We were promised news at halftime. What we got were more questions.
MLS Cup Playoffs: Don Garber Says He Needs 30 More Days
It had already been learned that MLS plans to include two additional teams in next year’s playoffs. At halftime it was learned that the mechanism for making that is still not decided.
“We gotta find ways to have the regular season have more incentive,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.
He mentioned that there will be some kind of play-in, but the final decision is still another 30 days away. The most obvious scenario would involve the final four seeds squaring off in two play-in games and then facing the conference champions in the first round of the playoffs, but Garber’s comments seem to imply other possibilities.
Garber also said that the league would continue with a balanced schedule.
The most intriguing thing he said was that the league is exploring a promotion and relegation “simulation.” What that means is entirely speculation.
“You’ll see us put things like that in place either next year or the year after,” Garber said.
The other change Garber hinted at was splitting the MLS schedule so that the league would fall closer in line with the international schedule. That is widely to believed to be a nod to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who mentioned he would like to see MLS move that way during a White House meeting.
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