Maybe there are alternative indoor venues for the December and February games in the northern cities or play those matches on the road in southern cities. Otherwise this sounds like a non-starter
Global Warming will solve that problem.
Also, note that it seems they’d be taking months off. Does “Fall-Spring” mean in Fall and in Spring, or does it mean Fall through Spring.
It’s The Athletic/The NYT, and I don’t pay.
There would be a winter break, late December and January, as well as a summer break.
OK, they already play the MLS Cup in mid-December, and the season starts now in late February. They already take those months off. Now, how to squeeze in all those matches without reducing the number of teams… hmm…
Under the current schedule, while there is one game in December (the final), and some games in February (the last weekend, when they typically have all the cold weather cities on the road), the proposal would have a heavy schedule in November, most of December, and February. There would be approximately a 5 week break winter break from late December through January. It would be a huge change for the cold spots.
A scheduling conflict in Vancouver forced the Whitecaps to play in Portland rather than at home last night. Coming into the game, having been gifted a playoff game, Portland coach Phil Neville said “it confirmed what we probably already know, is that God is a Timbers fan. God is part of the Timbers Army back there, and he made that decision.”
The Whitecaps coach responded as follows after Vancouver defeated Portland 5-0:
“I’m not the most qualified person to speak about God, because I’m an atheist. So God can be a Timbers fan, but God doesn’t exist for me,” said Sartini. “I’m much more happy if the Southsiders are Whitecaps fans, the Rain City brigade are Whitecaps fans, the South Sisters are Whitecaps fans, Albion are Whitecaps fans, the Prawnsiders are Whitecaps fans, because for me, they’re more important than God.”
1 Like
Not sure the coach of any American sports team would dare say what the Vancouver coach said?
1 Like
A coach of an American team saying what Sartini said would probably be chastised by someone.
2 Likes
Odds seem long for ATL to steal one on the road in MIA, and particularly with 2 starters pulled for injury. Stranger things have happened. It’s Saba time.
Someone needs to bite Suarez
1 Like
Beckham is in the box behind me
Maybe Steffen is out of the running for worst howler in the playoffs. Woof.
Wow. I believe MiA has only lost twice with Messi in the starting lineup, and both were to ATL.
Confirmed
Lionel Messi’s record when playing 90’ this season…
vs Atlanta: 1W-2L-0D
vs the rest of the league: 10W-0L-4D
Atlanta …
Ho Lee Fuq.
I actually brought my own TV setup to the unrelated neighborhood block party to watch the match, which was a big hit.
Jordi Alba calls the MLS Playoffs “unfair.” Um, you had the same chance to win as ATL. That is what is meant by “fair.” What you actually wanted was a unfair chance to win the MLS Cup.
"It is clear that it has been done this way for many years, but if you ask me, if it were up to me, I would have to be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other, to make it as fair as possible, that’s how it is.
IMO, there are enough matches in a season to determine that only a very select few should be in the playoffs. But to do that, the schedule needs to change, either to playing only those in your conference, and only twice (that’s plenty). Or, shrinking the size of the league (not expanding it for current owners’ profit) to 20 and all teams play the other twice, and no effing playoffs, like a REAL soccer league.
IMO, the playoffs are like a Domestic Cup.
1 Like
IFYP
ETA: in addition, in the first match that MIA won they had a significant scheduling advantage. ATL had must win games on the road at Orlando on Saturday and Montreal on Tuesday, then had to play at MIA Friday. MIA played at home Saturday and no mid week match.
The playoffs were designed to give an advantage to the top seeded teams and a disadvantage to the wildcards. That’s fine IMO. If you don’t like it, win more games. To whine about it the other way is nuts to me.
2 Likes
Alba also has to appreciate that this is the way major league sports playoffs work in the USA and Canada: winning your conference in the regular season is advantageous but is not the prize.
Minor sports too, like retirement leagues.