MLS supporters value CCL over MLS Cup
It seems that supporters around the league share the same sentiments as the supporters on this forum regarding the importance of the CCL. In an online poll on MLSsoccer.com, the overwhelming majority consider the CCL Trophy to be more prestigious than the MLS Cup. Times are changing, and it's good to see.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/ccl/news/ar...ampions-league
Thank you for voting!
MLS Cup 29.46%
CONCACAF Champions League 70.54%
Okay. The supporters are in the know. Now the challenge is edumacating the casual fan.
It'll come with time.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
Excellent point & bang on...Originally Posted by Fort York Redcoat
Perhaps this poll, from the league itself, is the first step...
Start tying in the CCL with the MLS Cup marketing in the playoffs - simple wording in articles, promotion, and by commentators can do this (especially to the American audience)...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
CCL > Supporters Shield > MLS Cup
I think the big one is educating the casual fan that the Supporters Shield is greater than the MLS Cup.
I'm more invested that the casual fan, but for us, I don't find the Supporters Sheild greater than the MLS Cup...
Doesn't matter if I like it or not (I'd love a single table, league champion etc of course) - but the 'MLS Champion' is decided via playoffs... Until that changes, I put that higher...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
The playoffs would have more merit if it was something like a best of 5 or 7 format. But the fact that a team can be sub .500 and win the MLS Cup be crowned the champions of the MLS doesn't sit right.
Agreed. I'd go a step further in saying I prefer playoffs myself.
I still dream of a day with a single table and no playoffs, but I think I'll be waiting quite a while.
Its true - but in the end, its a tournament - if you qualify you have a chance to win it...
No different than any other tournament competition...
I'd love a single table and a champion crowned that way - its just right now, that's not the case...
I'd rather be MLS Champions - and to do that, you win the end of season MLS Cup Tournament (known to North America as 'The Playoffs')...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
For better or worse, I think the MLS playoff format is here to stay, as it's a staple of professional sports in the US and Canada.
^^ Agreed. Though the more teams they let into the playoffs the more it devalues the Cup and the season.
What absolutely has to change is the bloody 1-2-1-1 game format of the playoffs. Absolutely ridiculous.
2-2-2-1
1-1-1-1
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. At the very least, make the semis 2 leg. If they insist on making the new wildcard play in stage or whatever it's called, 1 game, fine. But just having the quarters 2 legs is so dumb.
I'm not against the playoffs though, it is what it is.
CCL > MLS > Supporter Shield ...especially since the Shield means nothing to a Canadian club since there's no CCL berth attached to it for us.
Agreed.
1. Ccl
2. Mls
3. Canadian Championship
4. Supporter Shield
If the league stays with two conferences...
I think I'd go 2-2-1-1...
The first two matchups are aggregate as they are qualification matches to play in a Final...
Qualification - 2-legs...
Qualification - 2-legs...
East or West Title Final - 1-leg...
MLS Cup Championship Final - 1-leg...
With both MLS Cup participants making the CCL (I think, maybe not the Canadian teams I don't know) they can put that importance into the East/West Final marketing...
"...Tonights winner will move on to the Champions League, and earn the right to fight for the MLS Cup next week in..." blah blah blah
That might help to show the importance of the CCL to the casuals...
Knowing 'winning their conference' has more value that just 'advancing' in the playoffs might make it mean more over time - in other North American sports, advancing in the playoffs is all that winning your conference does...
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
The only way I see MLS going to single table is when they finally acquire NASL and make it MLS 2 with promotion and relegation. Then at the end of the season the top 8 teams would be seeded to play 2 leg playoffs for the MLS Cup.
That would be the best of both worlds. With MLS and MLS 2 I think they would be able to bring in all these cities that are intersted in MLS. Keeping MLS at 20 teams. And all others in MLS 2.
That sounds decent too. I suppose I was too rigid in what it could be, but that works.
I guess what I was trying to say was you can't just throw 2 legs in the middle of a 1 game playoff chain!
You might be on to something there, but it gets hung up with a Canadian team not getting the berth any way but the NCC, which is wrong if you ask me.
If Honduras can earn 3 berths, Canada should have the right to earn 2. It would be rare as hell anyways.
True, but winning the MLS Cup also doesn't get us in the Champions League if we don't win the Voyageurs Cup.
QFT!!!.........unfortunately
"...Money wasn't tight, but it like, it wasn't right..."
Unfortunately, as is the case in UEFA, I believe the FIFA rankings impact the number of CCL slots allocated to an individual country. In global football terms, we're but a minnow.
I approve this message
That right there is some bullshit!
So if we qualify for WC2014 or maybe win GC2013 we can earn more CCL spots?
Even though there's a clear logic flaw, I'd still rate the MLS Cup over the NCC title simply because the NCC title is just a 4 game event right now.
Although I do love watching the Reds win that thing, again and again.
This argument has been had. Even football supporters here in NA won't agree on MLS cup vs SS but that's a debate to have after the CCL is considered bigger than MLS cup to each and all.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
Not sure where you got that from. There is absolutely no relationship between FIFA rankings and the number of UEFA CCL spots a country gets. The number of spots in UEFA CCL is a function of the UEFA Association coefficient - which is based only on performance of club teams in CCL and Europa league games. There's a good explanation at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_co...fficient.22.29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...%26_Statistics
even better one, shows how you get points etc...
Sorry, I confused the FIFA ranking with the UEFA ranking. Thanks for clarifying.
Here is an excellent breakdown regarding the Champions League berths per country in CONCACAF...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2...ampions_League
out with the PLAYOFFS.....and have the MLS cup as a League cup....throughout the season....and have the final at the end of the season....as most leagues in the world have..
well, i suppose people can keep asking, but MLS isn't going to be an European copycat anytime soon...
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
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