Whatever fleeting hopes the Houston Dynamo had of making the MLS playoffs were dashed two months into the season, after the team won just one of its first eight games. For the conspiracy theorists, who insist Major League Soccer will never be taken seriously without promotion and relegation, Houston’s rapid implosion looked to be Exhibit A in their argument. And Barrett says that surge has been fueled by something more powerful than the embarrassment of relegation. “So there’s motivation to do well every single time you step out there.”That obviously isn’t something the backers of promotion and relegation had factored into their argument. If that rule was recognized in MLS, Houston, the Chicago Fire and either Vancouver or Orlando City would be facing demotion to the financially troubled North American Soccer League.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 15, 2016 20:26 UTC