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The New MLS Proposed Playoffs Doesn’t Make Sense

By Jaime Broitman

June 14, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) today announced that the Apple TV app will be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match beginning in 2023. L to R: MLS commissioner Don Garber, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Apple's senior vice president of Services Eddy Cue. Mandatory Credit: Apple Inc. via USA TODAY Sports
June 14, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) today announced that the Apple TV app will be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match beginning in 2023. L to R: MLS commissioner Don Garber, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Apple's senior vice president of Services Eddy Cue. Mandatory Credit: Apple Inc. via USA TODAY Sports /
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News broke on October 25th with The Athletic reporting that there would be major changes coming to the MLS Playoffs. Currently, there are fourteen teams (seven per conference) who have invitations to the single-elimination playoffs to determine the next MLS champion. However, the MLS is looking to revamp the entire structure to add two more teams and at the same time making the postseason to be a World Cup-esque tournament.

This increase in participants comes at the heels of adding the Leagues Cup to see any additional teams playing in the CONCACAF Champions League.

In 2023, there would be 29 teams competing and in the future, there would be many more who would compete in the League. Under the current number of teams including St. Louis City SC, the amount of teams that would make the playoffs would be a whopping 55%. A 5% increase from the previous format. This figure is even bigger than that of the NHL (50%), NFL (50%), and MLB (40%).

In soccer leagues that operate this kind of crowning in CONCACAF, the percentage of teams varies. For instance, in Mexico, the percentage of teams who make the postseason is 2/3 whereas in Central American countries the percentage varies from Guatemala’s is the same as that of Liga MX to Costa Rica’s which is 1/3.

The amount of teams making the playoffs isn’t the only problem, the major problem is the games played in a calendar year. In this Fútbol Americas clip, Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar discuss this problem. They brought up the problem that each year every MLS player plays at least 34 league games, at least one game in the US Open Cup. Then add the thirteen games played in the playoffs, and any national team games which could be another twelve, the number then balloons to 60 games per year. A new Leagues Cup format welcomes further matches for a potential 77. No team can play any domestic games within 48 hours of each other or 72 hours of international games or between domestic to international games. For example, Alajuelense out of Costa Rica will play LAFC on Thursday, March 9th, and then will play a domestic league game on Sunday, March 12th.

In Costa Rica, there’s a debate about the number of games being played currently. Prior to this Apertura tournament, the twelve teams in the top flight played 22 games in the regular season in all years except for the 2021 Apertura (COVID), and the 2022 Apertura (World Cup). Then the top four could play a maximum of six more games. Like many countries in Latin America, Costa Rica has two tournaments per year so, so the maximum number of games that any particular player could play domestically usually is 56. Then that number increases with both international club and also national team duty.

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