With the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers joining Major League Soccer in 2011 the league had to make some changes to conference alignment.
As it turns out, MLS made just one change.
The Houston Dynamo will be playing in the Eastern Conference in 2011, a move that is more cosmetic than anything since the league will play a balanced schedule in 2011. With Montreal joining MLS in 2012, Houston very well could return to the West next season.
Houston failed to make the playoffs in 2010, but looks like a good bet to enjoy a rebound season, which should help make the Eastern Conference a bit tougher in 2011.
What do you think of this development?
Share your thoughts below.
it’s not out of the question that the Dynamo might play FC Dallas for the Cup, but that was at least possible when last season began as well. Maybe this makes it more likely. What would THAT do for their rivalry?
Took a minute for “SKC” to register.
Yes, because as we all know, playing in different leagues has killed the Yankees/Mets rivalry. And the Jets/Giants rivalry has gone dormant from playing in different conferences. And the Georgia/Georgia Tech football fans pine away for the days when both teams actually played in the same conference. And now this! Damn you, Don Garber! 😉
what’s wrong with indianapolis??
Except for the fact that MLS will never get anywhere close to 30 teams. Anyone who thinks that is in dreamland.
Real Saskatchewan Sasquaches FC? i could see it happening.
Anyone know what the status of Felix Garcia is? Did the Dynamo rights already finish????
30 teams? LOLZERZ.
I can see maybe another 3-4 US markets that could actually sustain an MLS franchise for the long-term (San Diego, Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis).
Unless the MLS is going to Saskatchewan or Edmonton or is gonna start teams in Omaha and Indianapolis, I don’t know how they’d get to 30 teams.
Do rivalries end at the conference line? Either way, they would have only played twice.
What about FCD vs Dynamo rivalry? I hate this!
ironically, since should say “says”. Don’t know how that happened! (where’s the edit button?) LOL
Nothing since arrogance like conferences, right? Been reading too many liberal blogs, I guess.
Love it!
Going against the grain, I don’t mind the move. In fact, I would have preferred THREE conferences for the year. At least, the geography fits.
It would matter more if they’d stuck to an unbalanced schedule. But with the every team playing each other only twice, regardless of conference, then what’s the point of having conferences in the first place? I understand it’s a means of determining the regular season winners of both the East and West, but that’s a token reward at best. As Ives points out, the move is merely cosmetic.
I wonder if MLS auctioned that spot off.
Join the East for two or three years and move back.
How much for an easier playoff route ?
I have $75,000, do I hear $100k ? 75 going on 100…
yes exactly. teams playing more than 40 games a regular season would just be too much. MLS might as well stick with the conferences. abolishing them one season then reinstating them another season will add to much instability to an already funky system.
I see what you’re saying, that playing more than 40 league matches is too much. We’ll see. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t have made the change for this year and the short future.
Why? I understand promoting local rivalries and giving fans an opportunity to travel to away matches, but travel costs aren’t ANYWHERE near what they once were. I can’t imagine the margins are so incredibly tight that a balanced schedule “couldn’t work.”
For this season (and every season before that) you are not wrong. However, once 1 or 2 more teams join MLS, single table will be out of the question. So, unfortunately we never got to enjoy single table.
No, you are not wrong. Is there some sort of petition we can sign?
Mexico has a very popular league, and MLS could learn from it. Despite national team rivalries US and MX soccer fates are somewhat intertwined. However, I would advocate for an MLS2 and MLS1, and then some Brazil style regional championships including teams from both levels.
It gets watered down if the conferences remain this way. And it is always sweet to not only beat your rival in the head-to-head games, but in conference and overall standings as well.
Whoops, looks like Ives addressed this in some Tweets. Sorry about that.
Of course you’re assuming that an MLS B Division with promotion and relagation is impossible. I’m not advocating for it but I remember that Garber once said that it wasn’t totally out of the question….or at least he didn’t completely dismiss the idea.
In a balanced schedule, Dynamo play FC Frisco two times a season no matter the conferences. So where does the rivalry get watered down?
The Conferences clearly mean nothing. Why doesn’t MLS just get on with it and go single table? There is no reason at all for Conferences right now. Am I wrong?
Regarding Dynamo’s move to the Eastern Conference, I am speechless about this. On one hand, this puts us in FAR better position to win the conference in the regular season. On the other, who really cares as the whole conference thing is moronic in face of what should be a single table. If qualifying for the playoffs and earning home field advantage are the only things that matter in the regular season, and in MLS they are, and the schedule is balanced anyway, what difference does it make what conference you’re in? This just underlines the need to drop conferences entirely anyway.
The EPL has a slightly longer season in which to fit games and much much much less distance to cover.
If MLS thought conferences mattered, it wouldn’t split up Houston and Dallas. The Texas rivalry stands to get much bigger with Dallas’ +300% season tickets sales and mystery jersey sponsor, and Houston’s stadium project. Not that further realignment is out of the question, but separating Houston and Dallas doesn’t jive with the stated goal of organic rivalry development.
playing a balanced schedule with 30 teams means each team plays 58 games! thats not including playoffs or any cup competitions. dividing the league like you suggest will probably happen when the league reaches 22 teams.
Thank goodness they made the most sensible move. There was so much speculation over moving multiple teams just to keep a rivarly in place (nevermind that the rivalry wouldn’t have suffered anyway), and for what? To just have to reshuffle when Montreal and the 20th team came in?
wasnt sure where to place DC.. anything would be better 😛
though as a fire fan, i would have loved to had Dax on my roster 🙁
Ives – Just saw your tweet regarding the balanced schedule. Do you really think MLS will not just continue on? It’s not that difficult. Once Montreal comes up just go to a 36 game schedule and when #20 comes up go to 38 like every other 20 team league…
What sport do those silly Mexicans with their 3 groups of 6 play to the south of us?
Anyway, in the past MLS should have been single table, but as the league grows bigger than any European domestic leagues, conferences or divisions will be a necessity.
The league should be a single entity until we reach 30 teams. Then split it to conferences (East & West).
Each conference has a single table and the top team from each conference meets for the Cup.
There problem solved.
They are all on the same coast…sort of…
*a single table and a balanced schedule
let’s be real. single table will never happen. the league should grow well beyond 20 teams to reasonably cover usa and canada. when it gets that big a single and balanced schedule won’t work.
Shows how little the conferences mean. Just go with the single table… That is football. Just cuz we are arrogant americans, does not mean we must be unique all of the time. Football is football. Creativity is left for the field, not the league structure .
What would you have done?
Don’t forget about us… DC is still there… Somewhere…
A Texas team playing in the same division as New York, DC, and Philadelphia?
What’s the problem again?
“What do you think of this development?”
Stupid, and pointless. Montreal is coming into the league next year, and New York the year after that. Houston is just going to have to be moved back.
saying that, it’ll likely continue this year. With Chicago and Revs still rebuilding, and columbus joining the rebuilding boat, it seems East may be relatively week.
But SKC might leap forward. TFC and Phily are uknowns and NJRB are likely to still be a strong team
Usually?? or do you mean recently…
Single Table, Single Table, Single Table
If an MLS club switches conferences in a season with a balance schedule, would anybody hear it?
good news for the Dynamo, as the eastern conference is usually weaker than the western. greater chance of making the playoffs.
That was easy.