Expansion Rumors Megathread

Is this a second proposal in Las Vegas?

Yes.

This is the other proposal.

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So when we are all dead, our children are all dead and their children are all dead and their children are all dead and their children are all dead, Miami’s permanent stadium will no longer be permanent. Did I do that right?
 
So when we are all dead, our children are all dead and their children are all dead and their children are all dead and their children are all dead, Miami’s permanent stadium will no longer be permanent. Did I do that right?
It could be a man-made reef in about 50 years.
 
Thoughts on 2020 alignment?

MLS announced last year that they may move the start of the season earlier next year, in order to de-congest the schedule due to the playoffs starting earlier. I actually wonder if they are considering moving to a 38-game schedule next year. Even with the tight schedule and a Gold Cup break, if the teams can handle it, why not pack some more games into the TV rights package? The playoffs start 2 weeks earlier than they used to, the season could start 3 weeks earlier to tack on 4 more games.

Part of the reason this would make sense is that next year may be the first time the league needs more games to allow every team to play their own conference twice and the other conference once. We are balanced 12/12 this year, but two eastern teams are coming in next year. I'm not sure it's the best move to send Chicago west for one season just to bring them back the next year (I predict a 2021 entry for Sacramento with Austin, then 2022 for St. Louis and probably Las Vegas). So they could just play with a 14/12 split for one year, then be back to balanced at 14/14 in 2021.

With 14 in one conference, it would be 38 games for all eastern conference teams to play each other twice (26 games) and the other conference once (12).

A 38-game schedule would work best for a 32-team league as well, with 4 groups of 8 playing everyone once (31) plus your group a second time (7).

Eastern Conference
Atlantic
| Toronto, Montreal, New England, New York City, NY Red Bulls, Philadelphia, Orlando, Miami
Central | Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati, DC United, Nashville, Atlanta, Carolina

Western Conference
Frontier
| Real Salt Lake, Colorado, Minnesota, Sporting KC, Saint Louis, Dallas, Austin, Houston
Pacific | Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, LA Galaxy, Las Vegas

I put the Florida teams in the Atlantic partly to give that division some southern locations to host games in February and March.

(Detroit and Carolina selected as 31 and 32 in Central. If Phoenix, put in Frontier and slide Minnesota/St. Louis to Central. If San Diego, slide Las Vegas to Frontier and slide Minnesota/St. Louis to Central.)
 
Hard to know what they will do. Because the additional teams are in the south, it should make it easier to start the season earlier than last year (although Nashville does get bad winter weather). Still, I am not sure that means more games. The season is too compressed as it stands after pulling three weeks out of the regular season going into this year.

As I understand it, the league could not move the start of this season back due to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union. Scheduling should be a big part of discussions for the next agreement.
 
Hard to know what they will do. Because the additional teams are in the south, it should make it easier to start the season earlier than last year (although Nashville does get bad winter weather). Still, I am not sure that means more games. The season is too compressed as it stands after pulling three weeks out of the regular season going into this year.

As I understand it, the league could not move the start of this season back due to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union. Scheduling should be a big part of discussions for the next agreement.

The CBA mandated that the players have a certain length off-season, IIRC. So what prevented the earlier start this year was the fact that the MLS Cup game last year was on December 8. This year it'll be November 10. So they could move the start of 2020 season up as much as four weeks.

I still would love to see the season opener the week after the Super Bowl, even if it's just one game that weekend. Take out a bunch of 5 second spots on Super Bowl Sunday or something. Make the opener a big event.

I've only come around to thinking a 38-game season is feasible after seeing how a 34-game season is able to be managed this year with two weeks taken off the end and three weeks taken off during June.
 
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The CBA mandated that the players have a certain length off-season, IIRC. So what prevented the earlier start this year was the fact that the MLS Cup game last year was on December 8. This year it'll be November 10. So they could move the start of 2020 season up as much as four weeks.

I still would love to see the season opener the week after the Super Bowl, even if it's just one game that weekend. Take out a bunch of 5 second spots on Super Bowl Sunday or something. Make the opener a big event.

I've only come around to thinking a 38-game season is feasible after seeing how a 34-game season is able to be managed this year with two weeks taken off the end and three weeks taken off during June.
While I agree it's possible I'd just like to remind everyone thinking about this while it's 81° outside in June that attending a match when it's 19° and windy on a delightful February day in Yankee Stadium just does not appeal to me all that much.

Carry on.
 
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While I agree it's possible I'd just like to remind everyone thinking about this while it's 81° outside in June that attending a match when it's 19° and windy on a delightful February day in Yankee Stadium just does not appeal to me all that much.

Carry on.

I would think that if they really do start the season on Feb. 15 next season, we're not hosting any games until March. February is typically the worst month of the winter, and so I imagine the league wouldn't want to schedule games here until we get through that.
 
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The CBA mandated that the players have a certain length off-season, IIRC. So what prevented the earlier start this year was the fact that the MLS Cup game last year was on December 8. This year it'll be November 10. So they could move the start of 2020 season up as much as four weeks.

I still would love to see the season opener the week after the Super Bowl, even if it's just one game that weekend. Take out a bunch of 5 second spots on Super Bowl Sunday or something. Make the opener a big event.

I've only come around to thinking a 38-game season is feasible after seeing how a 34-game season is able to be managed this year with two weeks taken off the end and three weeks taken off during June.
Your recollection of how the CBA works matches mine - so it is possible that they will move the season up a few weeks even without getting explicit approval from the union.

I also really like the idea of having a season opener a week after the Super Bowl. This coming year, the game is on Fox, so there is ample opportunity for a tie in.

While I agree it's possible I'd just like to remind everyone thinking about this while it's 81° outside in June that attending a match when it's 19° and windy on a delightful February day in Yankee Stadium just does not appeal to me all that much.

Carry on.
This is correct. Hosting February games up north is just a bad idea - and we aren't even the coldest location (see e.g. Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal - or for snow, Denver).

The good news is that expansion is evening up the number of northern and southern teams. This would allow a few weeks in February played primarily or exclusively where it is warmer. Those dates can be made up in the summer when more games are played up north: win-win.

Cold (13): Toronto, Montreal, Minnesota, Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, New England, New York, New Jersey, Philly, Colorado, Salt Lake, Kansas City

Moderate (4): Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, DC, Nashville

Warm (9): Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando
 
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Should add that it is also possible to do a home game in northern cities that have an indoor stadium as an option. Minnesota is an example; I think Montreal still has that option. Maybe do a season opener in U.S. Bank Stadium, for instance - try to draw a big crowd.
 
The really unfortunate thing is that starting the season in February but continuing to not have any NYC home games until mid-March fails to solve NYCFC's biggest scheduling issue, which is working around the Yankees. It was made worse this year because the playoff/schedule change meant we lost some time at the end of the season and everything just bunched up even more. Moving the schedule into February should mean a bit fewer 3-game weeks but not scheduling home games in February -- which makes complete sense and I agree -- means we should expect as many midweek home games, etc next year.
 
Just saw this on St. Louis's expansion page:

"If awarded a team, the stadium will host approximately 17-20 regular season MLS home games and 3 exhibition games."

If they meant to include playoff games under either this year or last year's format, the max would be 21, not 20. So they must be referring to regular season games.

I'd be surprised if they just made up that number range. I'd guess MLS is considering all options between 34 and 40 games per season right now.

https://mls4thelou.com/
 
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