There must be a collective sign of relief going on at MLS Headquarters in New York City today.
Hooray! Two of the top four seeds will make it to the MLS Cup! One will be from Boston and the other will be from either Los Angeles or Seattle! The Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan TV ratings bump!
*Pulls out one of Don Garber’s famous cigars and takes a light.*
Now this should be stated: the MLS Playoffs have been rather exciting. Whether it was the opening round playoff matches, Thierry Henry taking on the role of General Custer, or the rise of F.C. Dallas, it is a tournament that has shown how deep the league is and the quality that can be played. MLS Multiplex co-editor Jo-Ryan Salzaar did an excellent job at explaining what makes this tournament so great at the start of the playoffs and what makes it so unique in the football landscape.
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With all of that being said, it has been far from perfect. While play in some matches has been outstanding (F.C. Dallas-Vancouver and New England-New York Red Bulls) by and large it has left a lot to be desired. A lack of a cohesive schedule has left supporters and casual fans scrambling to find not only the time, but the channel for matches. Meanwhile the regular season is still compromised by a play-in game.
This may sound like a call for MLS adopt a more Euro-friendly single table and to abolish the MLS Playoffs altogether but it isn’t. Playoff systems are used all throughout the world whether it is in Central America, South America, Europe (the UEFA Champions League,) or in Asia. The idea of the playoffs where the best teams can be determined by playing one another head-to-head is something that is used all throughout the world so to say that the European model is correct is a bit short-sighted. This is a global game and different models and interpretations should be accepted.
No this is a call for fine tuning the MLS Playoffs. The playoff system is far from perfect, but it is certainly salvageable. So let’s take a look at how this system can be improved.
#1 Keep the playoff field fixed with 5 teams in the Eastern Conference and 5 teams in the Western Conference
As the league will be expanding to 24 teams over the next three years, one could see MLS owners looking to add to the number of playoff seeds. For a league that will already have their player resources stretched this seems like a bad idea. Although there might not be much of a difference in the level of play between a team like the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers, there certainly will be between a seasoned Seattle Sounders and an expansion Los Angeles City F.C.
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The league might also want to figure out how to ensure that the best ten teams make it to the MLS Playoffs every year. The league already tried this back in the mid-2000’s but was scuttled mostly due to the cost of travel. Given the state of the league this should no longer be a problem. The one potential problem would be the imbalanced schedule that MLS currently employs.
Even if the league does not take on the radical route of breaking down the Conference barriers, they should keep the playoff seeds fixed at 5. Above all else, the quality of play in the league should be preserved. With the talent level likely to take a hit with such rapid expansion in the next three years, the playoffs should be the place where only the best teams play.
#2 Make the opening round a home and home series.
Congratulations! You have made the Playoffs! Now get out!
There is nothing more anti-climatic than a play-in game. After 32 matches players and supporters of both teams should have the opportunity to play a home match in the playoffs.
Although the matches between Vancouver Whitecaps- F.C. Dallas and Sporting Kansas City-New York Red Bulls were quite good, imagine if there was a second leg between both. Not only would we have seen the first-ever playoff match in Canada but we would have also seen the defending MLS Cup Champions have one last crack at surviving in their home crowd.
While this would mean an extension of an already growing MLS schedule, it really would not be that big of an addition. Given all of the gaps in the league’s schedule and the growing calls to end the regular season all on one day, there should be some wiggle room in the schedule to make it happen.
Plus if you add an additional game it will give an advantage to the higher seed who will have either played two fewer games and will have other time to relax from the end of the season and the CONCACAF Champions League.
#3 Avoid Sundays at all cost,
Let’s make this clear: the NFL is the king of Sundays in the fall. So why is MLS scheduling their premier match, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders, against Sunday night football? Why was the second leg of the F.C. Dallas and the Sounders scheduled against Monday Night Football? Why have an MLS Cup at 330 pm on a Sunday when Friday or Saturday are available.
Part of this is unavoidable. According to MLS rules, the top-seeded team in each series gets to choose when they play their home and road matches. Since a team obviously does not know who they will be playing until the previous round has been decided, it is near impossible to figure out some parts of the schedule. There is also the television contracts to factor in and their interests on certain nights.
But MLS does release the dates of the playoff schedule well far ahead of when most teams have qualified so some planning can be done. Like for example, avoiding all Monday night and Sunday games where they will be competing against American football matches that will attract 24-25 million people.
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In 20 years, the MLS Playoffs have adapted, evolved, and changed into a product that is marketable, interesting, and at times can show the strengths of the league. But as the league enters their 20th season with additional teams being added, now is not the time to be satisfied. If the league can continue to fine tune its system then a model that benefits everyone can be created.