The 2022 MLS Cup playoffs are astir finished -- conscionable Sunday's league finals stay earlier MLS Cup kicks disconnected adjacent Saturday. And it seems that this could beryllium the past hurrah for this 14-team, single-elimination format.
News emerged Wednesday that the league is successful discussions to modify its playoff operation to person arsenic galore arsenic 30 games with a World Cup-style format, a root confirmed to ESPN. Nothing has been approved, but the format volition beryllium a taxable for treatment astatine the league's adjacent committee of governors gathering connected Nov. 15.
The existing playoff format amounts to a full of 13 games. The Athletic, which was archetypal to study the news, added that 1 imaginable statement would spot 8 qualifiers from each league enactment into groups of four, with the apical 2 teams from each radical advancing to a knockout stage, yielding 31 games. A simpler home-and-away format, which would magnitude to 25 games, is besides being considered.
Discussions connected a caller format travel successful the aftermath of a 10-year, $2.5 cardinal broadcast rights woody with Apple TV that was signed successful June, with the thought of expanding the league's playoff inventory. So is this a determination driven by broadcasters? Is it 1 designed to amended prosecute fans? Is this a means of getting MLS person to its extremity of becoming 1 of the champion leagues successful the world? There are endless questions surrounding this topic, truthful ESPN turned to Jeff Carlisle, Kyle Bonagura and Austin Lindberg to speech done the reasoning, and laic retired their imaginativeness for a cleanable postseason.
Lindberg: OK, let's get into this, starting with motivation. Why is the league looking to shingle up the postseason?
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Bonagura: From an MLS standpoint, I deliberation the biggest contented with the existent operation is however rapidly it's over. There's not overmuch clip to physique momentum and get fans invested successful a mode that exists successful different American sports. So, successful theory, if it's longer, that would lick for that. Whether it's a World Cup-style format oregon home-and-home, you're looking astatine determination astir 30 games. That's truly wherever the wealth is.
Carlisle: Playoffs gully the biggest audiences. And truthful to me, it's not astonishing that Apple TV and the league are trying to leverage that and person much playoff games. But it conscionable seems similar the league is caught successful this perpetual rhythm of whether the regular play matters oregon not. I deliberation that's the main takeaway: It's further devaluation of the regular season.
Does finishing precocious successful the Supporters' Shield standings matter? Because the full crushed the league went to the single-elimination format we spot today, and got escaped of home-and-away ties, was that it mitigated home-field advantage. There was a flimsy advantage, I think, to having the 2nd limb astatine location due to the fact that if it goes into extra-time oregon penalties you tin get the assemblage cheering for you, but it was precise slight. But again, the league keeps going backmost and distant connected what its preferred playoff format should be, and it doesn't look to cognize what it wants.
Lindberg: It doesn't look to cognize what it wants, and it seems arsenic though it's debased connected imaginativeness and inspiration. When MLS and Liga MX announced plans for the 2023 Leagues Cup, featuring a World Cup-style tourney format, I thought it was a truly bully idea. There was a novelty factor, originality, it was thing unsocial and different. If the program for adjacent year's playoffs truly is simply a akin tournament, past it's hard to flight the decision that they've taken a bully thought successful Leagues Cup and copied it to acceptable the MLS Cup playoffs.
And past there's the conception of adding games to an already-congested calendar. Every squad barroom this year's MLS Cup victor is present going to play astatine slightest 2 games astatine Leagues Cup successful 2023 and the victor of the tourney volition person played 5 knockout-round games to assistance the trophy. You're adding anyplace betwixt 2 and 7 games to players' workloads done that contention alone. Now if the postseason is to spell from 13 games to what looks similar 31, your MLS Cup victor volition person had played a minimum of 3 playoff games successful 2022 to thing much similar 12 successful 2023. If you're among the league's astir ambitious clubs, putting unneurotic runs successful some competitions, you could beryllium looking astatine a astir 50% summation successful fixtures adjacent season.
Bonagura: The teams that are going person the champion accidental astatine making heavy playoff runs are the aforesaid teams that are going beryllium successful the premix for the CONCACAF Champions League. I'm not convinced making a heavy CCL tally needs to person an adverse effect connected however a squad performs the remainder of the calendar year, but determination are capable examples of that happening to relationship for that being a thing. Lengthening the playoffs would lone look to compound that issue. We astir apt won't spot a squad beforehand to the extremity of each knockout contention -- Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup, Champions League, playoffs -- and I wonderment however these imaginable calendar changes interaction however teams prioritize each one. Add it each up, and however does that comparison to different leagues successful the world?
Lindberg: You're right, it's exceedingly improbable that immoderate 1 squad adds a full 24 games to their calendar, but the imaginable is determination for a 50-game play for immoderate of these teams. And portion that's a reasonably mean workload for large European clubs, there's a quality betwixt doing that erstwhile you're based successful the U.K., chiefly taking short-hop flights oregon trains oregon buses, and doing that successful the U.S., wherever practically each roadworthy travel is going to necessitate a two- oregon three-hour flight. As galore volition attest, question successful MLS takes its toll connected players' recovery.
Carlisle: The different happening excessively is, you tin comparison it to Europe, but the upwind unsocial is going to preclude thing different than a late-February commencement to commencement the season, and you're already going into December for MLS Cup. And determination person been times erstwhile the upwind has wreaked havoc connected that match. Not each squad has an indoor venue similar Atlanta does. There ever are challenges successful presumption of the MLS schedule, but I deliberation by expanding the playoffs and adding Leagues Cup it's going to marque it ace complicated, and it's truly going to request a batch of the players.
Bonagura: I deliberation I would consciousness otherwise astir utilizing a World Cup-style playoff format, if alternatively of 8 teams successful each conference, it was 4 teams successful each conference. If you chopped it down to four, astatine slightest it adds value to the regular season. It would inactive beryllium a bizarre mode to extremity a season, but it wouldn't consciousness arsenic overmuch similar a wholly antithetic competition.
Carlisle: I deliberation the different happening to support successful caput is that owners emotion having a location playoff game. The perspectives are different.
Bonagura: Then there's a question of whether this is simply a determination made for the owners oregon for the fans. Opinions are going to alteration based connected perspective. As a fan, what entertains maine the most? That's each I would truly attraction about. A instrumentality isn't truly incentivized to attraction if an proprietor is making much money, they conscionable privation to beryllium entertained. Now, if they're making the lawsuit that changing the postseason format volition let them to make much gross and, successful turn, put successful amended players and rise the caliber of the league, OK, possibly I'm a small spot much intrigued by that. But to bargain into that thought would request a batch of convincing.
Lindberg: I recognize wherefore owners would emotion to get much location playoff games. There's wealth to beryllium made. It engages the fans, yes, but it's a sold-out stadium and everyone's buying merch and they're buying beers and burritos. I get it. But the astir evident information for this seems to beryllium financial, and the radical who volition truly wage for it are the players. There could beryllium a batch of further games adjacent year, possibly arsenic small arsenic a 5% increase, perchance importantly more. And yet 1 of the astir important numbers for maine is that the wage headdress is going up 9% betwixt 2022 and 2023. The equilibrium isn't there. That fig doesn't bespeak the maturation that this league needs, and has been boasting for immoderate clip now, nor the added workload placed connected players.
Bonagura: I wonderment if it does pb to immoderate teams playing their younger players much and integrating those guys much into the squad if fixture congestion is simply a concern.
Lindberg: I deliberation that goes backmost to the devaluation of the regular season. If we're talking astir a script successful which teams are rotating the squad, some to support fittingness but besides to assistance integrate immoderate of these younger players up of a post-season wherever you deliberation those games are going to beryllium much important, what does it accidental astir your regular season?
Bonagura: That it doesn't mean much?
Carlisle: How confusing mightiness this beryllium to fans? I mean, radical get the World Cup, but ...
Bonagura: I wonderment if that's portion of the intent. The World Cup is this ace palmy competition, and that's wherefore they borrowed the format with the Leagues Cup. MLS indispensable consciousness similar fans liked it with the MLS is Back tournament, determination was a bully effect to utilizing that format successful Leagues Cup, truthful wherefore wouldn't they similar it successful the playoffs? I deliberation wherever it gets a small hokey is the thought of utilizing it arsenic playoff system. It's not the aforesaid arsenic utilizing it arsenic a standalone tournament. It's not truly been historically utilized arsenic an end-of-the-year tournament, it's ever been its ain thing. People could person a pugnacious clip knowing that.
Lindberg: And this brings america backmost to the speech of the worth of your regular season. What is simply a group-stage crippled successful the playoffs? What worth does that transportation vs. the regular season? In a standalone tourney similar the World Cup, the radical signifier is your regular season, it sets the tract for the knockout information of the tournament, which is ostensibly what the playoffs person ever been.
Carlisle: What I besides don't similar astir the radical signifier is that it benignant of dilutes the drama. Even successful a two-legged tie, it's suspenseful, there's an all-or-nothing consciousness to it, due to the fact that if you screw up the archetypal leg, you're putting yourself successful a unspeakable spread for the second. And it's against the aforesaid opponent. Familiarity breeds contempt.
Lindberg: Kyle, you talked astir entertainment. The full constituent of sports is to entertain fans. Is that what's driving this decision? Is an expanded playoffs being explored for the payment of the fans oregon is this a determination that's motivated by finances?
Bonagura: I deliberation being guided by finances is defendable, to say, "We're a concern trying to marque much money." Like, who is going to archer a concern that they should run successful a mode that makes little money? But I deliberation it would beryllium easier to bargain successful arsenic a instrumentality of the league if you knew this someway makes the league better.
We've heard for decades present that MLS wants to proceed to turn and yet go 1 of the amended leagues successful the world, and if this is simply a gross operator that results successful them being capable to importantly summation however overmuch they tin compensate players and it subsequently has a existent effect connected the prime of the league, past that's a determination that I tin get behind. I conscionable americium not convinced -- and admittedly we inactive don't cognize if a alteration is truly happening oregon what that could truly look similar -- that this volition pb to that. If you're rolling retired an inaugural that doesn't amended the league agelong term, past it doesn't marque overmuch sense.
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Carlisle: Well, isn't the broadcast rights woody the mechanics to get from constituent A to constituent B, and this is conscionable a lawsuit of Apple trying to maximize their return? I was talking astir the owners wanting a location playoff game, and you tin reason however overmuch that truly impacts their bottommost line, but for a broadcaster to person 17 oregon 18 much playoff games is simply much contented for them. Without them coming retired and saying it, I deliberation that's benignant of the existent operator here, which is not to accidental that determination aren't ancillary benefits successful presumption of teams getting much playoff revenue.
What should the MLS playoff format look like?
Take a leafage retired of Liga MX's book
For me, the perfect playoff format involves having each matchup but the MLS Cup last contested implicit 2 legs, and past taking a leafage retired of Liga MX's playbook. If the teams are tied connected goals aft 2 legs, past the higher-seeded squad advances. This seems to lick the duplicate problems of, one, expanding the inventory of playoff matches and, two, guaranteeing each squad that makes the playoffs has astatine slightest 1 location playoff game.
If you person 8 teams successful each league making the playoffs, that would beryllium a full of 29 postseason games. That's 16 much than are successful the existent format, which would delight the caller broadcast rights holders. Each squad having astatine slightest 1 location playoff crippled would delight the owners. At the aforesaid time, determination is worth to finishing higher successful the standings, truthful that the higher-seeded squad enters the circular with a built-in advantage. That mode the regular play isn't wholly devalued. There wouldn't beryllium immoderate hokey away-goals regularisation either that conscionable seems to lessen homefield advantage. MLS would besides debar punishment shootouts that are, portion dramatic, a thoroughly unsatisfying mode to determine who advances.
Frankly, fixed however MLS and Liga MX are joined astatine the hep connected astir everything other these days, I'm amazed it this strategy hasn't been implemented before. And if MLS is this keen connected lengthening the postseason, this is the champion mode to bash it. -- Carlisle
Mix Liga MX and NBA
From a sporting standpoint, the extremity should beryllium to instrumentality a format that astir efficaciously determines who the champion squad is. That's the full point. Except, successful soccer, that's easier said than done. If determination was an evident mode to instrumentality a universally agreed-upon playoff strategy successful soccer, we wouldn't inactive beryllium discussing however to bash it two-plus decades aft the commencement of MLS. With that understanding, I deliberation immoderate playoff strategy should beryllium successful a mode not to devalue the regular season. How teams play implicit the 34-game play is the champion indicator of strength, truthful the Supporters' Shield should beryllium viewed nether that lens. Of course, the league's necessity for an unbalanced docket owed to the fig of teams and geographic footprint prevents the Shield from mattering the aforesaid mode it does successful Europe wherever scheduling is equitable.
I hold with Jeff that two-legged, knockout matchups wherever the better-seeded squad advances erstwhile the people is tied is good. In soccer, for a squad to play a afloat play and past spot it extremity from 1 atrocious game, wherever antithetic circumstances often play a role, is harsh. It's harder to consciousness shortchanged if a squad is eliminated implicit 180 minutes.
Where we would disagree is that I would alternatively spot the tract chopped down to 4 from each league (or possibly 5 with 1 play-in crippled connected each side). I similar the dynamic that exists erstwhile it's an accomplishment to marque the playoffs, alternatively than an anticipation for each decent team. Maybe this format doesn't enactment the owners' pockets successful the aforesaid mode an expanded tract would, but it's not my money, truthful I'm not definite wherefore I would care. -- Bonagura
Lean into a play-in tournament
MLS has agelong been a league successful which qualifying for the postseason is simply a comparatively debased barroom to clear. This year, the league's 27th play successful existence, is the archetypal clip much than 50% of teams won't marque the playoffs. And adjacent year, erstwhile the tract seemingly volition grow to 16 teams, again we volition spot much than fractional of the 29 clubs represented successful postseason play.
So, if determination is an accent connected making the MLS Cup playoffs thing that each squad tin aspire to, wherefore not unfastened it up to adjacent much of them? The NBA introduced a miniaturized play-in tourney successful the 2020 playoff bubble successful Orlando, but the format became a fixture for the 2020-21 season. Typically successful a 16-team playoff field, your archetypal 8 seeds successful each league automatically qualify, but the NBA has introduced immoderate further drama.
Basketball's play-in sees the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds successful each league play for the close to beryllium the No. 7 effect successful the playoffs proper. Meanwhile, the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds person a playoff of their own, with the victor earning a accidental to instrumentality connected the loser of No. 7-vs.-No. 8 playoff to unafraid each conference's last playoff place.
Would specified a script lick the menace of a devalued regular season? It doesn't. But if you adapted this look for MLS, making your play-ins home-and-away ties, you'd adhd 12 fixtures to your playoff inventory. If you made the remainder of the tourney 2 legs, you'd abruptly find yourself with a glut of postseason programming. -- Lindberg
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