One of the first things every team looks for when their ‘work schedule’ is released? Vacation time.
With Dallas fielding it’s first side in 2022, a 13 team MLR has to deal with some scheduling headaches. Among them is the need for one team to sit each round. Legion and RUNY were left with the short straws.
For RUNY, they’ll sit out Round 1. Essentially, the New Yorkers will have an extended preseason in lieu of a second bye week. Their Round 11 bye splits the season almost perfectly in half. It’s unfortunate, but it’s manageable.
San Diego faces a different challenge. They’ll sit the final week of the regular season, as well as Round 8. Like RUNY, that leaves them 7 and 9 games on either side of their ‘true bye week’. Unlike RUNY, that leaves the Legion with a bye entering the playoffs.
Consider the new playoff setup. Top seeds in each conference will receive a bye that carries them to the Conference Championship. For the Legion, a top finish would equate to a double bye, leaving them with 19-21 days between games. While the rest and reduction needed wins is desirable, no coach wants to watch a side sit that long.
The other possibility is the Legion having a bye week prior to a lower playoff match. Instead of sitting for two weeks, they’d be able to rest and game prep for their first opponent. No competitive person would admit it, but that may be the more desirable option.
Now that all that’s broken down, I suspect San Diego will miss the playoffs all together, making this whole discussion moo.
RugbyFootballTalk 
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