Football (Soccer) Thread

[Grey Fox]

I kinda wish the yanks had gone mad and we had 7-game series in the MLS playoffs  Instead of going with the sensible option of single-elimination games. 

They change the format often. We could have 7-game series but the insane international availability rules preclude that.

[Josquius]

Don't usual yank sports have setups like cricket tests rather than one off finals and it's purely done in a basis of who won more with actual scores irrelevant?

[Grey Fox]

How are Cricket tests set up?

If I understand right what you are asking. Yes, we North American call that playoffs & x-game series.

The MLS a single elimination tournament format in the vein of the NFL/NCAA Basketball set ups.

[FunkMonk]

Yeah the aim during the season is basically to make it to the playoffs. Form during the season is mostly inconsequential except it can decide how tough your playoff schedule might be. Better results during the season means a higher seed and/or home advantage in the playoffs.

[The Larch]

I kinda wish the yanks had gone mad and we had 7-game series in the MLS playoffs  Instead of going with the sensible option of single-elimination games. 

If you go for the crazy 7 game series option (or even "just" 5 game series), then you get super long playoffs and/or exhausted players by the 2nd or 3rd round. I assume you'd play 2 games per week? You can't really make them play more than that.

[The Larch]

Yeah the aim during the season is basically to make it to the playoffs. Form during the season is mostly inconsequential except it can decide how tough your playoff schedule might be. Better results during the season means a higher seed and/or home advantage in the playoffs.

Yeah, single elimination playoffs wildly reward teams that reach peak form later in the season, rather than a team who has kept a better average during the regular season. It makes the regular season slightly pointless.

[FunkMonk]

American playoffs have the American version of "the magic of the cup" though. It is cool to see the last seeded team win out in the playoffs, Cinderella stories, etc etc

[The Larch]

American playoffs have the American version of "the magic of the cup" though. It is cool to see the last seeded team win out in the playoffs, Cinderella stories, etc etc

Yeah, that's the cool element of a cup tournament and why we have separate trophies for leagues and cups over here. You have a league that awards the better team over the long term, the one that keeps their regularity and goes steady for a whole season, and a separate cup for upsets and Cinderellas. That's why when a small team wins a league it's an even bigger deal, like when Leicester won the Premier League.

[Sheilbh]

American playoffs have the American version of "the magic of the cup" though. It is cool to see the last seeded team win out in the playoffs, Cinderella stories, etc etc

I quite liked the focused single round knock-out Champions League last year.

I feel that without fans the home and away rounds seem a little bit pointless.

[The Larch]

American playoffs have the American version of "the magic of the cup" though. It is cool to see the last seeded team win out in the playoffs, Cinderella stories, etc etc

I quite liked the focused single round knock-out Champions League last year.

I feel that without fans the home and away rounds seem a little bit pointless.

Yup, without fans it's as if every game was played in a neutral field, so a double round makes less sense, although single round should theoretically provide for more upsets than a home/away one.

[FunkMonk]

Yeah europe has been absurd this season with teams like Arsenal and Benfica playing their home/away ties in italy and greece 

[The Larch]

Yeah europe has been absurd this season with teams like Arsenal and Benfica playing their home/away ties in italy and greece 

That was due to the different travel restrictions due to COVID, but yeah, absolutely preposterous.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah europe has been absurd this season with teams like Arsenal and Benfica playing their home/away ties in italy and greece 

That was due to the different travel restrictions due to COVID, but yeah, absolutely preposterous.

But also because of covid even more preposterous. Due to covid travel restrictions we're making two teams travel to two additional countries so they can infect people there instead

[Josephus]

Away goal rule is horrible but at the same time it brings a weird angst to the game that if it were done away with I feel like we'd lose something a little special about European ties. 

it does provide late game excitmeent though. You could be set to qualify, then the other team scores one, and now you have to score two. Generally I do like it.

[The Larch]

Yikes.



Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe kicks Slavia Praha goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar in the face during their Europa League match this evening.