Inter Miami coach Phil Neville says one of the reasons MLS is not considered a ‘top league’ is the lack of information about a possible new MLS playoff format one week into the season. athleticPablo Maurer and Felipe Cardenas on Saturday. Here’s what you should know:
- 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.
- No official announcement has been made regarding the format, but the regular season will begin on February 25th. This is the first season of his decade-long partnership with the league and Apple, with the tech giant paying his $2.5 billion for the rights to televise all of his MLS games. — The deal is said to be one of the reasons the league may extend the playoffs.
- “We’re six, seven days away from the first game of the season, and I don’t know the format of the playoffs. I think it sucks,” Neville said. “When you talk about professionalism and the ‘elite’, I think it’s seven days into the season. When I asked him ‘What’s the system in the playoffs’ on that day, he said, ‘I don’t know.’ It was And I say, “It’s not elite.” Are you talking about the difference between England and America? Talk about the passion of the fans. (This is also) a big difference. “
Deeper
MLS 2023 Schedule: Main Matches, How To Watch
What else Neville said
Neville said it seemed strange for the team to plan the season without knowing how many games the postseason will have, and questioned who was behind the holdup.
“If you want to be the best compared to the top leagues, this should have been decided two months ago. So it’s a little frustrating,” said Neville, a third-year MLS coach. He added that deals, sponsorships, season tickets and more also depend on knowing the schedule.
“We plan the whole season, but we don’t really know when the season will end or how many games there will be after the regular season. So for me, seven days into the regular season, it’s a cross — I We need to do it better… My question is, who understands that? Apple? Who wags the dog?”
Neville also said, “First and foremost, I think the deal with Apple will change the whole league. I think it’s revolutionary. I think the product, the quality of the product that viewers are seeing, the content, it’s going to be mega. I think it’s a temporary thing, and I think it shows growth.”
inside story
The motivation behind the anticipated 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. athletic As previously reported, the league wants to ensure that every playoff participant hosts at least one postseason game.
As part of the proposed move to a Best of 3 First Round, MLS is also considering expanding the field to include nine teams from each conference. 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.
The MLS used a single-elimination format from 2019-2022, with the top seven teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs. With just 13 total games in the postseason, not all participants were guaranteed to host a game.
must read
(Photo: Rich Story/USA Today)
