next soccer question

[Cascadia]

I'm only going to explain this once and then I'm done dealing with a bunch of clowns who want to Americanize everything.

The Away Goal Rule actually helps produce better soccer. It forces the higher seed team to actually try in the first leg of the series. Without the Away Goal Rule, the higher seed would just play for a 0-0 or 0-1 result knowing that they can most likely get a 1-0 or better result at home in the second leg.

There is also another issue at play here that most of you are skirting around. A draw is NOT a bad thing. It's about getting 'getting a result' in soccer, not always about getting a win. Again, this is an attempt to Americanize everything.

If you don't like it, stick with American Football, Basketball and Baseball. Except when the NFL ties, then you can still claim it's the best.

First - why in the world should American soccer aspire to be exactly like European soccer? FIBA plays with the weird (to me) take-the-ball-off-the-rim thing. Does the game fall apart? It does not.

Second, and specifically in reference to the bolded language above - fine!, but it is still an absurd outcome where, in a series with one home game for each team, the worse team gets the benefit of the rule. All things being equal (literally: same number of home games, same number of goals), the worse team has the advantage.

I'll put this differently: if you gave the superior team the choice, wouldn't the superior team rather host the first leg, and have the benefit of the away goal rule in the second leg? I'd think they would!

No. I would choose to play the first game on the road. It's a better advantage.

[jfish26]

I would not. But hey - maybe there's your solution: give the team with the better record the option.

[Cascadia]

I would be fine with that, but I think you would find that 95+% of the time the higher seed would choose to play on the road first.

[jfish26]

Maybe? But certainly I don't think there could be any griping about the rule if you got to pick your poison.

[pdub]

Had Kansas City tied the Timbers 2-2 in the first game, KC would have advanced with a 0-0 or 1-1 tie.

[UnholyLivingDead]

The good news is there's not long to dwell on the loss. CONCACAF Champions League draw is tonight.

[NewtonHawk11]

http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league ... r-of-teams

Don't like more teams making the playoffs, but this is the right way to go about the playoffs in MLS. Gives those with better records over 34 games an advantage by playing at home. 1 bye per conference, and the higher seed always plays at home.

[pdub]

Yea, i'm not a fan of leagues where 50% or more of the league makes the playoffs.

[NewtonHawk11]

Agreed completely, but expansion will make a difference in a few years. Just getting ahead of the curve, I guess.

[Cascadia]

Not a huge fan. Wish the final was home and away.

For those of you who keep referencing ‘the better regular season record should get an advantage in the playoffs’ need to remember how wildly unbalanced the regular season schedule is in MLS.

[NewtonHawk11]

Doesn't each team do a home and home with all teams in their conference? So for the respective conferences, better season record makes perfect sense to have home games in playoffs.

Now the final being home and away would be cool. I'd be good with that.

[Cascadia]

Doesn't each team do a home and home with all teams in their conference? So for the respective conferences, better season record makes perfect sense to have home games in playoffs.

Now the final being home and away would be cool. I'd be good with that.

No

[NewtonHawk11]

From the 2018 MLS season Wikipedia..

During the 2018 MLS regular season, each team played 34 games, including 17 home games and 17 away games. Teams faced each of their conference opponents (10 in the East, 11 in the West) twice during the season with one game at home and one game away. Western Conference teams played one additional intra-conference game and Eastern Conference teams played two. All teams faced each non-conference opponent once.

[Cascadia]

Right. So it’s not a balanced schedule. For example, Portland and Seattle played 3 times this season.

[Cascadia]

But here in lies the problem. You didn’t know this. You’re just salty that SKC didn’t make it to the final.

I think this is a fair question to ask. Are you a soccer fan? Or do you just want your hometown team to win? And the USA to win?

[NewtonHawk11]

Fair question. I don't follow the ins and outs of every teams schedule. I know that every team plays each other at least once, and teams in conference play each other twice. Would I prefer that MLS follows other leagues like Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga and play everyone home and away? Yes.

I do follow soccer fairly close. I pay close attention to American players overseas like Pulisic, Sargent, Brooks, Wood and other guys. Would I prefer Sporting and KC to win? Yes. Do I follow other National teams and leagues? Yes.

Favorite league to watch is the Premier League. One, it's best access for me to watch without getting anything extra, and two, it's got the most competitive games and the gap from top to bottom isn't too far apart compared to other large leagues.

[pdub]

I like the home game for the top teams - that makes sense to me.
58% I think? of teams in the playoffs doesn't make sense to me.

[Cascadia]

Fair question. I don't follow the ins and outs of every teams schedule. I know that every team plays each other at least once, and teams in conference play each other twice. Would I prefer that MLS follows other leagues like Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga and play everyone home and away? Yes.

I do follow soccer fairly close. I pay close attention to American players overseas like Pulisic, Sargent, Brooks, Wood and other guys. Would I prefer Sporting and KC to win? Yes. Do I follow other National teams and leagues? Yes.

Favorite league to watch is the Premier League. One, it's best access for me to watch without getting anything extra, and two, it's got the most competitive games and the gap from top to bottom isn't too far apart compared to other large leagues.

Fair enough, thanks for sharing.

I like that soccer is different. If you like a different format, you have other outlets.

NFL - One game at higher seed
NCAA MBB - One game neutral
MLB - 1 (WC), 5, 7, 7
NBA - 7, 7, 7, 7

The 2019 MLS schedule will likely be somewhat balanced. Home and away with 11 conference teams (22 games) and one game against each team from the other conference (12 games). But you could still get an advantage or disadvantage depending on who you play at home or on the road against the other conference.

Just wait until MLS gets to 28+ teams. I think Divisions are coming! Which, ugh.......

[pdub]

I don't think the variance in conference year in year out is enough to not justify giving the best team from the conference home field advantage. Not when they play that many games.

If you want home field, win your conference and if you don't, look to the games you lost for the reasons you didn't win your conference.

[Cascadia]

Lol, still salty about SKC not advancing.

When will you guys get over this so we can start having real conversations?