The Major League Soccer season is less than four weeks away, but the league has yet to finalize its playoff format for 2023.
As reported by athletic Earlier last month, all indications were that the league would introduce a best-of-three series in the first round and move to a single-elimination format after the conference semifinals.
According to sources, the motivation behind this change is to increase the overall number of matches to increase the inventory of MLS Season Passes on Apple TV and increase game-related revenue for owners. The league also wants to change the format to ensure all playoff participants host at least one postseason game, sources said.
The MLS used a single-elimination format from 2019-2022, with the top seven teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. That set-up offered plenty of drama, but with just 13 total postseason games, it didn’t guarantee that all participants would host a game.
provided source athletic An additional update this week says MLS is also looking to expand the field to include nine teams from each conference as part of the proposed move to the first round of best-of-three. . If hired, the 8th and his 9th seed will play-in his match, with the winner facing the first seed in their respective conference in the best-of-three conference quarterfinals. This format contains a minimum of 25 playoff matches.
In addition to increasing Apple’s inventory and generating additional revenue for owners, the gist of the idea is to have more teams competing for a playoff place in the second half of the regular season, according to sources. Making the field available means 62% of the league’s 29 teams are eligible for the postseason, which certainly means more teams will be put into action. But the playoffs could also reduce the overall quality of his tournaments, further reducing the stakes for regular-season games in the first and mid-years, a longstanding problem in MLS.
The MLS Product Strategy Committee, a powerful group of owners and executives who drive most of the competitive and roster-related decisions the league makes, is scheduled to meet next week in the Palm Springs, California area, according to sources. Potential playoff changes are expected to be discussed and finalized.
The MLS regular season starts on February 25th.
US Soccer Considers Building National Training Center
In late 2022, US Soccer will consider a capital campaign to raise up to $300 million to support the construction of a new training center, headquarters, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) by the Federation An email has been sent to the selected individuals informing them that they are innovation lab.
A source familiar with the federation’s plans said athletic The Atlanta-area site is an all-new development, while the Cary site will leverage some of the existing infrastructure and facilities at the WakeMed soccer park. Wake Med Soccer Park is not only home to NWSL team North Carolina College and his USL League One North Carolina FC, but has hosted numerous senior and youth national team games and camps since opening in 2002. rice field. The infamous photo shoot that will go down in team history.
When completed, the National Training Center will include “more than 14 well-equipped fields” for the U.S. senior, youth and national teams, as well as “state-of-the-art training facilities, co-working spaces, high-tech facilities,” the email said. Sports equipment (and) medical resources for injury prevention and recovery.This location will also become the new headquarters for USSF staff, after the Commonwealth left its longtime home in Chicago’s South Loop district last summer. It is now housed in an office building in downtown Chicago.
If built, the DEIB Lab will, according to a federation email, “provide the best and most effective diversity, equity, inclusivity and Act as an incubator and funder for the projects to which they belong.
The federation says it will allocate $250 million out of the potential $300 million it was considering funding for the National Training Center. The rest of his $50 million will be donated to the DEIB lab.
In an email, the federation explained why it wanted to build a National Training Center, writing: Reduce staffing costs and increase opportunities to focus on collaboration, success and game growth. ”
Atlanta is a major international travel hub, making it a relatively easy destination for players, coaches and administrators to move to new training facilities or headquarters, regardless of where they are based. Cary, just outside Raleigh, is a more difficult city to travel to, especially from abroad. Both have relatively mild climates suitable for year-round training.
The idea of a National Training Center has been entertained by US Soccer for years. The federation partnered with LA Galaxy and AEG in the early 2000s to establish a training center at what is now Dignity Health Sports Park, but USSF does not control the location. US Soccer signed a similar deal with Sporting Kansas City in 2018 to open the $75 million Compass Minerals Performance Center. senior national team.
Sources with knowledge of the plans say both Cary and Atlanta are being considered as sites, but the federal government will step up funding and face other hurdles before finalizing plans for a National Training Center in any market. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the project, said other sites could also emerge as candidates for training centers.
U.S. soccer aims for friendly matches against Argentina and Brazil in the fall
According to multiple sources familiar with the team’s schedule, U.S. Soccer has held talks with the Argentinean and Brazilian federations about hosting South American friendly matches at international competitions in the fall.
The US Men’s Team will have international windows in September, October and November to round out 2023. This includes performance fees, venue decisions, and other friendly nations these countries may have scheduled for the fall window.
Both opponents will be top-level matches for the United States as they prepare for the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup. Argentina were the defending champions of the World Cup and Brazil entered the 2022 World Cup as favorites before losing on penalties to Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The last time the US men played Argentina was in the 2016 Copa America Centenario semi-finals, where they lost 4-0. His last match against Brazil was a 2–0 loss in a friendly at MetLife Stadium in 2018.
(Photo: Kiyoshi Mio – USA TODAY Sports)
