Most of my friends or even casual acquaintances know I follow Major League Soccer, and FC Dallas for that matter, pretty closely. I was 11 years old when MLS launched in 1996, and I have been covering it in a blog format since 2007.

So when friends ask me how things are going this time of the year with FC Dallas, they usually expect to hear my thoughts or opinions on how well or poorly the team has done in the season.

Almost every follow-up from their question ends up being about the playoffs in MLS. The last few seasons have been easy to point out that it is all one-and-done in the playoffs, similar to how the NFL or March Madness does their playoffs.

This year’s change in format has already presented itself as a challenge to talk through, even with people who understand MLS. To the casual observer, it is a complete pain in the ass.