If there’s one thing consistent about MLS, it’s that it’s always changing.
While the league has crowned its MLS Cup Champion with a playoff system in each of its 30 seasons, the route to the trophy has shifted countless times, with teams often having to meet new marks to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Yet, things might be changing again, even with the current system implemented as recently as 2023. As it stands, the MLS Cup Playoffs include the top nine teams in each the Western and Eastern Conferences after the 34-game regular season, with No. 8 playing No. 9 in a single-match knockout.
After the one-game knockout, the remaining eight teams in each conference play in a best-of-three Round of 16, before advancing to single-elimination games through to the MLS Cup Final, which pits the champions of each conference against each other.
At his midseason update, though, MLS commissioner Don Garber teased that things could be changing not only with the playoffs, but also the structure of the regular season.
“We’re looking at an evolution of our competition format that looks at a different structure to our regular season,” he said. “Think of different structures for conferences to think of a different playoff format that we think will be something that will maximize the competitiveness of our league, make it more that every regular season game counts even more than it does today and engage our fans.”
Currently, 60 percent of MLS teams qualify for the postseason, compared to 40 percent in MLB, 43 percent in the NFL, 50 percent in the NHL and 66.6 percent in the NBA, which includes a play-in tournament. While that percentage has dwindled with expansion, it still allows ample time for struggling sides to sneak in, with lower seeds seldom going on extended postseason runs.
Divisions or Two-Season System for MLS?
Although Garber was unable to provide specific updates on the MLS season and playoff structure at his midseason address, a report from former AFP journalist Simon Evans suggested that the league could be considering a divisional system.
A divisional system could see MLS split its conferences up and play more regionalized games, similar to what the NHL and NFL have done with their leagues. However, it would likely mean fewer matches between major markets, such as Inter Miami vs. LAFC.
Another option on the table could be mimicking Liga MX’s Clausura and Apertura, two-season system, and building an MLS Cup Playoff format around that; however, that would go beyond other norms in American professional sports.
“It’s too early to talk about that [possibility of divisions or a Clausura/Apertura structure],” Garber added. “We’ve got a really exciting format that will be ready to present once we go through all the formalities of it, and we'll talk about that sometime either before or at the end of the year press conference, but it'll be great.”
“And it’s gonna make the regular season more meaningful. It’ll be more aligned with the rest of the world in terms of how they play their competition.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Don Garber Teases MLS Format ‘Evolution’ in All-Star Game Conference.