How does the MLS work? To European soccer fans, the idea of multiple conferences and playoffs is an alien one. Luckily though, it’s not a very hard concept to explain, and here you will find all you need to know about the current MLS format explained.
What is the MLS?
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the most popular and prominent league competition in the United States and Canada for men’s soccer. Its inception can be traced back to the year 1993, with the goal of one day becoming among the top soccer leagues in the world.
It held its first season in 1996, following the move by the United States Soccer Federation to establish a team of fully professional players to participate in the 1994 World Cup. The first league was composed of 10 participants, which implies that there were eighteen games for each team for the season to complete.
At this time, there was a global fad for new ideas, especially in light of the Premier League’s success and global growth since launching in 1992. Contrastingly though, the first years of the MLS brand were marred with challenges such as financial problems, policy formulation as well as lack of attendance.
The challenges led to the dissolution of some teams and eventual $250 million debt for the league. All these struggles continued up to the year 2002, when the USMNT qualified for the World Cup quarterfinals that MLS finally underwent major structural adjustment and became successful.
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Restructuring proves vital to success
The mid-2000s saw a lot of restructuring within the MLS format as well as policy. For instance, it adopted the rules and regulations of the International Football Association, which are recognised across the globe. New soccer-specific home stadiums were constructed around this time for individual clubs to enable MLS to be independent in its operations and programs.
The league expanded during this period, and more teams were incorporated into the tournaments. Legendary players such as Tim Howard found the opportunity to join the European teams, hence acting as MLS ambassadors abroad. Similarly, renowned talented players such as David Beckham made the opposite transatlantic journey and joined the MLS from Europe.
MLS gained a lot of prominence within the continent and across the world thereafter, leading to greater access to credit facilities, hence the eventual expansion of the league. This has been the reason behind the continuous success stories and profitability of the league.
The MLS Format explained
The MLS format consists of two conferences, namely the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. In 2024, a total of 29 teams will play in MLS, and there is always as even a split as possible between conferences. At present, the Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams, while the Western Conference is made up of 14 teams.
As part of a 34-game regular season, each team endures 17 away games and entertains their fans with an equal number of home games in a single season. The Eastern Conference teams play six regional oppositions from the Eastern division and face the remaining seven teams twice in a regular season.
In the Western Conference, 11 teams face eight regional oppositions three times and the remaining teams on two occasions. All teams from this conference will have two matches against the eastern opposition. The remaining two teams from the Western Conference play seven oppositions from the same conference on three occasions and meet the remaining five teams from the same conference two times.
Each team from the Western Conference will have the opportunity to play against three different oppositions from a different conference. The regular season for the MLS commences in early March and concludes business in early October.
Unique nature is MLS’ chief strength
As already established, the MLS’ slower pace compared to Europe’s biggest leagues makes it a draw for elite players in their twilight years on the professional scene. Relegation is not (yet) a factor in America’s top flight, meaning that teams can play expansive and experimental football when out of the running for silverware or playoff places.
Even a failure to finish as the conference’s best team is not fatal to title aspirations. This league differs from the other prominent leagues, where the team with the highest number of points at the end of the season is awarded the cup, as it awards a championship via a postseason competition.
Here, the regular-season winner is awarded the Supporters’ Shield if it finishes top of the overall table, which combines the two conferences. The top four US-based teams in the overall table qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
How are ties settled?
The league uses tie-breakers as follows. Points are given the primary focus, followed by total wins. The tie-breakers then go for the goal difference and follow through with the total goals scored. In case the teams are still tied, the disciplinary points are brought under scrutiny then it goes for the away goal difference before the away goals scored are checked.
Home goals differentials are checked and then the final field factor used is the home goals scored. In case the teams are not able to be set apart using the events from the field, it is the responsibility of the office to use coins to break the ties.
A history of evolution
Initially, the MLS playoffs brought together 10 teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference. The teams were selected from those that finished between the second and the 11th positions in the Eastern Conference and those that finished between the second and the ones that finished between the second position and ninth position in the Western Conference.
The higher-seeded teams were given the opportunity to host the games. These teams were playing in two different brackets. The teams participated in single-match elimination games.
In case there were no winners, the teams were allowed a 15-minute pair of rounds to settle their scores.in case there was no winner after the 15-minute tussle, the teams were to take on each other on penalty shootouts to decide the winners.
The format allowed the semi-finals to be played through a home and away style, with points and goal differences used to decide the winners. The same procedure was used for the final games.
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New for 2025
The 2025 Major League Soccer campaign will definitely be an interesting one, as we will finally get to see a new team join the competition. Founded on the 18th of May, 2023, San Diego plan on becoming the new sheriff in town. Businessman Mohamed Mansour is an ambitious man and it goes without saying that he will spare no expense in an attempt to make San Diego one of the best teams in the league.
The team will host games at Snapdragon Stadium during its inaugural season, and it will be interesting to see if San Diego will be able to attract a large fanbase.
Other big news before the 2025 MLS season kicks off concerns Herving Lozano’s name. The former PSV Eindhoven star becomes San Diego’s first Designated Player after a wonderful career in Europe. He will surely do his best to not only help San Diego have a season to remember, but also to help promote soccer in the USA.
