He Galaxy They have been out of the postseason for so long that the playoff format has completely changed since their last visit.
That statement is totally true. But it’s also a little unfair since the only constant in the MLS playoffs is change.
The format the league is using this year is the third since 2018 and the 10th in the league’s 29-year history. It is also by far the most confusing. For starters, 18 of the league’s 29 teams made the postseason, meaning MLS played an eight-month, 34-game regular season to eliminate just 11 teams.
Only the NBA, which allows 20 of its 30 teams to reach the postseason, has a lower bar.
Then there is the format itself. For the second year in a row, the tournament began with single wild-card games in each conference, followed by best-of-three first-round series in which ties go directly to penalty kicks. The final three rounds (the conference semifinals, the finals and the MLS Cup final) will be singles matches with overtime if necessary.
Can you spot the round that doesn’t belong?
For much of its history, MLS used a two-game home-and-away format for the early rounds of its playoffs, with the winner advancing in goals added, or one-game knockout rounds. These are familiar formats, which are used in championships around the world. The difficult best-of-three format, on the other hand, fits like a square peg in a round hole.
“I don’t like” LAFC captain Aaron Long said after his team opened their best-of-three series with Vancouver with a 2-1 victory on Sunday. “We just don’t like the best of three. I think the other two options are better. “Most guys go that route.”
Read more: Galaxy vs. LAFC playoff matchup would be a dream come true for MLS
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney agreed.
“To be honest, I was always a big fan of the home and away games and the aggregate score,” he said.
Justly. after the last Saturday’s 5-0 beating of the Colorado Rapids In their first playoff game, matching the most one-sided playoff result in franchise history, the Galaxy would have to lose by six goals in Game 2 on Friday in suburban Denver to avoid advancing to the next round under the format. former.
The Galaxy has never lost a game by six goals.
But instead of being rewarded for dominant performances in Game 1, under the new setup the Galaxy will see that score erased and the teams will start even in Game 2.
Read more: LAFC resists shaky start to beat Vancouver in MLS Cup playoff opener
“This game is behind us and whatever we did today, it won’t affect the next one,” Vanney said. “It is what it is. I liked (the old format) because I felt like, as a coach, there were always different scenarios and nuances that you always had to prepare for and consider. But in the best of three, you take this one and now we have (a ) I play to win.”
Same for LAFC. Instead of taking an overall one-goal lead into Sunday’s game in Vancouver, the teams will reset, leaving the Whitecaps needing just one win, regardless of the score, to force a decisive third game.
“For us the best thing is always to try to win every game,” said the LAFC coach. Steve Cherundolowho also doesn’t like the new format but has been careful in sharing that opinion.
MLS said the new format was designed to favor the highest-ranked team, making upsets more difficult. And in the first year it worked, with only one surprise in the first round.
But Vanney is right about the different scenarios. If the total score still counted, the Rapids would have plenty to play for even after falling behind 3-0 early in the second half on Saturday. Keep the score close, add a late goal and Colorado would be in a good position to advance.
Instead, the Rapids seemed to lose interest and never bothered to shoot on goal, knowing that it didn’t matter what they did since the only thing that would carry over to Friday was the result. It’s as if MLS gave Colorado a mulligan and the way the game was played was affected as a result.
Read more: Dejan Joveljic and Riqui Puig lead Galaxy to overwhelming victory in playoff opener
“He always had a purpose and meaning in the game, no matter what,” Vanney said of the overall score. “There is always a scenario where someone has to go after the game. Someone has to push the attack and you also have to defend because you can’t just concede a bunch of goals.
“Today, when they get to three, four, five (goals), they can think: ‘well, we have another game at home and this doesn’t matter anymore.'”
Another problem with the schedule is, well, the schedule. With the MLS playoffs sandwiched by a FIFA international break, any team that wins the first two games of its first-round series will have a three-week bye between the first and second rounds. While that may seem like a benefit, it is not; After playing a game (or more) almost every week for eight months, an extended break at this point can throw off a team’s rhythm.
Consider the New England Revolution, who three years ago had the best regular-season record in the modern MLS era. Under a different playoff format that earned New England a first-round bye that was further extended with an international break and after being inactive for three weeks, the Revolution were eliminated from the playoffs on penalty kicks in their first game. .
For those, like Vanney, who aren’t fans of the current playoff format, history offers this consolation: Be patient because it’s likely about to change.
You’ve read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and highlights unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of “Corner of the Galaxy Podcast.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.