5/02 News

[bordelais7]

We would all love to see promotion and relegation, but I don't know if it will ever happen. How long did it take that system to develop in the rest of the world?

That's one of the problems. In the rest of the world, teams formed first, and then they got together and created leagues. Here in the states, the league formed first and is now trying to create teams. So since we're kind of doing things backwards to begin with, it's tough to expect that we'll have a system like the rest of the world anytime soon. Our league is still too fragile, but is slowly growing (despite this years' attendance numbers)

[AreliusII]

Promotion and relegation would help the league become more competitive and financially self-sufficient. By organizing the league hierarchically, the team that keeps winning will rise to the top gaining supporters and revenue, the team that keeps losing will move in the opposite direction, shedding supporters and revenue as it goes. Presently in MLS, we have a sort of monopolistic situation in which no club is in danger of being demoted. Under a promotion/relegation system, only the teams that win would grow financially. This means that teams like Rochester Rhinos would continue to grow its supporter base and its revenue. Ultimately, this would improve the competitiveness of U.S. soccer.

[Aero]

Originally Posted by AreliusII

Ultimately, this would improve the competitiveness of U.S. soccer.

While I agree that promotion/relegation would be great for the competitiveness of American soccer, I don't think that the owners of the teams are really all that concerned about that. They are more interested in making money and as long as that is their primary concern, they will never agree to the idea. It would be great for American soccer and American soccer fans, but unfortunately, we don't have any say in the matter.

[bordelais7]

Good points, Arelius and Aero, but it doesn't change the fact that you can't treat a 10-year-old league like it's been around for 100 years. Are you saying that you would be in favor of installing a pro/rel scenario next year? I can guarantee soccer would come to a grinding halt in this country within a couple of years and teams would be shutting down left and right.

[Aero]

No, even if down the road they do decide to use pro/rel it won't be for many, many years. The soccer infrastructure does just not exist.

And even when it does, I doubt that it will even happen then.

[SoccerPrime]

If Arelius's POV was true, then MetroStars and CRapids would be in PDL.
They wouldn't last very long.

But to be honest, as long MLS is Communist system (even Checketts only owns 49% of RSL) then rel/promo is WAY off.

[bordelais7]

Well, I'm sure single-entity won't last forever. If the league continues to get stronger to the point where most teams can sustain themselves reasonably, it would probably be a logical step to decentralize. That would make pro/rel much more of a possibility.

There is also the issue of the player transfer market, and the draft, etc. Most American leagues attempt to create relative parity among their teams by means of player drafts, salary caps and regulations, and so forth. All of this would have to be done away with in order for promotion/relegation to succesfully weed out the better market teams. Larger markets such as LA and NY would immediately have an advantage (just as the larger markets in Europe do) due to larger revenue potential, and therefore the ability to buy better players. This would be a tough one for the American public to swallow (see: everyone's hatred towards the Yankees "buying" their championships), but I agree that it would be great for the competitiveness of the sport.

So, maybe 20 years from now, our dreams will all come true.

[SoccerPrime]

Originally Posted by bordelais7

Well, I'm sure single-entity won't last forever...

So, maybe 20 years from now, our dreams will all come true.

20 years from now.
Exactly.
I'll waste some brain cells on it then I guess.

[AreliusII]

[QUOTE=AreliusII]

Originally Posted by AreliusII

Major League Soccer: In end, RSL all tied up http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_2700082
QUOTE]

""It's all about peaking in this league," Countess said. "If we can hang in there, and pick up a playoff spot, who knows what will happen."



A single table with relegation and promotion would make this attitude obsolete and irrelevant.

Every game would be crucial. It would no longer be a matter of "making the playoffs."

In other words, our system lends itself to mediocrity. Case in point:

West Coast Report: A playoff run for Chivas USA?
By Luis Bueno
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (May 2, 2005) -- No matter how lopsided the scores, no matter how many goals have been allowed and how few have been scored, championships are not won or lost in April.

If nothing else, Chivas USA can take comfort in knowing that the MLS season is a marathon. Though one month has come and gone and left few positives in its wake, success can very much still be achieved.

After all, in Major League Soccer, just enough is good enough.

Through five weeks, Chivas USA sit at the bottom of the Western Conference table with an unpleasant 0-4-1 mark and just one point. And although nine points separate Chivas USA and first-place FC Dallas, the season is still very much up for grabs.

Chivas USA need not worry about such meaningless things as finishing in first place. Or second place. Or, for that matter, third place. All the club needs to do is not be as bad as two other Western Conference rivals.

Is that a lofty goal? Hardly. Can a club really be content with trying not to stink as bad as two other teams? Probably not. But in its first season in an increasingly talented and competitive league, a playoff appearance would be a monumental achievement, especially at this point.

“It’s not a season where the championship is determined on how you finish in the table,” Chivas USA defender Ezra Hendrickson said. “All you have to do is be better than two teams in your conference, and you make it to the playoffs. Once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.”

Players aren’t exactly talking of MLS Cup but confidence is high among players, regardless of the first five weeks. The club has set its sights on what needs to be done in order to consider this season successful.

“History shows that you’re going to need about 36-40 points to make it into the playoffs,” Hendrickson said. “We still have 12-13 home games to play. You take care of most of those and get some points on the road and you’re right in the thick of the playoff race.”

While the rest of the Western Conference struggles, FC Dallas and the Galaxy have established themselves as 1-2 in the pecking order out West. Both teams have already had a turn against Chivas USA and each came away with a 3-1 victory, but that should not matter. The club needs only to finish the marathon alive and not worry about setting record time.

While the Western Conference table shows Chivas USA looking up at all other teams, Chivas USA need only concern themselves with the fourth- and fifth-place teams. After five games, fellow expansion club Real Salt Lake is on five points while Colorado is in fifth place on four points. Even San Jose, third on six points, is within reach.

Chivas USA can catch up in a hurry. The club plays Real Salt Lake twice in the next three weeks. Sandwiched in between those matches is a game at Colorado. Some favorable results in those games and suddenly the season quickly starts to look a lot better.

Real Salt Lake and Colorado aren’t exactly title contenders themselves. Real Salt Lake already has a win, but its defense has also been shredded. The Galaxy dropped three goals on Real in their first trip to Home Depot Center while San Jose came back late in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Colorado, meanwhile, has defensive issues of its own after Amado Guevara picked apart the once-vaunted defense in a 3-1 MetroStars win in Denver on Saturday.

After Chivas USA’s 3-1 loss to the Galaxy, Hendrickson spoke up during training and cautioned against giving up on the season and the team.

“As an experienced guy I basically told them, ‘Look, there’s years where teams started off poorly and they ended up going to the playoffs and making it to the finals,’” he said.

In 2002, New England started off the season with a 3-7-1 mark but turned their season around in the summer and reached MLS Cup.

Last season, New England won just eight of 30 games, finished with 33 points, surrendered 43 goals and ended the season on a 3-5-2 skid yet still made the playoffs.

And how did the 2004 Revolution fare against Columbus and D.C. United, last season’s first- and second-place finishers in the Eastern Conference? In a combined eight regular-season matches, New England went 0-4-4 against the Crew and United. That’s zero wins and four of a possible 24 points.

But what did that matter in the playoffs? With everything on the line, the Revs ousted Supporters Shield champ Columbus and were one goal away from beating D.C. United and advancing to MLS Cup 2004.

One point from five games is not what any team should try to attain. Certainly, Chivas USA players and coaches were expecting more. But the playoffs are a reward for a season’s worth of accomplishments.

Even if that season starts off at 0-4-1.


http://ussoccerplayers.com/latest_soccer_news/474344.html

[bordelais7]

Yeah, but that doesn't have nearly as much to do with lack of promotion or relegation as it does to our current playoff system, which allows 67% of the teams to play in the "post-season". Or the fact that we have playoffs, for that matter.

Furthermore, a single table with pro/rel wouldn't make that attitude obsolete at all. For example, the exact same attitude exists right now and has existed for a couple of months for the 12 or 13 teams in the French Ligue 1 who have no chance of winning the title and almost no chance of being relegated (Yes, I'm looking at you, Bordeaux). All they've got to do is "just enough" to stay above the bottom 3. Exact same thing. You could even argue that if Ligue 1 had an 8 team playoff, that the season would be a LOT more interesting for those teams right now.