Is The New MLS Playoff Format A Success?
Now that we are through Round One, what do you prefer?
The New MLS Playoff Format
We just wrapped up MLS’ update to the playoff format. Aka 2023’s Round One is now a best-of-three series … not a home-and-home aggregate score … and not a single elimination game, like the rest of the playoffs.
While the MLS owners will be happy with the extra home game, is this what is best for the fans?
Other Potential Options
There are three traditional options for tournament-style play in soccer:
· World Cup-style group stage into a single elimination tournament,
· Past CONCACAF Champions Leagues have utilized a home-and-home series aggregating the scores in the two games, and
· The 2023 MLS playoffs are playing a best-of-series.
As a Revolution fan, I was happy to have a second playoff game rather than the inevitable season-ending loss following Carles Gil’s injury in game one.
However, this is not the format that I would have chosen from the outset of the playoffs.
As wonderful as it is to erase a disappointing loss, the MLS is cramming three games into two weeks unnecessarily. A home-and-home aggregate series has been successfully used in the past to develop strong rivalries within the MLS.
I am also open to maintaining a two-game series through the Conference Finals. This would give MLS fanbases as many home games as possible throughout the playoffs.
But the one-game, Super Bowl-style, MLS Cup championship game is too much to pass up on. I am not in favor of adding a series to replace the final game of the season.
What Do You Prefer?
Are you a fan looking for as many MLS playoff games as possible? Do more games give you less overall? Or do you join me somewhere in the middle? Luckily for all of us, the MLS clearly wants to tinker with its playoff format. So, I am sure we will see some more changes in the near future.
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I thought the first round was perfectly enjoyable, though I preferred the single-elimination of last year. I'd take this over the two-legged aggregate, if forced to choose. Both teams tended to play very conservatively in the first legs in that format and the travel schedule unreasonably benefited the lower-seeded team.
This format would benefit from being more compressed, though. There was high potential for intrigue with the familiarity the two participants developed over the three games, but the long breaks between matches might've given too much of a cool-down. If they must do it this way, they could go Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday rather than spreading it over three weeks next year. I'd rather just go with sixteen teams and single elimination like USL Championship does, and maybe keep the 8-9 game as an incentive for the top seed to meet a tired team, but I'm not nearly as indignant about the format as I've seen others be