Dear Mr. Garber,
I would like to commend you on your work done as commissioner of Major League Soccer. I have watched the league blossom and gain an increasingly respectable reputation, both in America and abroad. It truly is remarkable to see where MLS is in 2010 considering the league is not even twenty years old. Clubs are becoming financially viable and independent, with most every team playing in a new, soccer-specific stadium.
There are, however, several aspects of the league which I believe need to be addressed and altered in order to further improve the league. I respectfully ask that you would consider these changes for the sake of the league.
League Table
First and foremost is the topic of the league table. For Major League Soccer to carve out a niche amongst the other professional sports leagues in America, it would be foolish to simply import and copy the structure in place by other world soccer leagues. Their single-table format, by which the league champion is decided upon by total points earned at the completion of the season, would be foreign and - frankly - anti-climactic for American media and fans who are used to playoff formats in other sports.
With fewer than twenty teams, there is really no need to have two conferences. It is understandable why MLS has used this system (and the failed three division system), as the 32-team NFL and 30-team MLB, NHL, and NBA all use this format. But when the MLS playoff inclusion criteria were changed a few years ago to admit the top point earners regardless of conference, the two-conference system was rendered useless. Case in point: the 2008 MLS Cup was contested between Eastern Conference champion Columbus Crew and Western Conference champion Red Bull New York (an Eastern Conference team).
Were MLS to adopt a single table while retaining a playoff system, the league would align itself with the world's other soccer leagues by having one table while, at the same time, remain familiar to American media and fans by still having playoffs.
Playoffs
However, it is likewise foolish for Major League Soccer to copy these playoff structures in place by the other American professional sports leagues. MLS has granted playoff spots to eight teams each season, whether the league consisted of ten, twelve, ten (again), twelve (again), 13, 14, 15, or 16 teams. Come 2010, finally there will not be more teams in the playoffs than out - and the numbers will just be equal.
The parity in MLS also does not lend to an extensive playoff format being wise, such as those in place by the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA. Take, for example, 2009 MLS Cup Champions Real Salt Lake. The club were the last seed in the playoffs, barely even being admitted. This is not to suggest that they did not deserve MLS Cup, but rather to reiterate that they finished the regular season eighth out of fifteen clubs (right in the middle).
Rather than admitting so many teams to the playoffs, MLS needs to reward the teams that earn the most points during the season. In a single table, the top two teams could receive a first round bye, and four more teams would make the playoffs. The #3 team would host a home-and-home series with #6, and likewise #4 would host #5. The winners would advance to the semifinals to play #1 and #2, who would be the home-and-home hosts. MLS Cup could continue to be a one game event at a predetermined neutral site.
Another possibility would be simply admitting the top four teams to the playoffs, beginning directly at the semifinals. With either method, an emphasis on performing well in the regular season will be stressed. This way the best teams in the league will be deservedly rewarded for their performance and the mid-table squads will not.
League Schedule
Major League Soccer operates on an almost completely opposite season from other FIFA leagues. It would be disastrous for MLS to change its season to align with other worldwide leagues (August-May). Weather is an obvious reason; many MLS markets experince harsh winters, making playing outdoors difficult and miserable for players and fans alike. But moreover, MLS does not want to compete with the NFL and college football every week for coverage. This was more of an issue when most MLS clubs shared a stadium with an NFL team, but it still must be considered.
In the summer, when the MLS season is in full-swing, the only consistent media competition the league has is from Major League Baseball. They operate on a 162-game schedule, which makes attracting media and fans to MLS easier. Plus, the weather is mostly cooperative for fans. So while I do not think the league should shift from summer to winter games, a shift nonetheless must be made.
As it stands, MLS kicks off right around the same time as MLB's opening day. MLS playoffs are being played during the MLB playoffs and NFL and college football seasons. These are two times when MLS needs to showcase their product, yet they are playing second fiddle (or third, or fourth...) to baseball and football. Also of note is that the NHL and NBA typically are beginning during MLS playoffs and are near their own playoffs when MLS kicks off.
It would behoove MLS to shift it's start date to perhaps February from April, once the NFL season is over and before the MLB's has begun. This way the league will not have to compete with America's top two leagues during their most popular times. Instead of April-October, MLS could run February-August. An ancillary benefit would be that MLS players could be loaned to a European team for a full loan spell (in the August transfer window) without it interrupting their MLS obligations.
Expansion
Just four seasons after Major League Soccer's initial expansion from ten to twelve teams in 1998, the two Florida clubs were forced to cease operations. Though a significant setback, the league wisely continued to immediately expand and reach strong markets. MLS obviously cannot grow without actually doing so; having 20 clubs would probably be an ideal size for the league.
My criticism for MLS expansion has to do with the 2011 additions of Vancouver and Portland. Seattle enjoyed such tremendous support from their fans that MLS decided to award 2011 expansion franchises to not just one, but two additional Pacific Northwest markets: Vancouver and Portland. Signs point to the teams both following Seattle's example of success, but the concern is that the region may be too flooded with top-tier soccer teams.
This is, however, only speculation. Hopefully all teams will be embraced by their individual markets, and there really is no reason to believe otherwise. The teams will renew and create local rivalries that will be good for the league. But perhaps MLS could have looked to expand into newer markets rather than placing three teams in the Pacific Northwest in three years. (Admittedly, though, it's not as easy as just finding a city to expand to and making it happen; there are many vital factors that must be taken into account when choosing which new markets to expand to, such as ownership and investors, et cetera.)
Major League Soccer is in a unique position among American sports leagues and world soccer leagues. On one hand it must remain familiar and attractive to a mostly soccer-ignorant media while trying to attract a broader fanbase from mostly soccer-ignorant American sports fans. On the other hand MLS needs to make the league more soccer-specific to attract more soccer sponsorships and foreign players to further advance their brand and business, and to increase the league's global reputation and viability. Perhaps this would, in turn, keep more emerging American talent stateside instead of them going abroad to advance their game.
Thank you for considering these revisions. I am open to discussions on these and any other topic.
Regards,
Mister Pro
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