|
|
Major League Soccer is approaching the business end of the schedule. Authentic Garret Sparks Jersey . It is now into its eighth full month of regular-season play and the teams are entering the final laps to see who will be in a playoff spot when the checkered flag comes down on Oct. 26. It has been another thoroughly entertaining season but the league is far from perfect. With just over two weeks left here are the three things I would change if I became MLS commissioner for a day. -- 1. SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR FINAL DAY OF SEASON Toronto FC end their season in New England on a Saturday night while Columbus finish their campaign the next day. The two are currently locked in a fascinating race for a wild-card spot but on that weekend the Crew will know exactly what they need heading into their match, which might be simply a draw, something they wouldna€?t necessarily know if they were unaware of the Toronto FC result. Similarly, Vancouver and Portland are currently going head-to-head in a race for the fifth spot in the Western Conference. On the final day of the season Portland kick off at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt, while the Whitecaps start their game at 10pm et/7pm pt when the Timbers will have around 15 minutes left in their game. Neither of these scenarios is fair. The World Cup found out the hard way with a€?the disgrace of Gijona€? between Austria and West Germany in 1982 and every major European league now plays all of their games at the same time for a reason. MLS needs to act on this immediately because right now they are opening themselves up to a situation that could see two teams playing each other while knowing exactly what they need to do based solely on the start time of their games. CHANGES TO BE MADE: I understand there are stadium conflicts, television deals and many other factors that go into organizing kick off times. However, none of them are a good enough reason as to why the league should not start every match on the final day of the season at the same time. If they ever had a Gijon moment, it would be more than just a disgrace considering the world is showing them just how it should be done. POTENTIAL ISSUE: What if it is not logistically possible to play in those stadiums on the final day of the last weekend? SOLUTION: Ideally, you play them all on a Saturday away from the NFL and find a time that works for all time zones. It should be done. Not only would this bring more attention to dramatic playoff races but it is also the only fair thing to do for the teams and their players. For that reason alone the league needs to find the time and date that works. If finding ten available stadiums on a Saturday in October proves to be more of a challenge than it sounds then find a different time. 8pm et/5pm pt on a Friday? Even Sunday? It doesna€?t matter. It has to happen. -- 2. IMPROVE THE WAY GAMES LOOK ON TV I have really enjoyed commentating on some great games in MLS this season for TSN and a lot of people behind the scenes work very hard to put together an excellent product that thousands of people enjoy watching every weekend. However, it can get better. CHANGES TO BE MADE: MLS wants to become one of the worlda€?s leading leagues by 2022 and one of the ways they can do that is by pushing the boundaries with technology. Never have more eyeballs been placed on this sport and if you show the world a different lens to view it through then people will react. I would have them place more cameras in the stadiums including a high tactics view above each goal that people can watch solely with their MLS Live accounts. More importantly, I would work out an agreement with the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) to have the referees wear portable GoPro Cameras on top of their heads, with an open line being sent to the home and away broadcast trucks. POTENTIAL ISSUE: What about some difficult scenes and conversations going out live that shouldna€?t be shown? SOLUTION: Due to the abuse referees receive from players the agreement would have to stipulate that it could not be shown live during a stoppage of play but some of the replay images you would see would be fascinating. It is already working in other sports, including rugby league in England where the referee moves around the field just as much as they do in soccer. Thankfully, in that sport they dona€?t let their players berate the officials with a tirade of abuse but perhaps this camera could help solve that as well. Possibly. For now, though, for the day I am in charge, I would do whatever it takes to have referees wear them for every game going forward. -- 3. PLAYOFF SEEDING CHANGES FOR 2015 Next season New York City FC and Orlando City will be joining the Eastern Conference. The expected two year hiatus, and rebranding, of Chivas USA leaves 12 teams in the East and eight in the West. It is expected that Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo will join the West next season, turning the already superior conference into an absolute powerhouse. Remember the NFCa€?s dominance over the AFC in the NFL during the late 80s and 90s? Well, this could be the same. Forcing teams in the West to play more games against each other is one thing (clearly some kind of balanced schedule needs also to be resolved in years to come with expansion) but should one of those teams really miss out on the playoffs if they were still able to get more points than a fifth placed Eastern Conference side that played weaker teams more often? Absolutely not. CHANGES TO BE MADE: There is no need for a revolutionary new playoff format that will be difficult to understand for fans. MLS should again reward the top three teams in each conference with a playoff spot but the next four a€?wild carda€? spots should simply go to the teams with the next four best point totals, regardless of what conference they are in. This, much like Major League Baseball, would turn everyonea€?s attention to the wild card standings and the top four in this would be ranked in that manner and still play in the one game playoff matches (1 vs 4, 2 vs 3) that currently exist. POTENTIAL ISSUE: How does MLS avoid the nonsense, similarly to what took place in 2010, where teams can win a playoff game and then get moved into a different conference, which they could subsequently become champions of, having played the entire regular season in the opposite one? SOLUTION: Conferences by region are a nice idea for regular season but are meaningless in playoff format. They have no history and having teams swap back and forth between them further strengthens the argument at just how irrelevant they are. Why should a league be restricted from common sense based on geography? Take the top six teams and rank them in order of points. The two wild card winners then take spots seven and eight and then you have two knockout rounds for the quarters and semis before the final based around a 1 vs 8 format. This also eliminates the problem that the NFL had when, so often, their best two teams were in the same conference and were unable to meet in the final. This solution also means a team can finish seventh in the West and get in, which they should if they were able to get more points than the team who finished fourth in the East, for example. -- Now if we can just get the regular season wrapped up before the international break in October and the MLS Cup awarded before the international break in November we wouldna€?t have to see players leave their clubs at crucial moments of the season. Somehow I think that may take me more than one day to change. Authentic Kris Versteeg Jersey . “Im not sure well get Melky Cabrera at all,” said Gibbons. The 29-year-old left fielder struggled all season with knee and hamstring problems. Cabrera was first on the disabled list from June 27-July 20 with tendinitis in his left knee. Authentic Bill Barilko Jersey . Authorities in Medina, Minn., released the details one day after Cunningham was jailed for another alleged incident with the woman he had been living with for the previous eight months. Cunningham had already been charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly choking the woman last week. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-ted-kennedy-jersey . - The Clippers have signed guard Dahntay Jones to a second 10-day contract.SUNRISE, FLORIDA - There is a sense that nobody is safe with the Toronto Maple Leafs these days - from management to the coaching staff to the players. An epic collapse - 10 losses in 12 games - in Canadas largest market is not going to simply fade away. "When something is as fresh as this is right now you always think theres going to be a lot of change," defenceman Cody Franson said on Wednesday, "and sometimes when time goes by a little bit and you sit back and evaluate [with] cooler heads I guess and, you know, there might not be as many changes as you think." "Weve learned our lesson," said centre Nazem Kadri, "and you almost want next season to start right now." Yes, it will be a long off-season in Toronto where the questions about the future are flying fast and furious right now, including in the dressing room. The Leafs pending unrestricted free agents, include: Mason Raymond, Nikolai Kulemin, Paul Ranger, Dave Bolland, Jay McClement and Troy Bodie while four players are headed toward restricted free agency: James Reimer, Jake Gardiner, Carter Ashton and Franson. Meanwhile, management may look to shake things up via the trade route with Kadris name usually front and centre in the chatter. So do the players see big moves on the horizon? "Yeah, I mean, you would think so," said Gardiner, "but you never know whats going to happen. Management here expects a lot out of us and knows we can succeed, its just, I dont know what it was this year." REIMER ON THE WAY OUT Reimer certainly seems destined to leave town after watching Jonathan Bernier steal away the No. 1 job this season. It has been reported by TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger that Reimer plans on respectfully asking for a trade once the season ends. Reimer let out a sigh of exasperation before breaking into a huge grin when questioned about that on Wednesday. "Lets wait a couple of days before we talk about that," he pleaded. "Obviously, its a fair question. Honestly, I know my agents been thinking about things and stuff, but I havent been thinking about it. Ive just been trying to get this team to the playoffs." The Leafs have two games left on the schedule: Thursday in Florida and Saturday in Ottawa. The players will likely clean out their lockers and have exit interviews on Monday. "Right now, I let my agent worry about those things and I worry about stopping that little black thing," Reimer quipped showing that while he may have lost the starting gig he hasnt lost his sense of humour. Reimer seems torn. He has so many good memories from his time in Toronto, but he believes he can be a starter and he wants that chance badly. "Just the atmosphere," Reimer said when asked what hes enjoyed most about life as a Leaf. "Its arguably the best franchise, best organization in the world so to have the opportunity and privilege to play, I mean, to put on that sweater its special, especially our run last year. Just the excitement and the buzz, thats why you play the game and it was a real honour." That sentiment is echoed throughout the dressing room. THIS IS MY DREAM COME TRUE "Its been great," said Franson, who was late arriving at training camp due to a contract dispute and now is once again facing some uneasy negotiations. Authentic Charlie Conacher Jersey. "Toronto was my favourite team growing up. This is my dream come true so Im hopeful that I get to stay and that everything works out, but that is the business. At the end of the day, theyre going to do what they feel is best for the team and hopefully Im in that plan." "I love it," said Kadri, a player who craves the spotlight. "I love Toronto. I love our fans and how passionate they are. I love playing at the ACC for our home games. Ive cherished my time here and hopefully it continues." "Im happy to stay with one team for six years," said Kulemin, the longest-serving Leaf. ?"I like the team. I like the city, the fans, everything. Well see." The players seem to still be in a state of shock. On March 13, after an impressive win in Los Angeles, the Leafs appeared a safe bet to make the post-season. The rest, as they say, is history. Another collapse. The third in three years following the 18-wheeler driven off a cliff by Ron Wilson and last Springs Game 7 meltdown in Beantown. Teams that dont learn from mistakes are doomed to repeat them so, yeah, changes seem inevitable. But the players are pleading for patience. PLEADING FOR PATIENCE "We are a young team and this is an experience we can definitely learn from," said Kadri. "Its definitely leaving a bitter taste in our mouth. Its only going to help us, because this is an experience we never want to go through again." So why are the Leafs wilting when the season is on the line? Certainly, their slack defensive play seemed to be exposed down the stretch as the games and playoff races got tighter. But what about the theory that the pressure of playing in a hockey-mad market contributed to the demise? Reimer, who was embroiled in a controversy after head coach Randy Carlyle deemed a recent performance as "just OK," admits the so-called white noise created by the teams bloated media corps does indeed have an impact. "Oh, 100 per cent yeah. Its something that you have to do," said Reimer, who almost always talks to reporters on game days, which is something many goalies will not do. "Its something you think about, but at the same time what you guys do creates such a hype around the game itself so there might be more pressure, because of it, but I think theres more excitement, because of it as well and playing hockey when there is that excitement, that atmosphere, thats what makes it fun. "Some days its tough, but at the same time the pros outweigh the cons." For Reimer, the issue with the team this year is the same one that all non-playoff teams deal with whether they play in a Canadian market or sunny ice-averse Florida. "As a guy and as a team you look in the mirror and you just have to accept that we werent good enough," Reimer reasoned moments after the Leafs were officially eliminated on Tuesday night in Tampa. "A wise man once said that the playoffs dont let you in unless youre good enough. You dont sneak in unless you deserve it." Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '
|
Forum Statistiken
Das Forum hat 15387
Themen
und
15550
Beiträge.
Heute waren 0 Mitglieder Online: |
Forum Software ©Xobor.de | Forum erstellen |