The Great Debate: MLS Relegation and Promotion

If I said to you what do Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal all have in common what would you say? Maybe that in the past god knows how many years they have dominated the top division in English football? You’d be right to say that, but no, what I mean is that at one point in their long club histories they have all suffered the heart break of relegation.

Having spent my life watching English football with its fairy-tale stories and often soap opera type twists and turns it astounded me that when I came to the USA in 2007 to play college soccer that the biggest criticism of soccer by the people I met was “Soccer is so boring.” At first I was defensive of my beautiful game, a game which is responsible for so many tears of joy and pain every season; but then I began to watch the MLS and actually found myself starting to side with the neigh sayers and thinking “this is quite boring.” It then occurred to me I was watching the final stages of the regular season with play-off berths all but decided there seemed to be not atmosphere in the stadium and even the players looked uninterested. This got me thinking what do teams have to fight for in the MLS apart from the cup itself? The end of the season should not just be for the reward of a play-off spot, it should also be the climax of the year where a season of hurt and underachievement can be overwritten by one moment of magic. Imagine this, it’s the final day of the season and your bottom of the league and playing a high flying local rival and your top scorer wins a PK in the 90^th minute which will surely win your team the game, he steps up, shoots and scores!!!!.... But it means nothing because either way your team was safe; it may as well have been a preseason game. Now imagine that same situation but THAT penalty, THOSE 3 points are all that stands between you and relegation from the top flight?! Who wouldn’t want that tension? Who wouldn’t want the league to go down to the final day, granted there will be upset, but doesn’t that make the victory or promotion the next time round sweeter?

I'm not saying this could happen overnight as I am realistic and realise that the MLS financial structure; whilst commendable as a business model  would make the possibility of promotion relegation from the USL for example almost impossible. However there is constant talk of MLS expansion which of course is good for the game but with more teams coming and still only one thing to play for in the league won’t that just create more nothing games? A simple proposal would be to stick with the same franchise system and expand the league as planned, but why not put these expansion teams in MLS 2? Get that league running for a few years independently and then start relegation promotion? It’s the carrot at the end of the stick for all teams, each came consequently means more because mediocrity is not catered for, if you come bottom you go down to MLS 2 and the winner of MLS 2 comes to MLS 1. This could only benefit the game as a whole in the US as it is something different that most other US sports do not have, all have rewards for playing well, but none have a forfeit for coming last, there is always pressure at the top to win but one could argue that there is more pressure on the teams at the bottom not to lose; which I feel means more excitement.

I understand a lot more needs to be discussed but all im saying is that with pressure comes excitement and who doesn’t like a bit of excitement now and again? I leave you with a link to a video which in a nutshell sums up the final day drama that a relegation and promotion battle brings better than I ever could….

They don’t call it the great escape for nothing!

ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU6h5JP9Kjc