Regular season champ straight to final.

[SoccMan]

They should go with a single table, and play a balanced schedule. The top team should get a bye straight to the MLS Cup for finishing first . The second place team through to the ninth place team make the playoffs and play for a birth in the final versus the regular season champ. This system rewards the regular season first place team by giving them a place in the final. The way it stands now you can have a first place team eliminated in the first round. It would give the regular season more meaning, coming first overall would mean so much more .

[flatpicker]

In my dream world it would be...

- two single tables (East and West)
- Only 5 or 6 inter-league games a season.
- East and West crowns their champ at end of season.
- no playoffs (add 2 more games to the season)
- The two division champs square off for MLS Cup.
- Bragging rights to the division who wins cup (as in baseball's two league system)

[MrHawk]

1) Single Table
2) Last place teams gets relegated to USL, while first place USL team gets promoted
3) 2nd place USL team and 2nd last place MLS team in an aggregate playoff for promotion/relegation
4) Top team wins MLS Supporters Shield/Champions of MLS.

[flatpicker]

^ I think we need to stop pushing the relegation topic...

it ain't gonna happen in the near future... baby steps are needed...

[MrHawk]

I would prefer the relegation, it works in every other league

[flatpicker]

^ every non-North American league...

[Ladies Love Julius James]

Relegation would never work. Not with such a weak infrastructure here in North America for the sport. Barely drawing 6k for Playoff games down south.

[MrHawk]

well like FP said, baby steps.

Never said I wanted my relegation to be right now, but to consider it down the road if the MLS can become a successful top 4 type sport.

Keyword here is IF.

So removing the relegation idea, just having 1 single table is fine for me.

[Sonny Cheeba]

1 table is better than two. Balancing out two tables so it is fair is difficult without a bunch of interleague play anyways. it doesn't work out for the Jays too nicely in the AL east. I know the salary cap is in place, but that still doesn't mean that a team that finishes 3rd in 1 league isn't better than the 1st place team in the other.

[MrHawk]

I just remember that one year, when Carolina made the playoffs, simply cause they won that God awful SouthEast division.

They had less points than the Canadiens that year.

[flatpicker]

1 table is better than two. Balancing out two tables so it is fair is difficult without a bunch of interleague play anyways. it doesn't work out for the Jays too nicely in the AL east. I know the salary cap is in place, but that still doesn't mean that a team that finishes 3rd in 1 league isn't better than the 1st place team in the other.

I understand what you are saying...
But so what if the 3rd place team in East is better than the first place team in the West...
The fact is... at the end of the day, with a two table system, you are guaranteed to have the best team in MLS in the final.
Sure the Jays have it tough with teams like the Yankees spending so much on their roster.
But MLS salary cap is too low to have such an unequal balance in team skills.
Their are no teams in MLS spending double the amount on salaries as another team.

*edit* - I suppose a DP could put a teams salary much higher than another... but we know it's not always an advantage in that scenario.

[Sonny Cheeba]

the problem is, is that the more deserving team isn't given a chance. at least the playoffs do a good job of getting the better teams to the top.

the jays were just an example of what can happen when there are league divisions. even with a salary cap, you're still looking at perhaps a less exciting final by placing a less qualified team ahead of another. that is if it happens that way.

[GBV]

In my dream world it would be...

- two single tables (East and West)
- Only 5 or 6 inter-league games a season.
- East and West crowns their champ at end of season.
- no playoffs (add 2 more games to the season)
- The two division champs square off for MLS Cup.
- Bragging rights to the division who wins cup (as in baseball's two league system)

play the fricking final at the home of the top team. this predetermined-site shite is a JOKE. just leads to lame/indifferent crowds.

[flatpicker]

^ I'll go with that...

But one of the reasons I want to get rid of playoffs is because there seems to be little interest in them from fans.
Therefore, if fans don't know where the final is going to be until just before it happens, then you might not get a sellout crowd.
But that would be kinda surprising for a Cup match.


and to further my earlier points...
I like the idea of getting rid of playoffs and adding games to the season.
Others have said the same... due to season tickets and plenty of planning time, more fans will go to those extra two games then for playoff games.
It means more money for teams and the league.

[mighty_torontofc_2008]

They should go with a single table, and play a balanced schedule. The top team should get a bye straight to the MLS Cup for finishing first . The second place team through to the ninth place team make the playoffs and play for a birth in the final versus the regular season champ. This system rewards the regular season first place team by giving them a place in the final. The way it stands now you can have a first place team eliminated in the first round. It would give the regular season more meaning, coming first overall would mean so much more .

this single table topic has to go....its not good for MLS and luckly wont happen...No wau should a team go straight to the final, they must earn the right like everyone else.

[Carts]

The idea of the Supporters Shield winner going straight to the final is interesting - and has some very big "up sides" to it...

1. pure football fans have been calling for the regular season champion to mean something. In the North American sports world you'll never have a pro-league without playoffs - this does both, the reg season champs earn something huge (bye to the final) while the owners still get their playoffs for $$$ and TV...

2. Further to point one, another team makes the playoffs - and that makes owners and fans happy. Its where teams make their cash - having another squad in the post-season would be welcomed by the owners. Struggling teams can make a cinderella run, and maybe win over some on the fence fans with that...

3. Its different. The sport landscape of football (soccer to those here) is different than NBA, NHL, MLB etc etc etc - this gives it a distinct feel. This makes those end of regular season games mean something where in other sports it doesn't. Be honest, does anyone really care who wins the 'Presidents Trophy' in the NHL - no, but if it meant a bye to the final (I know different story but humour me) it'd be huge...

It seems like an off the wall idea at first - but thinking about it and looking deeper into it, it could work on a number of levels...

Carts...

[flatpicker]

2. Further to point one, another team makes the playoffs - and that makes owners and fans happy. Its where teams make their cash - having another squad in the post-season would be welcomed by the owners. Struggling teams can make a cinderella run, and maybe win over some on the fence fans with that...

Owners would make more money if they got rid of the playoffs and replaced them with 2 more games in the season.

We have seen that selling tickets in the MLS days before the game is to take place does not work well.

Two more games for each team during the season would mean more guaranteed attendance do to early planning and season ticket holders.