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MLS Cup at the sight of higher seeds? Could happen ...

Qwest Field in Seattle will be rompin' and stompin' Sunday. Could it be this way at MLS Cup more often ...?

Qwest Field in Seattle will be rompin' and stompin' Sunday. Could it be this way at MLS Cup more often ...?

How would everybody feel about an MLS Cup championship determined at the site of the highest seeded team involved?

Whispers around Seattle yesterday and today say things might be headed that way. For me, it sounds like the best idea since the stapler.

Logistically, it’s a real challenge for a lot of reasons most people don’t care about. Long story short, the days up to and around MLS Cup are heavy on sponsor schmoozing, and arranging all that pub and grub delight takes times. So, if the league has just a week to set things up, the schmooze and booze factor could be seriously watered down.

It’s also a challenge for media; as fewer are likely to travel it could slightly dilute coverage.  But the alternative is a somewhat sterile neutral site on many years.

Now, Seattle rocks as a championship site, as I’ve written all week. The town is engaged, as the Sounders and soccer long ago hugged it out and started a big ol’ bromance with the Emerald City.

Star-divide

But other years, well, not so much. Last year in L.A., for instance, Columbus and Red Bull played a nice match in front of a full house – but it just doesn’t have the big match energy when 80 percent of the crowd is neutral. They show up, they sit and watch, then they go eat Mexican food – and it all unfolds without much deeper involvement.

Deciding the title in the higher seed’s home would change all that. And it would provide even more incentive for teams to fight, fight, fight for those points in the regular season. It subtracts a little bit more steam from one of the enduring criticisms of MLS: that seven months of matches over a long regular season just doesn’t mean enough.

The league’s board of governors will continue meeting through the weekend, so keep an eye out for an announcement on this one.

Meanwhile, here's my piece on MLSnet.com about how much David Beckham and Landon Donovan are putting a little more sizzle on the grill when it comes to the MLS Cup final.

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Have 2 weeks between the conf finals and the cup?

by PeterJH on Nov 21, 2009 12:58 PM EST via mobile reply actions   0 recs

Good point

Other sports except the Super Bowl play at the teams location (yes usually a series). I think the season is way too long as it is, doesnt it start in April? There were was a time when RSL had 18 days between matches. How is that going to work with the league set to expand in the next few years with Portland and Vancouver?

by Jeremy Mauss on Nov 22, 2009 3:25 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

True
And it would provide even more incentive for teams to fight, fight, fight for those points in the regular season. It subtracts a little bit more steam from one of the enduring criticisms of MLS: that seven months of matches over a long regular season just doesn’t mean enough.

We surely need something to up the regular season ante in a league where over half the teams are making the playoffs. The more teams that get added to the league, the higher the stakes will be to make the playoffs, but for now, that would be another good incentive.

by Nico2.0 on Nov 22, 2009 6:29 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

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