'That’s poor' - Inter Miami coach Phil Neville slams MLS for being unprofessional about playoff format

Inter Miami coach Phil Neville criticised MLS about the lack of information surrounding a possible new playoff format this season.

MLS season starts next week
Playoff format not yet decided
Neville upset about lack of clarity

WHAT HAPPENED? It was reported in January that the playoffs could change in the 2023 season. MLS could bring in a best-of-three series for the first round of the playoffs and then single-game knockouts for the semifinals, but nothing has been confirmed.

WHAT THEY SAID: Neville says the lack of communication to clubs is an example of why the division is not considered one of the best in the world.

He told The Athletic: “We’re six days, seven days out from the first game of the season, we don’t know the playoff format. I think that’s poor. When you’re talking about professionalism, and ‘elite,’ I think when you’re seven days out from the start of the season - we’ve had talks here, and one of our players asked one of the MLS guys the other day: ‘What’s the playoff system' and they were like: ‘We don’t know.’ And I’m like: ‘That’s not elite.’ You’re talking about differences between the U.K. and the U.S.? We talked about the intensity of the fans. [This is another] big difference.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The higher powers will have to give some clarity on the situation very soon as the new MLS season will kick off next week.

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