New MLS Playoff Formats: Give It a Whack
by Cool Dudes on Nov 6, 2010 9:05 PM EDT
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I don't think many people are really in love with the current format (AKA it sucks) and the MLS is not only open to changes, but will be changing the format in the near future.
Here's my crack at it, feel free to critique and add your own schemes:
via 0.tqn.com
What about two groups of Round Robbin selected and seeded from top records from entire League?
Best and second best records get top seeds. Fourth and third second seed, etc. Could have 4 or 5 teams in each group. Five would give two on the road and two at home, best regular season records means you have first crack at choosing home games.
Top teams from each group play final.
Regular season record determines all tie breakers. If for some bizarre reason there is a tie on regular season record and round robin, teams shootout when they face one another in the event that a tie-breaker is necessary. This gives the playoff teams more home games and will iron out more fluky results by playing more games overall, increases gate revenue so its a viable option, and does not necessarily add more time (4 consecutive games now vs. 4 or 5 in this format).
That would give a World Cup feel and a traditional Final. The run up to the final would occur when a lot more fans were just supporting their teams the week before and all of the fans whose teams were eliminated haven't lost interest from being out of it for weeks. Add or experiment with a more innovative way to end a tie in the final than a shootout, and this sounds good to me.
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The easiest way to do this
Single table format. Get rid of these ridiculous American notions of conferences. Teams 1-8 play each other in a seeded playoff. 1vs8 2vs7 etc. Two leg aggregate first round and a single elimination semifinal followed by a final. Done.
OK, MLS Playoff with the bottom 8 EPL wins it
I’m on the phone with the EPL right now and see if we can make this happen.
Until I can convince the English to put their national pride on the line, I would like to see some sort of round Robbin go on to increase the chances the two best teams make it, even if we have to live with the MLS neutral site single game final decided by penalty kicks. At least I know there are four others in the world so inclined. And yes, I agree, the West and East split makes no sense when every team plays the other team the same amount of times, just make it one league until a point you can split it to an A and B league, or God help us, two actual regional Conferences where teams play intra conference games more often or semi-exclusively.
The EPL showdown would be a really cool tournament though wouldn’t it, and a really good yardstick for MLS. Of coarse I can’t see either league going for it, MLS wouldn’t want to go 0 for 8 and get embarrassed, and EPL and every English footy fan would be embarrassed if the EPL went 7 and 1, kind of a lose lose situation except for the fans of MLS, it would be great. Just to add on one twist to it and to make sure the English teams take it seriously, while the American side would win the MLS cup if they won, the English side would instantly be relegated if they didn’t win! That would be pretty damn exciting, I think I might be able to sell it!
Seriously?
A playoff with the bottom 8 EPL teams is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Neither leagues would go for it. Plus this format would serve no purpose for the EPL teams. Why would you play teams in a DIFFERENT league to determine who the best team in OUR league is?! That’s just moronic.
