2018 Schedule

[adam]

The games in question are Wednesday, September 5th vs. New England and Saturday, September 8th vs. DC.

The Mets come back home on Friday, September 7th for a series against Philadelphia, so Citi Field is out of the question for both matches.

Remember why everyone was wondering why we have 2 big holes at the end of our schedule from 9/8 - 9/22 and 9/26 - 10/28. Well here is your answer folks:

We can actually fit 2 matches there if we had to on the 16th & 19th if the Yankees were to bump us.

NE who plays us on 9/5 has a match 9/15 and nothing again till 9/22. They could play on 9/19

DCU who pays on on 9/8 has a match on 9/12 and 9/16. They could also play 9/19.

We also have a HUGE break from 9/26 - 10/21. And the Mets don't play in October. (not a dig at them, but they are out of playoff contention and have no games scheduled then).

We also have CHI on 9/26 that could get bumped. They pay @ DCU on 10/7 and @ ATL on 10/21. Plenty of room.

NE hosts TOR on 9/29, @ ATL on 10/6, and hosts ORL on 10/13, @ RSL 10/18 (off 10/21). Tight, they might need the 9/19 slot.

DCU hosts CHI On 10/7, hosts DAL 10/13, hosts TOR 10/17, hosts us 10/21.

And of course there is always the Wednesday 10/20 before decision day.

 

[Jon]

NYCFC SSS set to launch September 5th 2018. Heard it here first, folks!

 

[Gotham Gator]

ETA: The only other common date the Yankees and Royals have the rest of the year is September 6, which is in the midst of an NYCFC home stand.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1021199099385786369

Looking more closely at the Yankees schedule, I can't imagine they would play a home game on September 6. That day is sandwiched in between road series at Oakland and Seattle. They aren't going to fly back to NY for one game and then back out to the West coast.

The bigger question is whether they have a rain delay with a different opponent that brings an August 23 game into play.

 

[LionNYC]

Remember why everyone was wondering why we have 2 big holes at the end of our schedule from 9/8 - 9/22 and 9/26 - 10/28. Well here is your answer folks:

We can actually fit 2 matches there if we had to on the 16th & 19th if the Yankees were to bump us.

NE who plays us on 9/5 has a match 9/15 and nothing again till 9/22. They could play on 9/19

DCU who pays on on 9/8 has a match on 9/12 and 9/16. They could also play 9/19.

We also have a HUGE break from 9/26 - 10/21. And the Mets don't play in October. (not a dig at them, but they are out of playoff contention and have no games scheduled then).

We also have CHI on 9/26 that could get bumped. They pay @ DCU on 10/7 and @ ATL on 10/21. Plenty of room.

NE hosts TOR on 9/29, @ ATL on 10/6, and hosts ORL on 10/13, @ RSL 10/18 (off 10/21). Tight, they might need the 9/19 slot.

DCU hosts CHI On 10/7, hosts DAL 10/13, hosts TOR 10/17, hosts us 10/21.

And of course there is always the Wednesday 10/20 before decision day.



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Have you factored in FIFA dates in your scheduling? Obviously, we can play during those windows but may have some players lost should there be a rescheduled game.

 

[adam]

Have you factored in FIFA dates in your scheduling? Obviously, we can play during those windows but may have some players lost should there be a rescheduled game.

I assumed we’ll play right through a FIFA date. Since MLS does that anyway. Not like MLS will care, but I feel like Dome has the power to keep players back from a friendly 4 years before the next WC.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I assumed we’ll play right through a FIFA date. Since MLS does that anyway. Not like MLS will care, but I feel like Dome has the power to keep players back from a friendly 4 years before the next WC.

MLS usually plays an abbreviated schedule on FIFA dates. Whether they’d force a team to play that weekend in order to accommodate a problem with Yankee Stadium is kind of an open question.

 

[adam]

MLS usually plays an abbreviated schedule on FIFA dates. Whether they’d force a team to play that weekend in order to accommodate a problem with Yankee Stadium is kind of an open question.

If it’s move it to a FIFA date at Citi with a month’s notice so fans show up, or play on the original date at Hartford with almost no notice, I think it’s an easy answer. As you said, they play an abbreviated schedule on those dates anyway.

 

[Shwafta]

At what point will MLS switch to a 36 or 38-game schedule? Do you think they ever will?
With 12 games against the opposing conference, if you do two games against our conference that's 20 more games which puts us at 32 games (but we do 34, with three against RB and idk the other.)
Once they add in Miami, Nashville, and Cincinatti, they're going to even it out to 13 in each conference. that means 12*2 our conference which is 24 + 13 (western) = 37 games, if you want one game against Western and two against Eastern opponents, and then you save that one extra game for a close rival or something.
Do you think it's going to happen by 2020? (This isn't even talking about the future when they do add the remaining expansions and then the league might have to go above 40 games)

ETA:
Or maybe they'll explore a Central division again?

 

[sbrylski]

At what point will MLS switch to a 36 or 38-game schedule? Do you think they ever will?
With 12 games against the opposing conference, if you do two games against our conference that's 20 more games which puts us at 32 games (but we do 34, with three against RB and idk the other.)
Once they add in Miami, Nashville, and Cincinatti, they're going to even it out to 13 in each conference. that means 12*2 our conference which is 24 + 13 (western) = 37 games, if you want one game against Western and two against Eastern opponents, and then you save that one extra game for a close rival or something.
Do you think it's going to happen by 2020? (This isn't even talking about the future when they do add the remaining expansions and then the league might have to go above 40 games)

ETA:
Or maybe they'll explore a Central division again?

I used to think they wouldn't expand the schedule, but I'm starting to see plausibility in going to 38 games eventually. Squad depth is getting better and more and more teams control their venues for scheduling.

A final size of 32 teams with four divisions of eight works perfectly. Two games against seven division rivals (14 total) plus one game against everyone else (24 total) equals 38 games.

Could also do 30 teams in three conferences with the same schedule format (18 intra + 20 inter = 38).

I think they'll stick with 34 for the near future however.

 

[mgarbowski]

I used to think they wouldn't expand the schedule, but I'm starting to see plausibility in going to 38 games eventually. Squad depth is getting better and more and more teams control their venues for scheduling.

A final size of 32 teams with four divisions of eight works perfectly. Two games against seven division rivals (14 total) plus one game against everyone else (24 total) equals 38 games.

Could also do 30 teams in three conferences with the same schedule format (18 intra + 20 inter = 38).

I think they'll stick with 34 for the near future however.

Do you start the season the first week of February, hold the MLS CUP game the first week of January (suicide run against both college football and NFL), or shorten the playoffs, which probably requires fewer teams qualifying?

The first two options mean a 2 month break between seasons. With training camp, players get less than one month off.

 

[Shwafta]

I used to think they wouldn't expand the schedule, but I'm starting to see plausibility in going to 38 games eventually. Squad depth is getting better and more and more teams control their venues for scheduling.

A final size of 32 teams with four divisions of eight works perfectly. Two games against seven division rivals (14 total) plus one game against everyone else (24 total) equals 38 games.

Could also do 30 teams in three conferences with the same schedule format (18 intra + 20 inter = 38).

I think they'll stick with 34 for the near future however.

I just don't see how they can possibly stick with 34 once the new 3 teams come in... Also, I think Garber has said they're aiming for mid-20 teams. So I have a feeling we're gonna see maybe 26-28 be the final count.

Do you start the season the first week of February, hold the MLS CUP game the first week of January (suicide run against both college football and NFL), or shorten the playoffs, which probably requires fewer teams qualifying?

The first two options mean a 2 month break between seasons. With training camp, players get less than one month off.

I think you do away with the "bye weeks" they've been doing, and there's definitely room in there for more games- look at us now, we have a bunch of games and then nothing for long stretches, and we're not the only team that has that, so fitting 4 more games in isn't asking much.

 

[mgarbowski]

I just don't see how they can possibly stick with 34 once the new 3 teams come in... Also, I think Garber has said they're aiming for mid-20 teams. So I have a feeling we're gonna see maybe 26-28 be the final count.


I think you do away with the "bye weeks" they've been doing, and there's definitely room in there for more games- look at us now, we have a bunch of games and then nothing for long stretches, and we're not the only team that has that, so fitting 4 more games in isn't asking much.

The season is 34 weeks long. The double game weeks are perfectly offset by the weeks off. You're suggesting that teams have no weeks off and 4 double game weeks for 8 straight months. Plus US Open Cup. Plus CCL for some teams. Plus no accommodation for international breaks at all. Teams that go deep into CCL or USOC would play 42-46 games in 34 weeks.

 

[Shwafta]

The season is 34 weeks long. The double game weeks are perfectly offset by the weeks off. You're suggesting that teams have no weeks off and 4 double game weeks for 8 straight months. Plus US Open Cup. Plus CCL for some teams. Plus no accommodation for international breaks at all. Teams that go deep into CCL or USOC would play 42-46 games in 34 weeks.

What about Italy, England, etc? Do they not do the same? Also, why can they not fit in international breaks? This year we fit in all the international breaks, and still had off weeks as well.

 

[sbrylski]

Do you start the season the first week of February, hold the MLS CUP game the first week of January (suicide run against both college football and NFL), or shorten the playoffs, which probably requires fewer teams qualifying?

The first two options mean a 2 month break between seasons. With training camp, players get less than one month off.

Shorter playoffs in this scenario. A 16-team, four-round, single-game knockout tournament.

You also grab an open midweek date 2-3 times for league games.

There's ways to make it work if the league determines its the be$t option.

 

[Gotham Gator]

A few things.

The league has set a medium term goal of 28 teams. No decision about going farther than that.

• Cincinnati, joins next season (2019) as the 24th team
• Miami and Nashville join in 2020 to get to 26 teams
• Two additional teams in 2022 to get to 28 teams

Miami has to be considered a question mark.

European leagues all go about 9 months long. EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 all play 38 games; Bundesliga plays 34 games.

MLS currently has a regular season around 7 months, 3 weeks in which it plays 34 games, plus another 5-6 weeks for up to 6 additional playoff games. Our season ends up around the same 9 month length, but sacrifices the ability to play more regular season games in order to have a playoff.

There are two things keeping us from playing a longer regular season: the aforementioned playoffs, and winter. With so many teams in cold climates (northeast, upper midwest, mountain west, Canada), it will not work to play a full schedule in December, January or February. One option might be to extend the season back to February, playing only in warmer locations or indoors for the first few weeks. Right now, that's not feasible as you would need at least half the teams to be in locations that are able to host. That might change with expansion.

 

[Gotham Gator]

With 24 teams - next season's lineup - you can have two 12 team conferences and 34 games using the
"2-1 system" (i.e. 2 games each within the conference and 1 game each against the other conference). No more 3 game series against the rivals.

With 26 teams - the following season's lineup - a 2-1 system requires 37 games. That's problematic because with an odd number of games, teams would not be balanced home and away. One option is 38 games, with an extra rivalry game. Another is more than 2 conferences, but dividing 26 into more than 2 conferences is problematic as you can't do it evenly, but maybe 9-9-8. You can get to 34 pretty easily on a 2-1 system and some small adjustments.

With 28 teams - in 2022 - a 2-1 system requires 40 games. Not really feasible. As mentioned, 4 groups of 7 get you to 33 games, which easily adjusts to 34 with a rivalry game.

 

[mgarbowski]

What about Italy, England, etc? Do they not do the same? Also, why can they not fit in international breaks? This year we fit in all the international breaks, and still had off weeks as well.

What Gotham Gator said. Playoffs, mostly, to which I would add -- money. The big European leagues have player budgets that allow for levels of depth MLS teams cannot equal.

Time is the most unforgiving constraint. You can't make more, buy more, or recover it once lost. Anytime you think fitting more stuff into the same amount of time is easy, go back and think it over 3-4 more times because you are probably missing something. If someone tries to sell you a solution that is based on fitting more stuff into the same amount of time, go over it 3-4 times with a calendar in front of you and a list of everything that needs to be done before you write the check.
If after all that it actually works, then either you or your vendor has shown true creative problem solving capability, or it would have been done before.

 

[sbrylski]

With 28 teams - in 2022 - a 2-1 system requires 40 games. Not really feasible. As mentioned, 4 groups of 7 get you to 33 games, which easily adjusts to 34 with a rivalry game.

Almost certain the best plan. And I went back and counted weeks and lost my optimism for an eventual 38-game schedule again.

You also get to 33 games with 30 teams and six divisions of five teams in a 2-1 system. In a 32-team league, you get to 34 games with eight groupings of four teams (just go back to single-table conferences at this point, however.)

 

[Seth]

Don't think you can have a 38-match season *and* have playoffs. One or the other. Unless you want to sit in Yankee Stadium in February for the season opener, that is.

 

[Shwafta]

What Gotham Gator said. Playoffs, mostly, to which I would add -- money. The big European leagues have player budgets that allow for levels of depth MLS teams cannot equal.

Time is the most unforgiving constraint. You can't make more, buy more, or recover it once lost. Anytime you think fitting more stuff into the same amount of time is easy, go back and think it over 3-4 more times because you are probably missing something. If someone tries to sell you a solution that is based on fitting more stuff into the same amount of time, go over it 3-4 times with a calendar in front of you and a list of everything that needs to be done before you write the check.
If after all that it actually works, then either you or your vendor has shown true creative problem solving capability, or it would have been done before.

It was that I missed the Playoffs. I completely forgot about that wasting a month. (which can i say is also just as ridiculous?) Without the playoffs, it would add the possibiliy of 4 more games in 6 weeks or so.