November 19, 2009
MY TWO CENTS
A visionary plan for MLS for 2014-2015
Lincoln Richman is a long-time soccer fan from northern New Jersey. Today he discusses his MLS format for the 2014-2015 season. In the next My Two Cents column, he will explain the advantages of such a set up for his plan.
First of two parts
By Lincoln Richman
Special to BigAppleSoccer.com
Just got done reading your “Offside Remarks” column from Nov. 11, in which you asked for suggestions about how to re-work the MLS season to best make the regular-season games count.
Below, I offer a detailed plan for the way Major League Soccer should be scheduled heading into the 2014-2015 season (an August-to-May schedule).
This is a plan that will help “normalize” the North American-soccer schedule aligning it with the rest of the world. It will please “traditionalist” fans (except for the psychopaths who continue to blather on about promotion and relegation – those people need to get a grip and understand it will never happen here), and help attract new American soccer fans who are only casual observers. And it will make every regular-season game count.
Historically, American professional soccer played a spring/summer schedule because the leagues borrowed NFL stadiums. There is no longer a need for the spring/summer schedule now that most North American professional soccer teams have their own buildings.
By 2014-2015, MLS will probably be a 20-team league and nearly all of the teams will have their own stadium.
The three important centerpieces of my plan are:
* Completely re-imagine the way the U.S. Open Cup tournament is played. In my plan, the Open Cup tournament will be held as a “one-month” stand-alone tournament like the World Cup.
* Eliminate the MLS playoffs (which are difficult to schedule and sell – and completely negate the importance of regular-season league games), but still have a marquee “MLS Super Cup” game between the MLS regular-season Supporters Shield winner against the Open Cup winner.
* Create a schedule that works well with American weather patterns, TV viewing habits, competition from other American sports, and holiday observances.
Here’s how the whole season will look and work:
2014-2015
MLS league season begins
(All games kickoff at 7:30 p.m. local time)
20 teams, single-table.
38-game regular-season, balanced schedule.
Each team plays the others once at home, once away.
(Regular-season league standings act as qualifier and seeding for the US Open Cup tournament. See below.)
Game 1: Saturday, August 2
Game 2: Wednesday, August 6
Game 3: Saturday, August 9
Game 4: Wednesday, August 13
Game 5: Saturday, August 16
Game 6: Wednesday, August 20
Game 7: Saturday, August 23
Game 8: Wednesday, August 27
Game 9: Saturday, August 30
Game 10: Saturday, September 6
Game 11: Saturday, September 13
Game 12: Saturday, September 20
Game 13: Saturday, September 27
Game 14: Saturday, October 4
Game 15: Saturday, October 11
Game 16: Saturday, October 18
Game 17: Saturday, October 25
Game 18: Saturday, November 1
Game 19: Saturday, November 8
Game 20: Saturday, November 15
Game 21: Saturday, November 22
Game 22: Saturday, November 29
Game 23: Saturday, December 6
Game 24: Saturday, December 13
Game 25: Saturday, December 20
(Schedule December games in warm-weather cities only.)
MLS winter break (January, 2015)
(NFL playoffs and Super Bowl end on Feb. 1, 2015
Begin the Lamar Hunt/US Open Cup
on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 (just two days after the completion of the NFL Super Bowl).
The Open Cup will be a one-month tournament event in five Florida stadiums (all warm-weather in February): Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay and Orlando.
Televised by channels like ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV.
Feb. 3, 2015 to March 1, 2015
The Open Cup match would be scheduled on: Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Format: 24-teams (six groups of four teams. five stadiums in Florida.) Similar scheduling as World Cup.
Eligibility for tournament:
* The top 12 MLS teams from previous regular season qualify (Top six teams get seeded; stronger teams play weaker opponents).
* The top six USL Division I teams (or the new breakaway league if the USL no longer exists) from previous regular-season qualify.
* The top three USL Division II teams (or the new breakaway league if the USL no longer exists) from previous regular season qualify.
* The top 3 Premier Development League/amateur teams qualified from regional tournaments.
Each group has:
Two [2] MLS teams,
One [1] USL Division I team,
One [1] team from either USL Division II or PDL/amateur leagues.
The seedings are as follows:
US Open Cup group seedings
(The top two teams from each group -- plus four third-place wildcard teams advance to the round of 16)
Tournament schedule
Tuesday, February 3 to Wednesday, February 11 (group play)
Saturday, February 14 & Sunday, February 15 (round of 16)
Wednesday, February 18 (quarterfinals)
Saturday, February 21 & Sunday, February 22 (Semifinals)
Sunday, March 1, 2015
US Open Cup final (and third-place game)
MLS regular-season league-play resumes
(Schedule early-March games in warm-weather cities.)
Game 26: Wednesday, March 4
Game 27: Saturday, March 7
Game 28: Saturday, March 14
Game 29: Saturday, March 21
Game 30: Saturday, March 28
Game 31: Saturday, April 4
Game 32: Saturday, April 11
Game 33: Saturday, April 18
Game 34: Saturday, April 25
Game 35: Wednesday, April 29
Game 36: Saturday, May 2
Game 37: Wednesday, May 6
Game 38: Saturday, May 9
End of regular league season
MLS SUPER CUP
Sunday, May 17, 2015
MLS regular-season winner vs. U.S. Open Cup winner
If the US Open Cup winner and the MLS regular-season winner are the same team, then the MLS regular-season second-place team plays. Both teams that play in the MLS Super Cup will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.
Next: In Part Two, Richman will explain the advantages of playing such a schedule.
If you want to comment about this piece or have ideas of your own about soccer, write us at email.
"The opinions reflected in the My Two Cents columns do not express the views of the editors or management of BigAppleSoccer. com" If you want to respond to this story or have an opinion of your own, send it to email.
