Single-elimination format to create a sprint to MLS Cup
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Chatter surrounding potential changes to the MLS playoff format has slowly escalated in the past few weeks for the upcoming 2019 season, and rightly so. The league officially announced changes to its postseason as of 2019, answering many of its critics by having the playoffs start earlier, therefore finishing much earlier as well.
The 2019 MLS regular season will still consist of 34 games, beginning March 2, but concluding much earlier than usual, on October 6. Following the regularly-scheduled international break in October, the playoffs will begin on October 19, giving teams a little recovery time, while MLS Cup will be played on November 10; a stark comparison to this year’s final, played on December 8.
What changes?
For the playoffs to have been made shorter, one major aspect had to be altered: home and away series. These matchups over two legs won’t exist anymore in the postseason, to be replaced by a single-elimination format. This means that higher-seeded teams will enjoy home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Also, considering the league’s rapid growth and expansion, the number of clubs qualifying for the playoffs will increase from 12 to 14: seven from each conference. A greater emphasis will be placed on earning the top seed, as only the best team in each conference will receive a first-round bye.
In the new format, playoff games will be played every three days, with a week’s break only given before the MLS Cup.
Other advantages
With playoff matches occurring during the month of October and early November, the weather will be more temperate compared to the previous format, and in Montreal, that’s something to definitely be happy about. An analysis of the league’s cold-weather markets showed that there is a large difference in temperature with the new timeframe compared to playing matches in late November and early December.
That being said, the new postseason format timing will also conclude prior to World Cup 2022, which begins in Qatar on November 21, 2022.
