Why Is There No Relegation and Promotion in MLS? Everything About American Franchises & League Structure

Promotion and relegation is a prevalent format in elite soccer leagues worldwide. However, the concept is not implemented in Major League Soccer (MLS), making it the outlier. Technically, US Soccer does have hierarchical tiers below MLS like the United Soccer League (USL), however, the teams in the USL cannot transition to the biggest league in the country.

When clubs do move between tiers in the US soccer system, it is primarily determined by financial merit rather than on-field performance. To understand why the structure deviates from the traditional reward and punishment model, let’s delve into its distinct characteristics.

Why is there no promotion and relegation in US Soccer?

The lack of promotion and relegation in the MLS can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the league is relatively new, established in 1996, and has experienced slow growth since then. With only 29 teams currently in the MLS, there simply isn’t enough depth of talent to support multiple tiers.

Also, insufficient infrastructure poses a significant challenge. USL soccer teams would struggle to match the investment and infrastructure requirements of MLS teams if they got promoted. Instead, they follow a similar structure to other major American sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB, which also operate without promotion and relegation.

Another significant hurdle is the resistance from American team owners. As USMNT legend Alexi Lalas once pointed out, these owners would be hesitant to invest in teams if they were subject to the risk of relegation.

While a promotion and relegation system can be implemented in the future, there are inherent challenges that need to be addressed. On that note, let’s examine the structure of the US soccer league.

How the MLS is structured?

The MLS is structured with 29 teams that follow a closed system. These teams are divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference consisting of 15 teams, and the Western Conference consisting of 14 teams. In total, each team plays 34 league games- 17 at home and 17 away, including two matches against each team within their conference and the remaining games against teams from the opposite conference.

Following this, the MLS Cup playoffs commence. The top seven teams from both conferences qualify for the Round 1. The 8th and 9th-ranked teams engage in a best-of-three series to determine two more qualifiers. This results in a total of 16 teams advancing to Round One.

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These 16 qualifying teams are then divided into two groups of eight for further competition. Ultimately, the top team from each group competes head-to-head in the highly anticipated MLS Cup Championship finals. Thanks to this format, American clubs do not have to fear relegation even if they underperform during any given season.

Do you like the current format of Major League Soccer? Let us know in the comments.

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