Also file under: Man, who saw that coming?
Opportunity missed for MLS; Championship format will remain the same
Major League Soccer commish Don Garber announced – pretty much out of nowhere – that the league’s championship will remain at a neutral site.
There was significant momentum during MLS Cup week for the big decider to be played at the site of the higher seed. I loved the idea, as it would help solve a whopper of an MLS conundrum: how to make the long regular season matter just a little more.
As it is, the 15th MLS season, which will begin in March, will see the regular season landing with more importance than ever. That’s just simple math, as an all-time high 16 teams will compete for 8 playoff spots. For the first time ever, half the field will fail to qualify for the playoffs, and that’s a significant evolution. If you’re not in the top half of the field over the seven-plus month regular season, well, too bad. Pick up your gift for participation on the way home.
So, maybe the timing of this idea wasn’t ideal. Still, I loved the nation of a home team in the title game for one other important reason: presentation remains critical to the domestic game. And talk about a crazy atmosphere waiting to happen.
On the other hand, when these things play out in neutral sites they usually land a little flat on the sizzle factor. They lack a little zip and zing –
Heck, there’s been more genuine excitement at my neighborhood Christmas Tree lighting ceremonies than at some of these neutral site snoozers.
So, MLS missed the boat on this one. My guess: the deciders got pressure from Red Bull to put the final in their spanking new grounds (which are going be fabulous, as I’ve written before.) Bad weather afoot? Probably. But the mighty marketing dollar speaks loudly.
Again, that’s just a guess. We’ll soon find out.
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