The Playoffs Re-imagined: MLS Madness

In September, I read an article from Grant Wahl describing a new proposal for the MLS Playoff structure. In this scenario, first proposed by Brian Straus (now of Sporting News), World Cup style groups would be played to determine the teams in the MLS Semi-Finalists. It sounded exciting and fair, to the point that I wouldn't have minded another make-up-as-you-go rule change midseason that would have implemented it. Now that the regular season has ended, let's revisit the plan.

Again, while I will add a few ideas to flesh out this post, I am standing on the shoulders of giants. Please read these articles first:
Here's the link to Brian Straus' (@brianstraus) original article: http://aol.it/u7cF43.
Here's the link to Grant Wahls's (@grantwahl) article. http://bit.ly/wahlplayoffs.

Done reading? Ok. Let's plug in some teams!

It would start with Wild Card play-ins, grouped this time by conference (imagine that). In the West, FC Dallas would host Colorado on Wednesday at 8:30pm (World Series issues for another time). In the East, the Columbus Crew would play host to the New York Red Bulls, let's say on Thursday night at 7:30pm. Let's examine the impact on this round.

• Compared to the current format, conference grouping would reduce total travel in this round by 55%, from 2539 miles to 1141 miles. Travel is a major issue during the season, and playoffs will be no different. Still, reducing unnecessary travel would be a good start.
  
• While Dallas still hosts and New York still travels, Columbus (47 pts on the season) would now host a home playoff match instead of Colorado (49 pts). While it's nice to reward the team with the better season-long record, I'd say if you're 5th in your conference you don't have a lot of griping room. Just be happy to be in the playoffs.
  

Let's assume that the higher seeds win. The groups are now set.

Group A: LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, Philadelphia Union, FC Dallas
Under Brian's plan Group A would include West #1 (Galaxy), East #2 (Dynamo), East #3 (Philly) & West #4 (FCD). LA Galaxy is rewarded for winning their conference by hosting 3 playoff matches. Philly would host Houston & FCD, and Philly would host FCD. FC Dallas, being the wild card team, faces 3 road matches in their group. However, with a few good results they could still advance to the MLS (not conference) Semi-Finals; the top 2 in each group move on.

Group B: Sporting KC, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew
In Group B, Sporting KC would host Seattle, RSL & The Crew. Home/Away matches are handled just like in group A, with The Crew traveling to all 3 opponent's venues. Quite the gauntlet - LiveStrong Park, CenturyLink & Rio Tinto!

In terms of game sequence, I would have the 1-4 match played first, followed by the 1-3 and 1-2 matches. This gives the #1 seed the benefit of the (on paper) easier opponents earlier and possibly guaranteeing passage into the Semis sooner. This would mean game schedules might look like this:

Round 1: Saturday, 10/29
Columbus Crew @ Sporting KC	8:00pm EST
Real Salt Lake @ Sounders FC	10:00pm EST
Round 1: Sunday, 10/30
Philadelphia Union @ Houston Dynamo	8:00pm EST
FC Dallas @ LA Galaxy	10:00pm EST

Round 2: Wednesday, 11/2
FC Dallas @ Houston Dynamo	6:00pm EST
Columbus Crew @ Sounders FC	8:00pm EST
Real Salt Lake @ Sporting KC	8:00pm EST
Philadelphia Union @ LA Galaxy	10:00pm EST

Round 3: Saturday, 11/5
FC Dallas @ Philadelphia Union	8:00pm EST
Columbus Crew @ Real Salt Lake	10:00pm EST
Round 3: Sunday, 11/6
Sounders FC @ Sporting KC	6:00pm EST
Houston Dynamo @ LA Galaxy	8:00pm EST

Now, let's break it down, round by round.

Round 1 - Since there are 3 matches guaranteed for each team, one hiccup doesn't cost a quality team their entire season. Games in this round would have urgency, especially since the away team knows that life isn't getting that much easier; the time to press is now, when they're freshest.

Round 2 - The midweek match is really where the pressure hits. All matches would be played on Wednesday, which would cram the TV schedule a bit. No one complains about this during March Madness, and I actually think it would be fantastic to have overlapping playoff matches in this round. It would also help to focus media/hype to one day midweek, as opposed to trying to get the public to remember which teams played on which days. Just my theory, but I think it would help.

Round 3 - Obviously, this is the make or break round. It would be held over the 2nd weekend of the playoffs, with a well-deserved week long break awaiting Semi-Finalists. As happens in the group stage, some teams will likely be eliminated by this point, while others may have already clinched a berth in the Semis.

For our purposes, let's say those emerging from MLS Madness are: 1) LA Galaxy & 2) Philadelphia Union from Group A, 1) Sounders FC & 2) Columbus Crew from Group B (hey, it's my fantasy). I would favor a 2-game aggregate series, with of course A1 vs B2 and B1 vs A2. No extra benefit would be given for away goals. This does a few key things:

1. It "earns" each Semi-Finalist a home playoff match. In the case of the Wild Cards, this could be their first and only home playoff match. If a team went from a 5th seeded Wild Card on to win their road WC match, then get out of their group, they deserve to reward themselves and their fans with a home playoff match.
2. Balances the home/away field time. No team should win a soccer title with home-field advantage in every single match (looking at YOU, SSFC).
3. Does not penalize a team for hosting a high-scoring match (away goal rule not in effect). Maybe it's just me, but I think some games turn out high scoring and others don't. Why should it matter which one you hosted? And if away goals was so important to the beautiful game, why aren't they emphasized during the regular season? I'm not a fan of arbitrarily bringing in new rules just b/c it's playoffs.

All this means that in our 2011 MLS Semi-Finals, LA would face Columbus & Seattle would take on Philly. Here's a question - what if the A1 seed had a lower season point total than the B2 seed? Basically, do you re-seed at this stage, which would change where the 2nd (and more advantageous) match was hosted? I would advocate not to re-seed. It's less confusing, and would allow the organizations and cities to better prepare for possible upcoming matches. That said, we would have:

MLS Semi-Finals: Leg 1 Saturday, 11/12
LA Galaxy @ Columbus Crew	8:00pm EST
Philadelphia Union @ Sounders FC	10:00pm EST
MLS Semi-Finals: Leg 2 Sunday, 11/19
Sounders FC @ Philadelphia Union	6:00pm EST
Columbus Crew @ LA Galaxy	8:00pm EST

The debate on whether MLS Cup should be a 1-game neutral, 1-game at the higher seed's site or 2-game aggregate can be held at another time. At this stage in the game, I'd lean towards a 1-game match at the higher seed's home site. Yes, that means it could be freezing for the MLS Cup, but the Revs, TFC & Vancouver don't look like they're testing that theory anytime soon. I would love to see supporters rewarded with a home match to potentially win the whole thing. I was at MLS Cup '08 when the Crew won, and while I was euphoric & there were hundreds of Crew fans at the HDC, it would have been even more magical in Columbus Crew Stadium.

Ok, that's it! So, this is all good for 2012, right? No matter what you think, there's one thing we can all agree on: at least this championship is settled on the field, without computer polls or strength of schedule affecting anything.

DTBM - Part 2

When we last left our intrepid Crew blogger, he was offering a couple guiding principles for Crew Nation to chew on before it could establish a true DTBM strategy. Step 1: Accept the fact that we’re a small market team. Step 2: Act accordingly! When we buy DPs, we need to buy the loaded 3 Series, not the 7 Series. Stadium improvements should be small but smart, and we need to avoid own-goals like in-town scheduling conflicts whenever possible.

Step 3: Scarf Ohio

My favorite Crew marketing campaign was last year’s Scarf Ohio. It was perfectly timed before the playoffs, and gave a sense of solidarity not just in the Columbus community, but all throughout Ohio. It incorporated statewide celebs and socialites (you’re not a celeb for reading the news) and offered fans priceless morsels like seeing Anderson Varejao in a Crew scarf. It was also super fun as it was an interactive game played with fans. I hope to see it again very soon… I said NOW Silent Bob!

The playoffs are an obvious time to send out a rallying cry, but this message is one that should be reinforced year-round: The Crew is not just a Columbus team, it’s an Ohio team. While we have accepted that we are a small market team (see Step 1), The Crew benefits from the fact that it’s situated smack dab in the middle of the 7^th most populous state in the union. 10 million people live within a 2 hour drive of Crew Stadium, and 1.5 million people get Crew matches on ONN (“get” is a stretch; more on this later). 10 million people is about the size of Chicago. Is it a lot to ask to drive an hour or two for a “home” match? Maybe, but I’d rather drive an hour from Dayton or two from Cincy than 1 ½ hrs. in Chicago traffic any day. The fact is that if The Crew want to gain fans, they might not have to look too far. What could they immediately implement that would help to bolster state-wide support?

a) Additional Locations for Non-League Matches. What works better than try-before-you-buy? I love Crew Stadium as much as anyone, but until it starts pulling more than 1,845 fans for US Open Cup matches they should give other Ohio communities a chance to see the black and gold up close. This could be in the form of pre-season or midseason friendlies, or even Open Cup matches. A few potential venues:

o FirstEnergy Stadium, Akron (Capacity: 4000)

o By winning the 2010 NCAA national championship, the University of Akron’s men’s soccer team solidified themselves as a true juggernaut of college soccer. They recently renovated their field and can pack their stadium (5241 record attendance, but don’t tell the fire marshal). This community has rallied around the Zips’ success; let’s feed the beast.

o Jesse Owens Field, Columbus (Capacity: 10,000). I know, boring. But if paired with a students-get-in-free with BuckID promo, to match Ohio State’s policy for all other soccer games, The Crew get a huge helping of target-market fans served on a home field platter.

o Baujan Field, Dayton (Capacity: 2,000).

Ok, a little dinky. Am I just being sentimental b/c I think it would be amazing to see The Crew at this site? Probably. Is the actual Dayton location obviously going to be at the new Dutch Lions venue, against the USL squad? Yes, and I hope it becomes an annual tradition. Still, look at this picture and tell me it wouldn’t be gorgeous. Maybe a 2-game swing in Dayton?

b) Media and Moychendising

o Pro teams deserve match highlights from major network local news, each time. How about also on Dayton, Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati’s local broadcasts? Anticipating a rebuttal around “lack of viewer interest,” let’s use supporter group sway and the FO to help influence that. Treating the Crew like an actual professional team will keep the team top-of-mind with the casual fan throughout the state, which will drive interest and attendance.

o ONN – In the name of Guillermo, who has the ability to improve the picture/production quality of Crew broadcasts on ONN? Can a supporters group hold a bake sale or something? Getting Duncan in the booth was a fun and important improvement, but we must do better. We live in an HD world, and every single Crew broadcast should have an HD feed available. It’s like buying a steak at Hyde Park and then dumping ketchup all over it. The slightly-better-than-scrambled-p0rn visuals are likely a strong factor in why the Crew feed was almost never selected by MLS Direct Kick this year. This makes me sad. (Speaking of Direct Kick, the guide has been a total mess lately. How about sending the Intern back to his Comm 103 lecture? Also, DK needs to offer home and away feeds. I would pay an extra $3 a game to guarantee that I get to hear Duncan.)

o Wearing gear to rep the brand is as basic and grass roots as it gets. That said, why can’t I get a Crew hat in my local Target or Wal-Mart?! Why can’t I get a Crew key ring at the gas station? I suppose perhaps the market has spoken on this front many years ago; maybe these angles died out after ’96. If the gear just doesn’t move in some parts of Ohio, I get that. But kids in Columbus all have the inherent right to an Eddie Gaven lunchbox. Please, merch people, make it so. And make it so that Mom doesn’t have to go to Crew stadium during business hours to do it – Target will be just fine.

c) Scarf Columbus, Too. As we learned playing Risk, you need to win over your base before rolling the dice in adjacent lands. While the ‘bus has become much more Crewish since the magical season of 2008, we’re not done yet. Some notions on how to get there:

o Can we get the High St. arches lit up in black & gold during the MLS Playoffs? I always liked the streetlight banners downtown – let’s have playoff banners, too. That kind of advertising goes a longer way with me than highway billboards, and is probably way cheaper.

o Cleanup on aisle CMH. Why does Port Columbus have all that ridiculous junk about cow tipping and zero Columbus Crew and Columbus Blue Jacket gear?! This is an extension of the gear availability argument, but it irks me so much that it demanded its own bullet point. Airports are representations to the world of what a city thinks of itself. Port Columbus does admirably in the food and beverage category (CBC, Charley’s, MoJoe), but fails in the red zone: zero pro sports gear is available. It’s completely expected that Ohio State has its own shop, but it’s confounding that we don’t think enough of our pro franchises to promote them to the 6.2 million passengers that visit CMH each year. No, the ancient images on the baggage claim wall don’t count.

o Be involved in youth soccer. With Crew Juniors, hundreds if not thousands of kids are now growing up in central Ohio wearing Crew colors and going to matches. In addition to being straight-up fun to wear the same kit as your on-field heroes, it is brilliant for fan-base building. If you are a skilled former player, consider coaching or refereeing. It’s fun and very rewarding. Pay it forward.

o Game On ColumbUS: How about cross-ticket package promotions with the Blue Jackets and Clippers? Crew – CBJ ticket packages for the fall or spring, Crew – Clipper Packages for the spring. In the immediate future, you’ve potentially got a home Crew playoff match at 4pm & a home Blue Jacket game at 6:30pm on 10/30; why not provide a discount and/or transportation for super fans who want to make it a double? And by the way, what’s next? What’s on the status report? I’m not saying that people aren’t working on it, just that I don’t know what’s happening behind that great slogan and I’m interested to find out. Will the Crew, Blue Jackets & Clippers be joining forces to get a stadium for The Crew downtown? Sharing digital media advert space & costs? Carpooling?

The great thing about ideas is that they’re free. Everyone reading this article could tweet @ColumbusCrew, @GameOnColumbUS or even @MichaelBColeman and share their brain wealth. In the interest of your attention span, I’ll table Step 4: Getting Crew-ative on Game Day to next week. Thanks for spending your time & battery life reading me this week.

DTBM - Part 1

With The Crew’s recent Dare To Be Massive campaign, attendance issues have been brought front & center. Even with a strong late-season showing, 2011 ticket sales/game were the lowest in club history. The Crew FO responded recently with three stated goals: secure a jersey sponsor, gain a stadium naming sponsor and book 10,000 season tickets for the 2012 season. While I’d love to think the jersey and stadium sponsor topics are in my realm of influence, I can only call for Pink Panty Park so many times (Mr. Wexner, I’m offering to iron your jeans each morning for a month if you’d have a serious conversation about building a stadium). That said, I’ll focus on the part of the operation that is more in all of our direct control: butts in seats.

Step 1: Know Thyself

Crew Nation, we are a small market team. This is our reality, and we must embrace it. I don’t think there’s debate here, but just for kicks, I present Exhibit A: The smallest third of MLS markets by Metro Population (via Wiki):

MLS Team	Metro Population
Vancouver Whitecaps	2,328,007
Portland Timbers	2,226,009
Sporting Kansas City	2,035,334
San Jose Earthquakes	1,836,911
Columbus Crew	1,836,536
Real Salt Lake	1,124,197

If you’ve ever been to San Jose, you know that it’s really part of a bigger blob of population in the South Bay; they don’t belong in this list. Still, there’s no denying that compared to the rest of the league, we’re a small fry. Now, let’s look at those figures again, along with national TV appearances:

MLS Team	Metro Population	2011 National TV Appearances
Vancouver Whitecaps	2,328,007	4 (7 incl. TSN/2)
Portland Timbers	2,226,009	11
Sporting Kansas City	2,035,334	7 (8 incl. TSN/2)
San Jose Earthquakes	1,836,911	6
Columbus Crew	1,836,536	1
Real Salt Lake	1,124,197	5

Each MLS team is on national TV in their home country 5 or more times in 2011 except for two: Dallas (3) and Columbus (1). 11 teams are on TV 9 or more times. This puts the already cash-strapped Crew further behind in their ability to build the brand and create a strong local and national top-of-mind awareness of the team. HSG, it’s time to pull out those incriminating pictures of Don Garber.

However, that doesn’t mean these teams don’t pack a punch. If you consider the metro population when assessing attendance, things look differently:

MLS Team	Metro Population % at Match (Avg Attendance)
Real Salt Lake	1.55%
Seattle Sounders FC	1.08%
Sporting Kansas City	0.87%
Vancouver Whitecaps	0.86%
Portland Timbers	0.84%
Columbus Crew	0.66%

Almost all the same teams appear. While mega-markets such as New York or LA would never be at the top of this list, it still speaks to the relative impact that clubs can have on their fan base and city culture. Even with the Crew’s dismal attendance this year, their relative impact can still be among the top in the league.

To all this I say, NO PROBLEM. Like a cool dude losing his hair or a hot chick with freckles, this is only an issue if we let it be an issue. Our league is morphing into one in which there will soon be 4 mega-market (NY/LA) teams that will probably always make the playoffs. Under the Garber rule, this leaves 3 Eastern Conference playoff spots to fight the other 8 teams for each year, wild card rule notwithstanding. Like the Reds, Indians, Bengals, Browns and Blue Jackets before us, The Crew are going to be a small-market Ohio team trying to make it in a big box world. Championships will be few & far between; the ’90 Reds and ’08 Crew are the only ones Ohio has had in the last 30 years (No, The Quest doesn’t count). As fans we have to accept this truth before we can move on to more actionable conversation.

Step 2: Team Building & Game Day Enhancements

Should we re-invent the wheel? No, let’s not. There are plenty of examples of small market teams being consistently competitive both on the field and at the turnstile (see: Green Bay Packers). It takes different skills to be successful as the little guy, but it’s possible. In the jungle, this means being more nimble, faster and in many cases smarter than your larger and stronger predators. Many of the same principles apply to MLS. Here are some ideas on what Crew Nation can do to be truly massive going forward in this model.

a) Be a Grower, Not a Shower

With a modest salary cap and small-market accommodations, hooking big fishes like GBS and Brian McBride will be few and far between. The Crew will need to outperform other teams in the development and scouting arenas in order to enjoy highly talented players at affordable prices. This may even mean the occasional sell-off, where a 2-3 year star gets shipped off to Europe for a fee. DP signings will be limited to those in the style of Mendoza – bona fide talent, albeit with a few character flaws. It may be 2016 before The Crew signs a millionaire, and that’s ok. Another key way in which The Crew can breed cheap talent is exactly that; to nurture it from within their Crew Academy. Ohio has proven to be a hotbed of soccer talent in both coaching and on-field performance lately, and the Crew Academy stars of multi-championship classes are only a few years from graduating from college and possibly joining the pro squad. The future on this front is bright.

b) Columbus Insert Name Here Stadium

Around MLS, clubs that have traditionally had stadium or game day experience issues are quickly resolving them: Kansas City paid Lance Armstrong to create a soccer-friendly velodrome, Houston is building a spaceship and the Earthquakes are working with Lex Luthor to create an underground lair in the South Bay area. Add in NYRB’s newish stadium & the spastic plastic environments in the Pacific NW, and Columbus Crew Stadium more resembles the big high school stadium that it is with each passing season.

However, our home field experience is entirely within our control, and can be tweaked quickly and cheaply. Stadium enhancements such as replacing lower level bleacher sections with seats, painting/refitting the Nordecke in black & gold or upgrading the scoreboard would be a few moves that could spiff up the joint. If you’ve ever upgraded the tires or stereo on your used car, this is essentially the same thing. Until we can move downtown, we’re stuck with the parking lot we’re in – might as well enjoy it.

c) Schedule Smart

Hopefully the new Game On ColumbUS program can lend influence to avoiding home scheduling conflicts within Columbus pro & semi-pro (think: big university) teams. In 2011, the Blue Jackets have only 1 same-day home scheduling conflict with home games of The Crew, Clippers & OSU Football (4/1/1). That’s just smart. Even the Big 10 Championship, which Ohio State seems unlikely to reach, does not conflict with a home game. The Crew will inevitably have scheduling conflicts with the Clippers, but a few more matinee & late game combos between the two teams might be welcomed on Saturdays in the summer. During the fall, perhaps a few more Sunday matches would be smart. Ohio State football home matches are scheduled years in advance, and generally take over the town on game days. Late in the MLS season, The Crew could even benefit strategically based on results of the previous Saturday. Maybe Coach Bob decides he can rest players based on those results? Sunday afternoon matches in the fall would also be warmer than night games, avoiding some potentially frigid Columbus nights. For that matter, the same holds true in the spring. But cold temps aren’t all bad - what better chance to stock up on Crew Gear!

Coming Next Week – Steps 3 & 4: Community Outreach & Getting Crew-ative