2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs

[LionNYC]

MLS announces new playoff format for 2023 season | MLSSoccer.com

Major League Soccer today announced the format and schedule for the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup presented by Audi.

www.mlssoccer.com

All matches on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Select playoff games, including MLS Cup, will also be available through FOX Sports in the U.S. and TSN and RDS in Canada.

Wild Card matches: Oct. 25-26
- 8 vs. 9
- If tied after regulation, straight to penalties

Round One Best-of-3 series matches: Oct. 28-Nov. 12
- 1 vs. 8/9, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5
- Match 1: Higher seed hosts, Match 2: Lower seed hosts, Match 3: Higher seed hosts
- If tied after regulation, straight to penalties

Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals: Nov. 25-Dec. 3
- If tied after regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods, and then if still tied penalties

MLS Cup presented by Audi: Dec. 9
- If tied after regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods, and then if still tied penalties

 

[LionNYC]

Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs: Round One & Wild Card matchups, dates & times announced | MLSSoccer.com

The Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs field is set!

www.mlssoccer.com

 

[ZYanksRule]

Going straight to penalties in the first two rounds gives an air of illegitimacy to those rounds. If those games truly are important -- if they are truly eliminating teams from the playoffs -- they should go to extra time.

 

[mgarbowski]

Going straight to penalties in the first two rounds gives an air of illegitimacy to those rounds.

The same air of illegitimacy permeates every knockout game in the Copa America except the final. No extra time there either.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Going straight to penalties in the first two rounds gives an air of illegitimacy to those rounds. If those games truly are important -- if they are truly eliminating teams from the playoffs -- they should go to extra time.

I think it being a best of 3, with the higher seed getting the second home game makes that fine for me.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I think it being a best of 3, with the higher seed getting the second home game makes that fine for me.

I would get behind it if it was played like a 3-game MLS series -- the team with the most points moves on. If you go 1-1-1 or 0-0-3, then you go to extra-time in Game 3. But to have each game decided by penalties if tied after 90 minutes just feels manufactured and fake. Deciding postseason winners like that is awful.

MLB does regular extra-innings in the playoffs. (runner on 2nd in regular-season)
NHL does regular overtime in the playoffs (3-on-3 in regular season)
NFL has different overtime rules for the playoffs.

For MLS to do, basically, a competition of luck to determine winners in the postseason makes it look like nothing more than a money grab, and makes it feel like the real postseason begins with the conference semifinals. Leagues Cup was fun, but it felt astroturfed and like a money grab. Is the competition really important if you go straight to penalties? Doesn't feel like it to me.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I would get behind it if it was played like a 3-game MLS series -- the team with the most points moves on. If you go 1-1-1 or 0-0-3, then you go to extra-time in Game 3. But to have each game decided by penalties if tied after 90 minutes just feels manufactured and fake. Deciding postseason winners like that is awful.

MLB does regular extra-innings in the playoffs. (runner on 2nd in regular-season)
NHL does regular overtime in the playoffs (3-on-3 in regular season)
NFL has different overtime rules for the playoffs.

For MLS to do, basically, a competition of luck to determine winners in the postseason makes it look like nothing more than a money grab, and makes it feel like the real postseason begins with the conference semifinals. Leagues Cup was fun, but it felt astroturfed and like a money grab. Is the competition really important if you go straight to penalties? Doesn't feel like it to me.

My main point is, home field advantage is MASSIVE in MLS. If one of the higher-seeded home teams were not able to advance because they ultimately let one (or both) of their home games end tied and lost in PKs, I wouldn't feel much sympathy towards them:

I just looked at the Eastern Conference standings and seeds 1-4 have won 65% of their home games and drawn 25% of them. Meanwhile the teams that would be on the road have lost 54% of their road games and drawn 44% of them.

I'm not even really going to bother with the play-in game.

 

[LionNYC]

My main point is, home field advantage is MASSIVE in MLS. If one of the higher-seeded home teams were not able to advance because they ultimately let one (or both) of their home games end tied and lost in PKs, I wouldn't feel much sympathy towards them:

I just looked at the Eastern Conference standings and seeds 1-4 have won 65% of their home games and drawn 25% of them. Meanwhile the teams that would be on the road have lost 54% of their road games and drawn 44% of them.

I'm not even really going to bother with the play-in game.

Any notes about of those draws, how often the home/away team advances in penalties?

 

[SoupInNYC]

Any notes about of those draws, how often the home/away team advances in penalties?

I don't know. I can't imagine results favoring a home/away team too large in penalties. Maybe a very slight advantage towards home teams, but I don't know.

In order to get a large enough sample size for it to be meaningful data, would likely require a lot of work (that I'm not willing to do, or perhaps using some data source that I don't have access to).

I'm sure however, for penalties, it more comes down to personnel, more specifically the keeper.

 

[twsj91]

Anyone else having a hard time getting into the playoffs so far? Game one just feels so meaningless with very little at stake for a neutral fan. I’m sitting here watching and all I can think to myself is “meh”. Truthfully… I’m bored. I’m hoping game two of the three game series gets more intense.

Edit: I’m texting friends about this and one friend said “baseball and hockey have the same formats, but that doesn’t stop you from watching game one of seven” yeah true, BUT I DONT NEED TO WAIT A WEEK FOR THE NEXT GAME IN THOSE SPORTS!! Ugh this format is so dumb for soccer.

 

[canchon]

Haven’t watched a single minute - this format inspires no excitement and just feels off.

 

[GratefulDawg]

I enjoyed it a lot more when I muted Steve Cangialosi and listened to records.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Anyone else having a hard time getting into the playoffs so far? Game one just feels so meaningless with very little at stake for a neutral fan. I’m sitting here watching and all I can think to myself is “meh”. Truthfully… I’m bored. I’m hoping game two of the three game series gets more intense.

Edit: I’m texting friends about this and one friend said “baseball and hockey have the same formats, but that doesn’t stop you from watching game one of seven” yeah true, BUT I DONT NEED TO WAIT A WEEK FOR THE NEXT GAME IN THOSE SPORTS!! Ugh this format is so dumb for soccer.

It might be a little better if it were a race to 5 points or aggregate goals format. It does feel like there's no jeopardy. Odds are for most series the home team will win Game 1, the home team will win Game 2, then Game 3 will decide it.

 

[JCMore]

I’m not gonna lie I was pretty confused when they announced the new format. At first I thought they were doing round Robin 3 team group stages. Which would have been a hell of a lot more interesting than this. I’m really surprised they switched it because the league’s pundits really seemed happy about the old format when it was announced a couple years back due to all the excitement/drama it caused in the one off, sudden death games. But I guess this format has more games and more games means more money?

 

[mgarbowski]

In 2019 MLS had arguably the perfect Playoff setup. It started October 19 and ended November 10 and fit exactly in between the October and November FIFA Windows.
Then 2020 and 2021 were altered for Covid.
In 2022 they had an arrangement similar to 2019 except they started and ended a bit earlier to conclude before the World Cup, plus the FIFA windows were different as well.

What forced the change in 2023 was not AppleTV, or wanting to give every team a home game. Those affected how things changed but did not force a change. The format was forced to change because of Leagues Cup. Leagues Cup was deemed more important than anything else. MLS forced everyone to play shorthanded double game weeks during the Gold Cup because Leagues Cup was the priority. The whole season shut down for more than a month, they added even more DGWs besides the ones during the Gold Cup, and they still finished the season late. Decision Day in 2019 was October 6. Decision Day in 2022 was October 9. In both instances you could run a complete single game elimination Cup tournament without pausing for International Breaks. It was perfect.

But MLS and LigaMX wanted Leagues Cup, and so Decision Day in 2023 was pushed back to October 21. There was no way to get to the MLS Cup Final before the November 13 FIFA window. That inevitably meant change and then without the need (or option) to squeeze everything in to 3 weeks, new possibilities opened up, including Best of Three.
Why not just go single elimination again even with a mid-playoff gap? Because if you have round 1 a week after Decision Day on October 28, then the conference semifinals would be a week later on November 4, then Conference Finals a week later November 11. Then you are forced to keep everyone inactive for two weeks at the worst possible time before the biggest game of the year. You also risk having known MLS Cup Final players injured on national team duty. Plus, that means MLS Cup happens November 25 Thanksgiving Weekend, aka the biggest College Football day of the year. Or you push it back another week for a 3 week gap between Conference Finals and MLS Cup.

Blame Leagues Cup. Don't blame Apple, and don't blame greed unless you recognize the greed was wanting Leagues Cup rather than expanded playoffs.

 

[twsj91]

In 2019 MLS had arguably the perfect Playoff setup. It started October 19 and ended November 10 and fit exactly in between the October and November FIFA Windows.
Then 2020 and 2021 were altered for Covid.
In 2022 they had an arrangement similar to 2019 except they started and ended a bit earlier to conclude before the World Cup, plus the FIFA windows were different as well.

What forced the change in 2023 was not AppleTV, or wanting to give every team a home game. Those affected how things changed but did not force a change. The format was forced to change because of Leagues Cup. Leagues Cup was deemed more important than anything else. MLS forced everyone to play shorthanded double game weeks during the Gold Cup because Leagues Cup was the priority. The whole season shut down for more than a month, they added even more DGWs besides the ones during the Gold Cup, and they still finished the season late. Decision Day in 2019 was October 6. Decision Day in 2022 was October 9. In both instances you could run a complete single game elimination Cup tournament without pausing for International Breaks. It was perfect.

But MLS and LigaMX wanted Leagues Cup, and so Decision Day in 2023 was pushed back to October 21. There was no way to get to the MLS Cup Final before the November 13 FIFA window. That inevitably meant change and then without the need (or option) to squeeze everything in to 3 weeks, new possibilities opened up, including Best of Three.
Why not just go single elimination again even with a mid-playoff gap? Because if you have round 1 a week after Decision Day on October 28, then the conference semifinals would be a week later on November 4, then Conference Finals a week later November 11. Then you are forced to keep everyone inactive for two weeks at the worst possible time before the biggest game of the year. You also risk having known MLS Cup Final players injured on national team duty. Plus, that means MLS Cup happens November 25 Thanksgiving Weekend, aka the biggest College Football day of the year. Or you push it back another week for a 3 week gap between Conference Finals and MLS Cup.

Blame Leagues Cup. Don't blame Apple, and don't blame greed unless you recognize the greed was wanting Leagues Cup rather than expanded playoffs.

Start the season a week earlier. Weather isn’t going to change over a week. Oh no one extra week of cold games?? What’s the difference between February 17 and February 25th? Problem solved if they truly wanted to keep the old format.

 

[mgarbowski]

Start the season a week earlier. Weather isn’t going to change over a week. Oh no one extra week of cold games?? What’s the difference between February 17 and February 25th? Problem solved if they truly wanted to keep the old format.

That would in fact be 2-3 weeks earlier than MLS norms. Until last year, NYCFC never had a league game in February and Opening Day was as late as March 8. In 2022 the opener was moved up to Feb 27 because of Qatar. Now you're suggesting the season should start as much as 2 weeks before that. You can solve multiple schedule problems by dropping Leagues Cup, or you can let Leagues Cup distort everything, even the midseason transfer window. Last year NYC absurdly played 24/34 games before the summer window even opened and that contributed to the crap-stain of a season we had. Sure, let's move the season up even earlier and play 74% of the season before the window opens. Why not?

Honestly, if they're going to play in the middle of February anyway they should flip to a Fall to Spring schedule with a mid-winter break from Christmas week to Groundhog Day. Of course, it would be awfully hard to fit League's Cup into that schedule.

 

[joe]

I’m not gonna lie I was pretty confused when they announced the new format. At first I thought they were doing round Robin 3 team group stages. Which would have been a hell of a lot more interesting than this. I’m really surprised they switched it because the league’s pundits really seemed happy about the old format when it was announced a couple years back due to all the excitement/drama it caused in the one off, sudden death games. But I guess this format has more games and more games means more money?

I was confused when I saw something promoting this Saturday's FCC vs Red Bull.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I enjoyed it a lot more when I muted Steve Cangialosi and listened to records.

Correct. Cangialosi's got nothing on Coltrane.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I find the playoffs boring so far. Certainly some of that has to do with my favorite team not participating. It's also got too many teams and too many games. I expect I will engage more in subsequent rounds.

I couldn't have been less interested in the MLB Playoffs for similar reasons - and no, I did not watch more as the stakes got higher.