MLS (Playoff) Format

It seems there are a LOT of people out there that don't like the current MLS playoff system. I must admit, I'm not 100% convinced myself. From the lack of advantage for higher seeds to the number of teams on, there are a lot of things people don't like. Here's a few ideas that I came up with. They almost certainly won't be liked by the 'soccer purists', especially those that want a single table & promotion/relegation (get over it, it'll never happen), but it is a semi-'Americanized' system that also tries to set fairness at a high level.

NOTE: This setup is based on a 16 team league, which MLS can and will be at soon.

First, I would break the league up into 2 conferences and four divisions, based mostly on geography (and therefore helping promote more regional rivalries). Teams like RSL & Colorado (or LA & Chivas, DCU/NE/NY, etc.) should be kept in the same division to help foster interest with the already developed rivalries. So the league would look something like this:

Western Conference:
Div. 1
Chivas USA
LA
San Jose
Seattle

Div. 2
RSL
Crapids
Houston
Dallas


Eastern Conference:
Div. 1
DCU
New England
NY
Toronto

Div. 2
KC
Chicago
Columbus
Eastern Team 8 (St. Louis?)

In the interest of a fair, balanced schedule teams would have an increase in the number of games. In my system, each team would play every other league team twice, once at home and once away. They then would play each team in their division an addition 2 times (home and away). This would mean a total of 36 games in the regular season, which I admit is a lot, but the best way I can think of to keep a balanced schedule while still keeping extra "rivalry games." There may have to be a few extra midweek games to meet this schedule, but it is possible. In short, the regular season looks like this:
15 other teams x 2 games each = 30 games
3 division teams x 2 additional games each = 6 games
30 + 6 = 36 games

Now we come to the playoffs. I actually have two systems in mind, one which will drastically cut the number of playoff teams and one that allows for more teams while giving an advantage to the higher seeds (based on the format used in the Australian A-League). Both try to give teams an advantage for having a better regular season while also assuring every team a home playoff game.

Playoff Format One:
The winner of each division advances to the playoffs. Each conference's 2 representatives face off in the semi final in a best of 3 game home-away-home series. The team with the highest number of points on the season is the home team and plays a possible 2 home games, with the other team given one. Each game would be in the current MLS format, with a 30-minute overtime if needed. If the game is still tied after 120 minutes, there are two options: a 15 minute golden goal second overtime followed by a shootout if necessary or just a shootout without the golden goal overtime. The first team to win 2 games advances to the MLS Cup. The MLS Cup itself would be as currently formatted, that is, a single game at a "neutral" field.

Playoff Format Two: (I'll try and have this make sense...)
The top 2 teams in each division would qualify for the playoffs. Each division winner would be considered the #1 seeds in the playoffs with the runners-up being the #2 seeds. The two #1's would play a "major quarterfinal" match at the home of the team with the most points on the season (or the better record in head-to-head matches that year, we're making this up so whatever you prefer). The winner of that match moves on to the conference final, the loser moves to the conference semifinal.
Meanwhile, the 2 #2's play a home-and-away "minor quarterfinal" series formatted in the same manner as the MLS playoffs currently are (aggregate, no away goals rule). The team with the most points would get to choose whether they wanted to be home first or away first. The winner of this series would move on to the conference semifinal.
The conference semifinal would pit the winner of the minor quarterfinal against the loser of the major quarterfinal in a one-off match at the major quarterfinal loser's home stadium. If tied, the game would have MLS's current 30 min. overtime (and if still tied) followed by one of the two options I used in format one (a 15-min. golden goal then, if necessary, a shootout OR just a shootout). The winner of this game moves to the conference final.
The conference final would be played in the home stadium of the winner of the major quarterfinal, using the same rules as the conference semifinal and with the winner moving to the MLS Cup, which, as per usual, would be one match played in a neutral stadium.
An idea for the timing of these matches would be:
Friday: Minor Quarter Game 1
Saturday: Major Quarter
Tuesday: Minor Quarter Game 2
Saturday: Conference Semifinal
and then the conference final and MLS Cup on the 2 following Saturdays. This setup would keep the length of the playoffs to a minimum, while giving the higher seeded teams the advantage of getting some extra rest.

For reference purposes (and to maybe clear up what I'm trying to convey), here are "bracket" versions of each format:

Format One:



















Format 2:












I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading! Enjoy! And as always, feel free to comment below!