Re: How Would you Run the MLS?
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2023 4:12 pm
by Align1
Looks like I've found this post a little late. Ha ha. Quite late. But, even so, what I would do is try to make the most balanced schedule as possible. Currently, with St. Louis City FC joining in, with a 29-team MLS, if making divisions is frowned upon, then I would also get rid of conferences as well. Keep the 34-game schedule, but make it "boundless" by playing every MLS team at least once (28 games) and then fill in the remaining 6 games playing rival or nearby teams twice. So, play 6 teams twice ea., and play remaining 22 teams once ea. How could this be determined?
One rational unbiased method is as follows: First, determine the average air travel distance each team is to the rest of the MLS. Some teams are more isolated/further away from most of the MLS teams, while others are clustered/closer to the rest of the MLS teams. Next, rank all 29 teams in order, most remote ranked first, closest ranked last. Then go thru 6 rounds of team picks of nearest available teams with which to play twice. The more remote teams get scheduling preference over lesser remote teams. Late in each round of picks, some manual manipulation is probably needed to make the final matchups fair, reasonable, or even possible at all. After several iteration attempts, I came up with the following possible 29-team MLS 34-game SCHEDULE - a kind of skewed balanced schedule where everyone gets preferences:
1) Vancouver Whitecaps FC: 2 games ea. w/ Sea., Por., RSL, SJE, LAG, LAFC
2) Seattle Sounders FC: 2 games ea. w/ Van., Por., RSL, SJE, LAG, LAFC
3) San Jose Earthquakes: 2 games ea. w/ LAG, LAFC, Por., Sea., Van., Col.
4) Portland Timbers: 2 games ea. w/ Sea., Van., SJE, RSL, LAG, LAFC
5) Los Angeles FC: 2 games ea. w/ LAG, SJE, Por., Col., Sea., Van.
6) L.A. Galaxy: 2 games ea. w/ LAFC, SJE, Por., Col., Sea., Van.
7) Inter Miami CF: 2 games ea. w/ Orl., Atl., Cha., Nas., DCU, Cin.
8) Real Salt Lake: 2 games ea. w/ Col., Por., Sea., Van., SKC, Min.
9) New England Revolution: 2 games ea. w/ NYC, NYRB, Mtl., Phi., Tor., CLB
10) Montreal Impact: 2 games ea. w/ NER, Tor., NYRB, NYC, Phi., CLB
11) Orlando City FC: 2 games ea. w/ Mia., Atl., Cha., Nas., Cin., Hou.
12) New York City FC: 2 games ea. w/ NYRB, Phi., NER, DCU, Mtl., Tor.
13) N.Y. Red Bulls: 2 games ea. w/ NYC, Phi., NER, DCU, Mtl., Cha.
14) Austin FC: 2 games ea. w/ Hou., Dal., SKC, StL., Atl., Chi.
15) Houston Dynamos FC: 2 games ea. w/ Aus., Dal., Nas., StL., Atl., Orl.
16) Colorado Rapids: 2 games ea. w/ RSL, SKC, Dal., LAG, LAFC, SJE
17) Philadelphia Union: 2 games ea. w/ NYRB, NYC, DCU, NER, Tor., Mtl.
18) D.C. United: 2 games ea. w/ Phi., NYRB, NYC, CLB, Cha., Mia.
19) Toronto CF: 2 games ea. w/ Mtl., CLB, Phi., NYC, NER, Chi.
20) FC Dallas: 2 games ea. w/ Aus., Hou., SKC, Col., Chi., Min.
21) Charlotte FC: 2 games ea. w/ Atl., DCU, CLB, Orl., NYRB, Mia.
22) Minnesota United FC: 2 games ea. w/ Chi., SKC, StL., Cin., Dal., RSL
23) Atlanta United FC: 2 games ea. w/ Nas., Cha., Orl., Mia., Hou., Aus.
24) Columbus Crew SC: 2 games ea. w/ Cin., Tor., DCU, Cha., Mtl., NER
25) Sporting Kansas City: 2 games ea. w/ StL., Min., Dal., Col., Aus., RSL
26) Nashville SC: 2 games ea. w/ Atl., Cin., StL., Orl., Hou., Mia.
27) Chicago Fire FC: 2 games ea. w/ Cin., StL., Min., Tor., Dal., Aus.
28) FC Cincinnati: 2 games ea. w/ CLB, Nas., Chi., Min., Orl., Mia.
29) St. Louis City FC: 2 games ea. w/ SKC, Nas., Chi., Min., Hou., Aus.
- All team matchups not shown play 1 game ea.
PLAYOFFS: seed all playoff teams as is done currently, except set it up league-wide rather than for conferences. In this way, it is possible for ANY 2 teams to matchup with each other in the MLS Cup championship game. Very interesting!