Major League Soccer has a decision to make: keep a playoff format or implement the world-renowned relegation system.

The league needs to convince the country that they are viable, entertaining and a must-see commodity. In order to satisfy such expectations; Major League Soccer needs to commit to a playoff structure instead of a relegation system, in order to expand their growing following.

The league has had success over the years with expansion, increased television coverage and designated player commitments, but could a relegation system propel MLS’s popularity in America or ruin it’s reputation entirely?

With the league’s nineteenth season just two months away, Major League Soccer would be wise to preserve a playoff format in order to sustain credibility and popularity amongst the American audience.

Regardless of the speculation from fans and journalists alike, the switch needs to be carefully deliberated and evaluated by league officials to ensure sustainability in a demanding sports market.

First, MLS needs to apply the relegation system to the American market. As a whole, relegation is simple: the top three teams in the lower tiered divisions of the Coca Cola Championship, League One, League Two, Conference Premier and Conference North and South advance, while the bottom three teams face the doom of relegation, a gut-wrenching demotion to a lower division. The system is cutthroat and beautifully entertaining, emphasizing the importance of earning maximum points in every fixture in order to stay alive.

This approach, however, contradicts the current playoff format, which has assisted both the league and various American television markets with optimal television exposure. American viewers who are unfamiliar with the sport gravitate to championship contests, compelled by the magnitude of the event.

When tuned in, not only are the league and television markets making money, viewers are more inclined to adopt a love and appreciation for the game and the league. With a relegation format, American television markets are unable to make money from playoff programming. The league also fails to reach out to viewers unfamiliar with the sport without the playoff prime time television exposure.

The league needs to ask themselves how committed American supporters would be to their clubs when faced with relegation.

What has made relegation so sustainable in Europe is the unshaken support fans display for their team, regardless of their club’s status, something American soccer supporters do not seem to have.

When a Premier League club is relegated following the final game of the season, the club’s supporters, rather than turn their backs on the team, get on their feet and applaud. This phenomenon is truly unique considering the club’s immediate relegation from the Premier League to the Coca Cola Championship, which can cost a team an average of $71 million dollars the year after relegation, according to Fox soccer.

American soccer supporters, though loyal, cannot match the loyalty that has been passed down from generation to generation in Europe. A supporter of a winning club like Manchester United or a losing club like Cardiff City will always remain loyal because of the great tradition that embodies what the club and the surrounding area of the club is all about.

In North America, fans love winners. And when an organization fails to succeed, they will make their disapproval public. Be it failing to attend a game, unwilling to buy team merchandise or simply disassociating themselves from their organization altogether, fans tend to “jump ship” when the team begins to sink, even with the knowledge that their team will be in the top league of their sport the following year. Keeping a playoff system will help combat that.

Though the 2013 MLS Cup was the least-viewed fixture in the leagues 18-year existence, professional soccer in America boasts a 35 percent MLS attendance jump since 2000.  Major League Soccer has made leaps and bounds from it’s humble beginnings in it’s inaugural season of 1997 by developing soccer specific stadiums, reaching television deals with national and regional networks and attracting a handful of world class players to the league.

Major League Soccer needs to retain its current playoff structure and leave the relegation system to regions where soccer is retaining its popularity, not trying to gain it.