So I gave my first try at using Google Maps to lay out my personal plan for MLS expansion with Regional Cups rather than the division format.
Google Maps
Quote:
An idea for a 18 team MLS with supporters cups rather than divisions. All teams would face eachother in home-away, except for the three team sets of regional cup matches would be four matches. This would be a 34 match season. This idea would result in a broader North American appeal.
The regional cups' borders are drawn wide as the league should work to have at every one of the Regional Cups broadcast to every market within the borders. This way the league could capture a the footie fans in markets without teams.
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Expansion past 18 with the Regional Cup format would require that the Regional Cups are only subsets of the regular season rather than the extra matches, or eventually the league would have to eliminate the playing of every team in the league.
The Regional Cup concept would highlight local matches, generally within driving distance, focus the TV coverage. I would NOT guaruntee that the Regional Cup winners advance to the playoffs, just give them a Cup for their performance in those games.
The playoffs should just be the top 8 overall performers facing off in home-away legs. I would not break them off into East/West, just straight seeding.
Overall the addition of the five teams would appeal to fans in the currently ignored SouthEast and NorthWest. There are nearly 15Million fans in the NorthWest getting ignored right now by the league and about 25Million fans in the SouthEast that don't have a team to follow right now.