MLS’s never-ending expansion has once again put the league in an awkward position, as the additions of Inter Miami and Nashville SC bring us up to 26 clubs for 2020. Miami, logically, will join the Eastern Conference, while Nashville — a city that is slightly further east than the westernmost team in the East, Chicago — will be placed in the West. Got all that?
With league execs apparently content with the 34-game schedule that has been in place for years, that means we’re going to have a strange schedule. Last year, 34 was a reasonable fit: home and away games against your conference foes added up to 22 games, and then you’d play each of the 12 non-conference opponents once to get to 34.