WITHOUT GETTING RID OF MLS CUP, how can MLS make the reg. season more important?

Why should any fan care about who won the Supporters' Shield?

Supporters' Shield = Presidents Trophy

 

i give a *#*#*#*# about the supporters' shield and i'm glad the fire give a *#*#*#*# about it

we *#*#*#*#ing earned it instead of coasting into the postseason like the quackers

you don't like it... too *#*#*#*#ing bad


as for what should be done... cash incentives... in line like this:

first place $256x (or equal to award for mls cup winner)
second place $128x
3 $64x
4 $32x
5 $16x
6 $8x
7 $4x
8 $2x
9 $1x
10 $0x

(x obviously represents whatever number they choose to use)

do the same with the playoffs... those in get money, and more for each round... those who don't make it get no money

of even just award the top half of regular season teams, with increasing amounts (similar awards for post season)

most teams will be within striking distance late in the season.

 

I think you can work three trophies in just fine. MLS parity rules make it so that almost any team can beat any other team on a given day. This sure helped to keep Galaxy fans interested the whole way this year. In a similar fashion, if you have three trophies (U.S. Open Cup, Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup) that could mean three teams have something to show for their various levels of success, regardless of which is more important. If those three get spread around, it means more banners in each stadium, and more teams that can claim some historical success through the years. If the three trophies are eventually sorted into a hierarchy of prestige by perception, that's still fine, because at some point in the season, one or two of those trophies will be the only realistic goals for many teams, so there's still something to win. Like last season when Real Madrid did not win the European Cup, La Liga became the most important thing in the world.

 

I think this is where the rubber meets the road-we have to keep in mind a system that will conform w/expansion.

Having said that, if expansion plans go sour and we are stuck with a 10 team league for the next 3-4 years, than I would adapt an idea that Steve Hirdt had for the MLB wildcard.

You go to six teams: division champs get a bye; the other four play a single-game elimination match for a place in the semis. The semis would revert to the home-away aggregate. Teams will fight hard to avoid the risk of a one game playoff. And considering the parity in the league, it should make for exciting play down the stretch and keep a decent level of interest in the outcome of the regular season.

Other than that, I think Ben's point is pretty much the case. We just have to deal with it until the league expands.

 

1. Go to a single table.
2. Hype the regular season title.
3. Rename the Supporters' Shield. Dummest. Name. Ever.
4. Reduce the number of teams in the playoffs to four. Semi's should be home-home series using aggregate. MLS CUP can be 1 game at neutral site.
5. Expansion.

These are fairly simple things to do. Well, except for the expansion. That will come in time.

 

Expansion has to happen first...

then single table...home and home

Championship caliber money goes to Supporters Shield (just call it the League Champion or Regular Season Champion)

Top 8 teams in table qualify for single elimination MLS Cup (Best of the Best tourney) Championship caliber money goes to MLS Cup Winner...

US Open Cup stays the same, but hold the final the weekend after MLS Cup...

3 Domestic Champions a season, all 3 qualify for FC Champions Cup...if we get any spots for Libertadores then over time what the FANS have decided is more important we go by for qualification, this is OUR league...League Champion, MLS Cup Champion, US Open Cup Champion, what is more important?

Playing every team twice once home, once away, having the best record?

Winning a best of the best single elimination tourney, the Super Bowl of MLS?

Surviving a single elimination season long competition crowning the Champion of the US?

i don't have the answer, but i don't see why every week when this topic comes up everyone else needs to call eachother idiots, eurosnobs, etc, when the simple solution is keep everything the same except make the regular season important by going single table and naming the top team the Regular Season Champions, emphasis on Champions....why is it a problem to have 3 domestic titles, obviously the US Open Cup is probably the least desired but its still a title, under this new format I don't know if teams/its fans would rather win the Regular Season or a Post-Season title...(Post season, meaning after the season, it truly is a seperate thing, not what some people want to belive that the season is just one long thing and the playoffs are the same as the regular season)

 

To me, the US Open Cup winner is the #1 team in the United States.

 

Then that proves my point even more...

WE CAN HAVE THREE DOMESTIC CHAMPIONS!!!!

Some teams/fans prefer the US Open Cup

Some want the MLS Cup

Some want the League Championship (supporters shield)

Place like Chicago want all 3...

Treble?

 

Triple.

 

grabbed the wrong one. Meant to grab the President's.

The point is: prestige is what you make of it. Direct entry to the Champions Cup, or the pre-libatadores if we ever arrange something w/ commebol similar to Televise/MFL would go a long way to legitimizing the Supporter's shield. And ya know what? The supporter's shield winner was a direct entry into the Champions Cup. Who cares? Well, the same can be said for the MLS Cup in the grand scheme of things.

 

i've felt that until the league expands to about 14-16 teams that only the top 4 teams no matter what conference should make the playoffs. Have a two leg aggregate goal semifinal and the MLS Cup

 

Simple. You don't have to get rid of MLS Cup, just make it a separate tournament (that doesn't determine the league champion), like any country's league cup. You can still have the US Open Cup too. MLS Cup can still be billed as a big event, it can be important too, but if it's separate from the regular league season than the league season will have its own importance. England has Worthington and FA. Yeah one is more prestigious than the other, but even the Worth.Cup is still a trophy that can be won if the league campaign fails.

So there could be three title matches (MLS league championship--pitting the east and west conference "pennant" winners, MLS Cup--a separate tournament with group and knockout phase, and US Open Cup--the long standing traditional domestic knockout tournament. You can even have them lined up on TV in October one Saturday after another. One weekend US Open Cup final, next MLS Cup final, and then the biggest one of them all the MLS League Championship. You can call it October--Champions month in MLS soccer or something like that (like what October means to baseball, or March to CollegeBB).

This idea would be of course better down the road when (if) MLS has like 16-20 teams. Right now there aren't enough teams for a separate MLS Cup tourney to be any fun.

For right now, the best would be to reduce the playoffs to 4-6 teams.

 

I agree with everything except having a title game for the league. Just go straight single table. Two championship games (Open & MLS Cup) is plenty I think. Plus it helps keep the 3 fairly distinct, and thus easier to explain to the much desired casual fan.

Until then, I'd go with 6 in the playoffs, NFL style. 6 out of 10 is still rediculous, but 6 of 12 isn't any worse than the NBA or NHL and 6 of 14 is even better still. Once you hit 16 separate MLS Cup and expand it to 12 teams. That way the top teams can play for the title and a first round bye and the bottom teams play to make it at all. Can also then begin working on MLS2 and that pro/rel thing.

MLS Cup Final can be the week before the November FIFA international date.

 

Who's going to put up the money? It's not like MLS is swimming in profitability.

And even if you do find a way to fund it it, how's the money going to get split? Does Tony Frias deserve the same share as Adin Brown?

Think about the animosity that might cause on teams.

 

i really don't get the idea of wanting to have 8 playoff teams 'cause the league wants to stay "consistent". heck, they've changed before, they can change again. 99% of the people and fans (and i would bet the players and coaches and GMs) think it's a joke so why not NEXT YEAR change it to 4 or 6 (either/or), when we expand to 12 keep it at 6 or 8 (either/or) and so on and so on.

it's just so obviously a joke as it now stands that it really does take away from the league and the vast m ajority of people would agree with that.

 

Animosity for a team that wins a championship...

Star players get paid more, thats the difference, the team splits up the bonuses for the championship...you need a sponsor for it though or for all the owners to throw money in...

 

And if a company agrees to sponsor it all, they're going to want their name attached to the MLS Cup.

I just don't think that's a good idea at this point in the league's development -- if ever.

 

yes, sponsorship money would kill the league....i mean look at whats its done to The Winston, errr, i mean the Nextel Cup, they are going to lose all their fans...no one goes to the Rose Bowl game anymore since its presented by AT&T...moron, who cares if its the MLS Cup presented by Radioshak or whatever...

Tom, do you not watch Soccer Saturday since its presented by Radioshak? Certainly isn't good for the leagues development...

 

I'll second that emotion.

 

It does sound like some sort of athletic protective gear....maybe BIKE can sponsor it........

 

Yes, but it involves not letting you anywhere near an MLS boardroom...

You understand that the immediate goal of single entity MLS is to have all franchises in MLS roughly the same value and to have all of them be profitable, right?

Seriously: #1 has been done (KC in 2001 wore a patch on the shoulder). This the sole good idea you had. It should be continued everywhere - no idea why it wasn't 2. You find a charity, some money, and two teams willing to cut the pre-season short and I'm sure it will happen. As is MLS does schedules 2 Champions in the first TV game. 3. A bad idea not worth getting into. 4. Um, they do. If you don't get it, write your local editor. 5. MLS has done this enough. One more change back to formerly fantastic First-to-5 would be perfect. 6. Saying "pay for it" is a great idea. How about letting us know how? Do you cut everyone's contract to do it? Do you cut already short rosters? Do you raise ticket prices? Do you try to do something else that is either illegal, will hurt the game, or will backfire? The answer to all of the above is, NO.

"Eurrorific" is a synonym for "Craptastic" right? Don't confuse the art and backstory of individual EPL games with the pre-determined forced march meaninglessness of an entire EPL season. Euro seasons suck normally. Champions win and win again. Margins are large. Only 1-3 teams in every league have any chance. Little if any drama, and a race past March only if you're lucky. Relegation is the absolute bane of the sport.

 

Wow. I couldn't disagree more. Much of my interest in European soccer stems directly from the structure, which was so intriguingly different from, and to me far more interesting than, what I was used to here. I realize we're talking subjective opinions here and not cold hard facts, but I can't see how you can characterize European soccer as providing "little if any drama". In England alone there could be a thrillling 3-way title race, a Champions League spot available to any number of clubs who have never gotten that far, a wide open relegation battle, and the unparalleled drama that is the race for promotion to the EPL. For me that's more drama than I get out of any US sports league (and I follow many of them), and I don't even have a favorite EPL team that I follow! I don't think the attitude is "I see no drama therefore there isn't any" is exactly the proper attitude to take. Don't assume your opinions are are cold hard facts and as such should be integrated into the MLS business plan.

Sorry for the slightly off topic rant. And no lectures please. I am very aware that grafting the "European way" onto MLS will not work for the forseeable future.

 

MLS treats the Supporters' Shield appropriately: as a fans trophy that european transplants can hug but that gets zero marketing dollars.

You simply can't have two major trophies for the same competition. No league in any sport in any country does this. Sure, the Yankees can fly their AL championship banner and that's cool, but there is only one champion of baseball.

MLS wants a super-bowl of soccer and that's what we're going to get. Furthermore, they want fans of sucky teams to hang in there until the last couple of weeks. Therefore at least half the teams will have to make the playoffs.

I'd be ecstatic with 6 teams making it, with first round matches at the higher seeds while division winners get a bye. I suspect MLS wants 8 playoff teams, that's why I support a "bowling ladder" system to determine Cup finalists. Regular season games must maintain significance, or revenues will suffer.

 

The reason the EPL regular season is there are many things to play for: title, champions league spots, UEFA spots, and regulation. If there are 10 teams battling for 7 total champions league/UEFA Cups spots and say 5 teams battling for regulation, you get 15 teams out of 20 playing for something, but only 2 or three at the most playing for the title. Additionally, there are playoffs going on at the same time (Champtions Leauge...). It's a myth that Euro leagues are exclusivly single table, they have European Club competitions as their playoffs, and their regular season qualfies them for the playoffs. Many of the largest teams now would rather win the playoff trophy (Champions League) than win their domestic title (Regular season Champ).

In MLS, we don't have all that other stuff (we do have international club competitions, but they don't mean anything) to play for, so it would only be 2 or 3 teams out of 10 (or 12 or 14) playing for something if we went to a single table.