http://www.hark.com/clips/ghywvxfbrt-playoffs-dont-talk-about-playoffs

Drastic changes in business strategy are inherently risky, and this schedule change looks like a total crap shoot. If there is team parity in both halves, it’ll be a good thing. If one or two teams start to run away from the rest, not so good. Me, I would have condensed the playoff format first before throwing out the baby with the bath water (do people still use that expression?).

The decision certainly has the fingerprints of Traffic all over it. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there was a “we’re taking our ball and going home if this isn’t approved” type ultimatum in play there. It’s all about that transfer window to try and market some beef. Will this be strike three for Traffic in the league if they don’t get the results they want? Time will tell.

I don’t have a dog in this fight since the team I support plays in that 98 lb. weakling pussy league, so I guess my opinion only counts for half anyway. I wonder if the Cosmos knew about this before they signed up. That window they need to climb through to get to next season just got a little tighter. That “coming in 2014″ sign might be getting pulled out of the closet.

The two half-seasons were called Stage 1 and Stage 2. The winner of Stage 1 and the winner of the Stage 2 qualified for playoffs. Then, you would combine the two tables into one and find the next two highest point total teams, and they would qualify for the playoffs. So you had 4 teams in the playoffs. It’s bulky for sure, but definately something to show that what NASL have suggested isn’t completely out of the blue.

@Fotbalist, the site shuts automatically shuts down the comments on an article after, I think it’s 15 days. So you still have plenty of time to debate this. The IMS NASL Podcast next Monday should be an interesting one as we will be bringing in some guest to discuss this.

We haven’t had this much fun since that handful of team owners broke off ties with the USL1 to start the NASL. I’m loving this….drama still creates interest.

2. a home/away final is better than single final game.

Guess what we don’t have playoffs now.

3. You want to attract casuals good luck we’ve been trying for 2 years, they don’t care about soccer PERIOD

4. In that month break you can get a MEX team, then a BRA team and end with a EPL team, that way you might convert more fans

and you can whisper to them you know what we don’t have playoffs we don’t award mediocrity and every game in the season counts.

“another reason why NASL playoff format is way better:
the Semifinal and Final Rounds will each be a 2-game series with each team playing at home once and the team with the greater number of aggregate goals in both games winning each series.
Semifinals and Finals to be one game is idiotic.”

And yes, it is the same IP address so it is truly WSW who said it was “idiotic” but now says it’s great.

Ultimately I’m left with the following explanation, and I think it’s what I will believe until someone can convince me otherwise. #1 I think Traffic is the driving force behind this change. When you look around at a BoG meeting, it’s obvious who is carrying the most weight into that room. (And no I don’t mean actual pounds.) I believe that Traffic thinks that eliminating the playoffs and opening up this break mid-season to try and schedule friendlies will result in a net gain in $$$ on the bottom line for their teams (ie. losing less). I think the prospects for new owners for two of the three teams they operate, plus the Stars, have been slimmer than they hoped, and I think they’re now resorting to extreme ideas to try and stem the bleeding. but I see a whole lot of difficult and intricate things that would have to fall completely in the right places at the right times for this to get them that net gain they’re looking for.

Look, the league is growing. Even losing Montreal’s mammoth attendance figures, plus the stadium situations in PR and EDM haven’t caused the league average attendance to fall. It’s actually up overall for the league! Growth is there. The NY Cosmos are joining next year. It sounds like they actually have some other legit expansion in the pipeline as well. But I think the overlords at Traffic are growing too impatient. Budget cuts across the board for Traffic teams this year. I strongly believe the only reason we’ve seen advertising at last here in SoFla the last couple of weeks is because everyone had their eyes opened wide by Michael Hitchcock and PMI and what they’ve managed to do in SA. They’re testing the waters in other markets to see if the same success can be had. It’s been working here, and you’re going to see another great crowd on par with last week’s here tomorrow. But again, I truly believe Traffic is coming closer to the end of their patience. This is an extreme change. You don’t make extreme changes in the business world unless you’re forced to (still see no evidence to support this) or because you’re getting desperate. They’re not responding to the outcry of fans overwhelmingly calling for a league schedule that mirrors Guatemala and Honduras. They’re doign something THEY THINK puts them in a better position finanically. Only they know the reasons for that. I can’t figure it out for the life of me…..

Why “yes!” I am “freaking pathetic” because I happen to be one of the people on the planet who doesn’t see eye to eye with you.

Please, Bro–Enough already with the “I’m a better fan than you stuff”.

You’re a better fan than me. I got that.

What I don’t get is that unless someone is impersonation you and has stolen your identity–aren’t you the same Dude who was crushing the USL because USLPRO’s playoffs–two of the reasons being that they aren’t fan friendly because the model they use doesn’t include a “home and a way” and that would leave the fans wanting more action?!?!?!

Maybe I got that twizted. May I got that wrong. Wouldn’t bee the first time.

It’s ok to question a move by the NASL. It’s ok to consider it to be “brilliant” or “boneheaded”. Maybe it’s the best thing they have ever done or maybe it is the worst but c’mon, Guy–everybody isn’t going to share your take.

[Brian Quarstad needs to check the IP address of the guy who posted the comments that I am referring to because I could have swarn that it was White Star Warrior who was dogging the best, most experienced league in North America below MLS just last week after that league had two great semifinal matches...]

I love my Strikers. The Strikers 1.0 at Lockhart Stadium hooked me for life on this game. I’ll be there every week. Most of the regular posters on this forum are at their team’s games, every week. WE aren’t the people this change will ultimately have the greatest affect on, because we’re the ones that the league is counting on keeping with their attitude of, yeah they might hate it, but they’ll deal with it and keep coming. In case you haven’t noticed over there in St. Pete, no one but SA is drawing enough fans at this point to be completely secure in their economic position long term. And don’t feed me any crap about 3,000 being enough there. Unless Nestor has a secret benefactor making deposits into the team’s accounts no one knows about, 3,000 fans per game is NOT enough for anyone to break even given the operating expense of our league.

We need to market our teams and league to attract NEW fans. As much as a lot of hard core supporters hate the mom and pop fans, or the casuals, we NEED them. We need to give them reasons to be compelled to come to more games, not less. We don’t have enough hardcore fans who will come every game, rain or shine, sleet or snow, 1st place or last, to enable our teams to survive in the long term. We’re not there yet. We might never be. That’s why, whether you like it or not, there will ALWAYS be some “Americanization” invovled in soccer in this country. ALWAYS. It’s necessary to attract enough fans in a country where there is LOTS of competition for consumer dollars for pro sports. You’er entitled to your opinion of not liking that, but it’s fact. It’s not changing. This isn’t England. Or Germany. Or Italy. Or Brazil. Or Argentina. It’s America. We do things our way. If you don’t like it, dummy up, or go elsewhere, because that’s how we roll.