The addition of the Montreal Impact to the MLS table for 2012 presented a quandary. With no real alternative to an unbalanced schedule, the biggest decisions involved how to make the season as equitable and draw more fans to the game. What the league came up with is a mixed bag, but mostly favorable.
Teams will see opponents in the same conference three times, while they will play those in the opposite conference only once each season. The Eastern Conference will be tweaked slightly with one extra team, but the essence of the changes remains the same.
More regional rivalry games
Teams with regional and/or conference rivalries will see more of each other, which will only build those rivalries to new heights. As a fan of the Portland Timbers, I’d love to see the Rose City side get one more shot per season at the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. The Cascadia Cup rivalry will only grow with more regional play.
The downside is that the less inter-conference play will likely mean an even greater disparity will develop between the Western Conference and the Eastern. The teams playing out West will see their attendance and interest in the games grow even more, while the East could see teams already struggling have more problems.
Will it hurt attendance in the East?
Let’s face it, the teams from the West are draws inside the stadiums of the East. With teams only playing each side in the other conference only once each year, that likely means the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Seattle Sounders, the Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, and other Western Conference teams with name recognition will only be seen every other year.
The Philadelphia Union may play the Columbus Crew twice in Ohio, but that’s not the same kind of draw for fans to a franchise struggling for attendance as the Galaxy are. That’s just an example, but it highlights what I think will happen. The MLS will continue to grow and draw fans in the West, while the East will flatten out.
The positive for Eastern Conference fans is that they will have the same representative number of teams in the playoffs as the West. Of course, that means a lesser quality side can get in over a good Western team. Hopefully, the MLS can grow enough to add one more conference. I think greater parity could be established with three.
Jeff Musall became a fan of the Portland Timbers after moving into the area in 2001. He was excited about the inaugural MLS season and looks forward to a great 2012.