MLS Relegation Idea

For those who don't get over to YA too often:

http://www.yanks-abroad.com/content.php ... me&id=2462

IMO: do relegation, include USL, not sure about the changing the playoff system.

 

I would love to see relegation, but how are you going to convince investors who are already leery of putting money into a new team that said team may not even be in MLS after a season or two? It is tough.

Here in the States with so many other sports to compete with, money is not quite as easy to get your hands on as it is in soccer-dominated countries in Europe where it is the biggest porfessional sport by far. MLS needs to be able to get new investors and those investors must be assured their money is going to an MLS team, not a USL team.

It pains me, but relegation will most likely never happen.

 

I would love to see MLS get a promotion relegation system in place but it CAN NOT happen anytime soon.

USL teams up MLS teams down would cause disaster. My team the Minnesota Thunder are in USL 1, if they were to be promoted to MLS it would be hideous. They play at Central High School in St.Paul and normally only fill half the place. (stadium seats 5k) It’s a very narrow plastic pitch with football lines. I love the team but it is not well run in all honesty. The change rooms don't have bathrooms thus it’s very common to go to the BR at half time and find a player or ref at the urinal next to you. Were they to be promoted it would be a serious black eye for MLS.

The other major issue is $$$$. MLS continues to look to expand; this is a major part of the author’s proposal. How can MLS convince potential ownership to pay 10mil expansion fee and put in all the other investments required to start a professional sports team if there is the possibility that the team could be relegated to playing into the ammeter in everyway USL the first year.

Perhaps when MLS gets to 20+ teams it can seriously be considered, but that will be a while.

The Open Cup is fun it allows MLS teams to come in once a year to places like Minnesota and play but to let any USL team other than Rochester or Montreal in the league would be disaster. I appreciate you bringing up the topic, if possible it would be a great way to move the league forward, but I must shoot the idea down.

 

That guy makes a lot of assumptions.

Like him I believe the practical limit is 20 teams in MLS, unlike him I dont think we''ll see MLS get the same level of status as the Euro Leagues in the next 20 years, if then. NO MATTER WHAT.

He also makes the assumption that the talent pool is static. If so, then why would anyone care to grow the league anyway.

If Relegation DOES come, it will be through division of MLs plus a very few USL clubs, but attendance will have to be a helluva lot better than it is today.

 

I fail to see a lot of the author's points. I have a lot of trouble with this:

He clearly forgets that MLS was formed in 1996. Some of those teams did not come into form until later (e.g. Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC). All the European leagues have teams that date back to the late 1800s, teams that have such strong interest and fanbases because they literally have gone through transformations. Of course European leagues do promotion/regulation, there are too many teams for any kind of coherent play and the vast number of teams stretches the quality of each to varying levels. MLS does not have this yet and it won't for a long time, assuming the league (and the sport! Soccer is relatively new to America as a pro league compared to Europe) continues to grow in the nation.

As mentioned, the USL sides are not nearly good enough to hang with MLS teams on a regular basis. The MLS has generally dominated the US Open Cup, which is a tournament consisting of USL1, USL2, PDL, US Amateur teams, and MLS squads. Also, what owner of a MLS team (not all teams are singularly owned like Euro teams; AEG still owns a few) wants to buy in or continue to fund a squad that may not be in the top flight. Furthermore, some MLS teams (RB NY, Kansas City, Colorado) have had trouble getting fans to games; including the USL teams in a promotion/relegation scheme will not put butts in the seats or make the

I also disagree with his assertion that it'll make the league more competitive. If your favorite team is in a relegation zone or fighting for the championship, sure, it's exciting. But if you're stuck in the middle - and the weaker MLS squads aren't that much weaker than the strongest - what do you have to look forward to? He's right that too many teams make the playoffs; but I'll take a playoff system over something like the EPL or La Liga where only a few teams have a real chance at winning it all and the other teams just fight for position - maybe a few Europe slots - and just to avoid being bad. Playoff games are EXCITING in of itself.

Lastly, I heavily disagree with his closing mark:

I'm constantly annoyed at the thought that MLS needs to be more like the European leagues. In some ways, yes, I agree. Jersey sponsors, singular ownership, and youth academies are all great ideas. But to try and make the league just like almost every other European league with promotion/relegation makes no sense to me. It makes MLS different from other leagues around the world, yes; but that's what we do best. Doing our own thing. Given that more and more US players and non-US MLS players are getting trials and offers from other countries to play, I'd say it's working pretty well if that is the goal. (Personally, I don't want to be "Eurified;" if I did, I would move to Europe.)

MLS is not nearly ready for promotion/relegation and I fail to see how it will improve the game in this country and the league in general.

 

The only reason the larger league format works in England is because the middle teams are never really out of the running In the prem you are playing for European competition places, in the other division there are promotion play off places. Only 2 or 3 teams will arrive at the start of April with little to play for.

Personally I would like to see a single league, maybe run more like the Scottish Prem. I also hate having a league format decided on a knockout competition at the end. The best team in Enlgand is the team that wins the prem, not the team that wins the FA cup. You need luck to win a cup.

US Open Cup: what a hoot - I never knew it existed. I am really glad that the posibility of Ams playing against pros exists. One of the biggest footballing thrill of my life was to play in the FA cup in a pre-qualifying round! We only had to win another 19 odd games to get to the first round propper!

 

Brilliant.... in pointing out how americans have transistory sport allegiances, Don shows he really DOES understand 'how people work'!

Sometimes

{Couldnt resist that.}

 

I'm all for anything that will make MLS feel less like the NFL and more like a normal league. Right now, there's a pretty big discrepancy between most MLS and USL stadiums, as well as the level of talent. I'm not sure about USL-1 vs USL-2, but my guess is that promotion/relegation between these divisions could work right now. Promotion to MLS will be a lot trickier.

First off, many USL teams dont belong in MLS, due to stadium size alone. USSF could set certain stadium requirements, which USL teams must meet or exceed before they can even qualify for promotion. Obviously, Qwest Field in Seattle would be fine (yeah, its not a SSS, but it seems otherwise very well-suited for the game, moreso than most NFL stadiums). Rochester would probably work, Portland and maybe a few others would be ok too. This would give other clubs some incentive for upgrading their facilities.

To address the gap in level of play, I would suggest a playoff. Perhaps a 2-leg match between the USL champion (provided their stadium qualifies) and whoever finishes at the bottom of the MLS table. If the USL champion doesn't have a suitable stadium, then there would be no playoff.

Another big hurdle will be MLS' league-owned contracts, revenue sharing, salary caps, draft, artificial parity, and other NFL-wannabe silliness. What happens when a team gets relegated, do they have to give all of their players back to MLS? Do promoted teams have to hand over all of their players? What if a rich USL owner decides he wants go to out and sign a bunch of international stars in an attempt to get promoted - if they move up, do they have to get rid of all their players to fit under the salary cap?

As it is, I don't see promotion/relegation happening anytime soon, but it would be cool if it did. It could also be used as an alternative to expansion. Why does Toronto get to start out as a top-division club in their first season, while Montreal Impact just finished at the top of the 2nd division table?

 

Without all that silliness, there wouldnt BE an MLS... we would still be arguing over why we cant have something better than a 3rd division league.

And you may not like it, but every NFL Team makes money.. or at least comes close to breaking even, something the Prem cant say.

It's the FA calls in NFL to consult, not the other way around.

Sorry if I'm a little abrupt..

 

Oh, I do realize that that's the way it has to be, at least for now. I'm just whining because I've grown to hate the NFL as of late.