Major League Soccer may make major changes to its playoff format in 2023, according to league and club sources. The AthleticTuesday. Due to the sensitive nature of ongoing discussions, the sources spoke under oath.
According to sources, the league, which will include 29 teams next year with the addition of St. Louis City SC as an expansion club, could increase the number of playoff matches from the 13 currently played to about 30 next year. It is also suggested that the league will shift to 30 playoff games. MLSIn a document distributed to clubs during the summer, and obtained by The AthleticTuesday
Sources claim that the league may expand its playoff format to increase the number of matches it has in the postseason in the first year under its media rights agreement with Apple. Apple and the league have announced a 10-year, $2.5 Billion broadcast deal. The tech giant will show every MLS playoff game on Apple TV starting in 2023.
MLS’ current playoff format includes seven teams from each conference. All playoff matches are single elimination, which gives the league a total 13 postseason matches including MLS Cup.
This format will need to be changed to accommodate 30 postseason contests. Sources suggest that one outcome could be a World Cup-style playoff competition. The specifics of what that potential tournament would look like weren’t entirely known by the sources, but one hypothesized that a format could look something like this:
- The postseason would be open to the top eight teams in each conference.
- The teams would then be split into four teams of four each.
- Conferences would separate groups. Teams from the Western Conference will only be grouped together with their Western Conference counterparts, while Eastern Conference teams will only be grouped together with Eastern Conference members.
- The same is true in the World CupEach team would then play three group stage matches, one against each of three other teams.
- The two highest seeds in each group would host two games at the group stage; the bottom two seeds would only host one game at the group stage
- The two top teams in each group will advance to an eight-team single-elimination knockout phase.
- The conference would also divide the knockout stage like the group stage.
- Higher seeds would host knockout stage matches. The Western Conference champion will advance to MLS Cup, while the Eastern Conference champion will be eliminated.
The source who suggested this new format also mentioned that MLS could arrange such a tournament so it plays multiple group stage matches every night for nearly 2 weeks. The league’s current playoff structure makes it difficult to create narratives. A blink and the whole postseason is over. The league could gain more mainstream acceptance by expanding the playoffs and playing games on consecutive nights for a few weeks. However, switching to a playoff format that is unique to soccer and North American sports could cause confusion for casual fans or newcomers to this league.
The changes are still not final. According to sources, a committee consisting of high-ranking MLS owners was consulted about the World Cup-style format and the proposal was viewed positively. The full MLS board must approve the change. They are next due to meet in Brooklyn, in November.
The league could also potentially consider other formats that would get it closer to its target of 30 postseason matches — simply revising the current format to a two-legged system with a single championship game would result in a 25-game postseason schedule.
The league’s playoff format has changed multiple times throughout its 27-year history. In its earliest years, eight of the league’s 10 teams qualified for postseason play, and the league employed a best-of-three format for the conference semifinals and finals. They tweaked that system in 2000 when they split the league into three divisions, with the league’s top eight teams, regardless of division, advancing to the playoffs. This format was used for a while by the league, but it was eventually eliminated. The best-of-three system was dropped and the league moved to two-legged matchups. The league’s current single-elimination format was introduced in 2019.
(Top photo by Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
