Competition Format
Major League Soccer's regular season runs from March to October with its 19 teams playing 34 games in an unbalanced schedule. Teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conference. Midway through the season, teams break for the annual All-Star Game, a friendly game between the league's finest players and a major club from a different league. At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The regular season is followed by the 10-team MLS Cup Playoffs ending with the MLS Cup championship final.
MLS has three automatic berths in the CONCACAF Champions League for its American clubs with an additional spot available via the U.S. Open Cup; Canadian clubs can qualify for a single berth via the Canadian Championship. For the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League, the qualifying clubs are MLS Cup 2011 champion Los Angeles Galaxy, Supporters' Shield third place Real Salt Lake, MLS Cup runner-up Houston Dynamo, and 2011 U.S. Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC. Toronto FC also qualified as winner of the 2012 Canadian Championship.
Read more about this topic: Major League Soccer
Famous quotes containing the word competition:
“Such joint ownership creates a place where mothers can “father” and fathers can “mother.” It does not encourage mothers and fathers to compete with one another for “first- place parent.” Such competition is not especially good for marriage and furthermore drives kids nuts.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)