MLS Rules Changes for 2009
November 21st, 2008 . By: Buzz CarrickMajor League Soccer has announced some rules changes for 2009. Here’s how these rules effect FCD. End of Reserve League, Roster to 24 or LessThe Reserve League is gone and the senior roster can be increased. MLS teams can now have a senior roster of eighteen (18) to twenty (20) as long as it’s inside the cap. MLS teams can now have four (4) players outside the cap on the developmental roster, including Generation adidas. Team with more than four (4) Ga’s can keep all of them, a category into which FCD will fall. Even if Blake Wagner is graduated FCD will still have 5. The Roster Dance has been edited to reflect the changes as we interpret them. 30 Game ScheduleEach MLS team plays every other team for a total of twenty-eight (28) games with two (2) more games added with conference rivals to make 30. During the summer, due to World Cup Qualifiers, MLS teams can either take two (2) weekends off or have a lighter schedule over a four (4) week window. Seattle is in the West. It remains to be seen which FCD will ask for. PlayoffsEight (8) teams make it, best two from each conference and four (4) at large. Obviously we won’t know how this effects FCD will the end of the 2009 season. CONCACAF Champions League and SuperLigaAll you need to know about these two competitions is that FC Dallas will not be playing in either. 16 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
What’s your opinion on these development, Buzz?
I think these are major steps backwards. to MLS and US Soccer players.
They are only steps backwards to teams which aren’t good enough to play in the many competitions throughout the season. In other words, successful teams don’t need reserve games since they have to use all their availible talent if they are playing two or even three games a week.
Major steps backwards in that there will be fewer players playing (or at least on rosters) of MLS sides. But, might turn out better for the players as they will catch onto USL sides and get regular playing time.
I like the schedule redo though. But who ae FCD’s two rivalry games? Houston and ????, Chicago?
Now only 4 GA’s or devs can be held outside of the cap. How many GA’s does FCD have on its roster now? Shea, Guarda, Lambo, Wallace, Avila, Wagner… did I miss any? Then you have whoever gets drafted in Jan. There goes your cap space.
Oops. They are grandfathered in. Need my morning coffee.
Dan, I believe the “rivals” for the extra games are interconference. Given that LA have Chivas and SJ closer and therefore won’t be one of ours, I would expect Houston and Colorado.
I don’t like this reduction in squad size. Removing 4 players and only giving back 2 senior players is only going to hurt teams playing in additional competitions.
pwip, most of them seem like good changes. I’m a bit concerned about dropping the reserve league. With 4 new teams in the next years I think the reserve league was going to be important. FCD now needs to get a PDL team going ASAP.
Dan, Rex is right, I added the word Conference to the rivals. I would predict Houston and…. Colorado?
With 5 GA’s returning, I wouldn’t want to be a 3rd or 4th round pick by Dallas!
It might be time to start shopping draft picks around.
It sounds like MLS is setting the stage to transition to a table syatem rather than conferences within the next few seasons, which I am all for. Afterall, the way the conference playoffs work is an absolute joke and the punchline is an eastern conference team winning the western conference… a conference they are not even a part of!
say goodbye to the pitchkolans, dello-russos, oduros and wilemans of this world. the time needed to develop is gone and US soccer will suffer in the long run
I like the schedule changes, but do not like the elimination of the reserve league. For a bottom feeder Benny Hill of a club like we support, the future is the only thing we have to look forward to. Now we don’t even have the reserves to follow?
They might as well limit the draft to two rounds. Where are all the other players going to go?
It’s worth mentioning (to those who didn’t read the article) that Superliga will be the next 4 teams in the table that don’t compete in CONCACAF Champions League - a very good move IMHO.
^
So that would make it the “Not So SuperLiga”
I guess MLS is counting on youth teams to provide more development for players than what they currently can provide. I would have liked to seen the reserve league stay until youth teams prove they can adequately support the league.
How can the mls address the dev. of american players? or does it matter? Just increase the # of foreign players on a roster to 20 and be done with it. Drop the GA, drop the reserve league, drop the dev. spots. Just send SH to south america and pick up some of thier young players for peanuts.
Superliga is a curse to MLS teams.They don’t get paid as much for wins as Mexican teams. MLS teams weren’t deep enough to compete last year so ‘09 will be rediculous.