2020 Schedule Thread

7 Wednesday nights is just asking for fans to cancel season tickets. There are a few Wednesdays that by my count could be Fridays instead.
 
yankees schedule out for 2020

EByKPi1XUAY3Kv_

Hmm, let's actually count:

1. Sat 3/28 or Sun 3/28
2. Sun 4/12
3. Sun 5/3
4. Wed 5/13
5. Sat 5/16 or Sun 5/17
6. Sun 5/31
7. Sun 6/14
8. Wed 6/17
9. Wed 7/1
10. Sat 7/4
11. Wed 7/15
12. Wed 7/29
13. Wed 8/12
14. Sat 8/29 or Sun 8/30
15. Wed 9/2
16. Sat 9/5 or Sun 9/6
17. Wed 9/16

*Also can play matches in Febuary and March

2020 FIFA Schedule:

3/23-3/31
6/1-6/19
Euros & Copa America: 6/12-7/12
8/31 - 9/8
10/5 - 10/13 (MLS playoffs start 10/17-10/18)
11/9-11/17 (MLS Cup 11/8)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kjbert
Hmm, let's actually count:

1. Sat 3/28 or Sun 3/28
2. Sun 4/12
3. Sun 5/3
4. Wed 5/13
5. Sat 5/16 or Sun 5/17
6. Sun 5/31
7. Sun 6/14
8. Wed 6/17
9. Wed 7/1
10. Sat 7/4
11. Wed 7/15
12. Wed 7/29
13. Wed 8/12
14. Sat 8/29 or Sun 8/30
15. Wed 9/2
16. Sat 9/5 or Sun 9/6
17. Wed 9/16

*Also can play matches in Febuary and March

2020 FIFA Schedule:

3/23-3/31
6/1-6/19
Euros & Copa America: 6/12-7/12
8/31 - 9/8
10/5 - 10/13 (MLS playoffs start 10/17-10/18)
11/9-11/17 (MLS Cup 11/8)

Likely remove two of those Wednesdays for weekend February/March games.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kjbert and adam
In 2019 MLB regular season ends 9/29.
MLB wildcard 10/1 &10/2
MLB divisional round 10/3-10/10
MLB championship round 10/11-10/20
World Series 10/22-10/30

2019 MLS playoffs
Rd 1 10/19-10/20
Rd 2 10/26-10/27
Rd 3 11/2-11/3
MLS Cup 11/10

In 2020 MLB regular season ends 9/27
Estimated playoff dates:
MLB wildcard 9/29 &9/30
MLB divisional round 10/1-10/8
MLB championship round 10/9-10/18
World Series 10/20-10/28

2020 MLS playoffs
Rd 1 10/17-10/18
Rd 2 10/24-10/25
Rd 3 10/31-11/1
MLS Cup 11/8

Pretty much the same conflicts with the ALCS and WS running from our 1st round through the 3rd round of the MLS playoffs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kjbert
In 2019 MLB regular season ends 9/29.
MLB wildcard 10/1 &10/2
MLB divisional round 10/3-10/10
MLB championship round 10/11-10/20
World Series 10/22-10/30

2019 MLS playoffs
Rd 1 10/19-10/20
Rd 2 10/26-10/27
Rd 3 11/2-11/3
MLS Cup 11/10

In 2020 MLB regular season ends 9/27
Estimated playoff dates:
MLB wildcard 9/29 &9/30
MLB divisional round 10/1-10/8
MLB championship round 10/9-10/18
World Series 10/20-10/28

2020 MLS playoffs
Rd 1 10/17-10/18
Rd 2 10/24-10/25
Rd 3 10/31-11/1
MLS Cup 11/8

Pretty much the same conflicts with the ALCS and WS running from our 1st round through the 3rd round of the MLS playoffs.

We will never get a "real" shot at winning MLS Cup until we get our own stadium. Because MLS 7th floor.
 
Has something changed in the way MLB schedules? MLS chopping 2 weeks off the regular season shouldn’t have led to this big an increase in mid week games.

I can't see us getting a February home game. Weather and temps would be awful and few fans would show up.

I agree, but we typically get the 2nd and 3rd week of March.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mgarbowski
Has something changed in the way MLB schedules? MLS chopping 2 weeks off the regular season shouldn’t have led to this big an increase in mid week games.

Someone would have to look back, but it feels like the Yankees have scheduled a lot of Monday games. I always thought Mondays were off / travel days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kjbert
Really weird thing to be excited about, but with expansion to 26 teams next year, we get to find out which one of these will no longer be true for the rest of the league's existence:

1. Everyone plays everyone once in the regular season.
2. Everyone plays their own conference twice in the regular season.

Personally, I would be very surprised if they broke #1. If they implemented an even rotation of inter-conference byes, by the time the league reached 30 teams, teams like NYCFC would only play LAFC about once every three years.

It's much more likely they would break #2. If they keep things balanced at 13 teams per division, we would only play 9 of the other 12 twice. But I bet they also don't implement a balanced rotation yet. They'll pick and choose which intra-conference games they don't care about each year until league growth settles down.

If they never change the 34-game schedule length, my current mood bets we don't ever see divisions. They'll just protect a few "rivalry" games so teams like the Red Bulls and DC United always play twice, and rotate the other rematches. For example, with 30 teams:
  • 14 intra-conference matches
  • 15 inter-conference matches
  • 2 intra-conference rivalry rematches
  • 3 intra-conference rotating rematches, rotating through the other 12 intra-conference teams on a 4-year cycle
 
I am also curious to see how they handle the schedule with further expansion. Of course, there are a couple of other options, including changing from 34 games and dividing into more than two conferences.

MLS started with 32 games/year, dropped to 28 games in 2001 & 2002, and then gradually built back up to the 34 games we know in 2011. The league has had 2 conferences most years, but had 3 from 2000-2002.

If MLS kept the current format (home-away against conference foes and one game across conferences), it would need a 37-game regular season. Perhaps too much, but still less than some other leagues.

The league could also split into 3 conferences, which would mean two have 9 teams and one has 8. In that case, home-away within the conference and one game against the other conferences would lead to a 33 games season (the 8 team conference would have to have some extra games in conference). That could easily be bumped up to 34. In fact, when the league expands to 27 teams in 2021, the same setup would lead to a 34-game season for everyone.
 
Really weird thing to be excited about, but with expansion to 26 teams next year, we get to find out which one of these will no longer be true for the rest of the league's existence:

1. Everyone plays everyone once in the regular season.
2. Everyone plays their own conference twice in the regular season.

Personally, I would be very surprised if they broke #1. If they implemented an even rotation of inter-conference byes, by the time the league reached 30 teams, teams like NYCFC would only play LAFC about once every three years.

It's much more likely they would break #2. If they keep things balanced at 13 teams per division, we would only play 9 of the other 12 twice. But I bet they also don't implement a balanced rotation yet. They'll pick and choose which intra-conference games they don't care about each year until league growth settles down.

If they never change the 34-game schedule length, my current mood bets we don't ever see divisions. They'll just protect a few "rivalry" games so teams like the Red Bulls and DC United always play twice, and rotate the other rematches. For example, with 30 teams:
  • 14 intra-conference matches
  • 15 inter-conference matches
  • 2 intra-conference rivalry rematches
  • 3 intra-conference rotating rematches, rotating through the other 12 intra-conference teams on a 4-year cycle
The 2019 schedule was perfectly balanced and I wish we had an expansion pause so we could have used it for more than just one year.
 
Last edited:
I am also curious to see how they handle the schedule with further expansion. Of course, there are a couple of other options, including changing from 34 games and dividing into more than two conferences.

MLS started with 32 games/year, dropped to 28 games in 2001 & 2002, and then gradually built back up to the 34 games we know in 2011. The league has had 2 conferences most years, but had 3 from 2000-2002.

If MLS kept the current format (home-away against conference foes and one game across conferences), it would need a 37-game regular season. Perhaps too much, but still less than some other leagues.

The league could also split into 3 conferences, which would mean two have 9 teams and one has 8. In that case, home-away within the conference and one game against the other conferences would lead to a 33 games season (the 8 team conference would have to have some extra games in conference). That could easily be bumped up to 34. In fact, when the league expands to 27 teams in 2021, the same setup would lead to a 34-game season for everyone.

They can also hand out CCL berths to all 3 conference winners and the USOC and exclude MLS cup. Or use SS table and use top 2 teams. You’d probably also have to seed MLS cup based on SS. Unless there was a group stage...
 
I am also curious to see how they handle the schedule with further expansion. Of course, there are a couple of other options, including changing from 34 games and dividing into more than two conferences.

MLS started with 32 games/year, dropped to 28 games in 2001 & 2002, and then gradually built back up to the 34 games we know in 2011. The league has had 2 conferences most years, but had 3 from 2000-2002.

If MLS kept the current format (home-away against conference foes and one game across conferences), it would need a 37-game regular season. Perhaps too much, but still less than some other leagues.

The league could also split into 3 conferences, which would mean two have 9 teams and one has 8. In that case, home-away within the conference and one game against the other conferences would lead to a 33 games season (the 8 team conference would have to have some extra games in conference). That could easily be bumped up to 34. In fact, when the league expands to 27 teams in 2021, the same setup would lead to a 34-game season for everyone.

Yeah, I should have stated the other assumption that they won't change the season length from 34 games. I speculate they won't increase it, as they are adding more games in the form of the Leagues Cup, and the Open Cup might start being a round longer soon too. It's also hard to cut games (read: cut revenue) unless there's something equal or better replacing them. Maybe that's MLS hosting even more Leagues Cups games.

So ultimately, I think the KISS answer is to just continue to line up the teams in two single-table conferences, with everyone playing everyone once, and then schedule additional intra-conference rematches on some objective/discretionary cycle to make 34 games.

That said, my personal dream after they add three final teams:
  • 32 Teams: 2 Conferences, 4 Divisions
  • 30 Game Schedule: 2x Division, 1x Conference, 0.5x Inter-conference
  • 16-Team Postseason: x8 Conference
  • September Group Stage: 4 Groups of 4 Teams, 1x Group
  • October Knockout Stage: x4 Conference
 
This could well be the case.

I actually think they will divide into 3 conferences in anticipation of expanding to 27 teams the following year.

The only problem is that I don't think the league divides that cleanly into 3 conferences; when I've tried to figure it out in the past, it wasn't clear how the conferences could be created in a way that preserves the regional rivalries.
 
This could well be the case.

I actually think they will divide into 3 conferences in anticipation of expanding to 27 teams the following year.

The only problem is that I don't think the league divides that cleanly into 3 conferences; when I've tried to figure it out in the past, it wasn't clear how the conferences could be created in a way that preserves the regional rivalries.
This seems reasonable using all currently announced teams
MLS-3-confs.PNG
 
I think that actually looks really good. I guess my problem was some of the interim steps to get there. Before Sacramento joins, for example.
Definitely. The latest additions really help the geographical distribution. If the last time you tried was even a few months ago it would not look this balanced.
 
But what is the advantage of three conferences? It doesn't make regular season scheduling easier, and it makes playoff scheduling more complicated. It is also more likely for the league to have a number of teams divisible by 2 in the long run, not 3, so we'll almost surely end up with unbalanced conferences, unless you only do 3 conferences temporarily. But why go through the trouble then?
 
  • Like
Reactions: adam and Kjbert
But what is the advantage of three conferences? It doesn't make regular season scheduling easier, and it makes playoff scheduling more complicated. It is also more likely for the league to have a number of teams divisible by 2 in the long run, not 3, so we'll almost surely end up with unbalanced conferences, unless you only do 3 conferences temporarily. But why go through the trouble then?
The playoff complication is a good point.

The advantage of one or more additional conferences is that you can keep a schedule where every team plays every other team at least once, while preventing the number of games from getting out of hand. With two conferences of 14 teams each, a "two-and-one" style schedule requires 40 games. At 15 teams each, the requirement becomes 43 games.

How about 4 conferences? At 7 teams each (28 total), two-and-one scheduling leads to 33 games. At 8 teams each (32 total), you get 38 games.
 
  • Like
Reactions: adam