MLS Review Week 30: Coming Next Week… Joy and Despair

By: Daryl | October 28th, 2007

MLS joy and despair A strange thing happened to me as an MLS consumer this week. I got all excited for the start of the playoffs (really and properly excited because we’ve been building towards it for a few weeks now) and then when the big day came around I realized I didn’t care. Not as much as I thought I would anyway. This wasn’t cynicism or Eurosnobbery or anything, just an enthusiasm vacuum that came as a genuine surprise. I realized that the first legs of the playoffs are never really all that good, mostly because nothing gets decided. Poorly formatted results below:

Chicago 1-0 DC United
New York 0-0 New England
Kansas City 1-0 Chivas USA
Dallas 1-0 Houston

Though there were a couple of decent games, there was absolutely nothing definitive.

By design, the higher seeds are at home for the second legs next week, and all are capable of winning. DC, Chivas and Houston have to score, which makes those games exciting almost by definition. But this week I just wasn’t feeling it, because unless someone got blown out it really didn’t matter.

Which gets to the heart of the problem with MLS. There aren’t enough games where something is genuinely on the line. Not enough joy, not enough despair. Because with 8 out of 13 teams making the playoffs, a regular season loss can just be shrugged off and repaired later. The regular season is basically just a big preamble, with only the race for the last couple of playoff spots holding any drama. Which makes it even more disappointing when the post season finally gets going and it still doesn’t matter if teams lose or not.

But at least from here on out, it all counts. Half the teams will be eliminated completely next week with no way back in, and half will carry on. Joy for four teams, despair for four others. After that it’s the Conference Finals, or more realistically the semi-finals, which are one leg only, with the highest seed at home. Two games, two winners. Joy and despair. And then MLS Cup. One winner, one loser. Joy and despair. But it shouldn’t take until the last three weeks of the season for things to get exciting, so I’m now officially in favour of doing away with playoffs to make the regular season more exciting, with either a single table or a Championship game between Eastern and Wester Conference winners. Meanwhile all the knockout excitement could be redirected towards the US Open Cup which needs a shot in the arm worse than all the characters from Trainspotting added together.

But enough complaining. The playoffs are here, and next week they’ll be exciting. Here’s a quick rundown of next week’s games:

DC United vs Chicago
Thursday, November 1st, 7:30pm EST (ESPN2)
The best team in MLS versus the form team in MLS. DC went to Chicago defensively and came back with a deficit. They won’t make the same mistake at home and will go all out to attack and get that goal. This should open the game up, which means entertainment for us viewers. On a more metaphysical level, this game is about the very concept of MLS playoffs. The team that won MLS in regular season versus the team that scraped in. My fundamental problem with this is that the team that just scraped in 8th place is usually the form team, because they’ve fought through the last few weeks to get there. In many ways they’re the most dangerous team. So seems unfair that the top seed is rewarded for their consistency by having to play the form team. If Chicago win, we might need to rethink that setup.

Houston Dynamo vs FC Dallas
Friday, November 2nd, 8:30pm EST (Direct Kick, MLS Live)
Most of us won’t be able to see this one, which is a shame as it might be quite an encounter. Champions Houston couldn’t beat Dario Sala in Dallas, and the artists formerly known as Burn got themselves a 1-0 win. My money’s on Houston making easy work of Dallas with Denilson finally making it off the bench but failing to make an impact.

New England Revs vs New York Red Bull
Saturday, November 3rd, 7:30pm EST (Fox Soccer Channel)
The only game that finished goalless, and maybe the second most intriguing clash after the DC vs Chicago showdown. There’s a bit of a rivalry there, but the most interesting aspect of Bruce Arena. If he loses this game then his first full season in charge at NYRB will be considered a failure.

Chivas USA vs Kansas City Wizards
Sunday, November 4th, 10:30pm EST (Direct Kick, MLS Live, HDNet)
Got to be honest, I’m pulling for Chivas here. With a rookie coach, the whole Guevara fiasco, being overshadowed in LA by Beckham’s arrival and probably being overshadowed in Mexican audience interest by Blanco’s arrival in Chicago (got no numbers to back that up, just guessing) there was something great about seeing the underdogs (undergoats?) get their shit together and win the Western Conference. But it would be massively disappointing if their season ended ingloriously with a defeat in the first round of the playoffs.

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Category: MLS

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melissa

I am sooo with you on the Chivas deal. If their season ends on Saturday... what a run eh? The goats really pulled off some fantastic fútbol this season when no-one was expecting it. And Laurie... its cool... I don't think anyone is going to fault you for hoping Chivas advance in the playoffs.
Tony

By the way, I understand the points made about the anticlimactic nature of the first game. But the first game was never meant to decide anything. It's like the first game of a best of seven series. No one's going to walk about with the trophy after playing it. The first leg is akin to the first half of a regular game. This is just a game that's two times longer and with a really, really long halftime!

Also, I think there would be a greater sense of urgency if the "away goals rule" was used. Personally, I don't like the "away goals rule" and am glad MLS isn't using it, but if it were in effect, it would add a different flavor to the games and give the first leg more meaning. Right now, as it stands, the three home teams that won would be in better shape because if they score one goal in the away leg, their opponents would have to answer with three to advance. The Red Bulls, who couldn't put one in at home, would be in decent shape too because any tie greater than 0-0 would be to their advantage.

I feel about the "away goals rule" as I do about PK tiebreakers, but they can be fun when used, although not always fair.
Tony

Good points about the meaninglessness of most regular season games. Eight out of 13 teams qualifying for the playoffs is too much. Or at least, if 8 must qualify, at least some hierarchy should be used to separate the higher-ups from the lower teams. It's unfair to a team that finished as the number one team playing level against a team that just made it into the second season by the skin of their teeth. Playing the second game at home is no advantage.

I understand why MLS wants the home-and-away series. It gives the fans of the weaker teams a chance to see their team at least once at home. But I say if you're a number 4, you should just be happy you got into the playoffs and quit yer bellyachin' about playing any home games. You want a home game? Great, then play better!! No, the number 1 should play BOTH games at their home field. Number 2 against 3 could follow this formula too or it could be home and home. But for number 4 to be equal level with number one just bothers me.

Now if MLS were a 24 or 32 team league with 8 playoff teams, the playoffs would be fine the way they are. But 8 out of 13 is more than half. It means a team that is below par is playing against the cream of the crop on level terms.
Laurie

I agree with you about pretty much everything here. Having two legs in the first round of playoffs makes the first leg really anticlimactic. I expected to be excited too, but...no.

I'm hoping for: Chicago, New York, Houston, and Chivas.

(Don't tell my Galaxy folks about that Chivas thing.)