Major League Soccer (MLS) has announced that St. Louis will be the next expansion team, joining the league in 2023. This is exciting news for soccer fans in the Midwest, as St. Louis will become the first MLS team in the region.
In addition to the expansion news, MLS also announced a revised playoff format for the 2023 season. The new format will feature two conferences, each with eight teams. The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs, with the top two teams receiving a bye into the conference semifinals. The remaining six teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament to determine which four teams advance to the conference semifinals.
The conference semifinals and finals will be played in a two-legged aggregate series, with the winners advancing to the MLS Cup Final. The MLS Cup Final will be a single-game match hosted by the higher-seeded team.
The addition of St. Louis and the revised playoff format are both exciting developments for MLS. St. Louis is a passionate soccer city and is sure to bring an exciting atmosphere to the league. The new playoff format will also add an extra layer of excitement and drama to the postseason, as teams will have to battle through a single-elimination tournament before reaching the conference semifinals.
MLS is continuing to grow and evolve, and these latest announcements are sure to bring more excitement and interest to the league. Soccer fans in St. Louis and across the country are sure to be thrilled with these developments, and it will be exciting to see how this new team and playoff format impact the league in 2023.
