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How would you feel about this season if the playoffs didn't exist?

What makes the end of this season so disappointing is that last playoff spot dangling right in front of our eyes for weeks, only to slip away. But I'm wondering how we might all feel if MLS did not even have a playoff system, or at most a one-game championship of conference winners.

In other words, would an 8th-place finish hurt as much if it didn't come with the added injury of missing out on the playoffs? Would it be easier to focus on the positives this season and know that we're in basically the same boat as Crew or Red Bulls fans?

I follow Swansea City in the Premier League (and no, I'm not going to make a lame PL Is Better! argument). They had a hot start but are already sliding down the table a bit. Realistically, a top-four finish was not going to happen so I can put my focus on just winning the matches that should be won, and hopefully a finish in the top 10 or 12. I don't even worry about a trophy or a Champions League spot because it's just not going to happen, so my expectations are set differently.

I suspect that if MLS operated under the same system (and I'm not advocating for that either way), these last several games wouldn't hurt so much. Or hey, maybe I'm just deluding myself.

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