Columbus close in on MLS crown

As any TYH reader will tell you, we don't fancy an end of the year Cup playoff to determine the best in MLS when the previous 30 matches will tell the story just fine. Last year's true MLS champions were DC United and this year it will likely be Columbus Crew as they close in on securing the Supporters Shield, MLS's regular season champion.

Although the league still wrong-headedly calls the winner of the MLS Cup, the champion of MLS, the Supporters Shield is the true definition of a champion. The Supporters Shield goes to the club finishing with the most points after the 30-game season. In any other league in the world, the Supporters Shield would be the championship, but alas MLS execs drink far to often from the tainted well water of America's other (inferior) sports.

This MLS Cup "playoff" is a farce, however, as the Supporters Shield winner receives all the same rights and benefits as the winner of the MLS Cup "playoffs" -- an invitation to the various international tournaments (SuperLiga, CCL, etc.) and monetary benefits. It is as ridiculous as MLS's East/West bracket and seeding system.

The top three teams in each conference qualify and are seeded 1, 2 & 3 in their respective four-team playoff conference brackets. The two MLS teams with the next most points, regardless of conference, receive "wildcard" berths. The two wildcard teams will be seeded according to conference first. If more than four teams qualify from one conference, the team finishing lower than fourth in its conference will shift over to the other conference bracket. A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.

Now, go get a lawyer to figure it out.

Ok, Ok, I'll do it for you ... stop whining. If the regular season ended today. the seeding would look like this.

Eastern Conference

#1 Columbus

#2 New England

#3 Chicago

#4 New York

Western Conference

#1 Houston

#2 Chivas USA

#3 Real Salt Lake

#4 Colorado (based on head-to-head tiebreaker)

The last two spots are awarded regardlesss of conferences, which means that it is possible that a club like Kansas City could sneak in past Colorado. If there are five Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs, then the fifth team switches over to the Western Conference. I know, I know, it is confusing and seems like a stupid way to go about it -- especially given the per conference seeding, since the Supporters Shield winner doesn't get to play the 8th seed. Instead, #1 plays #4 and #2 plays #3 in each conference.

If MLS were a single table league (like it should be), a Cup tournament would be simpler and seeding would actually reward a club for a successful regular season. In a single-table format, the playoffs would look like this if the season ended now:

#1 CLB vs. #8 COL

#2 HOU vs. #7 NY

#3 NE vs. #6 RSL

#4 CHI vs. #5 CHV

Ok, so maybe it isn't radically different than the system they have now. After all, Houston and Columbus could end up in the Final still, but it would create far better second round match-ups. And shouldn't the playoffs get better, not worse, each round?