Jump to content

Regional focus to MLS schedule?


masster

Recommended Posts

Below is a post I made on a Vancouver forum. I am interested to get the perspective of Montreal and Toronto fans as it will obviously have an impact on you as well.

.

.

.

During Don Garber's time in Vancouver for the reopening of BC Place, he openly talked about moving away from MLS' balanced schedule to one that features increased play between regional rivals.

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/mls/story/?id=377347

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/mls/story/?id=377268

http://www.canada.com/sports/plans+releasing+schedule+earlier+than+usual/5491374/story.html?id=5491374

Derby matches are special for many reasons, but among the most crucial, is their scarcity. Increasing the amount of matches beyond 1 home and away per season against Seattle and Portland will diminish the anticipation and buildup, and make each 'event' less special. Losing to Seattle hurts at the best of times. But what hurts even more, is knowing that you won't get another crack at them until next season. How is that going to change when a future schedule has potentially 4 fixtures between the 2 teams in 1 season? Consider the fact that future playoff match-ups are possible as well as even more games between Portland and Seattle in the regional setup of the US Open Cup. Longtime fans will remember when we played Montreal 6-7 times in one season. By the end of the year, you just wanted them to go away...and that wasn't even a local rival. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we are not going to be fond of our derby matches when it feels like we are playing them every other week. It is obvious that MLS realizes they have stumbled upon a great thing and are unintentionally on a path toward ruining it.

Another consequence of such a potential schedule is the effect on the traveling support. As soon as the MLS fixture list comes out, I circle the dates of the Seattle and Portland away matches and block off those entire weekends. Obviously, the more die hard fans will probably have no problem devoting an extra weekend or 2, but will other supporters with wives and kids and more commitments than me really be able to make that same commitment? Instead of selling out 500 tickets for 1 match, you will get maybe 700 people split between 2. MLS would thus be diminishing the very atmosphere they are claiming to foster and promote!

I understand that there are other factors that are pushing MLS in this direction, but we meed to make them understand that this proposed outcome is simply unacceptable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An unbalanced schedule would be a bad step backwards for MLS. Home and away and play all teams twice. What is the problem again? Travel? That will always be problem in North America but try having the west teams play 2 games in 7 days or 3 in 10 down east instead of constantly flying back and forth.

I would hate to dilute great rivalries and cheapen the events. That is exactly what happened with the NHL so hopefully MLS doesn't go down that path.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The push for more regional games to build rivalries is a backwards step. Rivalries are more than just geography, and are built over time, as opposed to being manufactured. Regional scheduling is a product of days of train travel, and is unnecessary these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suspect the only reason for the balanced home and away schedule in recent seasons has been making sure everybody gets equal access to David Beckham. Having more Toronto vs Montreal games in the years ahead makes sense from a travel and rivalry standpoint and the league clearly isn't going to stop at 20 in numbers terms if viable expansion bids are assembled in large cities like Atlanta, Miami, Detroit and San Diego that don't currently have a team so there was always going to be a narrow window in franchise numbers terms where the balanced home and away thing would be viable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is:

- they currently have a thirty four game schedule (currently 18 teams playing 17 other teams twice)

- there will be nineteen teams with Montreal next year. Meaning you'd have to go to 36 games and then 38 when a twentieth team is added.

- due to climate, they need to play and fit the thirty four game schedule into the April to mid oct window (thats 26 weeks).

- They want to adhere to the FiFA calendar ( ie something like four FIFA calendar dates next year for A matches and WCQ) . which means something like: 26 - 4 = 22

- they need to allow for concacaf champions league matches and V Cup/ Lamar Hunt cup matches. conservatively estimate that MLS team makes is to group stage that means 4 V cup games + 8 CCL games or 12 matches plus 34 = 46.

How will they fit more than 34 MLS games in a twenty two week shedule without going to an unbalanced schedule? right now they are looking at 46 games in twenty two weeks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is:

- they currently have a thirty four game schedule (currently 18 teams playing 17 other teams twice)

- there will be nineteen teams with Montreal next year. Meaning you'd have to go to 36 games and then 38 when a twentieth team is added.

- due to climate, they need to play and fit the thirty four game schedule into the April to mid oct window.

- They want to adhere to the FiFA calendar ( ie something like four FIFA calendar dates next year for A matches and WCQ)

- they need to allow for concacaf champions league matches and V Cup/ Lamar Hunt cup matches.

How will they fit more games in a twenty four week shedule without going to an unbalanced schedule?

the addition of montreal means an added two games... hardly a reason to do something this dumb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Easy enough to google. They do the normal UEFA thing given they are part of UEFA. As far as i remember 16 teams in the top league with a 30 game league season plus a national cup involving lower division teams as well. Soccer is the most popular spectator sport in Russia so municipal stadia were built with soccer in mind during the Soviet era so they don't face the same challenges soccer does in North America.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But Russia does play a summer sked I believe. With promo and reg . Is it a balanced sked as well?

Back to where we live.........

Almost all pro sports in NA play with-in divisions or conferences I'm sure there are good reasons for this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why is the mls planning on adding a NA spin to the game, when every other thing they have instituted NA style is on its way out of the league?

Why have so many "rivalry" games? To kill rivalries, and create stupid situations like ranks being decided by teams that have never faced off with each other? People in an easier region knocking out rightfully better teams, just because of geography?

and people are ok with this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Almost all pro sports in NA play with-in divisions or conferences I'm sure there are good reasons for this.

Divisions allow for more "Division Champions" Look at the trophies that the NHL can give out to teams at the end of the season: 6 Division Champions, 2 Conference Champions, 1 League Champion. Then in the playoffs you again have 2 Conference Champions, and a league Champion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Divisions allow for more "Division Champions" Look at the trophies that the NHL can give out to teams at the end of the season: 6 Division Champions, 2 Conference Champions, 1 League Champion. Then in the playoffs you again have 2 Conference Champions, and a league Champion.

Not likely, they give out more bogus trophies in European soccer than they do for North american sports. The have trophies for league cups, open cup competitions, cups for the winners of the leagues versus the Cup winner (ie.: Super cup), Europa league, Inter toto (if it still exists)..... etc etc etc several others like charity shield in england..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've already answered that, but on googling see they have added an interesting new innovation that is a bit like what Scotland does with a split season:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011–12_Russian_Premier_League#Second_phase

seems to be part of a move to a fall-spring format:

http://www.rsssf.com/tablesr/rus2012.html#1l

Russia is moving to a fall-spring league like the rest of Europe. Because of that they have a weird season and a half in the switch over and additionally have instituted a weird league split half way through the season with the Championship and Relegation group for unknown reasons. No one is very happy about the format this year, most people do not even understand it. I am also not convinced that the switch to the fall-spring season is going to work very well climate wise. But the league bosses and big teams want to do well in European Competitions and the old schedule put them at a disadvantage so that is why the switch was made. It also put them at a disadvantage as far as signing players. However, now they are going to be playing when the temperatures are not ideal for soccer in many cities and will also be competing with hockey as far as fans and tv coverage go. I would imagine that they will have to schedule a lot of games in the southern cities during the colder part of the season and teams from the north may play a lot of away games at the start and end of the season.

I hope MLS does not go to a regional schedule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big problem with unbalanced is the big name draws for LA & NY would only get limited visits to other markets. Maybe the MLS thinks each conference would have enough big names to draw for their area?

I don't buy the travel takes too much out of a team excuse. Is it really a disadvantage for the west teams? If it is how is it that the west dominates? LA and Seattle have as much travel as anyone and seem to be doing just fine. There would be no advantage to Houston, Dallas & Kansas.

If travel is the main reason then schedule games more intelligently. Play 2 games in 6 days or 3 in 11. East teams would play Vancouver, Seattle & Portland before going back east. Next trip out west they would play LA & Chivas. The owners probably already own hotels so they would be paying themselves from one pocket to the other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big problem with unbalanced is the big name draws for LA & NY would only get limited visits to other markets. Maybe the MLS thinks each conference would have enough big names to draw for their area?

I don't buy the travel takes too much out of a team excuse. Is it really a disadvantage for the west teams? If it is how is it that the west dominates? LA and Seattle have as much travel as anyone and seem to be doing just fine. There would be no advantage to Houston, Dallas & Kansas.

If travel is the main reason then schedule games more intelligently. Play 2 games in 6 days or 3 in 11. East teams would play Vancouver, Seattle & Portland before going back east. Next trip out west they would play LA & Chivas. The owners probably already own hotels so they would be paying themselves from one pocket to the other.

We keep hearing comments from players who have played in europe that the biggest adjustment that they face in MLS is the amount of travel that the face in MLS. Another important (as per the book titled "the Beckham experiment") difference in MLS is in travel and accomdoations. Unlike the other major professional sports leagues in north america the leagues the cap doesnt only apply to salaries but also on things like accomodations. Unless it has changed in the last contract with the players, i believe that players can only stay in, i think, three or maybe four star hotels. Teams aren't allowed to charter planes and player must fly ecomomy class. So travel is an issue. Personally, i would rather a balanced schedule but i can undertstand why they need to change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couldn't the unbalanced schedule mean that, instead of playing every team twice, they start playing select teams only once?

One would hope so. We'll see I guess. That would mean that the fewest number of Eastern teams go without their "Beckham bump"; likewise for Western teams' "Henry bump." And the league could still make a point of scheduling LA and NY against each other home and away which I'm sure they want for TV purposes.

At least the conferences will have some meaning. I'd prefer that they didn't exist - or, more radically, if they were vertically aligned based on pro/rel rather than horizontally aligned based on geography - but if they're gonna exist it's better that they have some actual bearing on the schedule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trip to LA to play Chivas days before the CCL game against Pumas is an example of how the current scheduling potentially disadvantages MLS teams. If there were always a seven day gap between games travel would be less of an issue but once up to twelve midweek games are factored in based on CONCACAF competition it starts to be a major problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New England, Philly, NY, DC players won't mind much with more games they can play each other and be home the same night even if they take Amtrack

I can see Houston moving to the West Conf with Montreal entering to have more games against Dallas in an unbalanced sked.

KC seems on an island with no geograhic rivals in the East (Columbus?)...maybe better suited in the Western Conf?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the league goes beyond 20 teams then yes, it needs to be regionalised only due to limited time in which the league can safely play matches (inclement weather).

However, having the Caps play Seattle 4 times a year plus possible cup matches would be mindnumbing....Even if regionalised it should go the NFL route in a way - I'd want to see an East-West with every West team playing each other twice with an additional game against every East team or an additional game against a limited amount of Eastern teams and that game may be home or away - but in the end everyone would have the same amount of home-away games obviously under that format.

I can see it - 24 team MLS. Two conferences of 12. Play each conference opponent twice home-away equals 22 games, play an additional 1 game v. each of the other conferences teams to total 34 game schedule. Fair enough, and fits in the calendar which is already jam packed. It becomes difficult (in a way) if the league had an odd number of teams....but could still generally work on this format).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...