Soccer United Fan Council

[roxfontaine]

Just got a survey asking about playoff formatting versus single table formatting!

Without going down the pro/rel rabbit hole, what are your thoughts on MLS playoff formatting vs point total? Does it make more sense to just reformat the playoffs? If MLS did move to the single table format, that would obliterate the Supporters Shield, which is by supporters for supporters. I don't think that that should be messed with... but I do think MLS should be single table. What do you think?

edit: I probably put this topic in the wrong place.

 

[LionNYC]

You mean having the playoff seeds 1-12 being determined by a single table rather than East vs. West?

 

[Rimil]

You mean having the playoff seeds 1-12 being determined by a single table rather than East vs. West?

reads like he means american playoffs vs european system of winning the league goes by your points and points alone (i.e win the season, what is basically now our supporters shield).

 

[LionNYC]

reads like he means american playoffs vs european system of winning the league goes by your points and points alone (i.e win the season, what is basically now our supporters shield).

MLS needs the playoffs. America needs the playoffs.

 

[Matt Joyce]

MLS is better than european in that respect, and most Europeans agree.

 

[roxfontaine]

MLS needs the playoffs. America needs the playoffs.

Do you think we need it as it stands?

 

[Taurus]

Would be interesting to have a combination of both.

Have a single table format whereby every club plays each other twice home and away. Granted this will lead to more prolonged travel but it also means we would have clubs like LAG, Seattle, LAFC play at home every year rather then every other year which may increase ticket sales.

You can still have a playoff format whereby top 12 make it with a Supporters Shield title. Top 2 automatically make CCL along with eventual MLS cup champion and USOC.

For the playoffs you can have clubs ranked 5-12 face off against each other in a 1 game knock-out leaving you with an 8 team quarterfinal continuing in a single game knock out eliminating the 2 legged series.

Only draw back is your potentially adding 6 more games to become champion.

 

[Falastur]

MLS is better than european in that respect, and most Europeans agree.

I beg to differ, but everyone has their own take.

I've stated my position on this a few times and I reckon you all know it by now, so I won't bore you all by reiterating. What I will say is I reckon it's a very cultural thing. You grow up in the US, you're probably going to like playoffs. You grow up in Europe, you probably won't see the point in them.

 

[Keith Putnam]

Maybe the 12-team playoffs could be organized into a group stage with four three-team groups and then go into knockout rounds. It would be more matches (yay!), and the "tournament" format could put the US sports tradition (playoffs) in a package that's both fun and more familiar to global soccer culture.

 

[LionNYC]

I like the playoff format with 6 teams per conference. Even though now with 12/22 teams make the playoffs, that seems like a lot. With expansion, the current structure will be looking better.

 

[adam]

Here's the full survey. I usually do this for us, but been busy as hell today.

Part 1:

 

[adam]

Part 2:

 

[gbservis]

Is the survey from the MLS? Because if it isn't it's seemingly pointless, can't see MLS moving away from a playoff format any time soon.

 

[Goodfella]

If MLS did move to the single table format, that would obliterate the Supporters Shield, which is by supporters for supporters. I don't think that that should be messed with... but I do think MLS should be single table. What do you think?

As long as playoffs remain, Supporters Shield could/would still go to most points earned in regular season, even in a single table format and I don't see playoffs going away. As someone else stated, I'd love to see Group style playoffs

 

[Jon]

As long as playoffs remain, Supporters Shield could/would still go to most points earned in regular season, even in a single table format and I don't see playoffs going away. As someone else stated, I'd love to see Group style playoffs

How would that work? 4 groups of 3? Top finishers in each group nice on to a semi final?

 

[SoupInNYC]

MLS needs the playoffs because the schedules are unbalanced.

I'm not certain that the current format is the best format, but I'm not creative enough to really figure out what is better.

 

[roxfontaine]

Maybe the 12-team playoffs could be organized into a group stage with four three-team groups and then go into knockout rounds. It would be more matches (yay!), and the "tournament" format could put the US sports tradition (playoffs) in a package that's both fun and more familiar to global soccer culture.

 

[Goodfella]

How would that work? 4 groups of 3? Top finishers in each group nice on to a semi final?

Maybe the 12-team playoffs could be organized into a group stage with four three-team groups and then go into knockout rounds. It would be more matches (yay!), and the "tournament" format could put the US sports tradition (playoffs) in a package that's both fun and more familiar to global soccer culture.

 

[Keith Putnam]

I know that three-team groups sounds weird, but FIFA is going to do it for the 48-team World Cup and apparently the deal is that each team in a group plays twice with the top two teams in the groups advancing.

 

[mgarbowski]

Part 2:

View attachment 6660 View attachment 6661 View attachment 6662 View attachment 6663 View attachment 6664 View attachment 6665

The questions apparently varied depending on your responses. I chose Single Table over Post-Season Tournament and so was not asked to choose between two-legged series and knockouts. I forget what I was asked instead. I get why, but since they are likely to keep playoffs despite my opposition I wish they had asked me anyway, because I prefer knockouts over 2-legged ties despite your persuasive plowing point.

I did answer their open ended question saying I don't like 2-game series because when the team who won the first game scores first in the second game it just kills the atmosphere of the second game, and that happened far too often last year.

I also found the opening questions bizarre. For sports for which I watched fewer than 10 games, why do they think I could possibly answer with any accuracy exactly how many games I watched. And even if I could do they really care if I watched 4 NBA games or 5? Is that going to change anything?