Much the same could be said for the NFL over the past few years.

seems like a dumb waste of a season to play a two game series (in which no advantage for the superior regular season team exists)

but that's the sport

This game was lost at half time when Vermes gets on national tv and whines about the officiating and pace of the game. Loser mentality.

Not even Marty did that IIRC. :cuss::banghead::grr:

Another note on the format - Why is it only done in one round and not all rounds if that is the way they want to do it?

It's done in two rounds (conference semifinals and conference finals), but my guess is $$$

I feel sorry for the fans that rode a bus for 15 hours to watch that crap.

$$$$

I think pretty much every other league in the world does a straight home and away single table. But the owners here don't like that

Well I'll be watching on Wednesday. Hopefully they can pull a miracle.

MLS DOES need a balanced schedule table format with no playoffs. And I say that as a fan of a team who would not have won MLS this year in such a format. San Jose is built to win MLS anyway its played. SKC is built to do exactly what they do: lose in the playoffs because they can't score goals.

Hopefully the game being on Wed. will keep their loud and obnoxious fans at home. They are the WORST of the traveling fans. Even Seattle's fans were classier. The Fire's are also pretty wretched.

My thoughts s well.....they have as long a regular season as MLB, then no playoff advantage? Weird?

Exactly, and that is on the coaching who prefers a hunker down defensive style of play. It's great when you can win regular season games 1-0. But it puts you at a TERRIBLE disadvantage in post season when wins and losses don't count nearly as much as GOALS SCORED.

The MLS adopted its playoff format from the Champions Cup League, because American audiences tend to value playoffs more than the traditional European leagues' format.

So, you're either going to get the home-and-home format--and therefore, a playoff-- or the team with the highest points at the end of the season will be crowned champions. Would you rather the latter?

The team that earns the most league points DOES earn a spot in CONCACAF Champions League. So that's something at least.

MLS needs a table format with a balanced schedule -- everyone plays a home and an away against everyone. Top 3 in the table get a CONCACAF Champions League spot, and the winner of the U.S. Open Cup gets U.S.'s 4th CCL spot.

? We got a bye in the playoffs. How is that not an advantage? We get home field for the second (and final) leg, and know how many we need to score. How is that not an advantage?