MLS Announces New Playoff Format for 2019
- Thread starter Fantazma
- Start date
NYCFC ticket reps have a tough job, but the NYCFC logistics team are the real heroes. They probably have had to make 17 contingency plans in the last 3 years that we don't even know about because things worked out so their alternative plans were not needed. When things do go bad, they have few good choices, and they get unfair negative feedback. This fall they have no good choices it seems. There's a decent chance the Mets don't make the playoffs or don't get past the WC game or first round. But they can't count on any of that now, so they're making plans for Connecticut or New Jersey which they know everyone will hate, and attendance will suck, and the club won't make money and home field advantage is basically squandered and there's just no winning. And if things work out and YS or even Citi is available it just means everything they did was pointless.
This. All of this. The club is in an impossible situation with this new playoff format. Moving the playoffs into October is a nightmare scenario for this team, and instead of being angry over whatever they decide, we really should support the people that are being put in an impossible situation through no fault of their own. This team has championship aspirations, and the biggest impediment to a trophy is the stadium. It's a complete mess.
They've floated the idea of hosting a home match in the future due to schedule conflicts at Red Bull Arena. This would be a death blow to the club.
I’ve mentioned before. If they could cover all the RB logos and red with NY is BLUE it could work. Have 3rd rail fill their SS. As long as STHs show up and we fill it.
Only fear is if our supporters don’t buy playoff tickets to go to a smelly stadium in NJ and it’s empty. Or worse we “host” NJ and they fill it up with their fans.
Here’s the thing though, I cannot believe that MLS made these decisions at the last minute and in a vacuum. They may have just announced the playoff schedule, but it’s impossible to believe that the teams haven’t been a part of the process since the beginning of the season.
So with that, NYCFC and any other club with potential NFL conflicts would have been examining the possibilities of hosting a home match or investigating the logistics of a moved match.
Plenty of business lines plan for the what-if scenarios so they aren’t caught off guard when something goes FUBAR - hell, there are whole careers built on being logistics experts for situations like this where standard operating procedures get tossed. I’d expect NYCFC has their contingency plans for each venue in a folder that just has to be dusted off with a review of a few variables that are tentative and can’t be locked down months and years ahead. The work done for each venue isn’t pointless if not used, the employee was paid for it, and the data is sitting there for use now or in the future. Plus, it’s not like the City Colosseum is gonna be finished in less than 3-5 years - so it will remain a useful contingency plan.
It's not whether we can cover their stuff... It's about the fact that we have to play a home game in NJ.
So this article came out about the East playoffs, but didn't really say anything.
www.mlssoccer.com
So I thought I'd take a stab at a prediction. I think games in hand play a role in NYC, TOR & NER's favor, and DCU manages to hold onto the last playoff spot.
MLS Playoffs: Breaking down the Eastern Conference outlook in 2019 | MLSSoccer.com
How Eastern Conf. playoff race looks this weekend (hint: it's tight!)
www.mlssoccer.com
So I thought I'd take a stab at a prediction. I think games in hand play a role in NYC, TOR & NER's favor, and DCU manages to hold onto the last playoff spot.
It’s probably more about getting them to agree as that is a high security area.
Also really hard to get to if you don’t have a car.
Still, it is a great spot. Went to a game there a few years back.
The Mets rallied last night from 4-0 down to win in the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off walk. A loss would have meant elimination, so they are technically still alive with any loss by them or win by Milwaukee ending their post-season chances.
Once the Mets officially bite the dust, we will know that Citi Field will be available for all playoff games except (possibly) the MLS Cup.
What we will not know is whether the Club will wait and see how far the Yankees advance in the playoffs before announcing the venues.
First Round: If the Yankees win their divisional series and make the ALCS, we know from experience that they will not allow us to host any game during the ALCS. This would affect the first round game (which we hope to not be playing anyway).
Second Round: There is a conflict if the Yankees make the World Series; however, we might not know the outcome of the ALCS until as little as 3 days before the game, which is not enough time to switch venues. This means if the Yankees make the ALCS, this game could get switched at that time too.
Conf Championship: If the Yankees make the World Series, this would conflict if the Yankees are the "home team" and hosting games 6 and 7. It would not conflict if the Yankees are the "visiting team", but that's the less likely outcome. It is also possible this game would be moved back a couple of days to avoid the conflict, similar to Seattle's home playoff leg last season.
MLS Cup: This is after the World Series. However, it is one day after an Ivy League football game at Yankee Stadium. The sod should be down, but it won't be in good shape, and the lines might not be erasable. Citi Field is hosting some kind of a golf thing. They canceled it two years ago when our game was relocated.
Following up on the Dartmouth-Princeton game the day before the MLS Cup. I checked the ticket site. There are only tickets being sold in the lower 2 decks (and even then not all seats), and lots of tickets are available. Take that for what you will.
We are probably also jinxing things to even be discussing it.
We are probably also jinxing things to even be discussing it.
NYCFC announcing playoff tickets at Citi Field (become the Mets are eliminated from postseason contention) would be jinxing it.
We're discussing logical possibilities.
Paul Tenorio now weighs in on The Athletic about NYCFC (and other teams) having stadium conflicts.
theathletic.com
MLB playoff schedule may force NYCFC out of Yankee Stadium for MLS playoffs
New York City F.C. is working through multiple contingency plans for hosting home games during the club’s postseason due to potential conflicts with the New York Yankees’ playoff schedule and other events at Yankee Stadium.
Those contingencies include the possibility of playing MLS Cup, should NYCFC make the final and host it, away from Yankee Stadium.
Multiple sources confirmed NYCFC has been in discussions with the New York Mets to use Citi Field for as many as three playoff games if the need arises. The plans will depend on multiple factors, including seeding in both the MLS and MLB playoffs, the length of the Yankees’ postseason run and the length of the ALCS and World Series.
MLB playoff schedule may force NYCFC out of Yankee Stadium for MLS playoffs
The MLS club is looking at multiple contingency plans around the NYC area, with Citi Field likely.
theathletic.com
Among other revelations...
- NYCFC is concerned about the MLS Cup final. It cannot occur the day after the college game. The article does not say whether that game might be moved. The golf event at Citi Field hasn't yet put any tickets on sale.
- Met Life is not available for the MLS Cup.
- Announcement on different scenarios for NYCFC would come early next week.
- Seattle, Minnesota and Atlanta also have potential conflicts in their arenas.
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They probably rented out their venue before the new playoff format was announced. You'd think someone in the league office would have given all the teams a heads up of all the teams about dates they should keep open for playoffs.
Small fact for those curious. The Princeton- Dartmouth game was announced on March 31, 2017 - about 2.5 years ago. This was well before MLS moved the MLS Cup for 2019 to the same weekend. In fact, in 2017 the second weekend in November was an open date in the playoffs due to a FIFA International Window.
The game was conceived as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of college football. The first game, between Princeton and Rutgers, was on Nov 6, 1869. Open questions include: Why is Dartmouth involved instead of Rutgers? and why isn't the game in East Rutherford, NJ, where that first game was played?
The game was conceived as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of college football. The first game, between Princeton and Rutgers, was on Nov 6, 1869. Open questions include: Why is Dartmouth involved instead of Rutgers? and why isn't the game in East Rutherford, NJ, where that first game was played?
Also:
On Frame podcast: Did college football start as soccer? | Pro Soccer USA
One person who was at the first college football game in 1869 described the action as 'frantic kicking.'
www.prosoccerusa.com
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