Championship West (1 or 2 teams promoted) MLS/USL Championship East (1 or 2 teams promoted) Just a thought. Think with how large the US is geographically, this could be beneficial.
I’m not a pro/rel fan, but I’m not as antagonistic against it as others. Nonetheless, let’s just play along... Before, pro/rel what needs to happen: +There needs to be at least well established 38 clubs that absolutely can withstand relegation. Ideally, there needs to be more but there cannot be less. +Across the board, from the proposed 1st and 2nd division, there needs to be the 1st division standards of stadium, attendance, player acquisition, academy and reserves, marketing, and media rights. +Temperament of the fans would still find excitement in the second division. ~ there still needs to be a yearly first division-esque prize to play for. I still believe we’re a ways away from achieving this. In the mean time, promotion and stabilization of USL-C is key. Now, I believe pro/rel between USL-C and USL-1 are not that far away because the gulf between these factors discussed is not that wide.
League One is still a bit small for my liking, but eventually there could be pro/rel there. As much as I love pro/rel in other systems throughout the world, I don't want to rush into it here. Above all else, I want to see League One grown and stablized (not that it's been too unstable, but things can happen). ETA: Oh, and to bring it back to MLS, aspire toward a simpler, less restrictive payroll. I know everybody watches the UEFA CL, but we're in CONCACAF and still having trouble with the Mexican clubs.
My bad. Still half asleep and saw Premier/Championship so assumed that you were proposing some sort of promotion/relegation system with all of those teams. I am not one of those people that are dead set on pro/rel. Just a thought exercise. Agree with all of your points about what needs to be accomplished prior to adopting such a system. However, it would sure be nice to come up with a way to incentivize those few teams that seem to be in the running for the wooden spoon trophy each year.
Having one team from each region going up makes sense. However there's no guarantee that the two teams going down are from the same region.
Yes, I was wondering how that might work out in the NL. Got this from Wiki: "Clubs relegated from the national division are not always geographically balanced. Thus, should it be deemed necessary, the NLS Committee may order one or more clubs from northern counties bordering the south and vice versa or from South Wales in the sixth tier to switch divisions (to move "horizontally" between the leagues, so to speak) so as to maintain numerical balance between North and South." Sounds like a potential headache in the US.
How are Vegas Phoenix San Diego, hell even Indianapolis or Tampa bay not making any noise that they want to be team 30? Sacramento should feel very fortunate about that
Guessing Covid. Nobody wants to make big commitments or plans until we see how Covid shakes out and what the economy is like in a post Covid World.
Thats fair, but theres one that rises above all of that that has so much money that its not an issue even in a COVID world, and its the one thats stayed silent for pretty much the better part of a decade now: Phoenix. Phoenix has enough money to build a stadium right here, right now. Phoenix is effectively the textbook definition of "sprawl", they could trip over an ideal location to put a rhetorical stadium. Building a stadium and paying the expansion fee would be a pittance to them, but they dont do it. Something is clearly up there.....
Something to do with lack of proximity to downtown and the dependency on cars? Not that I imagine that's a problem in Phoenix as it's too hot to walk anywhere. The first sign that they are getting close to an expansion slot will be a rebrand to Phoenix FC.
On Wednesday evening it was 100 degrees at kickoff in Phoenix and 98 degrees at kickoff in Vegas. But they can do wonders with stadium design to create breezes.
yup, I still remember being stuck in a Hyatt in Scottsdale without air conditioning and it was 102 at night. I was absolutely livid that day. Got absolutely no sleep.
I was floored even in Kansas City. I stepped off an airplane in mid October last year, walked outside, and was like WTF IS THIS?! It was 92 out and morbid. Thats the stuff of my nightmares.
Sadly, I bet that would be the case, even though Phoenix Rising is one of the coolest names in MLS/USL.
People that have never experienced a Midwestern summer don't know. I used to spend most of my summer in SW Arkansas and its high temps were much more bearable than those here. One summer it was 95-100 for a week here and then I took a trip to Houston where the temps were the same. For some reason though, their humidity was much bearable than ours.
My theory is that Phoenix is waiting on the Dbacks to get a new stadium then take over Chase Field and renovate it for soccer.
Well I live in the Tampa area and it comes down to the Rowdies are owned by the Rays ownership. The Rays are trying to leave town so don't hold your breath on them bidding for MLS anytime soon
precisely, and well, its still crickets. Crickets all around. Closest thing we have heard about anything is a possible ground share at San Diego, but thats not really anything