- 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.
IN ONE PHOTO:
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI? Neville's team will start its campaign with a home game against Montreal.
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